How to Get Your Bachelor’s in Less Time, For Less (Part IV)

January 27, 2012

photo by Mary Gober

In the past three weeks we’ve defined distance learning (otherwise known as a non-traditional college route); discussed its pros and cons and taken a look at the two most common credit-earning exams: CLEPs and Dantes.

Now it’s time to discuss how to prepare for the exams.

Not only does earning credit-by-examination save considerably on per-credit cost, you also don’t have to purchase highly priced textbooks. I about died when Joshua started law school and we had to fork over $80 for the cheapest used textbook on Amazon. We hardly spent that much for all of our undergrad resources combined.

Most of the resources necessary to prepare for CLEP or Dantes exams we checked out free from the library!

Resources to Prepare for Credit-by-Examination

Get to Know the Exams:

The first step when preparing for any test is to familiarize yourself with the exam.

There are 33 CLEP exams. The Collage Board describes the tests and offers a few sample questions. The Official CLEP Study Guide is published by the creators of the CLEP exams and offers full length practice tests, as well as recommendations for preparing for the exam. We took numerous CLEP exams and found the Official Study Guide to be an invaluable resource for checking our readiness to take the exam.

If you want to take a Dantes, GetCollegeCredit.com offers a detailed overview of each test with sample questions. The writers of the exam authored the Official Guide to Mastering DSST Exams to prepare students for their eight most popular exams.

Start studying:

Once you know what you need to study, it’s time to get busy!

Teaching Company Lectures: I absolutely LOVE these! The Teaching Company recruits distinguished professors from around the world to lecture on their area of expertise. They are fairly expensive, but we raided our library’s huge collection. The lectures cover everything from Mastering Differential Equations to The Classics of Russian Literature.

The best part? You can listen while you drive, do dishes or fold laundry! 

My very favorite professor is Timothy Taylor who teaches on Economics. I listened to these while still living at home with my family. The lectures were like a magnet. My siblings inched their way into the kitchen so they could listen too. Timothy Taylor even got an 8-year-old to beg to dry dishes, just so she could listen to the history of economics. Impressive, huh?

Instant Cert: Instant Cert is great for areas in which you need a lot of work. It uses a series of multiple choice questions with detailed answers to quickly help you grasp the pertinent information.

I was delighted with how quickly it helped me prepare for my most dreaded CLEP: College Mathematics. In fact, rather than this CLEP taking the most time to prepare for, I was ready to take the exam in only a couple of weeks.

 Membership is $20 a month and they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee: if you decide you don’t like it during the first month, just cancel and your money will be refunded (no questions asked!)

Instant Cert also hosts a forum, which you can access for free, that is full of great information about schools, tests, etc…

Dummies or Complete Idiot Guides: If you prefer an actual book, these series have guides to almost every subject imaginable. Sometimes if you’ve listened to a lecture on a subject, it’s useful to follow-up with a glance through one of these guides. I spent an couple hours reading over the The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Economics after listening to Timothy Taylor’s lectures and together they covered all I needed to know for the two Economic CLEP exams.

Conclusion:

Thanks to a wonderful library system, we spent about the same on all four years of college credit than we did on just one of Joshua’s law books. (We purchased one month of Instant Cert flashcards and The Official CLEP Study Guide, and wouldn’t have needed to purchase it, but checked it out from the library SO many times we eventually decided it would be worth it! We also ordered a few other books that are no longer necessary.) Even if your library isn’t as extensive as ours was, preparing for a CLEP or Dantes exam is considerably less expensive than a regular college course!

Even if you’re going to a traditional college, I highly recommend that you consider testing out of some of your general education courses. It will save you time and money.

If you, like us, want to get your entire degree through examination, join me next week when we’ll cover the three major colleges that offer degrees non-traditionally and the pros and cons of each.

Have a question? Email or comment and I’ll do my best to answer it!  

linked up at Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday

(Full disclosure: The links to products in this post are my referral links.)

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21 Ways to Clear out the Brain Clutter, Concluded

January 26, 2012

As women, our plates are often stacked high with half a million urgent tasks. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed when we’re being pulled in a dozen different directions at the exact same time.

