Where the eff have I been?

First, I apologize for the lack of posts recently. To be honest, I've been holding my breath, hoping the next blog would be about accepting a new job. A job that I turned down another offer for. A job that I feel could be an awesome opportunity.

Well, I received an email on April 29th about this job that I'd gone through three rounds of interviews for.The email, in not so many words, mentioned that hours/salary/start date would be determined soon. So, essentially, a very cryptic offer letter.

Let me back track and fill you in on the job - I would be working as an assistant teacher in the infant room at a brand new early childhood center on the northside of Chicago. "Infant room teacher?" you're probably wondering - what do babies need a teacher for, right? My thoughts exactly before I did observations in an infant classroom last quarter. There is SO much an adult caretaker/teacher can do to foster the development of an infant. And babies don't just sit around and do nothing - they explore, they crawl, the look around, they are constantly adjusting to their environment, and constantly dealing with new & exciting things. In any case, this position would be a great starting point for me, in hopes of having my own classroom with them eventually. Overall, the center serves children from 6weeks - 3 years old.

Ok, so back to the email... After not hearing as quickly as I'd preferred, I got in contact with the center's director, expressing my interest and asking for further clarification of the offer. Back and forth the emails went. One thing I also forgot to note - because the center is brand new, it's currently being built... so, construction of the center has also been a reason for the delay.

So, over the weekend, I was told more about the position - I'd essentially be working part-time from 7:30 - 1:30. Now, I was preparing for a drastic pay cut - but this was also with the assumption that I'd be working full time. I suppose 6 hours is better than nothing, but it's still a bit of a downer for me. I'd likely have to get another part time gig, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. My start date would be sometime in July, hopefully.

Matt and I are moving in August to a more affordable/cheaper place. Where we live now is great, but it's just not feasible on a new, much lower salary. I have some savings too, so I don't think I'd be in *bad* shape, it's just not ideal.

I was really excited about this opportunity, and still am to a degree, it's just now reaching the point of being quite real & facing that is a little scary.