Tag: kids

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3 years and beyond University Study

Flexible education not that flexible

If you don’t know, I am studying a Masters in Project Management. I have elected to study online as it is easier to fit in with having kids and my lifestyle at the moment. I did start the degree without kids, but chose online as working and finding time to get to class might be an issue, online delivery seemed to be the best way forward.

Last week I noticed that the draft timetable had been listed, it was noted if you needed a remote location for this exam to contact the coordinator. Upon finding out that there was to be an exam, I contacted said coordinator and was told not to worry that I would be able to have the exam at a remote location. Just to explain, a remote location is not at the campus. The campus is in the city, and I currently live over 2 hours away.

Exam room waiting for everyone to sit their uni exam. Wish us all luck!
Exam room waiting for everyone to sit their uni exam. Wish us all luck!

 

I emailed a request to have a remote location organised due to me being far away and commitments with my twin girls. After over 4 emails this was not taken into consideration and I have to come to campus to take this exam.  As you can imagine I am not happy with this result. The university sighted costs and issues with getting my results back in a timely manner.

One of the emails stated that I could have a remote location for the exam under special circumstances. I then cited the fact that I need to drop kids off at pre-school for 9.15am and pick them up for 2.45pm. I need to be at the university for 9.20 for a 2 hour exam. It takes me 2 hours to drive or at least by train to get to the city. The exam is slated to finish at 11.30, then I would have to drive back, so factor in another 2 hours travel time. I think I would miss school pick up in the afternoon as well. If the exam was local could drop kids at school, do exam and then pick kids up. No issues at all, other than the worry about passing this exam.

The coordinator thought she was being helpful to start the time of the exam at 11.30 to let me drop of the kids at school, but then who picks them up? We are in an area with no family or many friends close by. I have made more friends that have said that can help, but I am not leaving them with one child it will be two. Also I am not sure when I will be back.

I ended up asking my husband to take the day and work part of it from home, he was lucky that he could do it. Normally he is flat out with projects and it might not have been possible.  What would have happened if I had no one to ask? Why is it that the university can sight costs, I am paying nearly $4,000 for just one subject each semester, and I am not using any of the facilities on campus? The least they can do is to help me out a bit. I do understand that there is a cost associated with remote exams, but why can’t I double up with another university that is doing the same thing. Would this not reduce costs?

One of the reasons that the university claim that I need to physically be at the University for the Exam, is that they say that I am located in the Sydney Metropolitan area. If this is the case, I should be able to walk to George Street and go to the movies, maybe a spot of shopping at Centrepoint as I am so close and walking distance. What a laugh!

Living in Katoomba it is very interesting that sometimes you live in the country and then the rest of the time you are considered that you live in the city. Interesting, I fully believe that it is structured to benefit the business owner, not the customer. I am already paying inflated fees, and an extra one that they have decided to add for just this year and the remainder of my course.

I also feel that it discriminates against women with children. How do you manage to retrain, have an interest and earn the same or more money for the next job?  A degree or like qualification will help. Doing flexible online study I would think that they would be open to remote venues for the exam, now it has put a whole lot more stress on the day. Thank god I have a husband that can take the day, what if I had no one? Would they have stepped up then? Child care is too expensive, pre-school is costly. To then have to pay to get to the exam by putting kids in care would have really annoyed me no end!

Why can other universities have exams in Wentworth Falls and Katoomba, and mine Sydney University cannot do the same.  I am still annoyed, frustrated and felt stressed out trying to organise how I will be able to attend the exam.   As a mother and a person that would like to do well with her career, I find this unacceptable and this needs to change. University and other educational institutions need to step up and make exams and courses easier to access for mothers and parents. I think they need to consider the individual and then assess from there.

Have you been annoyed at your educational provider? Have they made things difficult for you due to being a mother and having other commitments? Why is it so hard for this to be taken seriously, I think that they did not put any weight into the fact that I am the only person that takes care of my twins during the week, and I don’t have help.   Has this happened to you? Send in your comments.

