And you didn't even ask for it

So many recent changes have kept me so busy that I haven't had much time for blogging or even reading facebook. I barely get enough sleep and some days I feel like all I do is work. Oh yeah, because that's about all I have been doing.

Getting ready to come home from the hospital

So the week after my adorable, beautiful, precious, simply lovely granddaughter was born I was invited back to a 2nd interview at the local community mental health agency. I had a job offer from DCFS (Division of Child and Family Services) as a caseworker for foster care and in home services, that they kindly allowed me to wait until the end of the week to accept or decline. They knew the other agency was looking at me strongly. They both would have been great offices to work for. I know the people at both and find them pretty great peeps to work with. The benefits of the mental health agency are that I would be doing therapy, get paid about 1000 bones a month more and there is a school loan repayment option.

I still get to work with both sets of staff because they share a building. I took the mental health agency option. It meant leaving the other place a week before I had planned. I have been working both jobs, the old one in the evening and the new all day. Every night last week I was gone until 9 at night. I'd come home and crash in bed, but my girls wanted time with mom, like they are used to. Like they should be having. So it would about 11 PM before I could get in bed and I'd be up between 6 and 6:30 AM.

I think I will sleep a lot this weekend and move my evening clients to Saturday. Just to see if working 6 days a week is easier than 5 super long days.  Some of the old clients are close to terminating and some refuse to be transferred. I am really invested in some of them as we have worked through a lot of their pain. I do love what I do. It is sometimes a difficult decision. Work or stay at home. I am fortunate that Mr Monkey Butt has been working nights so he has been home with our girls in the afternoons and they have only been alone (well Oldest is home with them, but he isn't a parent) for about 2 hours or less.

2 weeks old already

No trying to find the balance. I am not giving up my private practice. If clients have Medicaid they come see me in the daytime at the mental health agency. Others see me at the old office for insurance pay and I have a few clients that pay cash and see me at a third office that is my own billing, but with other play therapists. I just rent an office. I will be working to build that and get on insurance panels over time, but I am for sure staying at the current agency for the next 5 years while I build up my skills and make more connections.

So THAT is the big news on this home front. It was tough to leave the private contracting, but I need more regular income. It was actually money and benefits that made the decision to go with the mental health agency and it was harder than I thought to not work for DCFS. I know a lot of great people that work there. Of course I also some that are not so great. It comes with any company/agency.

Phew! That's a lot.

So what's new with you?