Eight months huh?
I guess I did just kind of drop this blog when I got the news that I wasn't getting a subsidy for daycare.
Hence died my dream of going to school in 2009
Especially as I wasn't excepted into my first choice.
But, to be honest even though it was my first choice, it was not my dream job. It was something I thought I could do to earn money, and maybe feel like I was doing something useful.
Well, I was excepted into the two programs to which I applied. I'm pretty sure that for dental hygienist I just didn't have the math skills.

Well things have happened in my life since, (yeah well, when in life does nothing happen and everything stays the same?) which has caused me to do some soul searching and thinking.

The Husband was laid off. He lost his job along with a whole bunch of his co workers and is (for now at least) a gentleman of leisure. I'm sure he'll get another one, but not just yet.
So in theory, I could have gone to school this fall (that is if I had a magic future seeing device at the time) and he Husband could have looked after the boy.

At any rate, I'm now thinking maybe all this happened for a reason. Maybe I should be seriously re thinking my choices in education.
Maybe I should be thinking about what I would really enjoy doing as apposed to what I can make a living doing.
Could they be one and the same?
Because now I'm thinking,
what I'd really like to do,
is be a photographer.
Like professionally.
I'd need a lot of gear, and the program I'm looking at, is expensive and over subscribed.
Well, I have lots of time before I need to make any final decisions.
It's something to think about......

In other news, I currently have a photography exhibit in place at Insomnia
It was well received and I've sold two pieces from it.
Hmmmmmm.

Still Old, but not a school girl afterall (Well not yet)

Well folks, here's the deal.
I've done a feasibility study (by which I mean figuring out exact cost and trying to budget and pulling my hair out, and crying, and well, you get the picture.) and going back to school this year is not a good idea.
Basically the cost of unassisted daycare is just too high.
We already have too much debt . If it were only tuition and books that would be okay. The sad fact is that with the recent cuts to the daycare subsidy program I'm not gonna get any help from the government. The only way I could make this work is by taking out a huge loan. I'm really not will to do that right now.
I'd just like to thank you all for your support and advice. It was much appreciate.

Well, you might be wondering what I'm going to do with myself then?

Actually, I have a great plan!
Next May my dear old Mum is going to retire from her job, and bless he soul, she is willing to care for the boy while I go to school. So, since I'm going to wait until next year, I'm going to save oodles and oodles of money! (By which I of course mean I will not have to take on insane amounts of debt.)
I've thought long and hard about this, and I really feel this makes the most sense for me and my whole family. I've talked with the whole house hold and they all agree. Also I would absolutely feel much better knowing my Mum was caring for Ben. (Not that there's anything wrong with daycare, I'd just feel better.)

So I suppose I should get a part time evening job or something o_O

So Friday the 13th is crappy thin letter day.

Yeah.
Crap.
This sucks.
I really wanted to take dental hygiene at George Brown.
Getting the news now kind of puts a downer on my romantic anniversary weekend getaway.
This blows goats and suck rocks.
I can't express it any better without a lot of swearing. Hmmm. Maybe I can:

:(

Rejection is not fun.
Oh well at least the waiting is finally over.
So what the heck am I going to do now?
Library Science?
*sigh*

Can you predict the future?

I really haven't forgotten about this blog.
I just haven't heard anything else yet. I'm still waiting.
I check the site everyday for an offer of admission to the Dental Hygiene program to George Brown, I'm checking the mail everyday for a "Thanks but no thanks" letter.
Still nada. It's driving my pretty crazy.

So in other news, The husband took me out for a lovely romantic dinner at the Madarin . I had a very nice meal. The lovely paper place mats are done up for Chinese New Year. As you may know they classify your horoscope by year. Being born in 1978 makes me a horse. So according to the Mandarin Restaurant, (Or at least the people who produce their place mats):

"A Steady year ahead, the latter half of the year will be even better for your career and wealth. There will be a positive change just wait and see!"

So this obviously, this means I'm going to win the lottery or something right? ;)

Also on a side note, please weigh in on the poll, because if I do not get excepted to the program I want I do need a contingency plan. And The more input the better!

Oh my! What a big package that is......

Received official offer from George Brown, for the dental assistant course in the mail yesterday. It came in a big huge envelope that contained surprisingly little information. They did however promise to send me an even bigger package should I chose to accept their offer. Much, much better than those sad, thin, "thanks but no thanks" letters (Admittedly I got some of those the first time round.) I'm still waiting for my large packages from Seneca.
Now that the initial relief is over (because I know I'll be going somewhere come fall) I'm getting nervous again. I keep checking the site, to see if an offer had been made for the course that I actually want to take, but they won't post a rejection there, so, there is a chance I won't know until I receive one of those horrible, thin, little letters. Also I now have to figure out how the heck I'm going to pay for all this. I found a reasonable daycare that will take the boy before and after Kindergarten, and really, it would be cheaper just to rent him his own bachelor apartment. Surprising that they major cost for me won't be books or tuition, but child care. ......

