PhD-ing Mamas! Acheiving and Believing in 2009! - Page 9

[muchpeace]

Trying to catch back up. It's been a weird summer for me. I have been dealing with severe PPD, turns out I'm human & my writing pace became slowed for a time as a result. I wanted to have the month of August to relax but I've been doing more work than anticipated because of having a slower work pace earlier in the summer. However, after some medication, help, general support (I love my husband more than I can even begin to say), and some writing for my sanity I'm back on course (at least with the PhD/work stuff).

Just sent off Chapter 6. 7 & 8 will be sent next week. And working on figuring out a date that works for the committee for the big day, while I continue to revise & revise & revise, oh & did I mention revise?? Everything right now for that looks good. Other news: did some conferences, have 2 book chapters based on the dissertation forthcoming for next year, teaching 3 classes in the Fall (all intro), not sure what I want to do, and everyone starts school next month. I'm looking forward to December already

Anyone else teaching this fall? Researching?

What are your Fall goals? mine are to finish the above, I have set deadlines so that helps.

[nnaemeka]

Originally Posted by readytobedone

i just had to come share this with people who would get what a big deal it is.

i got my first chapter draft turned in mid-may, and now i am done with the second. only 2 more to write, plus an intro. it was my goal to have 2 chapters turned in by the start of fall semester, so yay! i did it!

i have no idea how "good" it is, but it's done, it's in one piece, t's crossed and i's dotted, and i just sent it to my advisor.

:::

sadly, i don't get much time to celebrate, because now i have to quickly switch gears and work on getting my syllabi together for the 2 classes i am teaching this fall.

school doesn't start for 12 more days, but we're going out of town mid-next week to visit family and attend a wedding, so i need to get all of my teaching stuff squared away by tuesday.

i can do it, right?!

wow Angela--congrads!!! you are really making it happen. you are an inspiration. how's the first week of teaching been? i'm teaching two classes too. even though i find it hard to stay on top of all the details, for me teaching is much more doable than writing. i'm really struggling with the diss. i feel lost.

Carita---how are you doing with the move? do you feel liberated being on leave from the U?!? are you getting work done? or do you have other priorities right now?

EVC--enjoy your semester free from teaching. you know i found my QE era scary but exhilarating. i say enjoy the study---its an experience that is linear, a clear beginning and end--so unlike dissertating-- and to some degree (at least in my disciple and dept) you have control. make the most of it. of course someone could say the same or similar to me, and i'd say scram...

muchpeace---send me your words of wisdom!!! how are you managing to do everything??? amazing!

my update: teaching 2 classes, well leading/grading 3 discussion sections, and instructing a new course of my own. so far so good though making the syllabus almost took over my life. i like my students, all w.o.c., they seem excited about my class. but its going to be ALOT of work and while i'm thankful for the $$$, what i would do for more time to get my project out of the toilet of my mind and on the page.

i'm supposed give a diss presentation this semester and i don't feel ready AT ALL. i really wasn't as productive as i wanted to be over the summer. writing is triggering all sorts of insecurities for me. argh, this sucks. a few friends are advising me to use the deadline and social/intellectual pressure to push me in the productive zone. my idea: runaway!

my immediate/short term goal is finish chapter one! ooh i do have a good news, my article proposal was accepted for publication in an edited anthology on very hot and important topic in my field. so, um, all i need to do now is write it. its an opportunity i CAN NOT miss, so i'll have to do it, right?

what else--ms buzzzy bee is a toddler and whew i'm tired already . i have a fantasy that one night she'll sleep for more than two hours straight!

welcome all the newbies to the thread. happy fall semester Mamas!

[Carita]

Well I found out about 1 week after I moved that we are already pregnant again! I had to leave the next week for a conference workshop. Now that I am back, I am sick as heck. Any good busters for morning sickness. Last time I could just sit on the couch all day, but this time I have a 2 yo to care for!

That said, I am so happy to be here. When I was feeling well, I was getting a lot done. Freeing is a good word. Unfortunately one of my committtee members was at the workshop and gave me near anxiety attacks about how I have to make several trips back this year or else. Believe me, the last thing I want to think about are more trips away from my family and more flying. ugh.

[readytobedone]

Originally Posted by nnaemeka

wow Angela--congrads!!! you are really making it happen. you are an inspiration. how's the first week of teaching been? i'm teaching two classes too. even though i find it hard to stay on top of all the details, for me teaching is much more doable than writing. i'm really struggling with the diss. i feel lost.