Let us know your thoughts. Why not continue the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

Categories
3 years and beyond

Helpful Bunny

Daddy and Lillian went to the shops, while Julia stayed with me. Some of this time with Julia was cuddling her as she was upset. Once she was happier, I was finally able to take out the vacuum cleaner out.

I wanted to get the rug clean in the living room and the entire floor. This did not happen as I had planned, as Julia decided she wanted to vacuum. She wanted to do it all by herself. So the rug was done by Julia, she also helped me wipe down the coffee tables and tidy up before her great aunt and girlfriend came for lunch.

I was very impressed that she was helping, and when Daddy and Lillian got home he saw Julia vacuuming in the living room. She was so proud of herself for helping and doing it all on her own. Now I just wish more of the floor got done, so it really needs to get done again by mummy/daddy, but more likely mummy.

Today I was very pleased that we got some one on one time with the girls. It is hard to separate them and it was good to see that they both wanted to do different things, and they were not upset with not being together. Need to work to do more of this.

Julia seems to be taking more of an active role in helping and doing things around the house. Lillian is as well, but not as much as Julia currently. I am sure it will happen with time.  Do your kids help you around the house? Is it helpful? How do you work with kids and do housework? What are your tips and tricks?

Categories
3 years and beyond University Study

Bed is calling me

Why is it when you have a million things to do you are not feeling your best. This just makes what you have to do, harder and more annoying. Maybe I should have done more university work before now. It is hard fitting it all in being a busy mummy; however I probably could have done more than I have done. I have an assignment due on the 2nd of April and just between you and me, I have done some research but not put much of it together. More reading and time spent on this needs to happen this weekend.

I have told the husband that I need to be left alone to do university work, and that was met with, he needs to sleep in, do the lawns and get his hair cut. Understand that these things need to be done and he has had a big week, so catching up on sleep is great. So hoping that when he is up it is my turn to be left alone to get on with what I want to do. He can look after the girls like I had to when he had a presentation to do for work.   I just fear that I will end up looking after the girls till about 1-2pm and then I will get nothing done.

Currently I feel terrible, tired, and achy, the beginning of a sore throat, and just generally out of sorts. I would really like to go back to bed; however this cannot happen with kids in the house.

Today the goal is to get some of my assignment done and my tutorial questions. Once these are done, or at least well on the way to being complete I will feel much better about university and the situation.

Now the other goal is to be left alone to complete this task. Maybe daddy might take the kids out to get his haircut and leave me alone?  You can only hope.

Have you had things you need to get done, but it is hard when you are not left alone to do them? I know I have some extra days due to pre-school, but I tend to get some housework done, shopping and try to fit in university study. The issue with university is that you can take hour’s just investigating one issue or looking up an article. Then there is a matter of reading it all to understand what it is you are doing. So the day that you had goes and you don’t feel like you have done anything.

Does your partner/husband help you have time to yourself for study/time out/hobbies/anything else? It is really hard to fit it all in. Next week I am using pre-school days for me, not the house. Send in what you do to fit it all in? What tips and tricks can you share with us all?

Update: Finally now on my own, it is 11:40am, and feel annoyed most of the day is gone but pleased to be getting a start on my work. Now getting a hot cuppa tea and to get stuck into it. In the end I have organised the format for the assignment, now need to read all the articles and put it all together. Wanted to do more, however after lunch I felt terrible and decided to rest.

Categories
3 years and beyond Sewing University Study

Questions answered for week 1 at least

Today dropped the kids off at school, but before that, there were many meltdowns. I don’t want to wear those shoes mummy and not that shirt or dress. Oh, why can’t we just put clothes on and get out the door. Then the running around to avoid mummy as she wanted to brush hair. So after all this carry on, we were late getting to school. The only up side to getting to school today was getting  a park and dropping the girls off without a fuss, like the other day. YES!

