School is going well, I have changed a few of my habits to help out a bit.  I guess not really changed them but have gone back to them.  There for a while was just using the lap top in the living room and I felt like I wasn't really getting anything done.  I would wait until all the kids were up and fed and dressed before I would sit down and work on my homework. 
This was just so frustrating.  I had the idea to move the desk top computer to the living room but then thought "If I do that then I would be able to hide and get work done if I need to" so we scratched that idea and left it hidden in our bedroom.
I have heard a number of people that are taking classes on line complain and complain about how hard it is to get everything done, and they are only taking one class (as am I), some of these people are stay at home moms (as am I), but they only have one child or all of their children are in school all day.  Yet they still complain that they can't seem to find the time to get all of their house work done, all of their school work done, make dinner on time, work on craft projects that they like to do, and just feel very very overwhelmed about the whole thing.
I have made friends with a lady in my current class and she, as well as a few others in my last class, have emailed me and wanted to know how the heck I do it with four kids, and only one of them being in school all day, one being in pre-school two day a week, and I still manage to keep up with my house, my kids, dinners, laundry, play with my kids, watch movies with my kids, snuggle my kids, have time for hubby when he gets home, go to town to grocery shop (this is at least a 4-5hour process) during the week, manage to get all of my homework done, turned in on time and get no less than a 95% on everything I turn in, and still sew.

My response is simple,  I just do it.  I do have a little schedule that I try to keep to though and this is it:

6am up and get Ellis ready for school, while he's dressing and eating, I make his lunch and his dads lunch, un-load my dishwasher, and pack his back pack and pick up any random toys left in the living room
640am get Ellis out the door to the bus
642am get on computer check posts, comment to posts
650am turn in any completed worksheets, essays etc. (worksheets Tuesday, essays usually no later than Thursday)
7am start any extra pick up I need to do and change and fold laundry
715am Quinn is usually up by now and wants to eat so while I nurse him and catch up on a favorite show that's been DVRed
730 Emma and Cade are up wanting breakfast and cartoons (note: cartoons do not happen very often I am not really a tv person and like the quiet, also if the tv comes on my children usually don't get much done including playing)
8am if it's on the tv goes off, kids get dressed and play in their rooms, when weather is nice it is outside they go (unless it's winter then we are usually inside all day every day) I also use this play time to spend with my kids, play with them, read to them, I also use this time to do some of my crafting and letting my kids stamp, color, draw, their own crafts with scissors, glue, glitter, stickers, stamps, etc.
11am time for lunch I figure out what we are going to have, get it going, help the kids clean up their rooms and any messes they have made
1130am lunch
12pm down for naps.  All three children go down for naps at the same time, I love this because then I can have some mommy time.  This is when I work on any essays that I have coming up, reading assignments I may need to catch up on, blogging (even though this one is being done before 8am as everyone is still sleeping), watch a movie, start a sewing project (currently a bag for my mom for mothers day), change out laundry, fold a load or two, read a book, take a nap, basically what ever I want to do.
3pm Kids are getting up about now (yes they all three nap for about 3 hours) get kids a snack, help Ellis with homework (usually reading) and hang out with my kids
4pm Jon gets home and it's time to start dinner
5pm Dinner and dinner clean up
6pm pjs and veg-out time on the couch with the fam watching tv, sometimes a movie.
7pm kids to bed, yes all four of them, and some much needed mommy and daddy time, where we either watch our favorite shows together, that we have DVRed, or a movie and as always (fight with the 3 year old to go do bed and stay there, this is on going every night including most nights when he has not had a nap)
Cut out his nap you say.  If I were to cut out his nap, come 4-5 pm he is extremely cranky wants no body but mommy to hold him (he's very attached to me :o( so day it makes me very crazy), or he falls asleep on the couch, which means he got a power nap and we are going to fight him until 10pm to fall asleep
9-10pm depending on my tired level I go to bed somewhere in here.  But usually no later than 10pm so that I can get a good nights sleep.  I am still working on getting Quinn to sleep all night so I usually get woke up at least once by him wanting fed.  I let him cry it out for a bit.  I can tell by the cry if he's going to go back to sleep or not.  Last night up twice but went straight back to sleep both times.

This is just a basic schedule there are stamp groups, play dates, school meetings, packing, planning and all the other fun things that go on around here all the time.  I feel like I have a very busy life but I always seem to manage to get everything done every day.  I really don't know how I do it.
I rarely get sick but when I do watch out because I am usually sick for a couple of day.  If hubby isn't doing much at work and can take the day off so that I can sleep I can usually kick it in about a day.  The only time I have been sick to the point I couldn't kick it in one day with sleep is when I was pregnant with Cade and I ended up in the hospital with a potassium and mineral deficiency, how that happened I am not sure but he's the only one it happened with.

