10 things you can do for a studying mom (or not mom!)

The first set of exams is over. Now I just have to wait for the grades, and then we'll see if I am definitely free until next September, of if I have to go to the resits. Whatever happens, though, I get a break now. Just in time for Oath's birthday!

I'm preparing a post about it, but every time I work on it I get so emotional I can't finish (my little boy turns one year old! Already! *teary eyes*). I'm such an emotional mamma.

So, instead of that post (which will come soon, I promise), I have another 10 things list, for those of you who know someone still deep on the exams season.

What can you do to help a student mom?

1. First of all, and for me that's one of the most important: make sure she eats enough. How? Insisting that she eats might just stress her out, so why not cook for her instead? The time she does not have to spend thinking and cooking the food she'll eat is time she can invest on studying... or maybe taking a much needed break.
2. While we're talking about food, let's talk about breakfast. I never ate breakfast, and it still does not come as a habit to me, but if there's one time I feel I need it is when exams are close. When Partner offers me a healthy breakfast (for example, a homemade smoothie with berries and full-fat yoghurt, a couple of homemade cookies and a handful of almons) I'm much more able to concentrate and put my brain to good use.
3. It's never easy to study with a toddler tugging on your pants, a baby crying close to you, or a kid playing loudly in the same room. Give some moments of silence to the student and take the kid out: go for a walk, or visit some friends, maybe go grocery shopping.
4. Of course, mom also needs fresh air and to see something apart from her notes, so if you see it's been days since she stepped out of home, take her out: a walk, dinner...
5. This one is my favorite: a massage! What's better on times of stress than a shoulder rub? Hand down, this is it!
6. If there's one thing that students usually are short of, apart from time, it is sleep. If she's the one usually getting up with with your early bird, let her sleep in while you take care of the kid. Of course, do not let her sleep until too late: she has to study!
7. A dirty house, or even just a messy one, makes it harder for one to focus, doesn't it? Clean a bit and straighten it all out while she prepares!
8. When one is studying every little thing seems bigger, and those little annoying facts of life can turn into real problems. Lift a student's spirit with a little present: some sushi, a flower, an impromptu hug and "I love you".
9. Do not let the feelings of "I can't do this" or "It is too hard" rule in her head. Your encouragement can go a long way! Tell her that you believe in her, and that she certainly can do it.
10. And, of course, ask her what she need from you! Everybody needs different things at different times, and she may very well ask you for something you (and I) would never think of.

Just a little note: I am talking about student moms because I've come up with this list from my experience, but they probably will work for every student parent, moms or dad, even grandparents and siblings. And, of course, for students that are not parents yet!

See you soon!

 Oath's mom

Halfway through

Half of my exams are done: if I've made it this far, I can make it till the end, right?

Apart from studying, there's plenty happening around here: we're getting ready for Oath's first birthday (presents to buy, bunting to finish, cakes to bake...), I'm trying to unload a bit of stress by baking (chocolate cookies, hot-dog buns... whatever works) and rearranging Oath's room, the parsley and the tomatoes are growing (I even used some parsley the other day! It was tasty), the basil refuses to sprout again... and even though my crochet hooks sit idle in the yarn basket, my mind is boiling with inspiration and new ideas.

Hopefully, once the exams are over, I'll have lots of time to update you on everything.

Meanwhile, it's study time.

Oath's mom

Studying sucks life out of me - 10 things to survive exam periods, mom's edition

Copyright © 123RF Stock Photos

I'm in a stressful place right now, with the first exam approaching and the feelings of "I can't do this!" creeping on me. I've spent the last two hours in a downwards spiral of feeling unwell and procrastination, with some bouts of crying and lots of pacing (and not looking at my notes, which is what I should be doing). Top it off with a teething, biting baby and a Partner who is not home, and you get the picture. It's not pretty.

In an effort to get back on track and escape a nervous melt-down, I sat down and wrote a 10 things... list about things I (and any other student-mom) can do to survive the last weeks of school. 

