Student parents support thread

[Lenni]

I used to come on this topic a year or so ago and post on the general hand holding support thread but it seems to have gone so I'm hoping there might be enough of us to start a new one.

I'm in my final leg of a M.Ed in Education and am currently writing my thesis which is going very slowly okay but am struggling to find time, motivation or energy to study. It would be nice to know others are in the same boat and have a place to handhold, moan, swap tips and motivate each other.

I know where you are coming from madwoman. I would love to carry on studying to a phd level but I just can't see it happening. I often think that surely with having the internet and phoning your tutor reguarly there must be some subjects that you could do mainly at home. I am definately going to carry on with the OU for my masters and switch to mathematics.

Hows everyones little ones doing? My DD has a holiday of reading planned. We have finished the worst witch and now moved on to a pony book of similar size. Then we have a school project to make so I'm hoping I don't fall too far behind, although I'm meant to be working now!

thanks both. the other small issue with the ou (lol) is that despite going through every tutor's research interests, i can't quite find a 'fit'... there are people out there though lol, i vaguely recall newcastle!

i think i'm going to have to call the ou and just ask about distance phd. the idea of self-funding more study will finish dh off i think. i've self-funded two masters on and off lol, (must get round to finishing that other one but the the ou won't let me transfer credit... not that it's where i'm headed, but it seems pointless to leave it lying it around unfinished! i do need to speak to the ou about that as well.

dcs are having a lovely break - the weather here is sunny and dry, (snow has all gone for the mo - it will be back before we get proper summer though!) so they are feral free-range currently. well, free range as far as the garden goes anyway. and i've booked a camping trip at the end of may

It sounds fab where you are madwoman

I hope you hear about your visas soon so you know where you stand and can make firm plans.

Nyaaargh you caught me red-handed procrastinating!!!

yeah, but i just posted on a baby names thread...

ROFL

I had no idea there was a section for us! I'm doing a psychology degree, trying to do my analysis for FYP, the whole thing is due in 3 weeks. Ooh off to read thread now!

Sorry to do this - know it's bad form to mention other threads on threads and all that, but want to keep my head below sex industry shitstorm for a few hours so I daren't post on the thread itself - but madwoman, I'm loving your posts over there

i can't stop myself...
(compulsive)

...but i always want to know what people really think, rather than getting them all uppity and defensive. there's a place for that stuff, obviously, but it's a bit 'house of commons' and you just end up with the party line on both sides. which is fine (lets you get it out of your system lol), but doesn't really tell me anything i don't know already...

i've spent a good twenty years mulling over various aspects of what it means to be a feminist in my own opinion lol (haven't really come to any definitive conclusions ), and i'm always curious how other people interpret their own decisions in that light, particularly those you wouldn't normally get to chat with.

on the ground (not mn lol), it either makes me a really good researcher (i get loads of data ) or a really rubbish one (waaaaaaaaay too much data and despite the help of nvivo i can never come to any sensible conclusions lol). wanting to hear both sides of the argument can be a reet pita.

I'm laughing hollowly at my naiveté in starting that thread: have quickly learned what a polarized debate it is. I'm interested in listening to voices from the 'other side' too, (although, having followed the discussion closely and procrastinated spent hours reading journal articles and what-have-you about it, my sympathies remain on the radfem abolitionist side of the debate) so I liked your non-judgmental, open approach over there. Your research experience shows

(Apologies again to everyone on this thread for talking about another thread like this - do you have CAT enabled, madwoman and if so, would you mind if I CATted you?)

i think my CAT works - i had to re-do it after i left and came back, so it was only quite recently that i set it up again as i hadn't realised it stopped when i de-regged (duh)... should be ok and goes through to personal e-mail.

if not, my mn email is madwomanintheattic at hotmail dot co dot uk. i think. but i only check it if someone lets me know they've e-mailed me on it tbh.

i quite enjoyed the opportunity for a bit of navel-gazing tbh. i wouldn't worry about starting it - it looks like the best opportunity there's been for a ruck debate for a while. it's been donkey's since i really thought about prostitution, probably since i stopped taking lads away with work... not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing in the world citizen stakes...

anyway, how's everyone else getting on? what with getting embroiled in that and being back at work, i've only done about half of what i wanted to re study...

