Fight Back Doubt and Get Prepared!

So you mean to tell me that everything that I've done........up until now........was for nothing.  Starting school when Braxton was 6-7 weeks old, pumping breast milk right after work to leave enough with my husband while I was in class......to driving back and forth from work-home-school, work-home-school............for 3 years.....to passing Chemistry online, learning from you-tube........to passing all Biology class online and again, learning from you-tube..........to having to drop out of Microbiology because of a possible C, to being able to leave work early for an entire semester to take another day class for micro and pass with a B, not to mention waitlisted for the class and bam.........no longer waitlisted.........to just making the cut off date to challenge the CNA exam with no experience what so ever, not a class, not a instructor, just you-tube..........to being the only one to pass the written and skills exam within a group of 8 students who DID take the CNA class, to being able to do CNA work with the CNA's I work with at my OBGYN for the mandatory 40 hours of experience, to failing (unfortunately) the TEAS twice and no points rewarded but it took me realizing that I was in just as good of enough shape because you no longer were awarded 50 points for just passing with a 71 percent.........to some students being admitted without TEAS points.....to there being a possibility that I WONT GET IT.........and all the above was for nothing.  To make me wait another semester.........or is this just what the devil wants me to think.


Gosh was I just in a funk from the fear of getting rejected out of no where.  I had to run out of work on my lunch break to literally cry because fear consumed me.  Doubt. Other students points. Applicant pool. You name it, I thought it was working against me. 


After sometime away from my desk, I was able to get it together. 


First I asked the Lord for forgiveness.  I spoke to my wonderful sister, and she told me why am I giving up before allowing God to move on my behalf.  To not pray and worry.  So thankfully, I was able to get myself back together and I did what I do best......keep going with the program, moved forward and found another way to prepare myself for when that door is open.  I went and ordered (with a Amazon gift card balance I had) Dosage Calculations 13th Edition that my school requires.  Supposedly there's a test on dosage calculations on the first day of class. 


I'd rather get prepared and continuing praying, then to sit and doubt what God has already done. 

Hot Fall Decor

No really, it's HOT and I'm decorating because I want it to be Fall, lol. It's the day before Labor Day, so we have a few more weeks until it's officially Fall. 

Last week, I showed pics of last years Fall Decor, but decided to make it a little neutral because the Fall reds, burnt oranges and greens just wasn't gonna do it for me and my blue living room. 

Very inexpensive Fall Decor I'd say. Lots of these items you see here where placed in different areas of her home and I added two chargers, the pumpkins and pine cones (which were spray painted). I always say to save money switch things up and take inventory of what you already have. 

 Here's my sisters fire place.....

 

I packed a afternoon bag ( decorations, ravioli, pull-ups, wipes, snacks) and we rolled out, me and my two kiddos. For some reason, my son loves to be free when he's at Aunties 

 Timberlands and pull-ups! 

Fast Forward to my pad after we were done at sissies

 

    And last by not least 

 

Oh wait one last area that's totally random 

 

September = Acceptance letters in the mail & Fall Decor

    


Okay.....seriously............ I couldn't wait until September rolled around for two reasons.  First and foremost, acceptance letters will be mailed later his month and I GET TO DECORATE! Yes today is September 1st and I've already been on a Fall décor haul.   No no, not at the stores, but outside in my yard and closets.  Yes, those are pine cones from off the streets people.  I mean why buy a bag of scented pine cones for $5.00 when you can trick your kids into picking them up of the streets..........come on somebody!


So Fall feast your eyes out on my latest project.  I don't have a fireplace, just this little thingy pictured above.  This décor was last years Fall jazz, but this year my home is completely blue and beige.  So we're retiring these colors this year and will let my sister have these, (her fireplace will be my first project this weekend) I on the other hand, this Labor Day, will look for lots of beige pumpkins, a few cans of spray paint (blue and cream) and spray the mess out of something this weekend.  So please stay tuned for that!


On the nursing side of things for this month.......there are a few things that I've gotten out the way.  For one, my sense of peace with this acceptance situation is on point for sure.  My trust is fully in the Lord that He has already seen me through.  I can't even begin to run down the list of blessings that's gotten me thus far................and with that being said, I know it couldn't have been for no reason. 


I've also become AHA BLS (American Heart Association, Basic Life Support) certified.  Those dolls were like real life..... six pack..... adult figured men.  The certification is not due until the times of acceptance and when orientation will begin, but I said that the heck...I have nothing else to do and Rex offers it to employees for free.  So there you have it.  Let's goooooooooo September!

Study in Style

  

Do you liiiiiike?  I know, cute right.  I'm only half way through though; so, we'll call this Part one.   So this here you guys is what will be my study area.  Yes, I'm preparing for the future.  My efforts of studying in the past has resulted to what I'd like to call "Stair Studying".  It's the most effective, uncomfortable, best way to keep your eye on the kids while they're on the second floor, not to far from the first floor while foods cooking, too far away from your bed on the third floor to get comfortable, method of studying.  Who'd- a -thunk that the cozy comfy living room would get me to page 6 and 6 hours of sleep not even thirty minutes into studying. 

I got it down to a perfect science.  Why, because I'm a huge believer in if you don't like something and you're in control of it, then dag on it, FIX IT.  Don't like traffic..........leave early........don't like being late..........get prepared the night before...you know...stuff like that.  However, I didn't like getting everyone situated, (diner, baths, clothes ironed, etc) and the time mapped out for myself to study was a complete joke. I would always fall asleep and rightfully so.  I was beat!

