Preschool - Here We Come!

Parker started preschool this week!  It's a big deal and it's not I guess.  I guess it's a big deal because it's larger class sizes than he would get in daycare and probably a bit more structured.  But he has been in daycare before and will be going back, so it's not like he's never left my side.

That being said, there was a little bit of a separation issue when I was dropping him off because for the past 10 months he has either been with me or family that he knows well.  So he seemed very confused that mommy and Cooper weren't staying with him.  He wanted me to play on the slide and with the diggers.  Then the teacher got out some trikes and he got on and he could care less about me.  

When I was talking to him about going to preschool the other night he would say "ride school bus".  I don't think anyone told him he was going to ride a school bus, so he put that together on his own.  Luckily he forgot about it and didn't seem too upset that we got him to school in the van.

When I picked him up (2.5 hours later...see it's not a huge deal!) he was sitting nicely in the circle and was excited to see me.  

I can't wait to see where this year takes him, the friends that he makes and the things that he learns!

On Being Done School

On Wednesday I got my mark back for my final exam for my accounting designation.  And I passed.  

As my mom said, I have said that I have failed every exam that I have ever taken, and in reality I have passed them all except for one.  This one was no different, I was positive I had failed.  But I didn't.  And I'm kind of still surprised by it.

So now it's a waiting game.  I'm just waiting for the organization to officially deem me a Certified General Accountant.  And to be honest, it hasn't hit me yet.

I've been in school since I was 5.  I have done 5 years of post-secondary education followed by about 3 years of courses working towards this accounting designation.  That's 8 years of post-secondary!  And I'm done.  It's a weird feeling, that's for sure.  

After 8 years of work, it seems like it should be never ending.  Like I should continue to have courses that I have to be constantly working on and stressing about.  My stress level just dropped dramatically.  I have so many feelings at the moment.  I'm happy, I'm relieved, I'm proud of myself.  I pride myself on not quiting anything and I didn't quit, despite wanting to on multiple occasions.  I'm pretty sure that this calls for a glass of wine.

Back to School

The other day, I got to thinking about University....

Oh ya, this isn't Sex and the City.

But I was going through my University's website and to be honest, I kind of miss it.  I miss the excitement that comes with starting a new school year.  You get to hit refresh every 4 months when you are in University and that's kind of liberating!

I promise this isn't all I did while at university, I studied hard

I miss being completely on my own and relying on nobody but myself.  I could workout in the middle of the day.  I could make whatever I wanted for dinner.  I could stop at the mall on my way home and wander around for an hour.  It's not that I don't have these freedoms anymore, it's that I feel that I have responsibilities.  I have to get home, maybe make dinner, maybe clean (notice the maybes).  I can't just take an extra two hours to get home from work without telling Ryan where I am.

Sure, some parts of University were stressful.  But overall, University was a great experience, and sometimes I wish it wasn't over.  Today is the day when all of the first year students will be moving into residence.  It's a terrifying and exciting time.  You are wondering if you will make any friends and what your classes will be like.  Just because you were a good student in high school doesn't mean university will come easy.

It's important to have a strong little brother to help you move in

When your parents finally leave to go home, you don't really know what to do with yourself.  Times that by a million when you live off campus for the first time.  (I had cheerios for dinner).  But I think that most people probably grow more as a person in that first year of university than at any other time in their life.  So congratulations to all the newbies out there.  Enjoy it because someday you will wish you were still there.  (People told me this about high school though and I can honestly say I never wish that I was still in high school.)

Exam Writing 101

As I wrote an exam last night it got me thinking about all that I have learned from writing exams over the past 5 years of post-secondary education and 2 years of designation courses.

Disclaimer: I am not an exam writing expert, just someone who has been writing exams for what seems like half of her life.

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1. Don't study too hard

This seems opposite of what you should do right?  I mean study hard, but don't go to your exam and sit outside the room with a piece of paper trying to cram stuff into your brain, because it won't work and it will just stress you out.

2.  Don't ask people who are writing the same exam as you if they have learned this and this and this

That freaks them out and will leave them panicked.  And it's basically just rude.  And maybe I don't care if I get 11% on this exam because I have calculated it and I only need 52% to pass the course at this point.....end rant.

3.  Bring multiple pens and pencils

You don't want to be that person who runs out of ink.  And bring both, even if you think you won't need a pencil, in case you forgot that the multiple choice was using a scantron sheet or something.

4. Relax before the exam

I stop studying a few hours before my exam to just chill out.  You also don't want to be exhausted when writing.  Take a nap that day if you need it.  (Or sleep for an hour and a half yesterday if you are me).  If your exam is in the morning, study hard the night before, but go to bed at a reasonable time and get enough sleep.

5.  Eat

Nobody wants a grumbling stomach mid exam.

6. When it's over, celebrate!

Usually, when I have an exam on a Saturday, I go shopping on my way home.  Because when you are studying for an exam you never feel like you have time for that.  It's nice to do something you enjoy without feeling guilty for not studying.

7. Forget about the exam afterwards

There's nothing you can do to change the results at this point, so don't go over every answer in your head and worry about it.  Easier said than done for some people I'm sure.

 

I could keep going, but I will stop at lucky number 7.  I know that everyone has their own exam writing style and the things that work for them.  So really this is most likely irrelevant to most people, but it is what has worked for me!