stream of consciousness | a pm edition
Well, hello.
It's currently 1pm, and I almost never write or publish blog posts this late.
I have a zillion posts in draft mode, but none of them are finished. They need links or pictures or more editing or a video...things I didn't have time for.
So I'm just going to do a stream of consciousness post, like we used to do back in the olden days of blogging.
Let's see what comes out of my fingers!
This morning, I went for a walk with Mr. FG, and then I helped Sonia with the little guy she babysits twice a week.
Often, he falls asleep, which makes her job easy.
But some days, he puts up quite a fuss and then she and I work together to get him calmed down.
Today our solution was to distract him by giving him something to watch. He ate Cheerios in Sonia's lap while he watched me work out; I held him while he watched Sonia unload the dishwasher, and so on.
Eventually, he conked out, and I took a shower and had breakfast.
And then I had a podcast interview with my friend Whitney Hansen.
I always feel a little nervous before interviews because I am so much more comfortable behind a keyboard. Talking makes me self-conscious!
In other news, my online biology college class started yesterday. I'm taking it with Sonia, as a way of dipping my toes back into college to see how manageable it is.
A few first thoughts:
- I don't like having an ebook textbook
- Online classes are kinda awkward (at least, this one is so far!)
- Online assignments are harder to keep track of. When I last went to college, everything was tangible and my paper-loving self preferred that.
I took two full semesters of college classes before I got married, so I have 31 credits hours to my name.
But I have since taken 24 years off to do all sorts of other things, including having four babies and raising and homeschooling them.
So, it's been a long time since I have been an official student, and I do feel a little bit apprehensive.
But I am trying to remember that I am good at steady plodding, and to get through a college semester, you just have to keep plodding away at the assignments and reading and studying.
I don't think my parents really said much about this, but somehow, growing up in their home, I came away with the belief that with enough hard work, you can do almost anything you set your mind to.
Ok, so, yes, I'm 42. It will probably be harder to memorize things now than it was when I was an 18-year old college student.
BUT, I still know how to work hard, which means this is not going to be impossible.
Someone on Instagram asked what my plans are for college.
They are (tentatively):
- try it out this semester
- if it seems manageable, keep knocking out prerequisites for the next two years, while Zoe finishes high school (she graduates spring 2023)
- apply to the nursing program after Zoe graduates, because then I will have graduated from homeschool-mom life
But of course, like most things in life, these plans are subject to change. Hold 'em loosely, I say, and I'll wait and see what God sends my way.
I had a slow-cooker stew on my menu plan for tonight, but I did not start it this morning.
Which means I'm going to have to scoot a few things around on the menu plan. Shrimp and grits tonight, chicken and quinoa stew tomorrow.
Zoe is allergic to shrimp and she hates grits, so when I make this dish, she eats something else, like a grilled cheese sandwich.
If it's a dish she enjoys, I'm totally happy to work around the shrimp issue and add another protein for her. But if it's something she hates anyway, I fail to see the point.
Sandwich time for Z!
Aaand, now it's 2:40, because I had multiple interruptions and also because I ate lunch and made a cup of tea.
I'm gonna hit publish and then go dive into geometry with Zoe.
See you tomorrow for Thankful Thursday. Which will hopefully be more timely than this post. 😉
P.S. You know what's funny? Twice this morning, I had the opportunity to answer blogging questions, and both times, I mentioned that it's important to let go of perfectionism and just keep putting stuff out there. So I am practicing what I'm preaching here!
Kristen, I think you don't need to worry about college. You have lots of life experience (which is NOT the same thing as being old), and I often think how much easier college would be if I did it now because of my maturity and because I can see how things fit together better now. I also have thought how much more I'd milk out of the classes, I think. I guess I would appreciate the opportunity to learn more.
You've totally got this. Or, you'll find out you don't really want it. It's a win-win for you.
I would not like taking college classes with ebook textbook, but I'm pretty old school. 🙂
I'm sure you will handle the transition to being a student with grace and ease. When I went back to grad school I was at least 5 years older than everyone else which made me self-conscious at first but then I realized that my life and work experience made me better prepared to handle the workload and stress than the younger students.