Sometimes God orchestrates our schedules in such a way that it forces us to rely on Him for grace just to make it through the day.

However, sometimes the stress is of our making. Sometimes we fill our lives to overflowing with “brain clutter” and then wonder why we can’t seem to get anything really accomplished.

That’s the brain clutter I am on a journey to get rid of.

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(Just joining us? Read the rest of the series! 1- 2 of 21 Ways to Clear out the Brain Clutter, 3-10 on Eliminating Technological Clutter and 11-16 on De-Cluttering the Home)

  1. Clear your schedule so you have time for the most important things.In today’s fast-paced society, you can be as busy as you want. Learn to say “no”, even to events that sound fun, so that you can really concentrate on and enjoy the best
  2. Take care of your body: Eat brain-friendly food. (Some foods encourage clear thinking. Some foods rob mental energy.) Get outside and exercise: There’s something about just breathing fresh air and enjoying a bit of sunshine that is so invigorating and brain-decluttering.
  3. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep saps mental energy quicker than just about anything else. Walking around in a sleepy fog makes for a very cluttered brain. Of course, sleep is not always possible, especially as moms to young children. When you can sleep though, do! If your mind starts racing the moment you hit the pillow, keep a notebook by your bed to get the thoughts out of your brain and on to paper.
  4. Stop procrastinating. Has a project been on your to-do list (and in the back of your mind) for months? Just do it!
  5. Trust God. God knows what you need. Sometimes it’s not always what you think you need. As my friend Kasey, from These Five of Mine Plus 2, put it so beautifully, “I’m a girl that needs my sleep. So God gave me 7 children that I might realize I’m really just a mother that needs my Lord!”
I wish I could say that I do all these things consistently. I don’t. But as I’m learning to do each task that lies before me faithfully, the clutter in my brain clears.
What about you? How do you clear your brain of all the clutter so you can focus on faithfully doing what God has called you to do?
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De-Clutter your Home, De-Clutter your Brain

January 25, 2012

I’m on a quest to de-clutter my brain!

Technology-overload can clutter the brain. So can a cluttered home.

A smoothly-running home creates the perfect atmosphere for an uncluttered brain. There’s something so peaceful about a well-ordered home. A home where everything has a place and is put in its place when not being used.

This doesn’t mean no messes. Homes are supposed to be lived in. Children are supposed to play. And, even though I don’t always act like I believe it, a cheerful attitude is much more important than a tidy home!

Life happens. An uncluttered home isn’t first priority, but it does help clear out the brain clutter. The following ideas have helped our home (and my brain!) be less cluttered.

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(Read tips 1 and 2 of 21 Ways to Clear out the Brain Clutter and 3-10 on Eliminating Technological Clutter)

  1. Establish a household rhythm: I am really good at making detailed schedules. I am really horrible at following them. Find the balance between discipline and flexibility that work for you. Having a basic meal plan, a morning routine and a rotating cleaning schedule help clear my brain. I don’t have to spend lots of mental energy at 4 pm trying to think of what to have for dinner and I know that my home will never get overwhelmingly dirty. Find the balance that gives you flexibility and clears your brain of unnecessary decisions.
  2. Set “mess perimeters”: Your home should be lived in, but that doesn’t mean it should always be messy. Set up a few guidelines that make your home peaceful. For example, we established a “no toys in the living room after dinner” rule. The kids can build forts in the living room during the day, but in the evening the living room is for relaxing and reading. We also have set clean-up times before naps, dinner, and bed; and before leaving the home.
  3. Get rid of stuff that clutters your home, your closet, your vehicle and your brain! Purge until it almost hurts. Clutter everywhere leads to a cluttered brain!
  4. Put things all the way away, right away!  When you’re done with something, put it all the way away, whether it is laundry or books or notes. Avoid piles.
  5. Set up a donate/sell and a “return” box. Don’t just purge once or twice a year! As soon as an item ceases to be useful and just clutters your home, put it straight into the box. When the box is full, donate it or put it into your garage sale stash. Did the shirt you bought your husband not fit? Put it straight into the return box (kept handy or even in the van) so that it’s ready to be returned next time you visit the store. (Make sure to stick the receipt with the item or in your purse.)
  6. Read, sort and dispose of mail as soon as you bring it inside. Handle mail only once (unless it’s a personal letter to treasure!) File important papers, write important dates on your calendar (ahem, this is one I’m notorious at!) and toss the junk mail. Pay bills immediately or set up automatic billing. Not worrying “did I forget to pay my water bill?” definitely clears out brain clutter!
Join me tomorrow as we finish out the 21 Ways to Clear out the Brain Clutter series. 
What about you? How do you keep your brain (and your home!) uncluttered? 

