"No reading at the breakfast table"

Last week I handed my last assignment in to finish my Master's degree.  Finally.  Only took four years!  But I'm now a proper librarian.  And, more importantly, I can happily read fiction guilt free.  My youngest starts school in a few weeks, I've finished studying and I turn 40 in a few months. What's next?  Well, my life is looking like it will move in a direction that I never anticipated myself but more on that later. * *NOT another baby!

I wanted to celebrate with you today the completion of my uni prac and the end of my degree. But alas, no such celebration.  With two days of prac left, factors out of my control meant that I couldn't go back. So I'll be fitting those extra days in somewhere in between the end of the school year and the lead up to Christmas ...

My apologies for my silence blog friends.  I've just started four weeks of full time work so that I can do prac for my uni course and keep working at the same time.  Not much fun.  Especially for my family and especially my patient husband.  We are all ready for this degree to end. But I'll be back ...

Yesterday I handed in my last assignment for my Masters degree.  I feel so relieved and truly amazed to have got this far (although happier once I know I've passed). To celebrate, Rowan and I went out for supper last night (courtesy of my Mum who is staying with us for a few days).  We celebrated in our usual outrageous style.  A trip to a bookshop followed by a coffee shop.  'Yes, let's get our own decadent chocolate fondant each', we cry, 'It's a celebration after all!'  And yes, with a pot of earl grey tea on the side (of course, what else?). After 9 pm.  Bad, bad move. I was awake until 1.30 am.  And had to get up at 6.30 am to get ready for work.  It was a looonnngg night. Followed by an even longer day. Why couldn't I sleep? 1.  I'm really not used to eating rich food 2.  I can't cope with that much chocolate and caffeine so 'late' in the day 3.  We are just getting old. Now, as I'm sipping my herbal tea at 8.30 ...

I've been studying part-time by distance for almost three years now.  I do get regular comments along the lines of "haven't you finished that yet?'' or "you must be close to the end of your course by NOW".  But I've been doing it slowly because that's worked in with the rest of my life. When I started, my youngest was only a year old.  She was at home all the time and I could get some work done when she was asleep (and the three yo boy was watching "High School Musical 2").  But it meant that I did just one subject and so it's taken me a while.  I have done more subjects this year because Abbie has been at preschool.   I also get lots of "how do you do it?" comments.  I'm going to assume for the sake of this post that is a genuine question (rather than a subtext of "are you mad?"  or "I wish I could do that"). So how do I do it? I aim to do a little bit everyday - even just reading some posts on...

I have nothing much that is profound to share today.  But here's some thoughts that have been in my head today. 1.  Crimes mothers commit:  Me:  "Please can you brush your teeth before you go to school?"  Child:  "You just make my life so difficult don't you?  You're making me late ...."  Me:  "Can you get dressed so that you aren't naked for school?  Child:  "Oh, I'm just sooo tired - don't you understand?" 2.  I live in a community - my stress levels are down today due to the kindness of other mothers who have helped me with baby sitting and taking my kids to sports training.  I never take this generosity for granted. 3.  Apparently there is a "critical shortage of librarians"  (or that's what I heard on the radio at 5.55 am this morning on my way to the gym).  I gave a loud 'hurrah' but I also suspect the shortage isn't in Sydney.  Canberra is the happening place for librarians. 4. ...

So I think the saying goes "It takes a village to raise a child". Well, this week it has taken a village to enable one woman to write one essay.  Which isn't finished.  Almost.  I think.  Maybe.  Can you sense my lack of confidence? Anyway my 'village' has been my kind husband taking a day off work.  My in-laws coming for a day and running mega craft/painting activities.  My patient father-in-law untangling the kites which have been sitting in the shed for 18 months.  And my mother entertaining the children with her made up stories yesterday.  I'm so grateful for all the help and I don't think the kids have suffered too much - I've been at home the whole time. I'm doing two full on subjects this semester.  It's the biggest load I've ever taken on and it means that for 12 weeks all I think about is getting uni work done.  But the rest of life doesn't slow down.  And I find it so, so hard to say no.  Using uni as an ex...

I'm sure you've all missed my ramblings but I have been doing something vaguely constructive.  I thought I'd show you a little of what I've been madly working on.  My uni assignment has been to design a digital library for diabetes researchers (see, librarians don't just say 'shush' and get cranky about torn books). The diabetes bit has been a bit of a struggle.  I have no background AT ALL in science or medicine.  Oh, sorry, I lie.  I did do first year Biology at uni and got 52% - they expected you to be there at uni at 9 AM four days a week, which for an Arts student was a bit of a joke.  So I missed most of 2nd semester.  Which was on animals.  1st semester was plants.  All I remember about the animals was a lot of dead cane toads which I made my lab partner dissect.  And there was Year 11 Chemistry ... But, A N Y W A Y - back to the matter at hand.  I have no concept how I will I go in this subject.  But I have learn...