Study tips for young moms and distance learners!

"Study Smarter, Not Harder: Tips and Hacks for Long Distance Students and Young Mothers"

As a long distance student and young mother, managing your time, staying motivated, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance can be overwhelming. Trust me I know. However, with the right strategies and tools, you can achieve academic success and thrive in your studies while nurturing your family. In this post, I'll share valuable study tips and hacks tailored specifically for long distance students and young mothers.

Time Management and Organization

1. Create a schedule: Plan out your day, week, and month, including study time, family time, and self-care.

2. Set reminders: Use calendars, alarms, or apps to stay on track.

3. Prioritize tasks: Focus on critical assignments and deadlines.

4. Break tasks into chunks: Divide large tasks into manageable pieces.

5. Use productivity apps: Trello, Asana, or Todoist.

Staying Motivated and Engaged

1. Set achievable goals: Break down long-term goals into smaller objectives.

2. Create a study routine: Establish a consistent study environment.

3. Connect with peers: Join online forums, social media groups, or study groups.

4. Reward yourself: Celebrate milestones with non-academic activities.

5. Seek support: Reach out to instructors, mentors, or counseling services.

Effective Learning Strategies

1. Active learning: Engage with course materials through summaries, quizzes, or discussions.

2. Spaced repetition: Review material at increasingly longer intervals.

3. Mnemonics: Use associations, acronyms, or rhymes to aid memory.

4. Multisensory learning: Combine visual, auditory, and kinesthetic approaches.

5. Practice active recall: Test yourself regularly.

Young Mother-Specific Tips

1. Involve your child: Make study time fun by incorporating learning activities.

2. Create a childcare schedule: Arrange childcare or playdates during study sessions.

3. Take breaks: Use childcare time for self-care or relaxation.

4. Leverage naptime: Use your child's naptime for focused study.

5. Ask for help: Reach out to family, friends, or support groups.

Technology and Tools

1. Virtual learning platforms: Familiarize yourself with your institution's platform.

2. Digital note-taking: Use apps like Evernote, OneNote, or Simplenote.

3. Online libraries: Access e-books, articles, and research databases.

4. Video conferencing: Use Teams, Skype, or Google Meet for virtual meetings.

5. Mobile apps: Utilize study aid apps like Quizlet, Khan Academy, or Duolingo.

Self-Care and Wellness

1. Establish a routine: Balance study, work, and leisure time.

2. Exercise regularly: Physical activity boosts productivity and mood.

3. Healthy eating: Fuel your brain with nutritious foods.

4. Sleep schedule: Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep.

5. Mindfulness practices: Meditation, deep breathing, or yoga.

Aditional Tips for Young Mothers (such as myself) 

1. Prioritize self-care: Make time for activities that nourish your mind, body, and soul.

2. Communicate with your partner: Share responsibilities and study schedules.

3. Join a support group: Connect with other student mothers.

4. Celebrate milestones: Acknowledge your achievements and progress.

5. Seek resources: Utilize local resources, such as childcare services or academic support.

As a young mother and long distance student, you face unique challenges, but with determination and the right strategies, you can succeed. Remember to prioritize self-care, seek support, and celebrate your achievements. 

You are capable, strong, and resilient. Keep pushing forward, and remember that every small step counts.

Saying hello to October!

 September was a whirlwind of emotions, a month of contradictions. I experienced indescribable happiness and some of the worst pain I've felt in a long time. It was a time of liberation, as I broke free from my routine and explored new horizons. I enjoyed some drinks, tried new things, and rediscovered the thrill of spontaneity.

As a busy mom and blogger, I'd forgotten that I'm still a young adult too. I'd become so consumed by my responsibilities that I lost sight of my own desires and needs. But September reminded me that life is for living, not just existing.

After almost two years of stress and worries, I finally started living again - not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I needed to reconnect with myself, to find the person I'd been hiding beneath the surface. I learned that life isn't always perfect, and that messiness is inevitable, but that's okay.

Despite betrayal and hurt, I fought for the love of my life. Considering my child's well-being and our journey together, I carefully weighed my decisions. I thought about the late-night conversations, the laughter, and the tears we'd shared. I thought about the growth we'd experienced, the struggles we'd overcome, and the love that still lingered.

September was messy, and chaotic even, but it taught me valuable lessons. I learned to prioritize my own happiness, to communicate my needs, and to cherish the people who truly matter.

As I step into October, I'm ready to move forward, embracing the ups and downs with renewed strength and self-awareness. I'm ready to continue growing, learning, and loving, not just as a mom or a blogger but as a woman, imperfect and authentic.

Live, Love, Grow.

5 shows for the kiddies, from a mom who didn't know what to put on for her child.