Here's what I've come up with: 

1. Take a shower. A hot, steamy one, to relax and let go of some tension. If this leaves you sleepy and you are brave (I am not!), finish with cold water: this will wake you up in a flash, and many swear it's really invigorating.
2. Take a walk. Fresh air and open spaces can do wonders for a tired mind. You can even bring your little one/s with you, and it may help them too!
3. Snack. If you are like me, stress might leave you with a tight knot in your stomach, but food is what will keep you going. Raw nuts (almonds are my favorites), a yogurt and fruit smoothie, some cookies... Give your brain a but of sugar to munch on while it works!
4. Stop, take a deep breathe and play with your kid. Your little one needs you more than you need those minutes of study, and seeing that smile and those twinkling eyes might as well help you concentrate again.
5. Even if it seems like a waste of time, if you need it, take a nap. I can't stress enough how much this helps me, once I get over the guilt.
6. Along the same lines, do something completely unrelated. You are trying to memorize Rome's emperors? Try some baking. Battling with perspective and the theory of colors? Put some music and dance.
7. If you've got more than one subject to study, mix it up. Do not try to study it all in a linear manner, specially if it something like history.
8. Also, break it down. Thinks are easier to digest if eaten in little chunks.
9. Tell your little one what you've just studied. A month after Oath was born I had to resit an exam, and I managed to study by making up lullabies about the most important parts and singing them to put him to sleep.
10. Timers! You can use them in many ways: time how long it takes you to answer certain questions; let them tell you when to rest for a while (before Oath I followed a 45 minutes of studying / 15 minutes to rest routine, now it's more like 30/10th. Whatever works, but rest every now and then); use them to study in intervals... They can make it so much easier!

Whatever you do, though, do not give up. You can do it.

And you? What helps you focus when it feels like you can't? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Oath's Mom

What I have been up to lately

...is this:

Those tiny pajama-clad legs? Imagine them kicking: now mom's chin, now the box, now mom's chin, now the box...

No, not drawing (which I have also done, to get my mind away from everything for a while, and inspired by the lovely Naranjas y Zapatos blog. They're way better than mine, those drawings!). Studying. A lot. With a kid clinging to my leg/arm/head/boob (separation anxiety, anyone?) and books and piles of notes propped on a discarded box turned into a provisional desk. Because flat surfaces? In our home? There's none. It's clutterland around here.

But I'll be back as soon as I find a way to make routine, studies and blog work together!

 Oath's Mom

 PS. In case you noticed, I know I misspelled some names (specially Leonidas'). It bugs me a lot, but I did not have the time or strength to change it.

Back!

Oath and I are back home, tired but alive. He loves being back with his daddy, and can't stop smiling every time Partner walks in through the door.

I have many things to share with you, including my March Plan evaluation, my April Plan, an update about the pots I planted, a 365 project update, some more 10 things... posts... But not now.

It's past midnight, Oath has just fallen asleep (sleep is becoming a struggle in this household) and I am tired, aching (my arms! my back! All the mommy pains!) and have an open book about History waiting for me, reminding me that there's less than a month left until the exam.

I've missed this little corner of my in the web.

How have you all been?

Oath's mom

Tackling a virtual mess

Last January I admitted that my computer is severely disorganized. I decided I would tackle it after my exams, and so I could start the new semester with a freshly organized working area (I use the computer as a notebook, and do not print any notes unless necessary, so most of my studying is done with the laptop. That's why it was so messy... or so I want to believe.)

And then?

Then I tried. As you know if you read my January evaluation, trying wasn't quite enough. I found myself easily overwhelmed just by thinking I should start working on it. And when I did, I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of files so out of place. Where to start? And, most importantly, how to start?

So I developed a system. Amazingly (and even though my results do not reflect it), a system that worked. I am willing to bet it would work for everybody. Why? Because it is simple. Easy. It doesn't require a careful pre-planning of which folders to create, where do they go, are they really needed... You can stop halfway through it and resume when you feel like it without any problem.

The cons? It is a bit tedious if you, like I, have let the mess get too big. But that's my fault, not the system's!

Are you like me and now you want to know how to do it?

1. Open the folder you want to organize.
2. Forget about the folders for a while and go to the first file there. Does it need to be there?
1. If the answer is no, drag and drop to the desktop.
2. If the answer is yes, can it go in a sub-folder?
1. If not, leave it there.
2. If yes, drag and drop to the sub-folder. If the one that you need doesn't exist yet, create it first.
3. Repeat #2 until there are no more files to go through.
4. On with the folders. Just act as if they were files. Drag and drop. Or leave them there.
5. And then choose one of the sub-folders and start again! (once you reach a point where there are no more sub-folders nor need for them, go back until you find one you haven't tackled yet).

Really. That's it. Just two yes/no questions, so evident that I had never thought of them before.

A little example:

That's where I started.

That's my Documents folder. I had already organized the random files there into all those folders. I decided to not go in order, to save my sanity, and opened the Studies folder.

You could scroll down for a while, in there!

