I went in to the college today and took the COMPASS placement test. Funny enough, I had resigned myself to possibly not placing where I wanted to place in math and needing to take math 97. Nope, all that studying was enough to refresh my mind on everything I learned in high school. I placed in math 281, statistics. This class scares me. I also easily placed into English 101. However, since I got a perfect score on both the reading and writing section, I really wish there was a waiver for taking English 101. I do not enjoy writing classes and am really dreading this class.

Tomorrow I go in for my appointment with my opportunity grant adviser and sign up for my spring quarter classes. Yay, I'm really on my way now!

Mike and I went to the college on Wednesday, I met with the Financial Aid adviser as well as a lady who is in charge of the schools opportunity grant. So far it looks good for both of us to receive a grant, and since they have money they need to use up they are going to try to back award Mike for his winter quarter also. I'm so excited!

Since I took the placement exam at a different local college I need to go take it again at Pierce. Not a big deal... hopefully I'll get to it next week. Registration for spring quarter is March 5th!

So this is nursing related.. just not related to me and nursing. Unless you count giving me a good chuckle while browsing the internet instead of doing the 3 math chapters I promised myself I would do today. Really, I planned to keep this blog a bit more on topic than this, ah well, a little fun now and then never hurt anyone.



So, I'm seeing that my transparent background is maybe not the best to watch a video over... sorry. I think there may be a way to click and see it at the you tube site.

I finally finished up my financial aid stuff for spring quarter! Assuming all goes well, oh please oh please, I will be taking psych 110, English 111, and Math 281. I'm hoping to get them all online also.

Next up is completing my paperwork for financial aid for fall 08. I think I have most everything done for it. Rough numbers have been entered for taxes so hopefully by friday I'll have the taxes filed and can put those numbers into my financial aid packet.

I'm still plugging away at the online math, averaging about a chapter a day. Really, most of this is review from middle school for me, but it makes me feel good to accomplish something anyway. A side note about math... Mike is in Math 281 Statistics right now and really struggling. Really really struggling. Last night he came up to me and wanted to drop the class, insisting that it's just too hard. Yeah, I probably should have been more supportive, I know this is supposed to be a really hard class. I offered to see if I could help him make heads or tails of it and he basically tossed the books in my lap and told me to go ahead and take the quiz he took and see if I was really that much better at it than he. I didn't think this was fair since I had never peeked in the book before but ok, whatever. I got a 100%. Ooops. I have again offered to help him along in the class. Heck, if I'm going to be taking it next quarter some advanced studying can't hurt...

It's been crazy around here with grandma and the kids this last week. I've not carved out enough time to make progress on PICC, but it remains on the to do list.

The big deal of the week was the visit from the state case manager for my grandma. Once a year or so they have to come out to reevaluate grandma and see if we should have more or less C.O.P.E.S. hours, note any medical changes and generally make sure her home is safe for her and we aren't neglecting her. I was really nervous that since we have hospice involved now and they come out to give her baths and offer other help that they would reduce our hours. The social worker had said it was possible. As it turns out our monthly hours were increased by 20 hours! My kids can be signed up for chess club! Chess club is after school on Thurs and Thurs was one of our short days for help. Unfortunately our care giver would be leaving a half hour before I would have picked up the kids and it's not so easy to just move hours from one day to another. Now I will have someone here late enough that I can pick the kids up.... yay!

Why is all this on my nursing blog? Umm, cause I kinda feel like I'm a manager of my grandmas care in a way that could be somewhat similar to a long term care facility.

Since my schooling is on hold for this quarter I'm taking this opportunity to get in some studying early. I've found a link to a colleges math 97 lessons online. I've set myself a goal of a chapter a day until I get through it all. I think I've also found a similar resource for biology, chemistry and A&P. Not that the computer can totally get me through the science classes, but it would be nice to have a little understanding going in.

So far I have received one rejection from the 5 applications I sent out. Silly, but it really got me down for a couple days. Like somehow that one rejection meant that I'd never get any job anywhere. Ugh, am I a drama queen or what?

I have been really fighting getting my CNA. Sounds silly I know, but even knowing I needed it for nursing school I was desperate to find a way around it. Let's face it, I'm here doing the work of a CNA and more every day. The idea of going to work in a LTC facility and then coming home and doing even more every day was something I knew I could not do. I had begun considering taking the CNA class to say I had the certificate but never actually using it. Then on new years eve I was browsing the web while the kids watched one of the count down shows and the end of a commercial caught my attention. It was for this organization. (there is a link there it just isn't showing in a different color for some reason) THIS I can do! This is something that I have dreamed of doing since Kaleb was an infant. How odd that I saw a news program about them when Kaleb was 4 or 5 months old and then heard nothing until now! I'm going to contact them since they are looking for CNA's and see if they would be willing to put me through the class in exchange for me signing a contract with them. If not I'll find another way. They are even close to me!