We all know that a little child is always going to be fascinated by moving figures, especially if those moving figures have songs and music coming from them. My child is no exception to that. Since he was 3 months old he's been obsessed with the intro to the Smurfs on Netflix. Even though he didn't watch the show, he loved the sound of the music.

I've read some really gnarly things about how addictive Cocomelon is, and I try to ensure my little one avoids it as much as possible. As young as he is, he has a limited amount of screen time, because I know that watching any screens at his age can be unhealthy. But here are a few shows I allow my little one to watch during his limited amount of screen time.

So here are a few shows I recommend for little kiddies to watch that's kept my son entertained. 

Disclaimer: most of these will be music-related because my son loves musical shows!

1. Loo Loo Kids: Johnny and Friend musical adventures (Netflix) 

My son only recently started watching this and it's very adorable. He enjoys the dancing numbers and the classic nursery rhymes, like Old Mcdonald and Wheels on the Bus. This is one of his on-the-go shows that I have downloaded on my phone so he hasn't watched it very often but it's a good and cute little show for toddlers. 

2. PJ masks (Netflix and Disney +) 

This one is also a very recent one, which my son is also completely obsessed with. He loves how bouncy and quick it is. He hasn't watched much of the show itself but sometimes he sits through a few minutes of an episode and watches before he gets bored of it. I'd recommend it for older kids who enjoy watching superhero shows that also teach a cute little lesson.

3. Disney Junior Music Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies (Disney Plus) 

Disney Plus doesn't have a large selection of shows for 1 year olds but my son is absolutely obsessed with these two. He enjoys the familiar nursery rhymes sung by different characters with a unique and fun twist, and regularly falls asleep to the lullabies. Although this doesn't have many interactive or teaching moments, it's still good for the little ones who enjoy tunes with their characters. 

4. Word Party (Netflix) 

This is my son's favourite show to watch on Netflix, he becomes absolutely invested and can never help but dance to the music. He has also learned a few gestures from the show, which I find quite impressive. The best thing about Word Party to me is that it's teaching my son to play well with other kids his age. He loves sharing and playing with my baby cousin that's his age and they love watching this show together. 

5. Songs for Littles/ Ms Rachel (YouTube)

Out of all of these shows that my son adores, Ms Rachel has to be his favourite hands down. This show is the best discovery I've ever made. He loves the music, naturally, but he's also learned so much from Ms Rachel. From how to clap his hands to saying mama and dada. Ms Rachel will always be something I highly recommend to parents who want to put a show on for their children that could teach them things. I adore how some of their songs seem like it's properly thought out and that it's written by Rachel and her husband. It's quite frankly one of the best shows for little ones. 

I could ramble on and on regarding the shows I recommend, but these are the ones my son is currently liking. I hope this helped any parents looking for some new suggestions as to what to put on for their kids while they run to the bathroom or kitchen. And as always:

Live. Love. Grow.

My experience and tips for a better birthing experience.

 The miracle of life. 

Birthing a child has to be one of the most excruciating things I have ever felt. Of course, it's not the same for everyone, but my experience was one of the worst things my body has ever gone through. 

I wanted to share my experience with everyone and give a few tips and tricks that helped me get through it.

Contractions and labour:

I woke up on the 20th of July 2023, at around 5am. I had the worst cramps and didn't know how to position my body so it would calm down. I woke my partner up quickly, but he being himself was so slow and very groggy. I asked him to rub my lower back and it seemed like it was working because because the warmth of his hand was making the cramps go away. But, obviously, not long after that, the cramps started again.

At that time I knew I wasn't ready to give birth, mentally I was really not ready. So I did what anyone in my situation would do: I googled Braxton hicks contractions. I was trying to find any relation to Braxton hicks in comparison to the cramps I was feeling but the cramps didn't stop. I decided around 6 that I should get up and try doing something. That's when my partner called his mother and she assured me that I was in fact labour. 

Because I read many birthing stories in preparation, I knew that it would only be a few hours before I was in active labour. I told my partner that he should go to work and that I could handle it. My father-in-law stayed home with me and tried to distract me from the unbelievable pain I was in. I messaged my friends and asked them when they knew it was time to go to the hospital. My closest friend at the time told me that once I feel like I'm about to poop, that's when the baby is almost ready to come out. About an hour after she told me that, I felt it. Or at least I thought I did. I told my father-in-law and we rushed to the hospital. When the doctor examined me,  to my surprise, I was only 2 centimetres dilated. She told me that they'll move me to the labour room as soon as I'm 9 centimetres. In the meantime, they moved me to a room so I could wait until I was in active labour. Now, the next few hours, were the worst pain I experienced during my labour. The contractions felt like period cramps cranked up to a million. I am usually able to handle pain very well, my threshold is surprisingly high. But that was painful. I remember feeling like I needed to sleep like my entire body was on fire and then it would stop for a while. When I informed my partner that I was in the hospital, he went home and came to the hospital as soon as he could. When he saw me, I was lying on the little hospital bed, feeling like I could barely keep my eyes open. I was tired and in the worst pain I'd ever been in in my life. Shortly after he left, the doctor came to check how far dilated I was. 3 centimetres. After 4 whole hours of contractions, I was only 3 centimetres dilated. I received an injection for my pain which really helped. The contractions hurt a lot less and an hour later, the doctor came to see how far along I was again.

