So I have been so proud of myself and my recent study aid discovery that I am just bubbling with joy and happiness at how productive and SMARTER I feel having such a real WORKING knowledge of the material I am learning !!! I even find myself quoting passages to other employees and colleagues in my day to day work and business dealings albeit in meetings or even in my day to day activities as it “just comes to me” and it seems like the appropriate things to say at those particular times !!!

Now granted I do get some weird looks from my friends and even some of my co-workers who know me quite well. Why so ? Well discussing or making an earnest attempt at what some may classify as “intellectually stimulating” conversation is quite a departure from the normal choice of topics albeit entertainment news, family and/or work drama.

I remember watching a show on the Discovery Channel that talked about similar to “you are what you eat” in the vein of physical nutrition that “you are what you eat” in the vein of “MENTAL nutrition” as well !!! With that being said when I am partaking in a “healthy diet” of my Penn Foster business course curriculum for my Associates degree in Human Resources Management and it really and truly is a welcome departure from Media Takeout, TMZ or even Sandra Rose and I guess it really DOES show !!! (At least that is what so many people are telling me LOL !!!)

With that being said let me go ahead and get to my “Penn Foster Study Materials Du Jour” or “for the day” for those who may not be familiar with the lovely French saying !!!

Okay so maybe I should contemplate a career move into Sales and Marketing !!!! I mean after all of this reading and studying that I have done on this aspect of the business world I coupled of course with my audio study guide and note taking aids throughout the course of my day I really feel intellectually empowered enough to really take a shot at it!!!! (Okay maybe I am just “riding the wave of emotion right now but it is fun isn’t it !?!??! )

I mean with all of the step by step explanation, case studies and strategies that the textbook has laid out on how to take a product from idea conception to production to distribution to sales and marketing I really feel that I could do it myself with a product of choice that I had of my own !!!

Besides that, “Me, Myself and I” being the now and again “shop-a-holic” that I am, I feel that I have not only the experience as a shopper giving into such “cravings” and needs” to “scratch that itch” that one often times feels when in that zone of COMPULSION to purchase that can border on INSANITY (LOL !!!!) but I also know feel that I can balance myself with all of the intricate details and logic behind the sales and marketing strategies inherent in Corporate America to entice consumers to buy.

Okay well after some thought I think that I will stay right where I am in the field of Human Resources Management, however I think that I could be a very nice addition to a sales and marketing company if I devoted my time, energy and focus on helping other companies captivate shoppers much as I have been in the course of my young life per the insights and suggestions I have learned about from my business textbook from Penn Foster !

I mean after all, it is always good to dream right ????

So I really think that this new study aid technique I kind of “created” for myself in a roundabout way is really working out well for me !!!

These audio formats of the review notes that I write down in the course of my daily reading and studying is really paying HUGE dividends for me ! How so ? Well I am quite sure that many people can identify with what I am about to say. You know how you get that new CD that you love by your favorite artist and you buy it to listen to just the few songs that you already know and love but in the course of just letting the CD play out while you drive(or workout in the mornings at the gym in my case LOL !!!!) you end up hearing a bunch of other songs so much so that subliminally you learn EACH AND EVERY WORD by heart and find yourself able to recite the words on command if need be ?

Well similar to that I find myself listening repeatedly to the audio formats I have created for my study sessions and I find myself able to know word by word each and every sentence of my notes to recall the lesson parameters and key points of interest that I felt I needed to heed in my lessons !!! 

I really find that by doing this I truly feel a real mastery of the material and it serves as a great study aid in the mornings while I workout or even while I drive in the car. I mean who needs the audio formats of the book when I have my very own audio formats and in my very own voice as well !?!?!?!?!?

Technology never ever ceases to amaze me I tell ya !!!! I feel as though the older that I get the more interesting and amazing that the world around us becomes as goes so many aspects of our society that we admittedly tend to take for granted.

You see I was on my laptop the other day surfing the web as I always do and I came across an ad that caught my eye. You see I am usually someone who makes my pop up blocker software a premium for my computer because I HATE them !!!! However as I am learning in my section on business technology and the many positive uses for it in my Penn Foster studies and study guide, these pop ups get sneakier and sneakier I tell you !!!!

