Wanderlust

9 to 5

About two weeks ago I accepted a position as a Student Progress Manager for Western Governors University, an exceptional online university offering degrees in business, technology and education. After being recommended for the position by our thoughtful friends Lauren & Scott, who also work for WGU, I was offered the job on the spot during my interview. It took George and I less than 24 hours to decided to take the offer, not only because the checkbook balance fluctuates as wildly as a seesaw from the beginning to the end of the week, but also because this particular job is a fabulous opportunity.

The fact that I'd be making a higher salary than I've previously managed to earn in my entire career is something of an incentive. I get to work with students to assist them in achieving their goal of obtaining a higher education and a better standard of living for themselves and their families, which is fairly gratifying from a job satisfaction standpoint. The fact that the position is heavily call based is something of a drawback for me, but it also relies solidly on exceptional organizational skills and most people who know me will understand that this appeals to me in the same way that color coding my shirts in the closet does. My training begins Monday, April 16th and because Lauren & Scott, who live a stone's throw from us, are headed not only in the same direction but to the exact same building, we'll get to reap the benefits of triple car pooling. But the best benefit of working at WGU for me will be that, after 3-6 months of training, I will be able to transfer to working full time from my home. IN MY PAJAMAS. And make the same amount of money. This will have such amazing repercussions for Owen in the long run and our wallets in the short run, that it has the capacity to utterly transform our current lives for the better. There's just one small thing...

That small, little gooey boy who toddles around the house in diapers and tries his best to sink puzzle pieces in the dog's dish and stick spoons in the humidifier fan. What, you ask, becomes of him? And this is what George and I have been agonizing over for the last two weeks. Finding someone we trust to care for Owen. This process was much harder and much more difficult emotionally than I ever imagined. I've driven across town several times to check out daycares, put half a dozen ads in Craig's List, interviewed nannies and babysitters galore. I went to places where I was afraid to set Owen on the floor because it was so dirty, watching snot run down baby's faces while caregivers passed by oblivious to their discomfort, not to mention my disgust. I went to places where every toy was broken, every book ripped, every kid running around like a maniac on fire. And this is where I confess that this is doubly hard for me because I've been on both sides of the fence. I've taught preschool and kindergarten for 10 years or more and I know the vast difference there is between the smiling, clean face that gets presented to prospective parents and the behind the scenes struggle with chaos that becomes each day's inevitability. And to leave Owen, a small little bundle of boy barely able to walk, alone in such a place was inconceivable to me. There had to be a better way.

After a lot of searching, emailing and appointments, I finally narrowed the field down to two choices. One, a full time but inexperienced and young nanny (this is the only kind of nanny we can afford, and just barely at that) or an in home care situation with a stay at home mom of two. George and I finally agreed on the latter. She lives in a new, CLEAN home on a quiet cul-de-sac and Owen would be the only other child besides her own 2.5 year old and 8 month old. There are no pets and while they don't have a yard yet, there's a park nearby. Most importantly, Owen seems to feel comfortable there and when we visited, it was the only place he ventured off my lap to play. He even played peekaboo with the older boy and waved goodbye when we left. It's barely five minutes from our house and a quick on/off from our route home. A nearly perfect situation except that it's not Mommy.

So in the next month, the rhythm of our lives is going to change dramatically but temporarily. Both George and I know that, as difficult as it will be for all of us, by the end of the summer, we'll hopefully have a work and financial situation that is ideal for everyone. And that's worth sacrificing for.