So what I've done for the past year was went to bed early, because I found that cramming in HW after working 8 hours and spending another few hours with kindergarten work, diner, baths, etc was unrealistic to really comprehend anything else afterwards.  So I figured crash early, wake up at 4:00 a.m and Stair Study.

  It was great. NO one needed me! It was silent......

Not a creature was staring, not even a mouse. I studied until it was time to wake them up at 6:00 a.m.  After two hours of coffee sipping, page turning, in my jamas I had accomplished a huge chunk already.  I know what you're thinking, what the heck is wrong with the table.  Well, I'd tell ya that the coach would just be staring at me like, "Girl, you know you wanna come over here".  And don't even talk about Starbucks, library or study groups.  Those areas are NOT for me.  I feel study groups are like AA meetings where you go around and soberly talk about your hopes, dreams and aspirations.  Everything but WBCs and RBCs are discussed.  Now now there, don't get me wrong......I'd love to study with the right group of people.  So hopefully my clinical group is on point.  If not, here's my back up.  $5.00 for the chair, $5.00 for the table, $6.00 for gold spray paint and $8.00 for can of paint.

That my fellow student nurses and murses is what I'd like to call

"Decorating on a Dime"

What to do while you wait!

How does that little saying go.........oh yeah........"The struggle is real", well in the Nursing School realm, it should be called "The wait is real" after you submit your clinical application.  I mean, there's every class known to man that needs to be taken before you can enter.  I seriously need a course on what to do while I wait.


I was an early bird and submitted my application back in May.  The application deadline was not until July 31st and letters aren't sent out until the end of September, possibly early October. I know, start biting your nails already because I have none left. 

What's bothersome is how much waiting can lead to doubt, worry and anxiety.  You began to read other success stories, begin to think you're going to be wait-listed and even not make it into the program.  I can't stress how much I've done this.  Then it all stopped when my Pastor had a message that said "Trust God whether it's a good day or a bad day and believe that God is with us on both of those days".  He also mentioned that fear and anxiety is natural, but we must fight it back and have a Psalm 46:1-10 attitude (Your challenge to look it up).  And ever since, a sense of peace has come over me.  I figured why sit around and wait and worry.  Why not wait and get PREPARRED...come on somebody.  ( I just love saying that).  Here are some things that I'm doing.

-Of course blogging

-Hitting up those dreadful A&P books as a refresher.  Can you imagine not knowing your medulla oblongata from your gluteus maximus.

-I've heard there's an exam the first week of school and have also gotten hold of the material such as the most commonly used abbreviations, like  AKA, no silly...not also known as, but above knee amputation.

-I've also fallen for the Fall already and have begun my fall décor shopping (score)

-Obtaining my CPR certification (required)

-Annual Physical (required)

-Getting used to using a fun calendar and mapping out every breath I take as we will do once in school.  Lets not even talk about the Hustle Happy Planner at Micheals or Erin Condren Planner, my gosh!

-Watching a TON and I mean a TON of first semester of nursing school youtube videos. My fav Nurse bass and Just Jess Nursing

After getting an acceptance letter, it is a whole different story with what needs to be done.

Those mentioned above that are required, I'd really recommend doing ahead of time.  Lots of students dont finish their requirements on time and loose their spots.  I believe there will be a dosage calculation test the first week as well.  More on this of course after September!

Mean while.......... get busy



Keep calm and raise those kids!

Does anyone out there have any idea how long it's taking me to get this ASN under my belt? I mean talk about the scenic route towards becoming an RN.  I've made so many lefts and rights and pit stops along the way that I could've become a doctor by now.  Three colleges..................wait this one currently makes the fourth (geesh)........well yeah....... could've been an MD for sure.  However, I'm not so sure that if I could turn back the hands of time, I would've accomplished everything that I've accomplished thus far.  At 32, you'd expect to have your career under your belt, married, home, kids, white picket fence, dog, etc, all that good stuff out the way..........but dang it........... that's just not my story, nor my end.
I can thankfully say that besides the career under my belt I do have all those things, with the exception of the dog that I gave away (more on that later, or never, lol)  I can say that the Lord has allowed me to accomplish a whole lot.  I had a convo with one of my patients and while drawing her blood, we got on the subject of how I became a phlebotomist? Then long story short how in the world was I getting ready to dive into nursing school?  Her words were "Don't you have kids, how are you going to juggle all of that"?  And I sat back down and got comfy for this one.  This is always a wonderful topic for me because I love to get women on the Super Woman band wagon....the "I can do all things through Jesus Christ" ya heard.....come on somebody!
So I said, there's two ways of thinking when accomplishing your goals and having kids. 
One: Either they'll be the reason why you do something or
Two: They'll be the reason why you don't do something.
I cant imagine years from now me telling my children "Well you're the reason why I couldn't do this- that and the third" and then in the same breath, tell them they can do all things.  Them buggers will look back at me like "yeah,......... well why didn't you finish school". No mam, cant have that.


So yes, my kids have kept me so focused and so in tune with my dream of becoming an RN.  My kids didn't burden me or rain on my parade.  God put them before me to focus, not to be a distraction.


What's your motivation?