Well I perusing a site I tend to frequent for shopping and general media and entertainment news and gossip and they had a very unique advertisement for the movie “A Christmas Carol” starring Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge. Well the uniqueness of the pop up ad got me to see about 20 seconds or so of the movie before I had a chance to close it out, enough to allow me to see that the movie looked very good, coincidentally as I was doing my studying and reading for my Penn Foster studies for the day I was contemplating what it is that I should do with my kids since we both had the day off from school and work respectively.

Well needless to say I ended up taking them to the movies to see the movie which they thoroughly enjoyed. I guess as my Penn Foster book pointed out with the advances seemingly daily in technology iy s very likely that I would not have even known, yet alone THOUGHT, to take my kids to the movies had it not been for the clever design of the movie ad I saw while I was taking a mini “study break” from Penn Foster, right ????

Well I have been testing out the new study aid that I mistakenly discovered over the past few days in my never ending efforts to find more hours in the day to be more efficient and productive with my study efforts for school here at Penn Foster for my quest to finally receive my Associates Degree in Human Resources Management to enhance my Career prospects going forward.

I had been having issues studying at home and the evening because I would find that I would be sooooo run down by the time the night time came and also the plethora of distractions that always seemed to find my way found it difficult to study. So I was having a great deal of success doing my reading in the morning while on the cardio equipment to give myself some more rest time in the evening since I knocked out two birds with one stone in exercising AND studying over a 90 minute period each morning ! Now I have been trying out talking out the study notes that I take on the material on my Dictaphone as a cursory review in preparation for the last few exams and test that I had on these study sections for my Penn Foster classes and you know what ? IT WORKED !!!!

I passed my tests and have advanced to the next round of courses and my new shipment of books and study course materials have been shipped to me !!!! I really think I am settling into a good rhythm and groove that is having me be as productive and efficient asI can be while still squeezing out the 2 or 3 extra hours I felt I needed for chores, errands and most of all SLEEP in the course of my busy week(s). I can not tell you how satisfied, productive and validated and empowered I feel from seeing and FEELING the results from the hard work that I have been trying myself to put into mot only my school but my life as a whole !!!! Yea for me !!!!

Well I have not had a chance to explore as to whether or not the audio format exists for any of the textbooks or study guides that Penn Foster lays out for the learning and study curriculum for us students here at school for our Associates degrees in our respective focus areas of interest. However in my efforts to brainstorm, and for those who know me my mind is seemingly ALWAYS working*whether I like it or not !!!! LOL !!!), I have discovered a good study aid in the vein of my quest to have an audio segment to supplement the reading that I try to do every day !!!

You see per many of the study tips and guides that some of my early Penn Foster courses suggested in the Introductory phases of the curriculum in the difference between an online learning format versus a brick and mortar learning institution it was recommended that students take notes as they read if you are the learning type that I am to keep oneself interested and attentive to the material being "digested" so not to get bored and to be sure one can retain and understand the data at hand.

Well I have a Dictaphone that I hardly ever used and I have found that by talking the study notes out loud into the Dictaphone that I can replay them as I drive(once I drop off the kids that is and have the car nice and quiet alllll to myself ) that it serves the purpose that I needed as a supplemental study aid to review the information I was trying to learn that morning or the previous evening. I can then upload the audio files to my computer to reference and access at a later date of need be for my review at a later date or to prepare for a test or exam on the horizon !!!

I must admit that this end result was not what I originally intended but the result in itself was very valuable indeed !!!!

So in my efforts to improve the quality of the study time that I try to put aside on the home front for my Penn Foster studies for my Associates Degree in Human Resources Management I have successfully discovered a new way to occupy my youngest child's attention to keep her from distracting me while I am studying…..for now at least right ????(I am sure all of the other working parents out there can understand what I mean by THAT statement, huh ? LOL !!!!)

So that lead me to wonder to myself at the gym this morning if they have audio format for any of the study books or sections that they make us students read !?!?!?!? This would be soooooo helpful to me because I could learn as I drive and even as I work out because I already read and listen to music at the gym but this way I can just listen to the material itself not only at the gym but also while I am driving which tends to encompass at least 2 hours of my day EVERY SINGLE DAY give or take some time depending on traffic. That would be an additional few hours of studying time per week that could help me with my studies right !?!?!?!? I mean even it was just a cursory summation overview of my study materials in my main textbook, similar to what is contained within the pages of the accompanying study guide as a supplemental learning tool, that in itself would be beneficial to keep fresh and in mind what it is that I need to know in preparation for tests and exams and general FYI's not only now but in the future as I feel a need to go back and review text and topics for my own good, right ?