Finally back home, I make a cuppa tea, put the heater on and a jumper. Very cold today, and not happy about that, but pleased that the house is warm. I am at the computer to tackle my first week of tutorial questions from university. I am just amazed at all the theories about the same area that are surfacing. I am sure that they were there before, just was not exposed to the idea before now. Today I managed to learn about complex adaptive and transactional models in project management. I have also addressed the difference between a manager and a leader, and why in some examples certain projects were failures or a success.  I finished it all, uploaded it online to the university’s site and all is good, very pleased and happy with me today. I know small things make me happy.

I am not sure that I was o.k with all my answers but pleased it is completed. Now on to read more and to get started on my individual assignment, organise a day per week to meet with my group for our assignment and generally research the whole subject. This will be done a piece at a time, not that clever it can all happen in one day or week. After reading this it made it sound like I am super study woman.

Today I had hoped to see if I could finish the pants that I am making for the girls. It was rather cool today, so thinking winter will be very cold indeed. Oh well at least the uni thing this week is not needing to be done and now I can do the pants without thinking about uni. The problem is that if I know I need to do something and want to do something else, I think about the other as it needs to be done before the other. I know, it is hard. However, having limited time to ones self is hard to try and fit it all in.Is this just me that does this. I used to be so organised with a day job, children have thrown me around a bit.  I need to get my to do list organised.

So the weekend I think will be making and finishing pants time. I promise pictures to come soon.

If you have had some time to yourself this week, what did you get up to? Are you studying? If you are studying, have you managed to get things done? Wishing you all luck if you are in the same boat as me, and that you will get all your work done.

 

Categories
3 years and beyond Feeling Frumpy Katoomba and Weather

A walk in sunshine and rain

Woke up to nice sunny, hot weather, about time I hear you say. It feels like the rain has set in and will never leave.  Very worried about autumn and of course winter. Living in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, it gets very cold. If it continues this wet weather we will be in for a cold and wet winter. This is not something I enjoy. I love summer, but not when it is wet and gloomy. So as it was sunny and warm, I made the most of it.  I organised the girls to get in the pram, packed us up and I walked into town, well Katoomba that is.

As I have been meaning to do some exercise, it was nice that the weather was so nice.   So all 3 of us were out and about for a walk, well mummy was walking and huffing and puffing some of the way. It is hard to push the pram with it all stocked with 2 little people on board now. I suppose this helps with the exercise, so I shouldn’t complain.  We finally got to the shops, I dropped of daddies shirts at the cleaners, then we went off to check the post office for a parcel we are expecting went to the bakery and purchased cheese and bacon rolls for the girls, then off to Coles to get some shopping.

On the way back the pram was packed up well with all the shopping plus the girls. It was getting black and dark. There was a big black cloud getting darker and darker. We heard loud thunder and I thought I had to speed up to get us home. I had a bit of walking to do. The whole idea now of taking the pram seemed like a stupid idea. How will I ever get back in time.

I managed to get down Station Street and if you know that street it is all downhill. I jogged with the pram all the way down that street. I was trying to make up some time to get us home quickly. However that did not help a great deal, just around the corner from the house it started to rain, thunder and lightning seemed to be getting worse and felt very close. I was trying to keep up with the jogging but could not, ended up fast walking. This was met with sadness from the girls as they liked me going fast and really enjoyed the speed. Pity it was not something I could keep doing. Maybe after more sessions jogging or fast walking I could do that, only if the weather would permit.

We managed to get home, wet and I was so exhausted. I got the girls out of the pram, put the pram under cover, and opened the house. Made sure all windows were closed and then raced outside to get the clothes off the line.

Have you ever been caught by the weather? Has it made it difficult if you had kids with you? What did you do? I did think of getting a taxi or bus, however you would have to wait for that and the likelihood is that the rain would have been worse by this stage. After we were all indoors it bucketed down. I also learnt that there were weather warnings for hail and severe thunderstorms in the area. We were very lucky to get home when we did. If I had known that would have happened, I would have taken the car.  Although every time I do and it ends up a nice sunny day, I kick myself for not going out and exercising and enjoying the weather while we can.