Balancing Class Work and Children

I agree with the scheduling... Also, try "playing school" Have the kids sit with colorbooks and crayons... It will give about 5 minutes of time. lol Maybe enough to write down your name and date... But at least that will be done. :-) Good Luck!!!!

Will the kids sit and watch a movie? Try drinking a cup of coffee after dinner to help keep you awake to study when the kids go to bed. I work full time midnights and go to school 2 nights a week-and believe me I understand about doing it all yourself. I cook dinner every night, help my kindergartner with his homework, do all the kids showering and cleaning and so on..and yes I am up til 1am on my nights off studying..and when I get home in the am from a 12 hour shift I am up all day with my 2 1/2 year old so I get no sleep on top of it all. If I can do it you can do it..just get yourself motivated that you are working towards a better future for yourself and your family. good luck!

I am a SAHM. My Hubby works full-time and goes to school pat-time at a university.
It is time consuming, for BOTH.

Being a SAHM is a full-time "job." Adding in school, for you, and it is very busy and time management is hard.

What you both can do... is set-up TOGETHER a "schedule" of who does what each day, and "when." Then, post it up on a poster, and so you each can remind yourselves of it.
It has to be fair. YOU have to study too, as does he. AND BOTH have to mind the children and giving them face-time and quality time, and playing with them. An "absent" parent (who is studying or on the computer all the time), is equally "not present" even if he is in the home... because "men" have a hard time multi-tasking doing "their" things/studying PLUS having household responsibilities. THUS, make it organized and write it down... on an "FYI" board.

When my Hubby is entrenched in school work after work, even if he is at home... I am like a Single-Parent. Doing everything. BUT... we talk about it and he has to give time to the home/children TOO. So he makes a concerted effort to do so. It is only fair. The children... my kids... "miss" their Daddy when he is so embroiled in his "work" at home and studying too. So your Hubby has to realize that.

For you, YOU have to study too. If not why bother. School is important.
For my friend, what she did is have a Nanny IN their home, to help, daily. Then that is when SHE did her work/studying. Maybe try that route instead of paying for Daycare outside the home. And, schedule the Nanny for when it is the best/busiest time for you or both of you, and when you need to go to school/study.

OR, yes, make a "schedule" for when YOU will study... even if that means actually LEAVING the house to hunker down at a Starbucks to study. Then, put that down on the "FYI" Board too, which you AND Hubby would refer to. Schedule things, for yourself and your stuff.

It takes organization... AND the other person, stepping-up to their "role" as both Parent and student.. meaning, in the home, Hubby can't just use you as a "default" do-it-all Parent and Wife... while he spends all his home time on the computer. HE has to step up too.

Yes, it is stressful. Thus, you both NEED to work out a plan, a "to do" list, an "FYI" list, a "Chore List" or who-does-what/when list... so you BOTH can address all your responsibilities, in light of school and work.

The kids, cannot reliably be a floating satellite amongst everything while parents are working at home. So, you'll need to toggle off between the 2 of you, for minding the children and giving them face-time and quality time.

And then, who the heck cooks dinner and does the dishes afterward? LOL
Another thing, but important thing, to factor into the whole time-management and child rearing schematic.

AND.. a Mom needs to sleep, too. Hubby needs to have a role in all this, too. A "SAHM" does not get days off nor holidays, nor time to herself. So... create a poster board to delineate things in the home. For you both. The last thing you'd want... is for resentment to build-up or your grades to suffer... and Hubby needs to think about his "wife" too.

All the best,
Susan

Been there done that I remember sitting in the front row at classes just to stay awake!
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Just a thought about your husband's computer games... When I've finished a busy day, the computer helps me relax--my down time. Your husband is probably stressed like you and might like the computer to wind down after his day. But of course it's not good if he gets lost in that little world too long (it happens with me and then my husband feels neglected). You might approach him from the perspective of understanding his need, and that you also need some time like that for your own, and see if you can work together to make a schedule so you both have the time you need.

Here's my question:
Have you sat down with your husband and shared this with him? He cannot read your mind, nor can he guess what your frustration is from. Unless you calmly communicate this (so no one falls into the DEFENSIVE and starts an argument, this can help, too.), he is going to be in the dark as he also has his things on his mind.
Playing computer games is a form of stress relief for him. It is for me to say the very least. (I prefer the Wii now. More fun.).

However, I was in school for a new career when my son was three and more 'needy'. My husband worked full-time and I was of course, home more as I was laid-off, too.
Finding balance is a priority in life for all things and it can be very hard for many people.

I would suggest that if your children can find time to play together or watch a movie (w/o killing each other), then set it up to happen. I have been teaching my son that I am not his 24-hour playmate, even though I do thoroughly enjoy his company and snuggling.
There is nothing wrong with having your children have 'playtime' or 'quiet time' amongst themselves. They will have to learn to do this eventually in school, and I do see it as a good thing to have them learn.

Once you have this established, then you can study.

My typical day was getting my home in order in the morning (w/ some playtime w/ my son), then Lunch, some more playtime~ a movie for my little guy or something of the sort and then I would study. I'd stop to get some dinner going (or hubby would get it for me depending on how much I had on my plate or if I had a test.).

I would also suggest teaching the importance of your study time to your kids. My son knew that when I had my books out, that Mommy was learning something new & important. The best part was later, he was a subject to be practiced on. (That's the advantage of Massage & Reflexology~ LOL! Of course, there's a ton of anatomy to learn as well and that's a killer and boring for most.).

Make a chart and go with it to track your day and time~ balance will come if you strive for it.

Many, many congratulations to you, H., for working so hard to further your education and improve your family's future! You are doing a terrific job! (Sometimes I think it helps just to hear that.)

I, too, went to night school to get my degree. I also worked full-time but was single. I was always impressed by many classmates who were there after a full day's work and then had a family life to attend to after that. I was even more impressed by the single parents (mostly women) who worked full time and then went to night school to pursue their degrees. Amazing effort, determination, and inner strength!

Obviously, your husband needs to be more supportive of your dreams and hard work. Why not leave the house when he comes home? Is the library still open? Starbucks? And while you're out, how about leaving him a check list of what needs to be done? A 'to do' list might make the chores more concrete and manageable for him.

Can the kids have quiet time in their rooms after lunch? They can just read books and play quietly (hopefully) so you can study.

Our local YMCA has inexpensive babysitting on site for members. There are several meeting-type rooms that could be used for studying if nothing else was scheduled there. Perhaps there's something similar in your area?

Also, our local library has various FREE weekday programs for preschoolers. While the kids are enjoying the activity, you could study.

How about the college itself? Does it offer any daycare programs that might be reasonably priced?

Hang in there! Sounds like you'll be done in just a few more months. This will all be a distant memory before you know it.

Best wishes