Carrie is a single Mother of two, works full time, and attends online classes. With her busy schedule she is passionate about making time for her kids and creating as many memories with them as she can. She has a natural love for helping people, and can be found blogging about her experiences at Tales from a Nursing Student.
Thanks for joining us! Tell us about Tales from a Nursing Student.
My name is Carrie and I began Tales from a Nursing Student when I started school to get my Bachelors degree in nursing. I work full time and never thought it would be possible to go back to school until I saw the school had an online option. Although a big commitment, I’m always up for a challenge and figured why not blog about my experiences.
Do you have any suggestions for busy moms trying to keep their families healthy this winter season?
- Get your flu shot so you are protected from the virus.
- Teach your kids to cover their mouth when they are coughing or sneezing.
- Wash your hands often and after you return from any outing.
- At work or home use a disinfecting spray on the door handles, elevator buttons, phones, computer keyboards, mouse, and the toilet.
Can you share your tips for managing the load as a single working mom?
Be on top of things or you won’t know what direction you are going! Having it all together with a schedule of the daily routine and a calendar to record events greatly helps in my quest to keep it all together and running smoothly. If I changed my profession and worked for myself as a secretary between scheduling, getting the bills paid, getting everywhere they need to go making sure we were meeting deadlines I would never have to worry about being out of work in this bad economy.
- Assistance from my family is very important or else I wouldn’t be where I am at today. I can’t thank my mom and sister enough for as much help as they have given me.
- Be prepared for anything. At times you may think you have everything under control until one little thing goes wrong, maybe your kid gets sick, and you need to adjust your whole schedule. Always have a backup plan and know what you are going to do before this happens so it doesn’t interrupt your day.
- Don’t get discouraged and stay positive.
What are some ways you find me time in any given week?
It all depends on how you would describe “me time” so time for myself has a few different meanings.
The week is pretty hectic as I work and take classes 5 days a week so mornings are usually my time before the day starts to have my coffee and morning run before I get the kids up.
To provide the best life that I possibly can for my kids getting my bachelors degree will open up many new doors better pay and benefits so I consider going back to school a huge part of the time I take for myself. If you asked my daughter she would tell you “mom time” is when mom is in school! She came up with that when I told her I would be in class every night and it has stuck ever since.
Me time on the weekends is studying, lunch with my best friend, and spending as much time as I can with my kids because they are my world. On the weekends Sundays in the winter at our house are the best! My dad was a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and everyone in the family would watch the games together. Although we now live out of the state with Direct TV my kids and I still hold the tradition and my mom sister and a few other people all come over the watch the games.
About Carrie
Carrie is a single mom with two kids who loves to write and started blogging to share her life story. As a nursing student, working to obtain her degree, Carrie shares her adventures of single motherhood, college experiences and more with her blog.
Carrie no longer blogs, but her tips and insights were so helpful the interview will remain live on this site.
Stephanie Lema 