Time to repeat the process. Nearly all the files went into the UO folder, which is the one for the courses I am taking now, so it makes sense. All the others were mostly organized in previous attempts.

Ah, that's better!

When it was done (why is it that there's always a lone file that does not belong into any sub-folder and just sits there?), I opened the UO folder and started sorting. 

Now, I forgot to take screenshots of that process (or maybe you can say I opted for not showing it so I would not bore you with too many pictures of folders and files). You can see, though, that in there I have a folder for each subject, plus one for important things (like enrollment fees bills) and one named Old. There go all the subjects I have already passed, so I don't have lots of folders I don't need hanging around when I am trying to save a file in its proper place.

The end!

That's how it ended: two folders for my current subjects and the Old and important things ones. There is no need to add further levels, so this branch of my folder tree ended there.



Now I just have to go and organize all the others, but what about you? Do you also feel overwhelmed by organizing "virtual" messes?

Oath's mom

My January plan

I've started the year in a pretty organized way, or I like to think so. I'll post about it in the wrong order, though, sharing my January plan first and then, soon, my yearly plan. Which is kind of going backwards, but anyway.

January had to be (and, thankfully, has been) the month dedicated to studying and organizing my student life. This included studying for my January exams (I did the last presentation today, and already have my grades! The teachers have been fast) and organizing my studying station, which is mainly my computer.

So, let's imagine it's the beginning of January, and sharing this makes sense.

The facts:

• I have four deadlines: an exam on the 14th (subject A), another exam and an essay due date the 17th (subject B), and a presentation the 23rd (also subject B).
• It might not seem much, but I have a kid who demands all my time and attention, plus the Three Wise Men and all the presents (we don't do Christmas, the gift giving is on January the 5th), plus visiting family and only coming back home the 11th... I do not have much time.
• I haven't been able to go to class at all this semester (I know, shame on me, but see the bullet point above)
• My documents folder is a mess, which doesn't bother me much except for the fact that I am having a hard time finding my notes and important documents for studying.

The plan:

• Find or re-download, read and organize all the materials for both A and B.
• Then, study one subject every day, alternating until the 10th.
• Study subject A until the 14, while organizing all the materials needed for B's essay.
• From the 14th to the 17th, get all stressed out studying for B and actually writing the essay.
• Take the 18th as a free day. Breath deep, resist the urge to cry. Also, sleep a lot.
• 19th to 22nd, prepare the presentation.
• Morning of the 23rd: do the presentation. Afternoon and evening: breathe deep again.
• Then, time to start with the computer organization by:
• Organizing the Documents folder and all it's subfolders (specially the Studies one)
• Organizing the Downloads folder. This one it's the one that gets worse.
• Organizing the Documents folder again, because I know how I am and it will have been turned upside-down this fast.
• If there's time, start with the Images folder.
• Review the plan, see what worked and what went wrong. Post it to keep accountable.  

Until now it has worked well, we'll see how the actual organizing goes! I have done it before and have a pretty reliable course of action, but it has gotten out of control lately and it kind of scares me. Am I the only one with a terrible computer organization? Tell me I'm not, please...

Oath's Mom

I've been a busy bee (10 things...)

 

By looking at my blog you probably can't tell I've spent the last 20 days glued to my computer, but I have. It turned out that one of my exams, that I thought was on the 21st, was on the 14th, so I had to re-do all my studying schedule and it became hectic. Maybe I am getting too old for this, or maybe Oath is stealing all my attention, because studying gets harder and harder. It's like my brain can't juggle it all.

Anyway, the exams are all done now and I can focus on Oath. These weeks haven't been how I'd have liked to start the year. I have done nothing to start on my twelve new year resolutions, but I'm not going to give up: I'll start tomorrow (it's easier for me to start on a Monday. Does it happen to you too?) and to make up for it, here are 10 things I intend to do before the end of January:

1. Start a treasure basket for Oath.
2. Do all the laundry and get my laundry routine back. It's been quite random lately, so this is definitely needed.
3. Take 10 photos worth posting on this blog.
4. Post said photos here. My blog is sad without photos!
5. Show you my January crochet.
6. Go to the post office to send two parcels.
7. Look through Oath's clothes and store the ones that no longer fit.
8. Prepare and do a presentation (the last thing left to end my exam period, though not exactly an exam)
9.  Draw a city map for a friend, or at least start working on it.
10. Get my February attack plan ready!

Not my usual "10 things..." list, I know, but hey, my brain-well of ideas is quite dried-up!

I hope you all have had a better start of the year.

Oath's Mom