Can you rent or buy a used hard copy of the book? You might like that better.
If you have an iPhone or Apple Tablet you can write on paper and "scan" it in the Apple Notes app by taking a photograph of the page in the app. If your professor will allow scans of handwritten documents you could turn those in (or your printer may have a built-in scanner already. This seems to make sense for equations in particular.
Curious how they will do labs online? My daughter is a sophomore in college and taking chemistry online, so I'm curious to see how that goes as well. Hoping she'll be back on campus in the fall.
I really liked this blog. I have a degree that I'm not using and am trying to go back to school. I don't have all of the steps figured out (and the local 4-year isn't accepting students who already have a degree) but I'm working on expanding my skill set and employment opportunities.
I agree that ebooks are not my favorite, but they do have one perk. They are searchable. Which makes up for a lot.
Good luck and keep plodding!
I returned to school 2 years ago and I agree on the e-books! I just can't concentrate the same with the book on the screen! It seems to take me twice as long to read and I don't retain the info as well. I order a used copy or rent a copy (whichever is cheaper) and use that for my reading. It just works so much better for me.
Online classes took some time to get used to but they work so well for my schedule at work and at home. I keep a paper planner will all my assignments and due dates and I print the syllabus because I just need something on paper to follow.
I have one child in high school and one in college so it seemed like the right time to finally go back but at my age (49) I do find myself wishing I had done this sooner! However, even though I was a good student the first time around, I think maturity has made me an even better one now. Having older children means that not only are they self-sufficient but they are great at helping me with tech issues! 🙂 Also having a college math major son is great when I'm stuck on a math problem. I call it my text-a-tutor!
Welcome to the wonderful world of a paperless society. When I first started working at home in 2002, the company started putting all kinds of reference material on line. And people never wanted to look things up and still printed them out. Now if you are hired, and not for a customer service position, they start you off without a printer and everything is on line. Think of what’s happening to newspapers and magazines now-a-days.
I live in Silicon Valley, and it makes me so happy that when you wrote "giving him something to watch," you meant something real! (I see one-year-olds in strollers at Target with phones in their hands and it makes me want to cry).
Oh, it hadn't even occurred to me that that could be read in another way, but I see what you're saying! Yes, I meant that he seemed to calm down when there was some sort of activity to watch; he's even entertained by watching the washing machine fill up.
I often feel grateful that when my kids were little, mobile devices were not even a thing. I had no temptation to quiet them with devices because there were no devices available.
I know this was not the stated purpose of this post, but it is definitely a commentary on they type of community that you have cultivated—as a 35-year old mom who is at home with small people and loving it, but also longing to make my own contributions in other ways as well, reading through this post and the subsequent comments is so incredibly encouraging. There are so few places where people are nourished by one another’s stories and learned wisdom, and getting to hear from those who have pursued their family and career dreams is so heartening. That kind of a community is a direct reflection on the type of tone you set, Kristen. Thank you.
Aww, I'm so happy that everyone's comments encouraged you. Yay! And how lovely that on a post I just sort of randomly typed, the comments section turned into something so encouraging.
It's not that my kid has never seen television or anything (she probably does watch too much) but my daughter never gets our phones and out in public she finds enough to entertain herself. Her grandmother (my MIL) bought her a tablet without our permission and I had to be Bad Daddy and send it back. I think my MIL was furious with me about it but oh well.
My nephew always has his tablet blaring, even when he eats. I don't think he's ever eaten a meal without the constant noise.
Batter you are not alone in this. I have a 5 year old and we are emphatically anti-device. No iPad, no phone for him and we will hold out as long as we can. I am sure that this will be a battle. I am gearing up
Battra not batter. Gosh autocorrect is sometimes quite the pain. Sorry!
It's all good. Who would think a 20+ year old screenname I made up for AOL based on the name of a Godzilla monster would live this long?
When my kids were growing up in the 90s there was no mobile devices and I think we were the last ones to get a computer (this is according to my kids).
