Just Looking for Some Encouragement!!!!

Hi Sarah,
Just thought this might help: The scariest part of new things is the *not knowing* part. Find out about the program and leap in! You'll be great.
My neighbor just completed that type of program and got a job right away.
She got motivated b/c her hubby was laid off and the realities of her PT retail job were exposed. She needed a better skill for a better paying job and she did it! You can too! Good luck!

Well, as far as the school motivation...I'll leave that to the other moms (I started school after 11 years to find out two weeks later I was preggo. That was a LONG year and haven't went back yet, though I am biting at the bit).

What I will say is that I LOVED phlebotomy!!! I was a lab tech for 10 years and phlebotomy was part of my job and I loved everything about it. The hours (depending on who you work for), the patients (you'd be suprised what talking to hundreds of people everyday will do for your anxiety) and you get to where you recognized people and have things to talk about while you drain them dry, so to speak! If you are good at it, your patients will start asking for you and only you and that is a wonderful feeling and great for your self esteem.

GO FOR IT!!!!

AMEN! Staying at home allowed me to go into my shell too much. I have to force myself to have converations with people while waiting in line, at the PTO meetings, and at church. Shyness and social anxiety are no fun.
go for it. you will meet other moms who feel the same way.

Go ahead and take that first step. I had change too but once you get into it the whole routine will seem nornal for you. Once you are working and/or going to school a new world will open up for you. It can only be for the better. Your kids will be proud of you too as you are setting an example of what you can accomplish when you get your mind made up.

I'd say go for it! The worst that would happen is you sit in the back of the class not talking to anyone. It would be great adult interaction!!!

In a year you will be a year older and still sitting as you are or you will be a year older and a phlebotomist. I would go to school, it's an awesome job. My cousin is a travelling phlebotomist, drives a van with all the equipment in it and goes to homes where the people are disabled and does their blood tests or sometimes goes to workplaces and does blood tests.
Go for it!! and dont look back.

I think you have more encouragement then you think. 1, you have your kids to keep you going, 2 you know you want to be a Phlebotomy Tech and 3 YOU want to do it. Go out there and make yourself proud and earn an income that will help support your family. I think your great for posting this and it's giving me the courage to move on and better myself. I have a Bach. degree but I want more and I love motivation stories like yours. Good luck, I hope to read in the upcoming months that you succeeded.

You didn't know being a mom would be wonderful until 9 months later -- so gestate yourself into a Phlebotomy Technician:)

However, listen to your inner voice, because you need to know what needs you have versus PT salary median is for your area (salary.com) and what typical hours would be RE childcare and such. You also mention wanting another child, and should consider that timeline. Put it all on paper with pros, cons, and all:) Go in person and talk to the school and find people to ask at doctor's offices and such to help your decision.

If this isn't going to suit all your needs for at least 3-5 years, look some more -- you WILL find the career you need:)

GO FOR IT!!! You'll be glad you did. Don't be scared. You will do great. When you are bettering yourself, you will be a better mommy and wife. And just because you don't want to around your child 24/7, it doesn't mean you're a bad mommy. Mommies need a life too.

I truly feel your pain.
I am a SAHM of 4 (11,10,8 and 18 mos.). I was excited to go back to work as a nurse once my 8yr. old was in school, but then learned I was pregnant. Huge shock. Anyway, this set me back quite a bit since it was not my plan at all. I spent the next 2 years pretty miserable. IThis is not where I wanted to be or what I wanted to be doing. Sure, I loved my daughter, but how did I end up back here? I kept thinking things needed to change, but how???? Before I learned I was pregnant, I had enrolled in a medical transcription school which started out great. The medical part was a breeze. However, when I started the typing part, I developed such anxiety, I had to quit. That was a chunk of money I wasted and couldn't get back. (Ok, I know that last part wasn't encouraging, but it gets better) I finally had a heart-to-heart with my husband and he told me that the change had to come from me. He wanted desperately for me to be happy again, and he was out of ideas to help. I realized I needed to do something for me. I needed to feel like I was moving in the right direction, while still doing the best and most important job ever - being a mom. Since I had been a SAHM for the older kids, that meant I hadn't worked outside the home for almost 12 years! That was incredibly scary!!!! Who would hire me? Plus, I would have to put my toddler in daycare part-time. I was a SAHM, so that was new, too!! I could have talked myself out of this change over and over again, but the only person who could help me to regain my sanity and be happy again was me. I started the process of getting my nursing license transferred to my state. It was a lot of leg-work and hassle, but the closer I got to finishing, the better I felt. I am now waiting for my Ohio license to arrive in the mail and I am so excited for this new era! Sure, there will be challenges to face. Some I've already thought of, and some will be ones that I hadn't. Just like any new venture, the beginning is all about working out the kinks. We'll get through it and hopefully, it will allow our family some extra money, while allowing me ot feel like I am part of the real world again. My daughter will also benefit, since we are now in a rural area where there's nomommy and me classes and playgroups are out of the question (due to the fact that there's no one I know with a little one, too) She isn't around anyone her own age - I believe daycare will benefit her, too.
Will it be tough, sometimes, to do the schooling? Sure. Will there be discouraging times? Maybe. However, you are right. Now's the time. It will be a great way to teach your son to overcome fear. "Mommy was so scared to go back to school, but once I tried it, I got less and less scared". The best thing you can do for your kids is to be the best "Self" you can be. No kid wants a depressed mom or dad. If you are happy and fulfilled, the kids will benefit so much. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. Trust me. LOL!!! I say go for it. I can tell you that I really, really wish I had realized what I had to do much earlier.

I wish you the best of luck!!!!!

* Just to clarify, I DO love my toddler and she has been a positive, wonderful surprise to the family. It was just such a huge shock and being thrown back to diapers, naps, etc after 7 years was pretty hard to come to terms with for awhile.

Sarah, this might sound a bit off the wall, but find something to sort of "kick you in the butt" so to speak. Think of or write down all the bad things that could go wrong IF you DID NOT make that move and that alone should motivate you enough to get going. (What if my husband died, lost his job, etc) Remember change is like a brand new car that hasn't been driven yet...the moment you buy the car and drive it, it becomes used and then you will be wondering where did the "new" car smell go. You have it in you and you can do it.