Mr. Toad

We take Isaiah once a week to "school". The daycare here is The Children's Center. I love this place. They allow drop-ins and they love the kids like their own. Last week I went to drop Isaiah off and saw a toad by the door. He was a pretty big toad and looked as if he was trying to get inside.

I went to pick up Isaiah and the toad was still in the same place. Anna, the owner, asked jokingly, if I wanted to take him home. My response was, "do you have a jar?" I think I surprised her with my answer but she found a jar and some plastic wrap. I went outside and the toad jumped into the jar. After a few minutes of walking around showing it to everyone, in an attempt to scare the ladies, I put him in the car with the kids and took him home.

On the way home I asked Isaiah what we should name him. Isaiah responded "Mr. Toad". So, Mr. Toad came home with us. While driving home I had a few moments of panic when I would hear him jump and hit the plastic wrap. So the rest of the way home I had to come up with plans of how to react if Mr. Toad managed to jump out of the jar and into my car. Fortunately, we made it home without incident.

We released Mr. Toad into our backyard and I was even able to catch him in action...

Isaiah spent the rest of the time checking on Mr. Toad...every time I asked him to come inside he said, "see Mr. Toad more"...

After a few minutes, he managed to basically just disappear. He was back there maybe ten minutes and when we went to check on him later in the evening, we could not find Mr. Toad. But he was entertaining while he lasted in our yard. Maybe he'll return, maybe not. Farwell Mr. Toad, hope you find a good home.

Employment

Some of you may not know that in my previous life (pre-Travis) I was a Probation Officer. Before I met Travis I was working in Albuquerque at the Bernalillo County Metropolitian Courthouse. I really enjoyed my job and the fabulous people I got to work with. Many were my friends and we had worked our way to the courthouse from State Probation-Parole.

So, prior to the courthouse I was a Probation-Parole Officer in the Intensive Supervision unit for the State of NM. There too, I really enjoyed my job but the pay wasn't what it should have been for the work that was required. So I moved to the courthouse, the pay was awesome, and no field work...meaning I did not have to get in a car and drive around town checking up on people. Which, was fun at times...one time we had a fire extinguisher go off in the truck of the car and well, after we figured out that it wasn't a bomb and we weren't going to die, we couldn't stop laughing, especially when we opened the trunk to find the white powder ALL over the place. Good times!!

A position opened up in Clovis, at the courthouse. So, me being the previous PO that I am, I said, hmm...it's a sign. I must go back to Probation. So I applied. Today I had my interview. And while I think I did quite well something just doesn't seem right. When describing the criteria, it would be case work and field work. Okay, yea, no problem. Until they mentioned the field work is at night from 7pm-midnight. And I can completely understand the nature of the job, people on probation do have curfews. I was spoiled by intensive supervision because my guys had ankle bracelets, thats right, the kind Martha Stewart had to wear when she was let out of the big house. Well, in Clovis, they go check on them EVERY night. Again in intensive, it was once a week, we'd go check things out.

Now to my current life, two kids, a husband who works FULL time (and thats all i can say about that) hmmm...working shift work I don't really think is going to work for us. There are times that my husband gets to take "vacations", as I like to call them, granted not too many but I have another feeling that times they are a changin'.

So needless to say, today, IF and big IF, I am offered the job I will more than likely have to decline. And while I am a bit sad because I thought a job I once had, that I knew I was truly good at is not available to me, it in a way gives me peace with my decision to stay at home with my adorable, and at times, exhausting kiddos. These moments are precious and should not be missed if at all avoidable. Some day I can go back to work...but now, I'll enjoy moments like these.