Home Preparation

I think we are good to go as far as the next part goes. We have dealt with Chris being away from home for weeks at a time already. Childcare is handled. Chores and responsibilities are handled. This part is a piece of cake.
   
Preparing your home and life for deployment
The absence of a family member may mean that you'll have to do things differently at home and in the rest of your life. If you take the time to prepare for these changes, you may find it easier to adjust. Here are some things you should think about when you're preparing for deployment:

• Review child and elder care arrangements . If you need help covering your child or elder care needs, contact any services that may be available to you through the military, in your community, or through another employer for support and resources. If you already have a child care plan in place, review it to make sure that the absence of a family member will not be a problem.

• If there are certain chores or duties that the deployed family member always does, make sure you know how to do them, too . In some families, one person is responsible for maintaining the car or for grocery shopping. If this is the case in your family, make sure you feel comfortable taking on that responsibility on your own. 

Well, that covers preparation! I almost wanted to add an "H" after that word, because I really thought all of this was going to be a pain in the butt. ;) Writing things down and putting things into perspective clearly helps sort through things that may appear difficult or overwhelming. Challenge one, DONE! :)