MBA

All posts tagged MBA

Staying Ahead of the Game!

Published January 17, 2015 by Angela

I have big plans this weekend of getting Erin ahead on her homeschooling assessments. Her school requires that she completes Educational and Technology assignments, which goes over using your computer, good study habits, being safe on the internet, and the like. This is one of two classes that actually has both semester’s worth of assignments available.

I know the feeling!

I know the feeling!

Her grades ending this semester are mediocre at best, and I am trying to develop a schedule that she will stick to and follow in order to get the grades that she is capable of achieving.

I can honestly say I get discouraged, more often than not, when working with her on her assignments. I am sure it is the mindset she has versus mine. I have gotten 2 college degrees online, and am about half-way through my Master’s degree, also online. For her entire life she has watched me spend hours on the computer doing homework, reading textbooks, and complaining about the difficulty of going to school online. I was hoping some of that would have rubbed off on her, but as of yet, it has not.

Confused Girl 1-30-14

If she can finish this school year on a strong, positive note, I may not be so strongly against her doing another year of homeschooling.

What do you do when your homeschooler can’t find the motivation they need to stay on task?

When You Are Always Wrong…

Published October 17, 2014 by Angela

…no matter what you say or do. This is what my girls and I have been going through for the last couple of weeks. I am not quite sure what is happening or why, but things have become very tense in our home, between the girls, and between the girls and I. Yes; some of it is hormones. When you have 4 daughters, you have hormones. But I cannot blame hormones for all of this.

I am willing to take some of the blame. I have managed to get myself involved in a lot of different things that have made my schedule especially chaotic. I have less than 3 weeks left for my college class for my MBA, and then I do not have any more classes for the rest of this year. This is a great relief for me, and I am hoping I can actually enjoy the holiday season this year as much as I did last year. I have been short-tempered with my girls when they cannot do the most basic of chores or even pick up after themselves.

Are you really incapable of taking that glass you drank your milk from back into the kitchen and in the sink, since you are walking out there anyways to bring some other food or drink item into the living room? Every day when I get home, and every morning when I get up for the day, there are various dirty dishes all over the coffee table, end tables, sitting on the floor next to the couch, rocking chair, or anywhere else they feel the need to leave their stuff.

We will not even begin discussing having 4 ladies using one bathroom! I could do a show; “Big Hormones, Little Home.”

What I definitely know because I am always wrong; is that it means I am the Mom. And that I am doing something right. Because if my teens and preteen agreed with me, I would be acting like their friend, and not their Mother. So I will take this any day over the alternative!

The Calm Before the Storm…

Published October 15, 2014 by Angela

…maybe this storm will pass right by? Yeah. Not likely.

So no one felt the need to ask/tell me that one or more of them want to go live with their dad. I was also gone from 5:30am until 6:30 pm, thanks to a very lengthy Doctor’s visit that has led to several more Doctor visits. More on that, later…

By the time I actually made it home, exhausted, I had to get my participation in for my MBA class, check Erin’s homeschooling assignments (which she is still behind, since she slept until 11 am) of which I have also set a new caught-up date of this coming Saturday.

It is just not going to happen. And I am just not ready for this argument right now. And the attitude. And the slamming doors, and throwing of things important and unimportant. And likely refusal to do homeschooling assignments as some sort of punishment for me when the only person she is hurting is herself.

I just cannot justify letting my emotionally unstable 13 year old teenage daughter move in with her father, who she has not seen since January 2nd. Who cannot keep a job. Who lives who-knows-where. Oh. And he is physically and verbally abusive.

Yeah. Not gonna happen.

So I will prepare myself for the attitude to come, and let her know I am doing what is best for her.

I cannot wait for Christmas and that big battle! 🙂

When You Are Just Too Tired To Care…

Published October 9, 2014 by Angela

…the big things of yesterday seem like minor things today. I thought I was doing fairly well getting acclimated back to 1st shift working / night time sleeping, but I was especially tired today.

I think the fact that I have errands to run, homework to do, and homeschooling work to assist with, I feel even more tired than I really am. The extra caffeine did not help either; it seems to have added to my overall feeling of tired-exhausted-sleepy-crabby-is-it-bedtime-yet attitude.

Dinner is cooked, and I am trying to not be frustrated by the fact that the last time I made potatoes, the girls complained because I did not make enough. So I made the same potatoes x 2, only to have one of them say “Oh, I did not like them that well.”