The big day is finally here!

.
The first day offers of admission are made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(a moment of silence please)
Now I haven't received anything in the mail, but I assume the offers are being sent today. I have however, been able to view my standing online!
And............
(drum roll please)

OFFERS TO YOUR PROGRAM CHOICES
	GEORGE BROWN	DENTAL ASSISTING (LEVELS I AND II)
	SENECA	EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
	SENECA	LIBRARY AND INFORMATION TECHNICIAN

As you may notice, my first choice is not listed here, but, I wasn't expecting to hear back about that choice yet due to the pre-admission testing. I assume it takes some time to grade all the test and compare the result, and then of course, make a choice.
Regardless, come September, I will be going back to school!
OMFG!!!

And on a side note, we have selected a school for the boy, so he will be starting school in September too! So It will be a double adventure!

No news.......Still no news.........Nothing........Still.

Okay, so I intended only to post on here when I actually had something to post about. Otherwise this blog would just end up being:

THURSDAY JANUARY 22nd 2009
No news yet
FRIDAY JANUARY 23th 2009
Still no news
MONDAY JANUARY 26 TH 2009
Received a lot of mail today. No rejections or offers of admission from the colleges though.


Decidedly not thrilling.
I know that I will be contacted by all the places that I have applied to, by regular old fashion mail.
I know this.
Yet the application site says: "When a college issues you an Offer of Admission, it will be posted here, so check this page regularly."
So I'm checking it everyday like some kind of gomer. I would really like to put it out of my mind. I've done all I can do for the time being. Now I just have be patient. Which is turning out to be much easier to say than to do.
I would like to receive an acceptance in the mail and think "Oh, what's this? Oh yes that's right, I remember, I applied to college all those weeks ago and they have made a decision. How nice."
While the truth is I'm thinking about it every single day. So, it's safe to assume that if there's no post there's no news, and that I will be on here composing a post the second I have a letter from any of the the colleges in my little hands.
I guess there's nothing to do but sit around listening to Tom Petty *sigh*

Pre admission testing

I completed my pre admission tests today. Not sure how well I fared. I will find out in four to six weeks (which right now seems impossibly far away.)
It took me from 10am-1:10pm to complete my three tests.
I must say I was shocked and appalled to see so many parents there with their children. Not that I would ever asks my parents to, but there is no way they would have come with me. (they sure didn't the first time around.) I gotta say I don't understand. I certainly don't intent to accompany Ben to his admissions testing! Yes the office was a bit challenging to find, but that's why you give yourself plenty of time, and to be honest if you can't even find the admissions office how well are you going to fair at college? There were notices to parents posted everywhere, so this is apparently a normal thing.
There was one girl there, who looked to me to be about 14 years old who was so nervous she was literally shaking. I wanted to pat her shoulder and say "There, there, you'll do fine." Of course this girl was alone. The one who actually seemed to need some support.

Here is some helpful advice I received in preparation for my tests;

-"It's not how smart you are, it's how smart you are compared to all the other people who are applying for this program this year."

-"If you skip the test you will NOT be accepted into the program. If you take the test, at least, you have a chance"

-"You can only do the best you can do. Worring about it won't make you do any better."

So I've done the best I could do and only time will tell what the outcome will be......

Getting started.....

I'm married with children (child actually). Two years ago I opted not to go back to work when my mat leave ran out. I had to make huge adjustments to my lifestyle to make this a reality. The biggest of which was moving back in with my parents. I am extremely fortunate that my parents were willing to take in not only myself, but also my little boy, and my husband. We made this move when Benjamin was six months old, not only so that I would have help, but also so that I could stay home with him full time. While it can be challenging at times this situation is great for my son and myself. However, it was never intended to be a permanent solution, and now that Ben is ready to start school himself, it's time for me to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I'm gonna have to start pulling in some money soon and I'm absolutely not willing to go back into retail management, even though that's all I've ever done (aside from retail sales). To that end I asked the government for help, and they sent me to take a two week course to help me figure out what I would be well suited to. The good news is that I have manual dexterity well above average (top 10% of the population). The bad news is I am average in everything else. They gave me lots of tests and lots of possible carrier choices, ranging from cruel, (artist) to creepy, (mortician) to ludicrous , (doctor, librarian) to viable, (dental hygienists, library manager, early childhood educator).
Last month I took the huge step of actually applying to College. And God willing, I will get excepted somewhere and start school in the fall!