On the road again...

So, Friday morning I got a phone call I was certainly not expecting to get.  It was from the HR director at Stow offering me a part time job.  Now, I would love to be flattered, but let's face it, they have to offer it to me first, I'm on the RIF list.  My first reaction was no, so I called back, left a message, and respectfully declined, before he could even call back and give me the details.

Now, you may be thinking "good for you" or "why did you do that?" - one of the two...before I finish the story, let me tell you what I was thinking.

1.  I have the greatest job in the world being Kate's mom
2.  I'm going to grad school
3.  This district is somewhat unstable, and I'm nervous to work there again, especially after being RIF'ed once.

However...

I got a call from the HR director again Monday, asking me to reconsider, and answer him by end of day.  This caused a lot of grief in our house - a lot.  Tears, tears, tears.  You see, when a mom has a baby and knows she's going to return to work, she has 6-8 weeks to prepare for that.  I had ONE DAY.  One.  I just am sad to think about leaving Kate at all - even if I will get home before noon...

However...

Once I calmed a little, I started realizing this may not be all bad.  Matt's work schedule would work perfectly to offset mine, so he could be with Kate while I'm at work.  It would give us "stable" income (not a ton, but...)that would help out a lot.  It would give me another year toward retirement.  AND - it's choir.  All choir.  Once I started teaching in Stow and had my own choirs, I started wanting to be able to do a "choir only" job.  This is my chance.

However...

I am still enrolled in school full-time and will be Kate's primary caregiver.  It will be a huge life-change I wasn't prepared for and wasn't planning on.  Can I handle the extra stress, work, etc?  Can I maintain my good grades in school if I commit to this?

However...

It's one year.  If it is horrible, I can always resign and return to being "just a student" or "just Kate's Mommy" or both...not that either should be "just".

The story continues...

Monday I called HR back and gave them some conditions:
1.  Even though the job was supposed to start 8/24, I couldn't be ready for that, so I asked to start 8/29.
2.  I would have to change concert dates scheduled for November and December because of class commitments.
3.  They need to understand this job is NOT my first priority.  Kate and Matt's job come first.  Matt's job is our primary earning job, so if he gets called into court, work, etc., I will be calling off.

HR said they would consider these terms, talk them over with other administrators, and call back today. 


I am leaving Kate with her Daddy, but still feel so guilty about doing this.  I really hope this job is good for me, that I enjoy it, and that the money helps as much as I think it might. 

Today I accepted the job.  Please say prayers that we can make this right for our family.