Hello Again! As a working single mother of 3 boys while trying to finish my undergrad at Farmingdale State College, life can be a bit hectic. Actually, it pretty much always hectic is but I wouldn’t change it for the world. The secret is not losing your sanity. Things however are definitely easier said than done. For the past couple of weeks, things seem to just be dragging. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I just have to remind myself that this is my decision, as I surround myself with positive people that enrich my life not bring me down.

I have a few tricks to staying sane. The first one is ensuring that the kids are fed. It can be exhausting to cook after I get home late at night from either work or school, but ensuring that my boys won’t go hungry brings me peace. Best advice is to keep simple quick recipes handy. I don’t like cooking for more than 45 minutes during the week. That not only takes time away from other tasks but most importantly, from quality time I can spend with my boys.

The second trick is relaxing and getting a good night sleep. Sure, there are days when I only have four hours to sleep, but those don’t happen that often anymore. It is vital to rest, to maintain our health and regain our energy. Otherwise, things can go downhill and very fast. There is only so much our bodies can resist and take.

My most valuable trick, I think makes all the difference. Ensuring that we have open communication with the people in our lives. For instance, I inform my employer about my academic schedule. Sometimes employers expect us to be on-call 24-7, depending on our roles, and that is not possible when we have other responsibilities. This also applies to school. I believe that being open and honest with our professors helps everyone out. The key is to keep people informed.

This all works wonders for me. Then again, having good time management skills makes a huge difference as well as not taking on more than one can handle. Sometimes, I tend to do that. This is why my life is always hectic! I love to help out when asked and I find it very difficult to say no. That is something I am working on. I need some advice on this matter…

Thanks again and until next time…