Any way, my point being if you are a stay at home mom with one child or children that are in school all day there is no reason that you can't get your work done on time, complete it to the point you will get a good grade, turn it in on time, get your posting and comments done on time and get a good grade in your class.
I have given a small little glimpse into my everyday schedule with three kids at home and I manage to get everything done on time (always a head of time so I don't have to stress about it) and currently have a 4.0.  Yes I know I am only in my second class but it is the hardest class I will take over the next four years and I currently have an A in that class keeping my GPA at a 4.0.
So if you want to complain about how hard your life is because you are taking one on line course and you just cant seem to get anything else done and your work is always late, you can seem to find the time to get your school work done and you are always crunching and trying to get it done and turned in the day that it's due before midnight, and either you are home by yourself all day or only have one child to take care of, then I am totally the wrong person to be talking to because I have no sympathy for you at all.
I will  tell you to get off facebook, craft sites, quit surfing the Internet for who knows what, close YouTube, and get your but to work, whether it be on homework or your home.

Sorry for the rant but it drives me crazy when people sit and complain about every little thing and how they can't seem to keep their house up, keep up with their children, and get their school work done all at the same time.  I seem to manage just fine and I have 3 kids underfoot all day long and some how I get it all done.

No I am not Mary Poppins and no I do not have magical powers, I am only human, and I just do it.

new class :(

Well, my last class went pretty well.  It was probably the easiest class I will take over the next four years and the current class is probably the hardest class I will take. 
I came out of my last class with a solid A and was only a few points shy of 100%.
My new class is Christian Worldview or CWV-101.  So far I have leaned a little about myself, or should I say relearned  few things about myself, like that  am really good at B.S.ing my way through essays or worksheets that I really have no clue what the teacher is looking for at all.  I've learnd about Naturalists, and this week we are studing Secular Humanists.  There really is nothing that I will learn in this class that I will need for my degree, however, I may gain an undertanding of other types of people and what they believe rather than continuing to live in my little bubble with the limited information that I have about other religions.

Being a mom and student is not easy, but at the same time, when you are only taking one class at a time it is not all that hard either.  Figureing out a schedule that works for your house, your family, your school work is the best thing to do.  We have found a pretty good rythum that works for our family.  It's not always the easiest for me to get my housework done, my schoolwork done, playtime with my kids, time with my husband.  I am having to learn to let a few things go and not worry about having what I feel or think is the perfect house all the time.  My floor doesn't always get vacuumed everyday like I want it to my kitchen is not always clean, and my meals are not always perfect.  But my family is happy, there is food on the table for 3 meals a day, snacks in the cupboards, clean clothes and 4 happy children that get the love and support of their parents.
My children are also being able to learn that it is never too late to get your education, no matter how old you are, how many kids you have, how many adult responsibilites you have or how busy people may think you are.
I am glad that I am able to show my children what it is to work hard, apply yourslf, and continue on with the things that you want most out of life.

UNV 103 GAME OVER

Well, I finished my first official college class on Sunday April 3rd.
This class taught me how to work the classroom web sight, turn in assignments, how to manage my home and school work, how to communicate more effectively through emails, forms, etc.  It was a fun and easy class to start off with.  I know that all of my classes will not be as easy as this one was, since this was the introduction class to how the school site works and getting you used to an online classroom. 
I started my new class on Monday April 4th.  Yes, I had to go to school and do homework on my birthday and as a mother.  I thought that once I had kids and was married I would no longer be having to worry about my own homework on my birthday but that's what comes with being an online student and mom and adult all at the same time.
My new class is called CWV 101 or Christian Worldview.  I am sure I will have times that I struggle through this class because of the nature of the class.  I am sure there will be many times that I will have to bite my tongue and not let my emotions get the better of me.  At least with this class being on line I will be able to think about how I feel and what I want to say back should the need arise rather than popping off and saying something that I will later regret and have to apologize for.
I have set a very high goal for myself to graduate at the end of four years, in 2015, with a 4.0, I know that this is a crazy goal to set for myself since I have not been in school for a while and the fact that I have a family and house to take care of on top of doing all of my school work.
So, far (after only one, WAY easy class) I am achieving this goal.  I came out with an A and my percentage was 98.55%.  This was a little lower than I wanted it to be but I am proud to say I got an A and A's are what get you a 4.0 not A- or B's but solid A's and 98.55% could be and A+ to some people.
I am glad that I made it through with a grade that I really wanted and that I worked hard to get that grade.  I WILL be continuing to work hard to get solid A's in the rest of my classes.