Anyone with kids?

How the heck do you get to sleep in with kids?!?! I am 26, married and have a 17 month old who goes to day care. He wakes up at 7 and his father takes him to daycare, on his way to work. I go to school 3 days a week and spend my days off studying. I am also taking prereqs. I make use of the time I spend at home, after I am done studying, to alleviate the stress of things that need to be taken care of once they get home (dinner, play-time, bath, etc).

Wow! You're lucky with the sleeping in!!!
I have 4 kids and when I first started mine were 8, 7, 5 and 5months. I started out
taking night classes doing just my pre-req's first. That way I was home, didn't have to fish out $$ for daycare (that we didn't have) and could still go to school. So if you did it that way....you could still sleep in lucky duck!
Good luck!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I was 4 months pregnant when I started pre-reqs and I spent the first year as a SAHM doing all the classes that can be taken online (english I & II, nutrition, history, PSY I & II etc). It is a great way to save money on gas driving to and from school plus day care.

I'm 27 and have four kids ages 9, 7, 6, and 1 1/2. I took classes nights and weekends and online as much as possible for my pre reqs and I start my nursing program in august, luckily my baby has prepared me for sleep deprivation as he rarely sleeps for long periods of time and will sometimes wake up at 3 am and be up until his afternoon nap time. As far as waking up so early, drink coffee, lots and lots of coffee and take a leukwarm shower in the morning, not too hot so you don't get sleepy again. Getting up early isn't a challenge it's just something that has to be done to reach your goal, you'll learn to adjust. I suggest you start getting up early now so your body can adjust and your schoolwork won't suffer.

I am really surprised that you can sleep until 9:30 a.m. with children! Most children are early birds by nature; mine are no exception. My first child (4 yr old) is up at 6:00 a.m. (and as a baby it was by 5:15-5:30....) and my second (almost 2 yr old) is up by 7:00. But, they go to bed between 7:30-7:45 p.m.

I'll apply for Spring 2010 admission, but I imagine I'll have to do what I did when the kids were still young and waking to feed....rest for short periods of time when I can with the support of my husband and babysitter!

Good luck to you! You're a Mom...you're used to being exhausted!

My daughter is 4 (almost, Feb 8). I take my classes online, so I can work on them anytime. She's currently in school, then day care until 3. I could allow her to stay until 6, but I pick her up so I have a set definite schedule for my classes during the day and then spend the afternoons with her. When my H gets home, he takes over to spend his time with her and I can continue studying.

I was a night owl in my youth. My kids changed that. I learned the only way I got an hour a day to myself was to get up an hour earlier than everyone else.....my alarm clock rings at 0430. (I hit the snooze once or twice!) My "Big Baby" won't let me sleep past 0530 even on the weekends because he is used to me feeding him and letting him out during the week.... (collie/shepherd)!

My situation would not relate to yours. My kids are 23, 21, 20, 19 and 16.....and 21, 20, 15, and 12 (step kids)- but I have worked all my adult life and, for a time, raised my 5 alone as a single parent. It isn't easy, but you will learn how to organize and budget your time so you can get it done. Recruit everyone you can to help out so that you can have scheduled/uninterrupted time to do your studies.

I wish you the best!

9:30 are you serious? I don't want to sound mean but with kids and school there is no way you will ever do that again.

I have always gotten up early my entire life, whether it was for school, work, or now a toddler. Its not bad, just go to bed earlier and it is fine.

I am not surprised that you can sleep till 9:30, I use to work nights bartending so I would purposely let my kids sleep in, of course now their in school and so am I, so were up around 7. But if you can do your classes online, you can still sleep in, that will help some, although I would not suggest any science online. Really it doesn't matter when you get up, just find a schedule that works for you and your family and stick to it, you'll do great.