I will have to look into this and see if it is something I can do for my Penn Foster study materials and books !!!!! I will keep my fingers crossed !!!!

So I had a bit of a "Eureka" light bulb moment this morning while I was doing some reading while on the stationary bike at the gym this morning !!! Well actually I guess the "genesis" of the idea was last night after I was coming from the library with my youngest daughter. You see she is a HUGE Dora the Explorer fan. Dora is an educational cartoon series that a lot of kids love that comes on the Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network all the time(I can not remember which one) and all the time if you have Comcast on Demand like we do !!!

In any case often time when I am traveling in the car with her the young lady acts like she has "ants in her pants" and will not sit still or shut up for anything !!!! I mean all of us mothers and parents for that matter understand how energetic and restless kids can be right ? Well the only time I can get her to sit still is when a song comes on the radio or CD that she likes and she starts singing along. But you see the library has some audio books on CD that I can get for her that totally and completely captivates her attention, especially when it is Dora The Explorer, all of which makes her LEAVE ME ALONE !!!!

Well now I play that on the CD player in the house and have her put her headphones on so that she does not disturb her siblings and I believe that I have now successfully eliminated all of the "Mommy can you….?" And "Mommy look at me…." And other distractions during my at home study times !!!! I LOVE IT WHEN A "PLAN" comes together !!!! Perhaps I should start a forum for working parents on "Study Distraction Reducer Solutions" right !?!?!?! LOL !!!!!

So can I tell you how scared I was today !?!?!?!? I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for an eye exam for about a week now. I have been noticing that more and more that it is harder and harder for me to see things clearly or even read things as well. I mean you know you do not pay a lot of these things any attention because you just stubbornly say to yourself "Oh Passion it is nothing to worry about" or "It will be fine" or "It will get better tomorrow". However tomorrow comes and you try to do your studying for school or drive the same route to daycare and work that you do everyday and the vision issues you are having seem to be not only the same but WORSENING !!!!

So here I am thinking that the really bad headaches that I was having last night were connected to my eyes because I woke up this morning and I could not see anything !!! Okay. Well maybe it was not THAT bad. But my vision was definitely blurrier. Well after visiting the eye doctor, per my appointment I had made a week ago, I found out that I do indeed NEED glasses !!! I was also reassured that my vision issues were completely unconnected to my migraine headaches. I was soooo RELIEVED !!!!

So now I am going to make another attempt at my continuing learning curve in Marketing and Sales for Penn Foster as I am trying my best to finish these last couple of chapters so that I can take my remaining tests and get my new course materials shipped to me !!!!

So I have been under a great deal of stress lately. It seems like pressures and distractions and challenges are coming from every angle of my life imaginable !!!!!!! First I had to deal with all of the issues surrounding my car repairs and the money involved with it and rearranging my schedule as far as work and "life" to deal with all the visits to the mechanic and what not.

Then just when I thought that I could have some peace of mind in that regard, my job starts hitting me left and right with issues and "fires that need to be put out" and countless other instances of peripheral DRAMA that required meetings and late nights at work that resulted in me having to sit in traffic longer then usual because of the time that I had to leave which in the end cost me more money because I was late often times to pick up my kids from daycare.

I was having a bit of "good luck" if you will for a little while in that I thought that I was doing quite well with a lot of the tests and exams I had been meaning to take for Penn Foster and school and what not. But all of that was short lived because no sooner did I finish that but I started getting these crippling migraine headaches that are so bad that the room is not spinning but I constantly feel like it is shifting from side to side.

Needless to say that in my best efforts to continue on with my indulgence of Marketing and Sales Dynamics and Principles as specified in my Contemporary Business Textbook from my curriculum of studies in my Penn Foster course for my Undergraduate Degree in Human Resources Management, when I start seeing TRIPLE of each and every word and line I read I need to take that as a sign to take two Motrins and call it an early night and give all of this another good faith effort tomorrow morning……ugh…..

So in my continuing quest to try to do my very best in my efforts in learningand studying here at Penn Foster for my Associates Degree in Human Resources Management I have, well I THINK I have, discovered another key !!