Finally, at 10cm, I was rushed to the labour room. Now I went from 3 cm to 10 in an hour, God would only know but I was so grateful and ready to start pushing. While being rushed to the labour room, I remember having to shout my partner's phone number to a nurse and him getting there in under 10 minutes. Now the pushing was the easiest part for me. I remember feeling a great deal of relief because I was able to push during each contraction. My partner being there with me, holding my hand the entire time was the best feeling. When our son finally breathed his first breath and screamed his first cry, my partner uttered words I'll never forget. Two simple words that brought tears to my eyes, "he's here".

My favourite part of that entire experience was seeing the love of my life holding our baby for the first time. I'll never forget how happy I was at that moment. 

A few things I believe got me through the experience:

 Walking

I tried my best to keep moving during labour, it helped me cope with the pain. It didn't completely take it away but it really distracted me from how bad the contractions were. 

Kneeling

While in the hospital room, I was feeling a heavy load of back pain and I remember reading somewhere that kneeling on the bed could help relieve some of the pain. And it did! I was grateful to even be able to keep loving because my entire body was exhausted. 

Focusing on my breathing 

I realized that I became so anxious with all the pain I was in and I wasn't sure I could handle it. So I focused on breathing slow and secure breaths. I repeated to words "inhale, exhale" with each breath I took and that helped so much during the later contractions.

Trying to keep conversations

While my partner was in the room, I tried to talk to him about things I'd need during the stay that I forgot to pack. His being there was already helping me cope and being able to talk to him kept my mind off the extreme pain I was in. 

Staying hydrated 

I had a handy little water bottle with me during the whole experience and it helped me stay hydrated. Labour caused my mouth to be dry and I wanted to have something to drink the whole time. Hydrating also helped me focus on something other than the pain I was in. 

Preserving my energy

I knew that once I was in active labour, I'd need all of my strength to push out the baby. Although my body was exhausted already, I knew I wouldn't be able to dose off with the contractions hitting me. So I would only occasionally get off the bed to walk a little, then I'd stretch and sit down for a while. This really helped in the long run because I was only in active labour for 30 minutes before my son came screaming into the world.

I really hope my story and advice resonate with some people. Feel free to ask any questions or leave any kind of commentary regarding your own stories. 

Live. Love. Grow

6 Sleep-training tips I should've followed.

6 Great Sleep-Training Tips, from a Mom Who Didn't Do It Right.

 I believe that there's a science behind many things. Children are so unpredictable but I'm absolutely certain that there's a science behind them too.

My son, for as long as he's been alive, has had problems sleeping through the night. And I'm sure there are mothers out there saying that I should have sleep-trained him from a young age. I'm aware that I should have. And I tried. 

Sleep training a baby is so difficult if you don't want to disturb anyone else who resides in your home. Of course, I've tried. Although,  my son has yet to be responsive to any method we have tried.

He still, to this day, sleeps like he's having a terrible nightmare every time he falls asleep.

I've tried so many things: the cry-it-out method, the chair method and the Ferber method. I've tried keeping him awake and ensuring he's very exhausted when he goes to sleep. Nothing has worked.

I've asked my friends who have children what they've done and the response has always been that they wait. Their kids eventually fall asleep on their own and with that, sleep through the night. Now I know that this might sound very impatient of me but when will that happen for me?

So to help others learn from my horrible mistakes, here are some tips on what not to do when your child is struggling to sleep through the night:

1. Don't change the bedtime routine 

My son has had the most messy bedtime routines. I've changed it so many times I can't even keep count. The only consistent thing I do is to bathe him at exactly 6pm. When he was younger, I fed him before bathtime and now I do it after. I've made a mess and I know it.

2. Phase out the pacifier 

The pacifier has been the go-to thing for my partner and me. We depend on it to help our son to stop crying at night and he has become so attached to the thing. He can't sleep without it. I'm planning on starting to phase the pacifier out as soon as I can introduce my baby to a more convenient self-soothing method. 

3. Use white noise

I didn't. Since he was a newborn my son has not really had any winding down rituals. I bathe him, feed him prop his pacifier in his mouth and rock him or hold him until he falls asleep. I was so terribly wrong about that. White noise has helped my son fall asleep so much faster these past few months, it calms him and ensures that I don't have to hold him when he's falling asleep. It really sets a great tone for sleeping, and since my son loves music, I wish I had done it sooner.