:

aww, shucks, i don't feel like an inspiration, but thank you.

my classes are going pretty well, though i found the first week pretty overwhelming to be honest!! much harder in some ways being accountable to 30-some people than just to my committee, kwim? so it's an adjustment, but i'm feeling my way through...

as far as feeling lost with your diss, do you feel like your project is the "right" one? i've heard from a lot of people who had trouble starting that their projects weren't "right," and once they came up with the right one, it was much easier.

my update: teaching 2 classes, well leading/grading 3 discussion sections, and instructing a new course of my own. so far so good though making the syllabus almost took over my life. i like my students, all w.o.c., they seem excited about my class. but its going to be ALOT of work and while i'm thankful for the $$$, what i would do for more time to get my project out of the toilet of my mind and on the page.

that is a LOT of work, lady! THREE discussions? for what?

i'm supposed give a diss presentation this semester and i don't feel ready AT ALL. i really wasn't as productive as i wanted to be over the summer. writing is triggering all sorts of insecurities for me. argh, this sucks. a few friends are advising me to use the deadline and social/intellectual pressure to push me in the productive zone. my idea: runaway!

have you looked at the book "academics as writers?"

http://www.amazon.com/Professors-Wri.../dp/091350713X

it really helps address the emotional components of writer's block. my therapist recommended it to me.

and if it's an option, and you aren't already seeing someone, i highly recommend a therapist while dissertating!

my immediate/short term goal is finish chapter one! ooh i do have a good news, my article proposal was accepted for publication in an edited anthology on very hot and important topic in my field. so, um, all i need to do now is write it. its an opportunity i CAN NOT miss, so i'll have to do it, right?

that is AWESOME! :

what else--ms buzzzy bee is a toddler and whew i'm tired already . i have a fantasy that one night she'll sleep for more than two hours straight!

you'll get more done once she sleeps better, i promise! stella consistently sleeping better (which happened when she was over a year) was CRUCIAL to my getting work done--although these days, she's having a little (okay, big ) regression.

when you're sleeping more, and nursing less, your brain works sooooo much better, at least mine does! it's one thing that has me questioning whether we really should have a #2. hmmm...

[nnaemeka]

Originally Posted by readytobedone

:

aww, shucks, i don't feel like an inspiration, but thank you.

my classes are going pretty well, though i found the first week pretty overwhelming to be honest!! much harder in some ways being accountable to 30-some people than just to my committee, kwim? so it's an adjustment, but i'm feeling my way through...

as far as feeling lost with your diss, do you feel like your project is the "right" one? i've heard from a lot of people who had trouble starting that their projects weren't "right," and once they came up with the right one, it was much easier.



that is a LOT of work, lady! THREE discussions? for what?



have you looked at the book "academics as writers?"

http://www.amazon.com/Professors-Wri.../dp/091350713X

it really helps address the emotional components of writer's block. my therapist recommended it to me.

and if it's an option, and you aren't already seeing someone, i highly recommend a therapist while dissertating!



that is AWESOME! :



you'll get more done once she sleeps better, i promise! stella consistently sleeping better (which happened when she was over a year) was CRUCIAL to my getting work done--although these days, she's having a little (okay, big ) regression.

when you're sleeping more, and nursing less, your brain works sooooo much better, at least mine does! it's one thing that has me questioning whether we really should have a #2. hmmm...

hey Mama,

i love my peanut but i can't even think about another. i can barely manage life with one babe. i always wanted two or more but sheesh this (post)modern working mama thing is very demanding esp with my essentially bohemian nature. but yes i do hope that my intellectual fuzziness can be blamed on the mommy brain which i hope will clear up sooner than later.

anyway, i'm being a bit facetious. i do think my project and i are bit of a mismatch though i 've been hesitant to admit it. there is something crucial that i still need to discover (or shift) about the entire project. my writing has basically been a kind of prospectus rewrite over and over again. i feel like something is missing so i keep reading but then i come up against a wall. i try to write and urgh! is it just that i lack confidence? i used to just write. is it the hugeness of the diss? who knows!

i read Professors as Writers this summer. i had a little groove going as i practiced his exercises but than bam i hit the wall again. perhaps i need to read it again. i regularly browse wriitng the diss in 5 minute a day too. if i'm doing anything i'm writing a zero draft.

i did have a therapist. i owe her $$$ so i haven't had a session in awhile. she suggested i might have generalized anxiety and sent me to a psychiatrist who prescribed some meds. but i'm very hesitant to follow that route. i keep saying i will try st john's wort first than if that doesn't help i'll consider the pharmaceuticals. plus ms busy bee ate the paper prescription!