Okay so my Hunni Bear got me an Ipod Nano for my Birthday. And not just ANY Ipod Nano, he got me the cool burnt orange colored one with a speaker, live radio, a camera and all of the other cool features. I LOVE IT !!!!! Well with that being said it has been exactly what I needed to get me into the gym and working out at the manner and rate in which I know that I could and can. Well wouldn’t you know it ? I have discovered that putting on these headphones to some really good music is also a very good catalyst in the most positive of ways to helping me study on the home front !!!!

Even when there is “Armageddon” going on here at home between the kids and other peripheral noise from the television, computers, video games, etc. when I pop on these headphones and put on some good tunes I am able to zone out and focus on my studies just like I am able to in the mornings a the gym !!!!!

I love my new “distraction reducer” solution !!!! Oh and I definitely plan to use it as much and as often as I can people !!! LOL !!!!!!

Okay so I got a reality check and an earful from my oldest daughter. You see I had had a rough couple of days between getting a very low test score and disappointing myself tremendously in doing so which really killed my mood and really made me SO upset at myself to a consecutive day of disappointment by having to send a significant amount of money(well at least for ME that is…..) on getting my car fixed out of necessity because that is my “meal ticket” if you will to get me too and from work every day and for me to get my kids to school and daycare respectively as well day in and day out.

Well I have not been at all too happy today and I guessed my mood showed it because I was just watching television and looking blue at the time in which I am usually studying and reading my Penn Foster business course curriculum stuff. Well needless to say it must have been evident to my oldest daughter because boy did she ever give me an earful. All I HEARD was “Mommy what are YOU doing ?” and “Mommy you have to get your schoolwork done !” and “Mommy how can you expect for US to study and do our schoolwork if you are not doing yours ? and “Mommy do we have to do our school work today ?”

LOL !!!! Needless to say that made me get my butt in gear in a HURRY so that I could stop hearing my child ask me “a thousand and one questions” about everything I was doing and everything I was feeling !!!! How is THAT for an “attitude adjuster” !?!?!?!? I wonder if I can market her services to their people who may need a good “kick in the butt” ? Just kidding !!!! LOL !!!

Well I had a very disappointing day yesterday when I let my head get much too large for anyone’s good and decided to take a test that I should have put much more time into then I did and true to form I ended up getting a 65% to get myself back in check. In my effort to stay positive and find the good in my experiences over the last few days I did have the opportunity to prove to myself that I am more then capable of achieving high test score results that are comparable to the level of excellence that I have come to expect of myself.

Well that was my intent to “make lemons out of lemonade” with the key word being “INTENT”. However in actuality my mood today is quite low and poor….ugh……

Why is that ? Well that is because my car had some issues “under the hood”, as the saying goes” and I ended up  having to pay almost $2000 to get my intake valve, head gasket, radiator, NO x sensor , fuel lining and fuel and air filter replaced and repaired on the car !! Can you say UNBELIEVABLE ?!?!?! Can you say “curveball” !?!?!?!?!? Ugh………

Needless to say that after that having to spend that much money that I really do NOT have out of necessity is really killing my mood and my very good intentions to get some more reading and studying done with the outside chance of possibly taking another test to “redeem myself” in my eyes from the low test score I got the other day…..

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for me…..I HOPE……UGH….

Okay so I was really and admittedly “feeling myself” the last couple of days. I was walking around with my head held high, chest poked out, and a bounce in my step tht had everyone and their mother asking each other “What in the WORLD did that girl have for Breakfast this morning !?!?!?!”

I was glowing and emitting an energy that made everyone looking at me like “Woooow……” I mean does it not feel good to truly and honestly feel good about yourself and what you are doing especially when you are able to garner the results worthy of the amount of time and effort that you feel that you put into your craft, assignment or project at hand ?

Well I must admit that it felt good and I definitely “rode the wave” of the 80% and 90% test scores that I was able to get from my exams for my Penn Foster study course that I was previously so scared to take(for fear of failure) that I was just content with reading for awhile until I felt “strong enough” to step up to the plate and take another one.

Well the key word I said above is FELT because with the roll I was on you just know that I needed a very healthy helping of some “humble pie” and boy did I get it today. Now granted I did not study the way or prepare the way in which I should have because I was so sure I knew the material and did not need to go back and review. Well to make a long story short –just took another exam and I ended up getting a 65% and I am very disappointed in myself to say the least….ugh…..