All Work and Some Play

Work, work, work and when you are done, work some more.  Does that sound familiar to you? Many adults who have gone back to school while work have found it difficult to keep the fun things going in life while working and attending school.  It is important to make sure you allow some time for fun activities in your life for your family and for yourself as well.  Although it is very important that you stay focused on your school work, daily work and family, it is very easy to get consumed in those daily activities and not allow time for yourself to regain a daily fresh look on the tasks ahead of you.  Work can be very demanding with deadlines, reports, lazy co-workers, or even a overbearing supervisors.  To add to the stress of homework, exams, and essay papers to an already stressful life of work all these things can certainly drain a person's excitement about future goals.  Therefore, to stay focused in all three areas of life (work, school, and home), let's look at some ways to have inexpensive fun and still stay on task with the pressure of work and the stress of school.

Movie and Pizza Night

Pizza and a movie are an excellent way for the family to spend quality time together.  Whether you make a homemade pizza or order take out. Rent some fun family DVD's from Red Box.  Even make popcorn, and settle in for a night of movie watching.

Game Night

Have a family game night, break out the Xbox or Nintendo Wii, and challenge your family to a night of video games.  Or if Board games are more your speed then locate your retro Scrabble, Monopoly, or twister games and play the night away the old fashion way.

Enjoy a Football Game

It's that time of year again and football is here.  Enjoy a high school/college football game with the family. Maybe even drive to a professional football game that is being played nearby. Every is always up for a quick ride out of town for a change of scenery.

There are many fun ways to plan family fun days.  Check out this link for many fun local ideas!

http://www.familydaysout.com

However you choose to have fun, make sure you stay just as focused on having fun as you are about school and work.  It can sometimes be hard to put work, homework, and deadlines on the backburner but always allow time for your mind to regroup and reboot for another week of hard work and dedication.

Balancing Home, Work, and School

Returning to school can certainly be a challenge to the best of us who already have such a large roll to play at work and home and with the added stress of school can certainly turn into a balancing act that can easily become overwhelming.  

Here are a few great tips that you can use to help balance out the stress of work, school, and home:

1. 1. Allow for some time to rest and relax.  It is okay to stop at some point and have a little fun and enjoyment with friends and family.  Finding at least 30 minutes in your busy day to maybe read your favorite book, watch your favorite television show, go online and chat with friends for a few minutes of the day so that your entire day is not totally consumed with work. 
2. Keep papers and events for work, school, and home organized so that you can easily access them when going to school, work, or when studying at home.
3. Make sure your schedule is doable with realistic goals to accommodate all three areas in your life.  You don't to have one area in your life that receives all of your attention where another area will go lacking.
4. Find ways to relive stress in all areas.  Find time to spend with family and friends to maintain a healthy relationship and a healthy mind to be able to accommodate all three areas.  Dedicate time for homework and studying.  Remember that work is necessary to help cover expenses for home and school so make sure you give 100%.
5. Don't procrastinate but make sure you allow plenty of time to get everything done. 



Stay focused and get it done! 

Effective Study Habits

Learning how to study can be the best investment of your time in terms of preparing to go back to school and/or improving your grades while you are in school. Anyone who truly wants to improve their learning process can do so by following a few basic principles of time management, organization, and prioritization. 

Lets make sure to start the academic career off on the right foot!

Dedicate a specific time and place to study

Deciding on a set place and time to study can make all the difference.  When this is not practiced, students tend to be  more stressed about homework and studying. Having a set time and place to study alleviates all of the stress issues and allows you to focus on the material you need to cover.  

For those who have kids, it may be beneficial for you to set aside a time to study once they are placed in bed for the night.  This may be the most quiet time in your household! Or maybe you can get a sitter in place for a couple of hours to get in the study time. Whether you take your child/children to the sitter or the sitter takes the child/children out on a play date, do what best tailors your need.

Prioritizing your time

There are only so many hours in a day that you can devote to studying.  So it is important that you prioritize your time before starting your studying session.  Most people are more open to difficult material, so why not start with the more difficult tasks first.  As your time starts to bear down on you, when you are getting tired, that is the time you will want to spend on the material that you have a better understanding of.