On our street there were 3 boys my sons age so the 4 of them spent all their time outside. It was so old fashioned. My son would come home from school, open the back door, shout hi mom and I would hear a thud from his book bag being thrown in the house and landing against the dryer. Then he turned around and went out to play. I have fond memories of this.
The irony for me is that I was the kid playing inside a lot. I was never athletic (always picked last in gym class) had allergies and was much more into playing with Lego or Construx than kicking a football.
I was 47 when I earned my BSN. I had been an RN with a diploma. It was a hard few years working part time with 3 kids in high school and taking classes at 2 local colleges. The community college cost less so I took non- nursing classes there. Intermediate algebra was horrible but my friend's 17 year old son who was a math whiz in high school helped me. I have never regretted it andI believe it helped my kids to watch me work away at it. You have this!!!
It's an hour till dinner time and I haven't made any plans. I'm not even in a position to make plans because I'm on hold with IT for work. In these circumstances my go-to meal is frozen dimsum and fresh broccoli, plus whatever fruit I have on hand. Dumplings steam in a couple layers of bamboo steamers for 5 minutes, then add another layer of fresh broccoli and steam for 5 more minutes. Slice fruit, serve.
I totally agree with quantity over quality when it comes to blogs. I would much rather read daily blogs than wait for that weekly pristine post. Yes, I am shallow. 😉
Back in the stone ages when I got my degree, I was a traditional student. There were a few non-traditional students in my program. One in particular was married with a couple of kids. She put the rest of us to shame with how well she kept up with her classwork. I think the difference was that she knew how to prioritize her time in a way that you only can do when it's a necessity ... And of course she had a lot more practice at it than we 20-somethings. I think as you go on, you will find that you are uniquely suited not only for classwork, but also for providing patient care. Nothing replaces life experience.
Oh my. That certainly is a fancy Cat Mom mug. 😉 Is it in a regular rotation? I secretly love that you have it... especially since you were at first apprehensive about the cat 😀 (Who is absolutely adorable, and I don't think we would EVER tire of seeing her in pics!).
I obtained my degree in my late 30's, and graduated #1 in my class, so no, it is definitely never to late to go to college!
I discovered that my dedication to my coursework was simply head and shoulders above that of my younger counterparts, and it closed any gap that might have existed due to their potentially faster (i.e., younger) brain action. I also found employers incredibly receptive upon my graduation because of my greater stability and maturity. And lets be honest, I wasn't going to be taking time off for maternity leave. While this is not something employers can ask about, I think it's naive to think it's not a point of consideration.
And based on your prior GPA, you don't need any good luck wishes. You've already got this!
Ahaha, yes, no one has to worry about maternity leave for me ever again!
Ha. I did a random post today, too. Although one could argue almost all my stuff is random . . .
"Older" students are potentially more successful in part because they respect the rules and the professionalism of the teachers, that the assignments and activities were put together for a purpose.
And people who can write well, and of course relatedly read well, will ALWAYS do better in school, no matter the subject. The number one best way to prepare for college, starting with babies, is to read to them. (This is one of my major soapboxes, which I won't write all of now). It takes time, is relatively inexpensive, and more valuable than any number of special programs or college prep-activities later in life.
Such good points !
I went straight from high school to college to grad school. Years later I went back for a certification and I found that many of the profs had so little real world experience that their lectures were useless and harmful to young people who were going to go out into the world thinking that they knew how things operated; I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from calling BS. When I was young, I did not realize how many of them were blowing hot air.
I think you will do great! I went back for my teaching credential at 47 and I think I was a better student, because I had an actual plan in mind, as opposed to taking classes, just "cuz". And think of all the jobs you have held in the past 20 years of raising and homeschooling your family -- all that work and planning and learning to juggle 4 KIDS, all while running a primo blog!. You've got mad skills, for sure 😉
And I truly think we might just be better learners later on. Or at least I was 😉 And so true about plodding through -- There were classes I loved and those I hated; some were easy and others really pushed every button I had. And it is okay! In the end, I just had to finish. So Excited for you -- go get 'em!!