part of me feels i just need rest and yoga. both of which i'm haven't been getting/doing. but i'm scheduled for a yoga class on Thursday!

meanwhile i'm teaching three sections for AfAm 101. and the writing class.
great stuff, but c'mon really. as if writing wasn't already challenging. nonetheless i do have a 2010 goal. i must be done or fellowshiping in residence elsewhere. i/we gotta go.

so onward. i do feel motivated but muddled.

i really appreciate your advise and encouragement. and i'm open to any tips/stories any Phding mama may have. i'm also open to divine intervention, dissertation angel visitations, free therapy etc. .

[Carita]

I got free therapy through my university center. I went to them for ADHD diagnosis/therapy, but they also helped in general with everything else.

[muchpeace]

Originally Posted by Carita

Well I found out about 1 week after I moved that we are already pregnant again! I had to leave the next week for a conference workshop. Now that I am back, I am sick as heck. Any good busters for morning sickness. Last time I could just sit on the couch all day, but this time I have a 2 yo to care for!

:: on being pg again! try to rest, it's hard with a little one but build in that time for yourself. it makes a big difference. and glad to read the move is going OK.

I start teaching my 1st class tonight, I have 3 semester. I'm wading through revisions, I know I can get it done but the deadline for the book chapter is coming up & all the deadlines are stressing me out.

It doesn't help that I'm going through the whole process of thinking about the future: don't know if I want to stay in academia, if I stay where is a good fit, would I stay ft/pt etc... The whole issue with having the baby has caused me to pause about it all. I guess that's normal in general at the end of the dissertating process but just feels more intense right now.

nnaemeka--I second checking out campus to see if you can get free therapy services, I know our campus also has some for students. It might help to just have someone to talk to again.

readytobedone--I should check that book out, I could use the additional encouragement.

[VisionaryMom]

Hmmm...is everyone on this thread at the end of the journey. I'm at the very beginning, so I'm hoping there are some others who aren't at the dissertation/job search phase.

After a tremendous amount of soul-searching, I've decided to get a master's degree in gender studies and then a doctorate in history (focus on history of family/sexuality). Though I'd love to get a PhD in gender studies, I just don't think it's the right move. So I'm at the beginning of a roughly 7-year process. :

It's only week 3, but I'm already wondering how I'll get this done with a 2YO and a 4YO. (For example, it's now 2 AM, and I have things to do still.) I'm still freelancing some to help cover the cost of preschool/dance/monthly date night with hubby, but financially this is going to be a tough time for us. We've tried preparing the kids for it, but they don't really understand.

We still don't have a good schedule worked out, and I feel like I'm living in panic mode right now to get everyone where s/he needs to be, dinner made, laundry washed, and then reading/writing/planning for end-of-semester research projects.

Any advice from you mamas who've btdt?

[oceane]

Originally Posted by BrandiRhoades

Hmmm...is everyone on this thread at the end of the journey. I'm at the very beginning, so I'm hoping there are some others who aren't at the dissertation/job search phase.

After a tremendous amount of soul-searching, I've decided to get a master's degree in gender studies and then a doctorate in history (focus on history of family/sexuality). Though I'd love to get a PhD in gender studies, I just don't think it's the right move. So I'm at the beginning of a roughly 7-year process. :

I'm lurking on this thread hoping to eventually get a PhD in Public Health. Or so I guess... anyway, just delurking to say you're not the only one just starting out on a long journey.

[gradmama]

Originally Posted by BrandiRhoades

Hmmm...is everyone on this thread at the end of the journey. I'm at the very beginning, so I'm hoping there are some others who aren't at the dissertation/job search phase.

After a tremendous amount of soul-searching, I've decided to get a master's degree in gender studies and then a doctorate in history (focus on history of family/sexuality). Though I'd love to get a PhD in gender studies, I just don't think it's the right move. So I'm at the beginning of a roughly 7-year process. :

It's only week 3, but I'm already wondering how I'll get this done with a 2YO and a 4YO. (For example, it's now 2 AM, and I have things to do still.) I'm still freelancing some to help cover the cost of preschool/dance/monthly date night with hubby, but financially this is going to be a tough time for us. We've tried preparing the kids for it, but they don't really understand.

We still don't have a good schedule worked out, and I feel like I'm living in panic mode right now to get everyone where s/he needs to be, dinner made, laundry washed, and then reading/writing/planning for end-of-semester research projects.

