The Job Front

So I mentioned that Brian and I have had some changes at work. It's been really a long time unfolding, but here's the short(ish) version.

Awhile ago, I started thinking about my current job and why I didn't feel very confident at work. Previously I had worked as an occupational therapist in the public school system, and I felt very much at home. I enjoyed the work, felt like I was accomplishing something, and had a passion for what I did. I also got enough feedback to feel like I did an ok job. But when I had Katy, I left that position, because it was not flexible for part time work. A former colleague of mine, Kay, was opening a new business and offered for me to come work with her. Kay is really terrific to work for and with. She is so passionate about the kids, so talented at what she does, and very understanding about life prioritites when you have young kids. She essentially let me work exactly when and how much I wanted. It really has been great. The only problem was that it was a completely different clientele than I was used to, also in a different setting. I worked by myself, so there wasn't much opportunity to learn from those with experience, and the learning curve was very slow since I have only been working 6-8 hours per week. I also started to think that my skills and interests were more in the background work and the details behind OT, not necessarily in the treatment itself. I shared all of this with Kay a few months ago, and she was glad to hear it. She and I came up with a list of things that I could do for her at home that were more business management type of things: billing, managing caseloads, facility management, etc. She asked me to continue seeing clients for awhile until she was able to hire some more people. I agreed, so I have been working a little from home in addition to my Friday caseload.

Meanwhile, Brian has had some changes at his job. After considering a different position at the university, his own department has convinced him that he is very valuable to them, and he is very excited to be staying put in a job that he has loved for years. The biggest change is that he is going to start working 5 days per week (which he has not done since 1999!). This means that I'll be losing my child care for my Friday caseload. Yada yada yada... I spoke with Kay and as of November 1st, I will no longer carry a caseload on Fridays, and I will be working entirely from home!! This arrangement will be flexible and very part time. Just enough to keep my foot in the door professionally and earn a little extra spending money. That means that I'll have one more day each week to spend with this cuteness:

I am so excited to be a full-fledged stay-at-home mom. Since Katy was born this has really been my heart's desire. And the timing on everything has been perfect, from Brian's job changes, to the new pregnancy, to the timing of Kay's needs with the new business. It's all laid itself out really nicely. It's definitely a sacrifice financially to stay home, but we really feel like it's the right decision for our family for now. The only sad part is that Katy doesn't get her Daddy day once a week. We'll just have to meet him for lunch more often.