I went back to school at 37, graduated at 41 (13 years ago). The school part was easy, I was much better prepared for the course work. However looking back I should not have done it. I make less now than before degree and owe MEGA student loans. Not try to be a downer, just make sure your earning power vs cost of education is worth it. Best of luck with your class!
Oh yes, I have been saving up for the possibility of a return to school, and I've got a couple more years before I would even apply to the nursing program full time. So I should be able to graduate debt-free.
It's definitely a good thing to keep in mind, though, because sometime it does not make financial sense to go to school.
And honestly, I could just keep blogging instead of going to school; that would be the smartest thing to do from a strict financial point of view. I don't need to pay for school to keep on blogging! But I would like to try being a nurse, and we have the means to pay for me to get my RN, so it's not a strictly financially-based decision for me.
There will never not be a need for nurses!
That's one thing I appreciate about menu planning... The ability to easily move meals around. Yesterday I flipped my plans for Tuesday and Friday because Tuesday's Plan A took longer to cook than I thought. But since I had the plan and the ingredients, a swap was easy.
Yes! Did just that tonight because I was reading to my granddaughter via FaceTime, and she wanted me to keep reading to her. Um, yes!
When I was considering applying for XR school at 32, I wailed to my mother "But it takes TWO years! I'll be 34!" To which she replied "how old will you be in two years if you don't go to school?" I applied, got accepted, made mostly B's and A's and life for us improved 1000%. It was tough, but so was I. (:
That is almost exactly what my good friend said to me when I said, "But I will be 40 when I complete my degree!" She reminded me that I would be 40 anyway, so why not . . .
I completely relate to going back to school. I did not go to college after high school, even though I had the best opportunity. Then, when my son was 13, I went to college at Purdue University to earn a Bachelor's degree in Computer Technology. I was 38 and while I did work in IT, I had no technology background. My husband was very supportive, and it did take me 7 years because I was working part time, but I graduated with honors! You will be great at this!
Kristen, you’ve got the right mindset to move forward with your college studies. Steady work ethic, ask for help when you need to. Your life experience and compassion are your big strengths for this amazing profession—ya can’t teach compassion! But remote learning is no picnic, take little bites of confusing material—a friend just reminded me of this quote, struggle is the feeling of learning. I wish you well on this great new endeavor.
Kristen, You got this (college), I think being older and going back to school, you are there because you want to be, not because its what (right out of high school) is expected.
I didn't go after high school. (I went to a trade school) but I did go back in my early 30's, just taking a class or two. Then life happen and I didn't continue , wish I would have!
Is Zoey graduating early?
Yep, Zoe is on track to graduate a year early, just because she kind of skipped kindergarten. She hung out with Sonia and me when I started homeschooling Sonia, and she just started reading on her own, based on what she picked up from watching Sonia. So, her official education began at the first grade level.
I never officially moved her up a grade with the government, just in case we hit a wall at some point. But she's been doing fine, and so I anticipate she will graduate a year early.
You got this, girl!! I went back to full-time nursing school when my daughter was in grade 7. She was going to a new school and had to navigate the subway system in our big city. We made it and are both so happy (and as a 19-year-old, she sends her dad and me gratitude notes regularly). All our hard work has paid off!!
and....I LOVE being a nurse. Best career change decision for me!
I got married right out of high school and didn’t start college until I was 31. Like you, I slowly started classes just to see if I could do it. Part time quickly became full time. I loved it.
I retired a little over a year ago from a very rewarding career in special education. During those years I raised 4 children, took on 2 grandchildren, obtained a master’s degree and certification in Deaf studies and sign language.
This was an accomplishment of a life time. I was the first person in my family to attend college.
You’ve got this.
Back to school at 43 here! I agree about the e-textbooks. I found that the reading portion was much better on my kindle than the laptop. I got all kinds of weird stiff necks from trying to read on my computer! If you don't have a kindle, it would be a great (small) investment especially since ebooks seem to be the way of the future!
Good luck on your studies!!
Go for it Kristen. I graduated nursing school at the age of 45. It can be done.
