3 Pitfalls to Be Aware of When You’re a Student Mom

*** This is a guest post- I am posting it because I totally agree!! ***


3 Pitfalls to Be Aware of When You’re a Student Mom

When you’re balancing two of the most difficult jobs in the world – being a mom as well as a student – you’re bound to find the going tough. But because you’re determined to plod on, you try your best to be a good mother and an equally good student. There will be times when you slip up, but if you’re aware of the pitfalls that line the path, you’re likely to find the going easier. So if you’re a student mom who’s juggling your home, your little ones and your education, here are a few pitfalls that you must be wary of:

•The food trap: Most student moms are guilty of this one – you’re stressed out by lessons and assignments on one side and running behind your kids on the other. So you tend to turn to food for comfort and as a way to de-stress. You also begin to neglect your personal health, and with the extra calories you consume in the form of ice cream and pizzas, your weight begins to shoot up. The solution to this problem is to be aware of what you eat and not use food as a comfort mechanism. Find other ways to relax – exercise usually works wonders in boosting your mental and physical health.

•The procrastination trap: The trouble with assignments and preparing for exams is that they usually come with a deadline. And just when you think that you have all the time in the world, they sneak up on you and you find yourself burning the midnight oil to catch up. But with kids around, you can never be too sure that last-minute preparations are going to be possible, so you may end up failing to submit your assignment on time or even failing your exam. The key to being a successful student mom is to use your free time to complete your assignments and prepare a little for your exams. Yes, they may be a few months away, but when you study a little every day, you don’t have to cram at the end.

•The neglect trap: Some moms get so caught up in their student life that they end up neglecting their families in their pursuit of an education. While your kids and spouse may understand this attitude, it’s up to you to ensure that you don’t go overboard on one side while neglecting the other. You’re both a mom and a student, so don’t neglect your kids for your lessons or vice versa. It’s best to coordinate your schedule with that of your kids – study when they’re at school or doing their homework and make sure that your free time and theirs coincide. This way, you get the best of both worlds.
By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Amy S. Cook, who writes on the topic of LVN to RN Amy welcomes your comments at her email id: amy11s.cook@gmail.com .

T minus 10...

My mind is so scattered, I have stupid classes I don't care about. What is with this weird Chemistry math and why on earth do I need to know this shit? On the other hand, all I can think about is the need to pass this test and finally getting a Nursing job! What sucks is all the places that I want to work are hiring now. I really hope they are hiring when I pass NCLEX! I really hope I PASS!! Fingers, toes and anything else crossed I can think of, because I realized that I really suck at select all that apply questions!

On the home front... well, not much change there. There are some things that have come up that are really bothering me, used to be "deal breaker" type of things. I am not sure how I want to progress at this point. So we will see how this year goes.

Diet is kinda stalled... too much stress right now and a scale that won't budge is adding to it. I will jump back on that challenge as soon as I get through NCLEX! I think I may need to call Jenny Craig for a structured food plan or something. Who knows?

Nothing

Not much going on. I've just been concentrating on studying. Still trying to get in my 30 day challenge, but not obsessing about it right now because NCLEX needs to be the focus right now and the rest will need to work itself out. I must admit that I really am not giving my all to my current classes and only managed an 89% on my easy Health Information Class, because I just could not focus enough to complete a project with the care and research it should have taken. But at this point a B is SAP and that's Ok. So I have 3 classes left in progress. I still an A ( which I am sure I'll finish with a B)in Philosophy, and in Chemistry I have a C and Micro I have a C. Micro is only so low because of the Citing on the Essay ( but I have fixed that issue), although I did have a quiz I totally bombed! Probably should have read the book a bit.

So I have a date night tomorrow night to see Gretchen Wilson at Toby Keith's "I love this Bar & Grille". I am also taking my son & nephew out tomorrow afternoon to Amazing Jake's. Its like a Chuck-E-Cheese, for older kids. This will be the first time he is tall enough to drive the go-carts. We haven't been since last year this time. But bowling, mini-golf, laser tag and mindless video games, along with amazing food is a nice break too!

set back

So I don't feel that well right now. Not sick... just blah! Which is pretty much the start of a new wave of situational depression hitting again. I think it is because I have been pretty much trapped in the house & it just is not a productive way for me to maintain my teetering emotional state at this point.

So not much to report right now... still plugging along, trying to keep up with the exercise plan, and seeing no results right now on the scale = frustrated! Time for a trip to the doctor, because it is defiantly related to my PCOS and my hormonal imbalance I think... or stress!

Marriage...well its still a work in progress... he's been having to work a lot this week so we really haven't talked and I don't know much more than that.

I've been studying mostly for the NCLEX and trying to just get through these crappy classes as I go. Resolved that I may need to take them again in person at this point, but hoping to get through with a C anyway. I will hit the tutors toward the midterm so that I can try and pull it out. I think I get my financial aide once my classes finish with SAP in June. ( Satisfactory Academic Progress )Which kinda sucks cuz I'd really like that money now.

yet another charger died

Ok so this is getting old, but of course I have to blame the puppy on this one because he ate it the same day I brought it home... and now its totally broken. Which is not good because there is no extra money right now!

Suck It!

I HATE CHEMISTRY & MICROBIOLOGY!! I especially hate the fact that I took these stupid classes in an online format that is so f'd up. I will be lucky if I will be able to pull a D out of my butt- let alone a C... at this point I have no care for my GPA- as they are transfer credits and don't count anyway... I just need to pass to get my student loan money and I'll repeat them in a classroom at this point!

For 1 thing its random, for another I have to cite in essay questions, including ones for the midterm and final- um apparently how the heck am I supposed to remember the exact citation crap on a test without being able to have the info with me?

For another thing- I can't concentrate on this crap!!


My NCLEX is in 22 days!

Cat in the Hat

Or rather- walked right through the door. After a year and two months our cat "Baby" returned!