Any advice from you mamas who've btdt?

Originally Posted by oceane

I'm lurking on this thread hoping to eventually get a PhD in Public Health. Or so I guess... anyway, just delurking to say you're not the only one just starting out on a long journey.

Hi mamas! I truly lurk on this thread - and this thread only. I have taken a major break from mdc because it is such a time-suck. However, I get the updates from this thread :

I'm going into my 3rd year in a MA/PhD program in Sociology. I study Gender, Sexualities and Social Movements. I'm currently working on my MA thesis -- I just lost all of my transcription and notes on a hard drive :cry but I'm still determined to finish it by the end of the year. I'm also beginning my diss field work.

So, I guess I'm popping in to share that no, you aren't the only ones at the beginning of the journey and that I'm really glad to have this connection to other mamas on the path because it's really isolating here sometimes.

I'll try to be more active too if ya'll don't mind

[Cuau]

Hey mamas!!
I have not been here, but let me introduce myself.

I'm a 6th year Ph.D student with a 2.5 yearl old DD and a 3moDD and I'm defending my dissertation this coming monday!!! It's being a very long journey and I can't believe I'm this close to be done!! After two pregnancies and many changes in dissertation topics I'm finally here.

I'll be teaching for the rest of the semester and job hunting for either postdocs or a temporal teaching position.

anyways I'm off to practice my defense before my two DD's wake up from their nap

[Carita]

Good luck with your defense!!!

Ugh morning sickness has taken a huge toll. I hope this gets better by next week! I have A LOT to do next week.

Also looking for a postdoc next year. Anyone here in the biological sciences? My field is interdisciplinary and I don't know the biology directorates.

[Cuau]

Carita, I'm in the biological sciences as well. Are you doing molecular? I do Animal behavior, where are you looking?

[Carita]

mathematical biology - I do modeling. Not genomics/informatics.

I think my choices to find a postdoc in math in this state are very limited becuase there are no phd programs in this state. But I am wondering if maybe I could join a theoretical biology lab that does modeling. I have experience in modeling in evolution, ecology and neurobiology. I need to brainstorm about what departments might employ theoreticians. I wish each school just had a postdoc listing page... grrr.

But it gives me a good idea - I should go check out the Unversity's marine science and wildlife ecology departments... I have an offer for a postdoc project from my old Master's advisor, but with no funding. I'd really not want to go that way if I don't have to. yuck. I need some cash man! LOL.

[Cuau]

Carita, we are on the same position, finding money is hard right now.

Are you suscribed to any of those email lists that publish jobs/postdocs conferences?

How about those research centers? I think there is one at Santa Fe, that looks for postdocs once a year.

PM me with your email, I can give you more info

[Carita]

Cuau - I am on a few listservs - ams, evoldir, and smb, but I unfortunately have a 2 body problem, so that we just moved to the state of Maine, and I have to stay within driving distance of my family.

[Cuau]

I see, that complicates things. I'll keep an eye open in case I see anything

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by gradmama

Hi mamas! I truly lurk on this thread - and this thread only. I have taken a major break from mdc because it is such a time-suck. However, I get the updates from this thread :

Yes, indeed. I think I'm going to have to ration my "free" time pretty heavily.

Originally Posted by gradmama

I'm going into my 3rd year in a MA/PhD program in Sociology. I study Gender, Sexualities and Social Movements. I'm currently working on my MA thesis -- I just lost all of my transcription and notes on a hard drive :cry but I'm still determined to finish it by the end of the year. I'm also beginning my diss field work.

Do you mind sharing your topic? It sounds like we're looking at similar topics from a different perspective.

The prof who I think will be my thesis advisor gave me a great idea for an end-of-term paper for history of sexualities this week based on my interests. I'm hoping when I go to the archives, I will find there's enough information to use it for my thesis as well. I need to double-up as much research time as possible!

Cuau, good luck on your defense! I hope all goes well for you!

[laneysprout]

Just sent off my dissertation draft to my committee chair last night. Keeping my fingers crossed the revisions won't be too out of control. :

I spent the rest of the night crying.

PPD after birthing this thing?

[Carita]

poor thing - probably hormonally still adjusting and on overload. I think PPD involved a sense of despair, self-hate, distance and worthlessness, and since you finished your dissertation draft, I'd be surprised!

Having a really hard time working here - I don't think I can possibly mkae my friday deadlines. But I am feeling a slight bit better - just have a lot planned for the week.