You mentioned things will be harder to memorize with 24 more years than the last time. Just think, you have 24 more years of life experiences that will help you. This may not help with Biology, but since you've homeschooled, you have that extra knowledge that the average student doesn't. Not only that, but just think of all the extra knowledge you have as a Mom that will help you when you get to nursing school!! You go girl!!!!
I like your stream of consciousness posts! I think I mentioned this somewhere else but I would highly recommend getting your CNA and working as a CNA if you are planning on going to nursing school. It will be invaluable in preparing you for school and to be a nurse. That is my advice to anyone who is thinking about nursing. Nursing is a great career and you definitely will not be alone as an older student. My class had tons of non traditional students, I was the weird one graduating at 22!
It's interesting how career perceptions change. In the 1960s I was in college, doing mostly the liberal arts, and nursing had a bit of a bad rap. Since mostly women were in it then, the pay was not so good and you heard horror stories about the work. I didn't know anybody who chose it.
Fast forward almost fifty years and it is THE hot career. Everyone wants in and it can be hard to get into a nursing program they are so crowded with applicants. Personally, I stumbled into medicine by first being hired to run a chiropractor's office, then when I left I made the decision to try medical assisting school. It was a much cheaper and less time consuming experiment. I didn't know how I would feel about but found I loved the "medicine" part. Although you can be worn down by difficult patients.
By then I was 50 and I spent an entire year trying to decide if I should go on to nursing school. The expense was large as I would have gone privately to save time. In the end I decided not to go because we were empty nesters and I realized when I finally got a nursing job I would be assigned to nights, holidays and weekends because I would have no seniority. I wanted to be on the same schedule as my husband more than I wanted to be a nurse. 😀 Finished out my working years as a medical assistant in a clinic.
Just my story.
My perspective, too, although I am an RN. I don’t think I would do it again, if I had a choice. There have been wonderful parts, yes; I have been honored. But it is not like it once was and it is not the way non-nurses often perceive it. So I’m just saying that if people change their minds midway through school, it can be OK.
Oh man, I am SO excited for you to get to go back to school! I know that you will love it. We are the same age and it delights me to no end when I have students your age or older. I love that y'all are so enthusiastic to be (back) in school and you bring such important perspectives to the university classroom.
I HATE ebook textbooks so much. I also struggle to remember due dates with online coursework - even when I'm the one assigning them. I print the syllabus for each of my online classes and then try REALLY hard to remember to enter due dates on my calendar manually. It's still really difficult when I don't have the pile of papers shoved into my textbook on my desk to remind me.
I can't wait to follow you on your journey back to school. Go Kristen!
Yep, I am definitely finding that it feels tricky to remember when things are due. I like to plan my own life out on paper, and so adjusting to this electronic planning is going to be hard for me.
I imagine I am going to write due-dates down on paper. 😉
That's what I'm going to do, too.
I was an elementary school teacher right out of college, that was in 1979! I taught for 8 years and then had....babies, four of them. When the last one was 16, I had been subbing in his high school, because it was an amazing Technical Charter High, 90% boys, who had no sense of drama, just dedication to computers. There was a very small population of special ed. kids who almost exclusively were on the spectrum and just needed social/emotional support. I decided to go back to school in 2009 at the age of 53 and earned a Masters in Special Education. I did this solely so I could be hired at this school as the sped. teacher. I was, and I love it! I decided once I had that Masters I would pursue a doctorate. Not because it would increase my salary, or because I needed more education, but because I had so loved being in a cohort with younger students. Being in college again was a shock, we had never used computers, or an online platform to submit work. But I learned! and I was so very proud of myself. I ended up just going an additional two years and earned an Ed. Specialist. This allows me to be an administrator, or a Director of Special Education. I have never, nor will I ever do either of those two things, but I certainly enjoyed the journey to get to that point. I did not go another two years to finish my doctorate, but that is ok. I am still teaching at the same school, and am planning on retiring in two years. It was all worth it, and I did something I never thought I would do. You can do it too!
I love your story -- bravo!