 

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Favorite Free Health Resources

January 24, 2012

“Nurse” is one of many titles we moms wear. Of course, not all of us have medical training, but we are the first to hold our child and attempt to soothe their aches away. Some symptoms call for immediate professional help, but for the common cold or ear ache, there are many ways we can help our child at home.

Last week, I reviewed a wonderful resources for us moms, Mommy Diagnostics. Another favorite is Herbal Drugstore. There are also numerous online resources that you can access for free to make sure the remedy you are using is safe and effective.

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Bulk Herb Store:

The Bulk Herb Store makes me drool. Almost literally. Shoshanna runs the store and provides a wealth of information about herbs: what they help, who can take them and recommendations for using them. The Research Aid page lists dozens of common ailments and the herbs that have been shown to help them. Each herb is linked to a page that gives more complete information about its safety and use. Also, for each ailment, Shoshanna links to the specific pages in books she recommends that contain more information.

PubMed Health:

PubMed Health is the online directory of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It contains a list of diseases and the common symptoms that can help you figure out exactly what you or your child is facing and be better prepared to speak with a professional if necessary. PubMed Health also hosts numerous studies on drug, remedies and diseases, that [nerds like me] find fascinating.

Mayo Clinic:

Mayo Clinic offers a directory of expert overviews of disease symptoms, causes and treatments. My favorite part is their overview of home remedies that have been shown to work along with ones that might cause problems .

Wikipedia:

So, I may have lost all credibility here, but hang with me! Usually the overview on Wikipedia is good, but what I really love about it is the resources at the bottom. Often, Wikipedia links to great studies and reports that you can go read. In law school, my husband’s friend used the Wikipedia trick. When the professor asked for a case, instead of thumbing through a thousand page casebook, he looked it up on Wikipedia. In the footnotes at the bottom, was the full name of the case. Much faster! The same trick works for herbal remedies!

What about you? Do you have a favorite online resource for researching natural remedies? 

Linked up at Natural Living and Healthy 2Day Wednesdays

 (Full disclosure: The links to products in this post are my referral links.)

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“Here Piggy! Here’s Mud.”

January 21, 2012

What is it about boys and mud? Mud seems to draw my little guy like a magnet.

It all start innocently enough. Will found a stick and a large puddle and started stirring. Knowing how much pigs love mud, he called them. “Here piggy! Here’s mud. Come play.”

I turned my back.

No pigs came so Will decided to enjoy the mud himself.

When it produces smiles like that, even mud is a Finer Thing! 

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How to Get Your Bachelor’s in Less Time, For Less (Part III)

January 20, 2012

photo by Mary Gober

Now that we’ve defined distance learning (otherwise known as a non-traditional college route) and discussed its pros and cons, it’s time to get practical.

Distance learning operates under the assumption that you don’t have to sit in a classroom in order to learn. You can study anywhere, anytime and then test your knowledge using standardized tests. If you score well enough, you “pass” and earn credit.

Some students may want to complete their entire degree through distance learning. (I’ll share how in coming weeks.) However, you don’t have to take an all-or-nothing approach. Many colleges allow you to test out of at least some courses and have credit applied.

For example, here is a list from OTC (a local college where I grew up) of the tests OTC considers equivalents of their courses and what score you need to have the test count towards your credit. Search your school’s database or talk to an advisor to find what tests they accept.

