Confused

I am not quite sure what to think at this point.

I got the phone call from K. (the old boss who called to ask me to come back to work to help them out) during the week of February school vacation. I think she called me on that Tuesday which would have been February 19th. Since then I have been trying to work out some childcare arrangements for E as well as for A in the afternoons. My mother-in-law is available (with the exception of about 10-12 days in March when she and my father-in-law will be away on a trip) and is waiting in the wings for me to tell her when I might need her. My next-door neighbor who runs a daycare is also going to be able to take E for me when she has openings. She is waiting on another child's family's work schedule before she can give me dates. And then there may (or may not) be issues with getting childcare for A in the afternoon. It won't be a problem when my MIL is available, but during their vacation I will need to find either alternate childcare (I have a few friends I might be able to call on for a short-term solution) or Rick may just take some time off on those days.

However, after spending a fair bit of time and energy on this childcare issue I've begun to doubt whether this job is going to pan out or not!

And the reason is this - after the initial phone call from K. I have not heard one single word from her. I left a voice mail message for her on Friday the 22nd. Granted, Friday was a rather snowy day and there is a strong possibility that she was not in the office that day due to the weather. But, then I waited patiently (or as patiently as is possible for yours truly - patience is not one of my own personal virtues) and expected to hear something from her the following week. When Monday turned to Tuesday and then Tuesday turned to Wednesday I got a bit concerned - or at the very least I was curious - and so I sent her an email basically stating that I hoped she had received my voice mail and gave her a couple of days that I would be available in the coming week. Keep in mind, my mother-in-law is still waiting to find out what days I might need her to babysit and she also has a scheduled dentist appointment that she is more than willing to reschedule, if necessary. But, I have not been able to tell her a thing because I haven't heard ANYTHING from K. So, then we arrive at Friday the 29th and I still have not heard back on my voice mail or my email. I decided to be a bit more proactive and sent an email off to another member of the team (D). I had actually run into D. a day or two after my phone call with K. - we were both at a local museum to see a play put on by some local HS kids and her son happened to be one of them. Anyway, seeing as I had had a recent conversation with this coworker and I also happened to have her email address I decided to send her an email to see if I could get more information. I sent that email early on Friday afternoon. Seeing as it was sent Friday afternoon I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt that she might not have been in the office or might not have had a chance to respond before the end of the day. So, I am still waiting to hear from either K. or D.

I've tried to be very patient, but in some ways I am also very frustrated and concerned. I did not initiate contact about this job. She called me. I'm working hard trying to get childcare arrangements so that I can help them out. But, I can't arrange anything if I don't know when or if they need me! I have done my part to contact her and let her know what my intentions are but she hasn't called me back or emailed me. I would even be relatively happy with a quick "sorry, things are really busy but I'll be in touch very soon"- kind of email. At least I'd know she received my messages and that I'm on her radar. At this point I honestly don't know what to think and I'm a bit apprehensive to work 'out in the field' for someone who is not capable of returning my calls or emails. I am beginning to wonder if it would be best to wait until the fall and find a job that is in one school or district and where I have a good support base. It is going to be hard enough to re-enter the work force without the added stress of feeling "out of the loop."

Perhaps I'm just too much of a planner. I don't know. I just know that I'm very frustrated and confused right now.