I, too, decided to go back to college to complete a nursing degree. I was 40 when I took the exam to become an official R.N....I had a previous degree with many liberal arts courses, so only had to complete the science prerequisites, which I did over the years my two youngest (out of four) were in preschool. You can do it ! Nursing is a great career...You can work various schedules -- day shift, night shift, weekends only, etc. And there are so many specialties to choose from ! Always something to keep your mind learning and growing. Nurses make the best friends, too -- funny and smart and creative and down to earth...But BEST of all is knowing that you are helping people of all kinds, making a difference in the health of your community. Good luck !
Yes, that last sentence is why I want to do this; to be a helper to people!
What type of nursing do you do?
I worked in the Coronary Critical Care Unit of our local hospital. Worked nights for years, to be available at home if kids were sick or had a school program or something. Really, working the weekends and holidays was okay because I had days off during the week to get things done.
I just recently retired, but if they call me up to work the covid vaccination clinics, I am ready !
Random, but I love that you still make what you love even if your kids don’t dig it.
I do make an effort to work around what they like, but sometimes, what one person really likes is something another person hates! Or it's something someone is allergic to. So I figure with five palates in the house, we all have to be a little flexible sometimes. 🙂
Once kids are old enough to have jobs in the evenings, sometimes I purposely plan meals around that. Like if I know Lisey will be gone for dinner, I purposely make something that she doesn't love.
I enjoy stream-of-consciousness posts!
I feel you on the whole college/online college/"mature" student thing. I'm taking courses towards a psych degree while still teaching all my (piano) students and living life. The ones I was really procrastinating were the stats courses, so I decided to do them this year while we are on lockdown. I'm currently in the second of the two prerequisites. I actually somewhat enjoyed the first one, but I have zero plans to take more than these two! It is a bit more challenging with an aging brain (I'm 55), but on the plus side, the technology can be helpful in terms of facebook study groups - young students are friendly and eager to set me straight lol - and the ease of getting help online. (Google, I'm looking at you.) Good luck! I'm a little envious of your study buddy - I would love to take a course with my daughter!
I did stats back when I first was in college, and luckily, that still counts for my math credit.
However, I have always thought that if I DID need to do a college math credit, I would be in such good shape to give it a go. I've been swimming in math (sometimes x4 kids at 4 levels concurrently) for 17 years of homeschooling. So I would feel quite confident in my abilities right now, maybe even moreso than when I was fresh out of high school.
Sonia has helped me figure out a few things with accessing stuff online; it's her second semester of online college classes, so she is more experienced than me. Ha.
You will do great going back to school! I went back starting this summer--I'm also 42 and I'm trying hard not to think it's a midlife crisis.;-) I have the same thoughts about ebooks and that it's harder to keep track of your progress, but I've found that it's manageable and I just keep telling myself that done is better than perfect. Best wishes to you!
I started college when I was 42, and graduated the month I turned 50. And the month my son graduated from high school. It was hard for me, but I did it with no loans, raising a teenager, and 3 jobs!
I went back for an Associated Degree at 50. Finished it, so totally doable in your 40’s (or any time)!
You go girl!!!! You can do this!!!! I went back to college for my bachelor's degree at 48 and for my masters at 51 and now at 59 I am contemplating going back for either another masters or PhD or PsyD. We shall see what the future hold. My mom had a saying "We plan and God laughs" There is something to be said for going back to school with some maturity and life experience. You are a very intelligent, articulate young woman you will do great!!!!
I went back to school to change careers at 36 - I had a newborn and 2 year old at the time! I graduated with my nursing degree at 40 so starting a nursing career in your 40s is doable!! I now have my MSN and am a nursing educator after 9 years as an ICU RN. The best thing about a nursing degree is there are so many job avenues available. All of your clinicals in school will be in bedside nursing for the most part but there is so much more out there than just working in a hospital. I say go for it! Feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions about nursing school and beyond!
Its' cool to see so many readers here went back to school at an "advanced" age! I myself decided to start a University certificate in Human Relations and Spirituality in january. I'm 40. Mind you, it's not for a career change, it's for brain stimulation, and it's very (very!) part time. I always wanted to go to university but life got in the way. Now it the right time 🙂