student mama support group - Page 6

[Barefoot Farmer]

Still open to new members?

Hey I just found you all and am really psyched. I'm doing a dual masters program for a MSW and a MPh.....my dd is 8 mo. old and things have been..... , but generally good. I'm sure this group will be a good source of support and advice. I was wondering if I could start my time here with a question: how many of you, with balancing school, baby(s), and life are able to keep up with everything, and by everything I mean cloth diapers, bfing, co-sleeping, general AP stuff?
Really looking forward to getting to know you all.

[aussiemum]

definitely still open to new members!! With regards to balance between work & family....... hmmmm..... most days I just try to stay mentally balanced, KWIM? Seriously tho, when it all gets to be too much i just try & concentrate on the things that are most important to me personally with postive parenting & living the 'natural' life. Meaning that some days the kids eat pre-packaged dinners, some days I'll buy the easy-to-find product that ain't so green rather than shop around looking for what I really want, some days they watch a lot of TV/videos ........ Anyway, welcome!

[sweetest]

So glad to be here!

I am a law student, working part time as a DA and as a research assistant. A full plate, so to speak.

My hat's off to the single mommies The only reason we have clean clothes and food is due to dh!

I have finals next week, so I will be back with a longer post after thats behind me.

Good exam vibes to the other test takers!!!!!

[seedgirl]

Woo hoo! Im officially student now. (well, ok, school startsw June 21st) I'll be studying special ed and regular(?) ed. A combined program.
Ive been warned repeatadly that its quite tough to combnine the coursework with student teaching (plus all my kids) but I think we'll find a way to manage.

So, there it is! Im official!!!

[lunamomma]

Hi mammas,
I am returning to school in the fall and my syoungest will be 6 months any suggestions for pumping, balancing time or general suggestions?

[Lucky Charm]

Lunamomma,
i went back to school the first time and my youngest was 3, and now i'm in school again, and my youngest is now 6. So i cant offer help with pumping suggestions. although, in the past when i did, i always pumped after they ate. and sometimes in between.

The biggest help i found as far as managing time, was planning meals, using my crockpot, relaxing housecleaning standards. I also did homeowrk while the kids napped, never housework. this helped me tremendously, and still does. we do quiet time, and i do my school work, although its a bit easier now because all my kids are in school.

[sweetest]

Hi Lunamama!

Find out where you can pump at school so you arent stuck in an icky bathroom. I had to go to the Dean of Students (one of only 2 female Deans) to find out that my school did have a room for pumping, but it was impossible to know it was there if you werent told about it.

Good luck!

[Mavournin]

Hi everyone!

I'm just making the decision to go back to school (again) and am so glad to have found this thread. I took a year off when my DD was born, and went back part time for a year and a half. I just left in December when my new baby was born, and as much as I really want to return, I fear that I'm making a poor choice now that I have two children to consider. The first time was hard to leave DD with a daycare - but she was 15 mos.; DS will only be 9 mos when the fall semester rolls around. Taking my son to school with me is not an option. I'm in school for fine arts, and the shop is just too dangerous to have an older baby in.

I really want to continue my program, and I would love to one day graduate. (This week has been very bittersweet as all my friends who I started out graduated yesterday.) I'm just having a hard time considering my needs in comparison to the needs of my kids. This seems silly in some respects, because I've done this before - but now it just seems harder.

[MirandaW]

Hi everyone! I'm starting my second semester of college today. I'm 31 with three kids and a step daughter who lives with us in the summer. Last term, I was pretty focused and earned As in all four classes. This term I am taking Intermediate Algebra (you forget a lot of math in 12 years) and Basic English Composition and I imagine both classes will be majorly boring. At least its only for eight weeks.

Will write more later, time to get the kids ready for school/daycare.

[Slackermom]

Well, I'm making progress. Chapter 2 of my thesis is due on Thursday, and I'm about halfway done. It reads like something a seventh grader would write, but at least it's getting done. I'll worry about quality later!

This past week has been hard. DD, who had been a champion sleeper, was suddenly like a newborn again - up every two hours, all night long, for a week and a half. It must have been her six month growth spurt. I was just *dead* Very little writing was getting done! Thank goodness, she's back on track now. There wasn't enough coffee in the world to jump start my writing, and I was getting so frustrated and down on myself.

AliciaO - balance is tricky. DH works full time, and is also doing a master's program. When he gets home from work, he takes care of washing diapers while I get DD to sleep. I try to work on my thesis when DD naps, but somedays I honestly don't get anything done. Spending time with her is my priority, so if she's awake, I'm with her. We made the decision to hire a cleaner to come every three weeks. It's more money than I'd like to spend, but I was losing my mind trying to get everything done. I'm very anal, and can't write if surrounded by clutter! I know this isn't an option for everyone. Just do what you can -- there will be plenty of time in future to clean the house or make good meals, but your baby will only be a baby once.

[Worldshakerz]

I'm hopping on ....