Not caring. Too tired to care. After I run my errands, I am hoping a great big bowl of ice cream will help me to care about the fact that I have a very important assignment due by midnight for one of my MBA classes.

Ice cream fixes everything, right?

It’s almost Friday, and that makes me smile 🙂

Poor Planning On My Part…

Published October 8, 2014 by Angela

…does constitute and emergency, for me!

This is our first official day of WOW at my church (Worship on Wednesday). We got together last week for dinner and to discuss how we were going to do things this year, getting lessons ready, assigning jobs, etc. I have been teaching one of the small groups for several years now, and I do enjoy my time that I get to spend at church and with the youth groups.

So I have had the entire week to get things in order for the first craft project. Except I didn’t. I mean, I am pretty sure the items I need are already at the church, I had stockpiled a lot of craft supplies there for the last 2 years. But I haven’t really decided on exactly what project I am going to be doing. I am not quite sure exactly what the lesson is for the night, so I want to make sure I pick an activity that fits the theme.

Our youth Minister let us know we really want to focus this year on getting kids to open their bibles. There are lots of fun ways to get them to do this (search for verses, scavenger hunts using verses, acting out verses) and I think it is going to be another great year of WOW.

I just feel completely unprepared, and I have a very busy schedule on Wednesdays with other kids activities going on, plus I need to get my college work in for the day.

So here’s to winging it, and I hope it all works out, like it usually does 🙂

What Say We Try This Again Tomorrow…

Published June 11, 2014 by Angela

… and this time, you do things the right way?

Monday seemed to go much smoother than today did with school being over. I pretty much had the house cleaned Monday morning before I went to bed, so my girls really did not have to do a lot to keep it clean when I got up.

Now, there are a lot of little things that tend to irk me, but I have gotten much better at not getting worked up “over the little stuff“. But one thing that I absolutely do NOT like, is having people in my house, while I am sleeping, and I don’t know about it. If you ask me first, more often than not I will say “O.K.” But to wake up at 3pm to house guests? Not happy.

Now, I live in a house full of girls. Well, except for the 2 boy cats and the boy rabbit. But they don’t mind. So, I will not hesitate to get up, trudge downstairs in my pajamas, and get a cup of coffee.

Coming downstairs in my pajamas, to find my 16 year olds’ boyfriend sitting on my couch, not cool. Not cool at all. I am not talking about Victoria Secret inappropriate sleepwear, but either way, my legs showing, and no bra on, is not appropriate for house guests. So, I had to turn around, go back up to my room, and get dressed. So I could get a cup of coffee.

I had to get dressed. In order to get a cup of coffee. In my own house. Really? Really. 😦

The house was a mess, and nothing was done. The first thing my 16 year old says to me: “I thought you weren’t getting up until 4?”

Yeah, like me sleeping an hour longer would have allowed for the house to be cleaned.

So, I got ready for my day, cooked dinner for my girls and said house guest, filled the dishwasher, had company for an hour, did homework, and now I am waiting to go to work.

I am also waiting to see how long it is going to take my 16 year old to tell me her boyfriend needs a ride home. Because she is going to. (That is something else that really, really irks me), having to take said uninvited house guests home.

And how was your day?

One Down, Several More To Go

Published April 4, 2014 by Angela

I am beyond happy that my statistics class is over. It was difficult at times, but I have to say I am beyond pleased with myself on how well I did, and how much I learned and retained! I am now taking a class on Organizational Behavior, which appears to be a lot of paper writing in my very, very near future. I generally tend to enjoy these types of classes, once I get that tedious issue of citing and referencing taken care of. This will be my chance to check out the Perrla software that I purchased, and see if it actually helps me. I kind of messed with it a little bit when I first installed it on my computer, and I can’t say I was thrilled with it, but I will definitely give it the good once-over this weekend so I am comfortable with how to use it.

 

I was looking forward to a weekend of working (really, I was!) but that changed so now I am debating on what projects I want to get started on at home. The weather appears to finally be breaking in West Michigan; it sounds like only 1 day with a chance of snow in the upcoming week. I just hope it is warm enough that my girls can enjoy their spring break and not be stuck in the hosue because it is cold and rainy (and therefore, fighting, arguing, and keeping me awake, while simultaneously destroying the house).