Two Major Types of Credit-Earning Tests

 

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams:

CLEP exams are the most popular way to test out of entry-level college courses. For a 90 minute test that costs just $77*, you can earn between 3 and 12 credit hours! Nearly 3000 accredited colleges nation-wide award credit for at least some CLEP exams. (Check here to see if your college accepts CLEPs.)

CLEP exams cover 33 subjects including biology, Spanish, calculus and American literature. With the exception of foreign language and composition CLEP exams, the exams are made up of multiple choice questions.

Taking a CLEP exam allows you to choose your course material, save money, and gain your degree more quickly.

There are limitations to CLEPs: they don’t cover all areas and colleges generally only award lower-level credit for them.

Dantes Subject Standardized Tests (DSST/Dantes):

These tests were originally designed for the military, but civilians can now take them. Like CLEPs, Dantes exams cost a fraction of earning credit traditionally. Dantes exams are $80* for a 3 credit-hour exam and many of the test are even awarded upper-level credit! Nearly 2000 colleges across the country accept some Dantes exams for credit. (Search here to see if your college awards credit.)

Dantes exams cover 38 subjects including “Human Resource Management,” “Principle of Statistics,” and “The Rise and Fall of Soviet Russia.”

These exams are more difficult than CLEPs, but are multiple choice. Though Dantes require studious preparation, you can study at your own pace with the materials you choose.

(* Most testing facilities charge a $15-20 fee for administering the test.)

Coming up…

Next week I’ll share the wonderful resources we used to prepare for these exams. Then, we’ll take a look at three colleges that let you obtain a degree entirely through examination. I’ll wrap it up with answers to common questions.
Have a question? Email or comment and I’ll do my best to answer it!  

linked up at Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday

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Eliminate Technological Brain Clutter

January 19, 2012

I’m on a journey to eliminate brain clutter, as I shared yesterday. Brain clutter comes in many forms. One of the biggest challenges to a clear brain in the 21st century is technological “clutter.”

Researches have raised concern that constant media input may shorten attention spans and may rewire the brain. Eliminating technological brain clutter is vital (and so difficult!)

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21 ways to de-clutter the brain, continued:

(Read part 1 of 21 Ways to Clear out the Brain Clutter)

  1. Stop checking Facebook, Twitter or email constantly! Smart phones serve a great purpose, but checking email when you should be doing laundry simply clutters the brain. As several dear friends encourage, put the phone down and concentrate!
  2. If it will take less than two minutes, answer emails immediately. Reading the email once and answering it right away, leaves your brain clear to move on to the next task. The same rules applies to comments, articles, etc.
  3. Set aside time each week (or day or month) to answer the emails that require a longer reply.
  4. Keep an empty inbox. I learned this trick from Blogging with Amy and it has revolutionized my mentality towards email! Emails no longer overwhelm me. [Check out her step by step instructions for how to have an empty inbox in Gmail while still keeping all your messages safely archived. Plus, learn how to install a cool "send and archive" feature.]
  5. Limit phone calls. Set aside times to make long calls to friends or family. Don’t just pick up the phone to chat when you have other things you should be doing.
  6. But, if you have an item that needs to be taken care of (and it will only take two minutes) make that call! Stop procrastinating.
  7. Think before you turn to the internet. The internet teams with ideas and advice. Sometimes though, I tend to mindlessly turn to the internet rather than thinking about the problem and possible remedies first. Don’t get me wrong. I love the internet, but it can’t replace your brain!
  8. Embrace times of “technological quiet.” It’s the 21st century and we are bombarded with “noise”  on every side all day long. Set aside time to turn off the computer, cell phones, music or tv.
…to be continued next week.
What about you? How do you navigate technology without cluttering your brain? 

 

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21 Ways to Clear out the Brain Clutter

January 18, 2012

We all know what a cluttered home looks like: stuff lies scattered about and we stumble over the piles of laundry and stub our toes on Duplos.

I hate clutter.

Brain clutter is like house clutter. Brain clutter dampens our focus and distracts us. Brain clutter is all the unfinished matters we need to attend to that distract us while we’re working on a task.

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Ever been washing the dishes and remembered, “Oh, I forgot to pay the water bill.” So, before you forget, you leave the dishes and go pay the water bill. While online, you remember an email you read this morning that just has to get answered….

