Permit me a little boasting moment!

[hockeypuck]

Just got my results back from the first year of my masters.

Distinction in every subject!!!!!

Am ecstatic!

2 kids (one at home with me full time, onw in Y1), 2 part time jobs and still an MSc Distinction. Go ME!!!!

Boast over - feel free to ignore

well donex

Wow, well done

Thanks Girls. DH is off to the takeaway for a celebratory curry

Well done. Enjoy your curry

well done thats great- enjoy the curry

Well done you, that is really great

congrats that's absolutely fantastic, you should be very very proud!! If you don't mind me asking just how did you fit everything in? I'm doing an MA part-time and finding it so difficult. I work 2-3 days a week, have two DCs at school (who do tons of after-school stuff) and DH works v. long hours so I do all the childcare and taxi-service after school. Am just finding it so hard to get everything done AND keep up with family and friends....please let me inon your secret, am full of admiration- no-one knows how hard it is until they try to juggle kids and studying!

Wow amazing how did you do it,did you ever sleep

thirtysomething and beeny.

I did get some sleep! (I actually found that if I didn't sleep properly then I was so much less effective it wasn't worth it).

I work 4 evenings a week, occasionally 5 - 4-11pm. I have DS all day and DD when she's not in school. DH works long hours too. All my lectures are on one day of the week and DS is in nursery on that day, but not on any other day.

My hints and tips are:-

1. Do the preparatory reading for each lecture, you'll get so much more out of it.

1. I work every nap time my DS has (about 1 1/2 hours a day 4 days a week) reading and planning.

1. I work in the evening when I'm not working.

1. I had every Sunday off and spent all day with the family doing normal stuff and keeping my head balanced. I made a point of doing more with the children than normal to make up for my pre-occupation and general stroppiness!

1. In the fortnight before each deadline I work every evening and all day on a Saturday, reading everything I can get my hands on. I normally did my assignments in one day on a saturday even if it meant staying up till the early hours because I found if I wrote essays with breaks between them for general parenting I lost the train of thought and the writing was rubbish.

1. I worked in the library when I worked on Saturdays, so I wasn't distracted by washing up, board games, the dulcet tones of DD signing High School Musical from the other room. I reckon I got about 3 times the amount of work done per hour there than at home. Also the library staff got to quite like my presence and would offer to copy things for me free and renew my books for longer Amazing what talking about your children will do!

1. Never forget that it is bloomin hard to combing kids and study - keep on top of it. Take time out to get some normality with your family and some time out to yourself and reward yourself frequently

Good luck!

P.S. you may well all have to remind me of this next semester when I'm tired, confused and fed up

P.S. Obviously the number 3. I work every evening when I'm not working means that I do uni work in the evening when I'm not doing one of my paid jobs!

bravo! well done you [smiel]

wow am so impressed by your organisation and dedication, I just can't get assignments done that quickly. What is your subject! You must be very bright!

thirthysomething I only write the essays in one day, I spend about 2 weeks reading, researching and planning them - don't panic!

I'm doing Criminology. I think the main thing about all of it is that I completely love the subject so don't mind putting that much work into it because it completely interests me.

In some ways (if it doesn't sound too sad) my studying time is actually my ME time too!)

What are you studying?

I'm studying counselling - do actually enjoy the theory part more than the practice but it just takes me so long to do an essay - I write in about 2-3 days (short days around school and other commitments) then spend about 2 weeks editing on and off till I'm happy with it!! I now realise am probably spending far too long on it from reading your experiences!!