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Are you ready to get serious about school?
I am not going to tell you it is easy. But it is manageable.
I have been asked over and over on Instagram about how I do it. How I handle school as a stay at home mom.
Short answer? You just DO.
I know you probably need more than that. But “you just DO” is basically my answer to everything since having the twins.
I am a big believer it making things work with what you are given. I apply that method in all parts of my life. The twins, cooking, writing, budgeting, living. Everything. I believe that being able to cope is a great strength to have.
So when it comes to school as a stay at home mom, I just do.
I decided to go back to school while I was a new stay at home mom and found that I needed something constant in my life. I had recently started to blog (yep, this one!) but it wasn’t giving me the stability I longed for.
I’ve always enjoyed a consistent schedule. My eight to five job prior to the twins was perfect. My life outside of it was all over the place, but I always had that background constant to keep me grounded. That is what I figured school would give back to me. And it did, but I had to make that happen.
Prior to the twins I had been in school off an on working towards a degree in marketing. I had about a year left of school and I really thought that now was the best time to finish my degree. I didn’t have to work, had family close to help if I need them, and if all else fails it’s just one wasted term and I can try again later.
So I went for it.
I signed up for three classes and started school in January 2018. Now here I am, in September 2018 and I am on break before starting my LAST college semester!
Over the last three semesters, I have gotten down a pretty good school schedule for myself, as well as have plenty of tips and tricks to share with you guys on how to manage.
Here are my top 9 tips in rocking life as a stay at home mom in school.
SPOILER: You can do this. You can rock going back to school as a stay at home mom like I have.
Get Serious
First off- you have to want this. School as a stay at home mom is going to be crazy. It is a lot. You have to have it in your heart that you want this. You want your degree and you are passionate about what you are going to school for. If you aren’t serious about it- you won’t be able to push yourself to get shit done.
Block Days
This is my #1 tips. BLOCK. YOUR. DAYS. I do school online. So three days out of the week I solely focus on ONE class. Then I use Sunday as a catch up/double check my work day. Some days I can get all of the work I need to do done between waking up two hours before the twins and their nap time blocks. Other days I have to eat dinner in bed and finish up the class work.
I have found block days to work best so that I don’t mix up information between classes and am able to give it my all while also giving myself a time limit.
PLAN.
Another big one. Well, they’re all big ones. But you have to plan girl. You need to know when which assignment is due. What else is going on the week your final paper is due? Is it your baby girls birthday week? Is something else going on? Then you are going to need to prep your paper early and likely shift your school plans around a bit. Planning is going to be your key to success!
Have a Back Up Plan
Then as we all know, life doesn’t always go as planned. The wifi randomly went out in my apartment and Comcast had to come out to actually reset the electronics of whatever it is the modem receives connection from. That left me without internet for the blog and school. I ended up using my phone for a bit but having to go over to my mother in laws to get some actual work done. It was all so sudden! That can also go for your laptop shutting down or anything of the sort. You’re going to need a back up plan to stay afloat!
Ask for Help if you Need it
Staying afloat might also mean asking for help. Being a student and mom is hard. See if your friends or family can take the littles for a couple hours here and there. During that time period, bust through and really focus on your work. Take the most advantage of your time. This doesn’t just include school. Taking care of yourself is just as important. You might be able to power through and take care of school and baby all on your own, but don’t forget about yourself girl. Self care is very important!
Worried about funds? FAFSA, girl!
As a SAHM, you likely will make the cut to receive federal aid. This might not be the best option for everyone, but I know for myself it is the only option. I don’t have too many tips on what all each loan means (even though I probably should) so I would suggest doing your research. There are also plenty of grants for moms going back to school!
Give yourself a break and make the most out of delivery
Whether it be Amazon, Subscribe and Save, Take Out, or Clicklist for groceries- take advantage of it ALL! This is a total mom life hack, not just school hack, but seriously. They are ALL life savors! I have never once had to run out in the middle of the day for diapers or middle of the night for formula. I order it all or stock up once a month.
Meal Plan
One of the last tips I have for you. Along with planning comes MEAL planning. Don’t let dinner get in the way of your school work. Prep ahead of time. I try to spend time on Sunday or Monday morning prepping dinners and lunches for the week. That way I can just grab and go during the day. Check out my post here on five different freezer prep crock pot chicken dinners.
Set aside time strictly your family and spouse
My last tip for you guys; try your best to set aside devoted time for your family and spouse. Going back to school as a stay at home mom will make for a pretty busy time period. There are many different ways you can go about making time for family. You can set aside an entire day where you don’t touch your work, or set aside time periods. I like to do the latter. Time periods. Friday nights are family time.
We have started pizza Friday’s, where we make pizza (or order) and watch a movie together. The twins are still pretty young and don’t understand, however, I like the idea of creating a Friday night tradition. Then my husband and I try to sneak a date night in once or twice per month. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but we do also spend time together solely us after the twins go to sleep. We make up mini late night dates sometimes. Right now we are addicted to Quantico on Netflix so that has been our bonding experience!
Remember mamas, you CAN do this. If anyone can, it is YOU.
Do what scares you, because in the end, you’ll figure out how to make it work. You’ll learn to cope with what you have. When you finish, you will be so glad that you finally started.
Go ahead and sign up. Go back to school as a stay at home mom. You will feel SO awesome when you conquer it!
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