Ahh, thanks madwoman - have sent you an email

And once again, big apologies to all for sidetracking like that - it won't happen again, honest. Hope you're all making more study progress than me

Hello Ladies, Can I join, I have 2 dd and a ds. 6,3 and 1, I am a third year undergrad and am currently just about keeping a float with my workload aaahhhh! Dissertation is half way there, Essay's hhuuumm lets not speak about them and publishing... nearly there!
I had my third dd last year and have managed to just about hold it all together and continue with my studies. I love it but am getting really worried about work afterwards.
Hope you are all well

ah, not so fab day today. i rather elegantly slid off the road on my way to work this morning as we had a huge snow storm overnight (i drove back from town during the snowstorm with no mishap lol, and then went off the road in brilliant sunshine this morning... it was sheet ice, so i don't feel too daft.) fortunately i didn't roll it, but i can't believe i got through a whole canadian winter and then got caught out by a spring storm! gah.

hi rmears - what are you studying? we're an eclectic bunch lol i've got three as well, although fortunately all at school (finally)! i do look back over the whole study/ kids thing and wonder if i'm completely crackers... you're nearly done though - what are your plans for after graduation?

hi rmears I hear you with the work at the end of doing degree. I am 3rd year too, however I now have my pgce place so have another year before i hae to start worrying about work now.

madwoman sound scary in the snow

I must get this presentation finished this weekend. I keep finding excuses reasons to put it off. Am not going to finish this degree if I don't get my butt in gear this week.

Welcome rmears.

Well no work happening here at the moment. Dd is finally getting over her tonsillitis but she's had such a rubbish first week of her Easter holidays so I'm planning on doing some fun things with her this week.

I have decided to leave my dissertation till she's back in school (a week Monday). This will give me a week to write my first draft (8000 words). It means I'm cutting it really fine but I defiantly work better this way. I've completed my research and have done lots of reading around my topic so the writing up stage shouldn't be too traumatic.

Hope everything is going well for the rest of you.

Hi everyone,

Madwoman that sounds so scary, I need to learn to drive but I worry so much I don't know if I'd ever pass lol.

I have been cleaning the trampoline and gardening so far this holiday, I haven't even looked at a book! I might do some outside after lunch if I can manage to put up with the kids constantly arguing.

Hope everyone else is having a lovely (or at least productive) holiday.

Hello,

I am studying English Literature Madwoman, hoping to get into publishing. Perfect job would be working for a mum and baby mag or similar but who knows?

Was my DS 3rd birthday this week so work has gne out of the window, I am in London for a weeks work experience next week, 5 nights away from the kids bliss Going to miss them tonnes. I have never been away from them for that long.
My dh is taking them to IL cop out if you ask me
Loving this sun though

Hi everyone

NOT doing a TMA at the moment - it is such a struggle

I can't get any enthusiasm

rmears - my BA is Eng Lit - i loved it! what's your dissertation subject? (dead nosy) mine was (loosely) notions of the heroic, comparing homeric heroes with twentieth century (literature of war stuff) - so idealised depictions of masculinity etc... not exactly mum & baby lol, but i did a fair amount of that along the way . have you mananged to get into a mag for your work experience?

today i've finally found my mojo lol, so i've got books everywhere - makes a blooming change, and now i'm guilt tripping because the kids go back to school tomorrow!

TMA finished in 2 days - not a particularly good one but fingers crossed I pass

well done Katymac on finishing. I need to sit my backside down I haven't opened a book all weekend

Madwoman- pass some of the mojo this way

just put dd to bed with a dvd and ds is tidying his room so need to stop making excuses and start now. Am going to aim for 1/2 hours then have a break and see how that goes

snow day! school is closed, so i've got the day off work

trying to work out how i can occupy the dcs so i can get the books out...