4.  Find which sleep training method works for your baby

Although it's difficult to hear your child cry and not do anything about it, the cry-it-out method has been proven to be the best and fastest way to get a child to sleep on their own and longer. They develop a self-soothing method and it helps them to stay asleep through the night. Unfortunately, playing with my ears has been my little one's most effective self-soothing method. 

5. Don't allow screens after bathtime 

As a student, I'm always checking my emails and reading messages from lectures or other students on our WhatsApp groups. Unfortunately, one of the only times I have to check messages would be when trying to get my son down for bedtime. The blue light is not good for kids and frankly, my phone is very distracting to my son. He forgets that he's tired and just wants to touch my screen. 

  6. Don't forget to clear the sleeping space 

My son sleeps in his crib at night. At times during the day, I place him in it when I need to run to the bathroom or do something quick in the kitchen. I often give him a toy to play with but it has gotten quite inconvenient when I need to put him down. I advise cleaning the space your child sleeps in before bathtime, that way, you won't have to any time close to when they fall asleep.

I think children are unpredictable but you can always figure out a routine or something specific to ensure that your child does what you want. 

I hope this advice was helpful and if anyone has any tips or tricks. Feel free to share tips and tricks that you found that work with your baby.

Live. Love. Grow

A little Q&A

Hello and welcome back!

So I've been in a funk for the past few days and it's been holding me back from writing or even focusing on my assignments (which are due on Sunday) I know, I'm actually royally screwed. I don't know what it's been about this semester but I am not in the right gear for it yet. 

My goal for this post is to answer some questions I've been receiving regarding the blog. I was very surprised by how many people have been reading it and even more pleasantly surprised that there are any questions at all. Let's dive right in.

1. What is the niche of this blog going to be?

I mentioned in the first post that my blog will be about the three things I am at the moment. A mother, a student and a partner. Of course, all my posts will stem from being those things. For instance, I've been thinking about topics for future posts and writing about my experience giving birth was one topic that has me itching. This is a personal blog and as much as I'd love to be able to write about every single possible niche, I can only write based on knowledge.

2. Why are you doing a blog now while you already have so much going on?

Writing is such a big passion of mine. I have enjoyed it since I realised that I'm actually pretty okay at it. I do have a lot going on, yes, but everything that I'm doing hasn't really been feeling like it's for me. I'm studying to better my chances of giving my son a good future and childhood. I'm constantly doing things for my partner, all just because I love him and we sacrifice for each other. I'm doing a blog because I suck at world-building. I've tried writing a book but I became stuck because a chapter of my life ended and so did the hopes of turning that dream into a reality. Frankly, I didn't want to do it anymore because it wasn't me anymore.

3. Are you going to be able to handle all the pressure?

Nope. I know that I'm going to crumble but I have hope though. I'm a little addicted to the stress of having a lot on my already full plate. It keeps me motivated and being busy is the only way I haven't gone crazy with the life I live.

4. How often will you be posting? 

I will be able to answer this question truthfully once I actually set up a schedule. Right now, all I've got is a little free time here and there to do things on a checklist I put up before starting the blog. I will however try to post at least 2 or 3 times a week. It all really depends on how busy the week is. 

Hopefully, I gave enough information, though if I didn't please feel free to ask any questions you still have. I will do my utmost best to answer. Truthfully, I am really excited to be starting this journey, and to see the response to it has made me realise that I can actually do this.

Thank you to all my supportive friends and family, those who speak to me on a regular and those who I haven't spoken to in ages. Your support is wildly appreciated. 

Live, Love, Grow.

A warm very first post

Welcome to Life In Progress!

 For as long as I can possibly remember, I've been looking for a platform on which I can express myself. A way for me to share my stories, my knowledge, and just little bits of my life. TikTok has proven to be that platform for so many people, and I've considered it. Although, I wasn't sure I wanted to showcase myself like that. So here we are:

Welcome to my very own little corner of the world. My name is Suhandre Baard, but I prefer Hanna. I'm a 21-year-old mom, a varsity student, and the partner to an amazing guy. My son recently turned one year old and in these past 2 years I've learned so much. Not only about being a mom or about life but about myself.

I know, I know! What could a 21-year-old possibly know about life, right? I get it, but I'm sure if you ask anyone around my age, they would probably be able to talk your ears off. We might be a little wet behind the ears but I think there are so many of us that can teach you something or just surprise you with how much we've learned.

I'm here to share stories and ideas about things I know and have experienced using my very janky laptop. Vague, I know. So, I warm-heartedly welcome you to Life In Progress. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Live, Love, Grow.