Do not be afraid to ask for help

During your time in college, everyone runs into a course or two that they struggle with. Whether it is trouble with the instructor being too hard, the math being to advanced or whatever the reason.  Do not let the frustration or fear of failure stop you from getting the help that you need.  Reach out to your instructor and ask for some one on one time.  Check around campus for any school sponsored tutor programs or resources that might be beneficial to you. Chances are, help is within reach if you ask for it!

Do not CRAM for exams 

There will be a time when you may have a late night finishing a paper or working on a project that needs to be completed, but applying the above mentioned techniques on a consistent and steady routine will more than prepare you for quizzes, mid-terms and finals. You should only need to review your notes for the course a few times prior to an exam.  

Do not let life get in the way of your dreams

Work, husbands, wives, kids, significant others, friends and etc...

They can all be a great support system.  But they can also be a big drag on your time, energy, and stamina. Make sure that they know what your priority is and why this is your priority.  Also be sure to explain that you will make any necessary adjustments to your personal life in order to complete your goal.

What's for Dinner?

It is important that we all take advantage of every opportunity to do something meaningful in our life and as we progress in life, we all want to be able to look back and say that we have done our best.  Going back to school can certainly be a challenge but it is one that many of have overcome and you can too.  One of the obstacles of going back to school is making sure you have your family's full support and that you do not neglect to give them what they need also.  Although most family's are very supportive when a parent returns to school to further their education, it is also important that the parent who is returning to school continues to be that mother or father that the household needs.  What better way to make sure your family stays happy while you attend college by making sure they have their favorite meals on the table as if you never skipped a beat.

Quick Meals

Chicken Pasta Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
• 4 ounces linguine, cooked
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 thinly sliced green onion
• 1 to 2 cups heavy whipped cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Garnish

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese                                                    

Directions:

1. Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken in butter or margarine until chicken is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Reduce heat add green onion, heavy cream, tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through.
4. Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese.

Try this great recipe:

Yummy No-Bake Bars

The combination of peanut butter and chocolate makes this no-bake bar cookie recipe popular with kids and adults. Line the baking pan with foil for easy serving.

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light-color corn syrup
2 cups peanut butter
3 cups crisp rice cereal
3 cups cornflakes
3/4 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 4-serving-size packages vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1/4 cup milk
1 12 ounce package semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup butter

Line a 15 x 10 x 1-inch backing pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan; set aside.

Directions

• In a large saucepan, combine granulated sugar and corn syrup; heat and stir just until mixture boils around edges. Heat and stir for 1 minute or more.  Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted.  Stir in rice cereal and cornflakes until coated.  Press mixture into the bottom of prepared pan.
• For pudding layer, in a medium saucepan, melt the 3/4 cup butter.  Stir in powdered sugar, dry vanilla pudding mixes, and milk.  Spread pudding mixture over cereal layer; set aside.
• For frosting, in s small saucepan, combine chocolate pieces and 1/2 cup of butter;  heat and stir over low heat until melted.  Spread frosting over pudding layer.  Cover and chill abut 1 hour or until set.  To serve, remove set mixture from pan by lifting foil.  Place on a cutting board; but into bars and serve. 

College Preparation

Whether you are returning to college or this is your first time attending, the thought of going or returning as an adult can be intimidating, but with the right tools and planning it is achievable. Many colleges offer a combination of class schedule options, including evening, weekend, and online courses, which makes it easier to find time to begin or complete your degree. 

Things to consider, if you are thinking about returning to college as an adult

Do your research:

• Meet with an administration representative to discuss your course of study.
• Check with the Finance Office for financial aid options.
• If you have attended college previously, check with the college that you are considering to determine if they accept credit for prior learning.
• If you are employed, check with your employer to determine if they offer education benefits that can help to cover the cost of your education.
• Decide which course is best for you, online or class room programs.

Have a support system:

• If you have young children, make arrangements to ensure that you have a sitter during the times you need to dedicate to studying.
• Work with your supervisor to ensure that you will not have any scheduling issues as it relates to your class schedule.