A balancing act

Work has started for the year.  After having a relaxing summer at home, it's time to get serious about the job.  Have been doing prep at home and work getting ready for the year.  I have been thinking about all that I have to do this year  balancing work, study and family and sometimes it seems overwhelming but at the same time it's a great challenge which I am looking forward to.

I have three uni papers to do this year - one of them is in the first trimester and will require me to drive to Wellington straight every Wednesday after work to attend a 2 hour lecture.  The other 2 papers will require me to seek leave from work for 4 days in Trimester 2 as I will have to attend block courses on campus.  I wish I could do them fully online but can't as they are offering this course for the first time and are probably experimenting with their block course offerings and of course it must be due to lecturer availability as well.  So, as a full-time worker and part-time student my priority is the job which pays the bills but I really want to do well in this course too.  I need to get a B+ average in this course to step up to another qualification.  When I mentioned that I was doing a few uni papers to a colleague yesterday, she said "I thought you had finished your Masters?" so I had to confess that I was doing something else for work.  She gave me a strange look.  Probably because I was ready to collapse last year because of the stress of study and full-time work and here I am again ready to do it all over again.  I will probably want to withdraw from all 3 papers once the course starts but I feel that if I have a break right now, I will never achieve this goal which I have set.  I am doing this for my kids and for myself.  One more thing to cross off my bucket list.

Baby will be starting at daycare later this month! I am just so grateful to have found a wonderful place to put him where he will be immersed in the Samoan language and culture on a daily basis.  Not to say that he wasn't immersed in Samoan language when he was being looked after by my saint of a mother but it will be good for my mother to have time for herself to relax from being a caregiver.  The daycare place is so lovely - clean, spacious with great facilities and resources.  I also know one of the teachers at the centre so feel quite comfortable with him going there.  The older children started school today - no dramas and very happy to be back at school which makes me a happy mother.

This is going to be a great year - as great as I can possibly make it and I am going to do my best to make sure that I balance everything to ensure a healthy and happy family life and some better than decent grades.