 

Which also means I need to buy double the groceries this week. Ughhh. I don’t know how it is in your area, but here, every single type of grocery product has went up a huge amount in price over the last month. One week, I paid $2.54 for a gallon of milk; 6 days later, the same brand was $3.08 for a gallon. I have noticed at least a $0.50 increase on the majority of things I buy every week. Liquid hand soap that was $3.49 for a large container, is now $3.99. I think I will be stocking up on toilet paper this week if that hasn’t went up yet!

 

So here’s to a great weekend of getting things done, and relaxing in-between, and sunshine and warmth, and a good book to read!

What happened to January and February?

Published March 2, 2014 by Angela

Image I will NOT complain about the heat, I swear! Just make this white junk melt already 🙂

March 1st. Still freezing cold in Michigan, and the country as a whole I would have to say. So, in anticipation of the coming warm weather, (I mean it can’t stay like this forever, can it? CAN IT?? 😦 ) I am going to think warm and fuzzy thoughts!

Complaining about the snow should qualify as an Olympic sport, and I am pretty sure I would medal out on this one! So, no more complaining for me, I promise!

Looking forward to Spring, and especially Easter, I am going to brighten up my kitchen and bathroom with some warm, sunny, pastel colors. I redo my bathroom every year (small bathroom; new shower curtain and rugs, soap dispenser and trash can, a couple pictures for the wall, and a few towels to hang up and I call it good!).

I feel like I am looking forward to Easter as much as I did Thanksgiving and Christmas. Easter is actually my favorite holiday of the year, yes even before St. Patrick’s Day! I am looking forward to warmer weather, flowers blooming, and birds chirping. I am making a promise to myself that I will not complain one single time this year about how hot the Summer is. And they are already predicting higher than normal temps this year. Why not, right?

How have you been dealing with your snow and having cabin fever? I have read so many books it is ridiculous, and my Statistics class is now officially stressing me out! I make no promises about not complaining about my college classes, but I am pretty sure if I can get through this class with a solid B (which is what I need in order for my employer to pay for this class) the rest will be smooth sailing. If I have to pay for a class that did nothing but stress and upset me: YES, I am going to be pissed!

Here’s to a Happy March and warmth and sunshine on the way!

When Everyone Is Sick

Published February 24, 2014 by Angela

Image

Except me, that is. And thank goodness for that! I have no time to be sick, although laying in bed for a few days reading would be a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

This is a yearly ritual I go through with my 16 year old. Constant sore throats, difficulty breathing, the whole nine yards. I have yet to convince our Doctor to take her tonsils out, but I really do think it would help. I feel terrible for her but I know the ritual. Go to Dr.s, spend a lot of money, get told to buy couch medicine. Go to med-center, pay an even more ridiculous fee, and go get cough medicine.

As a note, I am really not a horrible person or Mom, and she will be getting checked for Strep tomorrow.

I really wish the sun would come out, stay out, and melt this muddy snow that is everywhere. Not likely anytime soon though, as highs this weed in Michigan will be less than 20 degrees.

Do you have any tricks for comforting a sore throat? I think if she gargles any more salt water she will be sick!

Week 2 Over and Done!

Published January 24, 2014 by Angela

When I go to college, I tend to live my life in 6-week increments; 6 weeks is how long I have to complete each class. I have to say the best feeling is the last assignment turned in for a class; knowing you can do absolutely nothing else!

This journey has showed me that I need to keep my focus. My focus on my girls, the homeschooling schedule, the church schedule, and squeeze in some me-time 🙂

I love my lists!

I love my lists!

With a week to go, I am feeling comfortable that I can do this, and get my MBA. I can teach Erin her homeschooling, and support my other 3 girls in everything they have going on. I can get to church every Sunday morning (I have made it every weekend this year! Do you remember my to-do list for 2014?) And I can work long hours and still get up and cook dinner and eat with my girls, play Mario on the Wii, and watch mindless TV (Sleepy Hollow anyone? anyone?)

It is a snow day, again… Such is life in Michigan. I get to work again this weekend, and am looking forward to some sound sleep, getting up and having dinner with my girls, and relaxing before work. Oh, and homework. I have to get some posts in or my grade will go down.

So here’s to wishing you a Happy, warm weekend, and may you get to do the things you want to do!