I'm returning to school in a week after a two year hiatus....I tried the working and going to class while pregnant but it just didn't work for me. I even quit work when I was six months pregnant...that was Nov 2002.

So I'm a little nervous about going back to school in a week! I'm excited too. I've 23 credits toward my A.S. degree: Graphic Design/Multimedia. I also have a possible job opportuniy once I graduate in about a year, to work at home for a friend's mother who has a graphic design company. She has other mom's working for her from home too.

These are both good things but I'm already stressing just thinking of how I'm going to balance these things. It already seems like I don't have enough time to get everything done. Jakob is 15 months and having a ball exploring all the new things he can reach (and he can reach farther every day it seems).

We have actually turned our spare bedroom ...which was Jakob's room....into an office/study. Jakob never sleeps in there anyway. My dh is going back to college in August. So, this way we will have a room to study in while the other is with Jakob in the living room or bedroom.

I think I'm going to feel much better once I actually have started class next Monday....once the anticipation has passed.

April

[K&JsMaMa]

Best of luck to you, April.

[Lucky Charm]

April, congrats on going back to school. The anticipation of going back is always a bit nerve-wracking.

Jelly, you know, i am not in the masters program....yet, but sometimes i feel like my work is at the seventh grade level too! that made me laugh :LOL

Sigh. I just took my final in Geriatrics (i am in the BSN program, already a nurse). I got a 94. I would have liked to do better, but at least its an A. I handed in my final project (got an A!) and a 30 page care plan/case study. I hate those. I'd rather have teeth pulled.

I have about 14 months or so till i am done. It will be a while before i consider going back for my Masters. Thesis' scare the hell out of me.

To all the moms holding it together....families, housekeeping, laundry, jobs...

[sewinmama]

Wow, this is a long thread.
I don't have time to read the whole thing now, but I'll jump in and introduce myself anyway.

I'm Jennifer, I have one beautiful daughter and I've been doing the school thing off and on for a couple of years now. I want to get serious but that will involve putting dd into daycare (she's 18 months so will be pushing 2 by the time fall semester starts) but dh (sometimes dear, sometimes da**) is totally against. I helped him get through grad school so I think he owes me the same, but he's being a real pain about it. My sister says she thinks it is a control thing, she's probably right.

Anyhow, my school thinks it is cutting edge since it was about 20 years ago, but it is really not nontraditional student friendly at all and definitely not parent friendly. We came here because my dh wanted to move to a smaller town, but I feel I'm paying a price. Don't get me wrong, I do like it here and have met a lot of great mamas and kids to hang with but my schooling will definitely suffer.

Can't wait to read the rest of this thread.

Jennifer

[Lucky Charm]

Hi Jennifer, and welcome!

[kerc]

To all the moms holding it together....families, housekeeping, laundry,
jobs...

shh. don't tell anyone, but "it" is held together with playdough, ready to fall apart at a moments notice.


I finished my LAST CLASS EVER!!!!!!! yesterday. (insert giant cowgirl sounding noise). Whew. onto the thesis at hand. I WILL finish it soon. I can't deal with my advisor longer than I have to!

[bradylynne]

Hi everybody, I am posting for the first time here... I am starting law school in about a month. My DS is going to be one year old next month, too. I am excited, but so nervous about balancing everything. I chose to go part time to law school, (turning down a prestigioius full time program at another school) in order to stay home with my son during the day and not have to use day care. My DH will be watching him while I take my classes 4 nights a week from 6-9pm. I think that schedule is awesome compared to what I was going to do... but I am still very nervous. Mostly about balancing everything.

Was happy to see there are some more law students on this post! Let's all keep in touch here! Bye for now!

~Lynne

[sweetest]

Hi Lynne!

I pm'ed you - I have one year (part time) of law school to go, I had dd the summer after my 2nd year.

First year is tough, even if it is part time. and more !!!!!

Let me know if you'd like to talk!!!

[Evergreen]

Wooo Hoooo

I got a Pell Grant for $3200 and a scholarship for $2800! I still need a few more loans to pay up the mortgage so that I won't have to work while I am in school, but I am so excited.

Scared too.

I am trying to get Gr8fldad to switch from his construction job to one bar-backing at a friend's tavern so that he can be home with Dylan while I am in school. he isn't too interested yet, but I think he will change his mind.

[Ravin]

Everything is falling into place for the fall.

I've found childcare. It's not perfect, but I think it'll be okay. DD will be with a home provider. I won't find out if I qualify for a subsidy until mid-July, but with the grant money I got plus my GI Bill I'll be able to afford her even without it. The only thing that really rubs me the wrong way about it is that she doesn't want me to hang around w/ DD at her house. She prefers that the kids be dropped off and the parents leave, because in the past she had a bad experience w/ the mother being very distracting to her and a child biting a baby. But her set up is good, she has her sister as a helper, DD can be in the same environment w/ the same provider throughout the experience, it's convenient by bus, she has a good physical set-up in her home and she's very professional and warm in her demeanor.