Am I the only one?

Recently, I read Blogging with Amy’s post about how to keep your inbox clean. That post finally turned the brain clutter light-bulb on. I used to read an email, then think about it while I did laundry, then read it again (sometimes days or weeks later) before finally getting around to responding. My response was generally late and I wasted so much mental energy!

I teach my children, “play with your toys, then put them away before you get something else out.”

You and I may not play with toys like a toddler, but the same principle still applies. Finish the task at hand.  

My brain is still cluttered at times, but it is getting tidier and I feel so much more productive! Would you like to join my journey to de-clutter the brain and keep it cleared? 

Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to post 21 practical tips to help eliminate brain clutter. Not all tips will be practical for everyone, but I hope we all walk away encouraged!

  1. Start each day recognizing Whose you are. Jumping into the day feet first may seem more logical, but as Christians, we are not our own. Acknowledge God’s sovereignty over you and your plans. As Passionate Homemaking encourages, start your day by getting dressed in your spiritual clothes.
  2. Identify the tasks you tend to procrastinate on, then do them early in the day! For me that means get dressed before breakfast. Otherwise, the day picks up speed and before I know it, it’s ten and I’m still in my pajamas… which for some (rather logical) reason, makes my brain feel cluttered and behind. Get the tasks you dread out of the way first; it helps clear your mind for the rest of the day!
Do you struggle with brain clutter? How do you eliminate it?
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Mommy Diagnostics: Book Review

January 17, 2012

Last week I shared one of my goals for this year: to assemble a natural remedy closet (or apothecary, as Little Natural Cottage calls it!) An integral part of building this collection is gathering resources to help us wisely administer our natural remedies.

Mommy Diagnostics, by Shonda Parker, is a practical field guide for moms, written from a Christian perspective.The book is divided into three main parts: a lengthy, informative introduction to health and wellness; detailed recommendations for treating minor illnesses at home; and resources for further study.

First, what I didn’t like about the book. It was not well edited (at least my 1998 edition!) There were typos in every chapter and sometimes I had to read a sentence three times to understand what Shonda meant. Perhaps I shouldn’t be harsh since I’m sure most of my blog posts contain grammatical errors, BUT if you’re going to publish a book, edit it. Then edit it again. Then pay someone to edit it for you.

Aside from that fairly significant flaw, I loved Mommy Diagnostics.

Mommy Diagnostics recognizes the importance of modern medicine while maintaining that nutrition and herbs should be our first line of defense. Shonda’s “Ladder Approach to Health™” argues that when we get sick we should start with the least aggressive form of intervention, nutrition and lifestyle, and work up to the most aggressive, surgery. [Unless, of course, the illness is acute and requires urgent care.] Each progressive ring of the intervention ladder poses higher risks of falling.

Throughout her book, Shonda stresses the importance of keeping thorough medical records for our families. Keeping careful track of the symptoms of a sickness will help us diagnose the problem quickly and correctly. When we know exactly what we are dealing with, choosing a course of action is much simpler.

Shonda covers dozens of fairly common illnesses we are likely to face. After a thorough explanation of the common symptoms for each illness, Shonda includes numerous treatment options. It is obvious she has researched the herbs thoroughly and she encourages us to do the same.

For example, if your child comes down with an ear infection, pull down your go-to books and check what herbs or remedies they recommend. Check several sources to make sure that any possible side effects are covered. If any of the herbs pose even a possibility of bad side effects, research them further before using.

My favorite part was near the end of the book, in a section titled “Raw Food Diets and Veganism.” Health food fads have a way of creeping into the Church. (After all, Adam and Eve abstained from meat and lived to nearly 1000.) There is obviously nothing wrong with eating vegetables. But with veganism or any other diet, we must go back to the Bible. There we see that Jesus ate meat and His disciples ate meat. As she puts it, “We are not in the Garden. We will not be recreating the Garden just because we eat what was eaten there.”

Though we should be wise in what we feed our families, sin came into the world and brought sickness and death. We cannot make our children immortal through perfect nutrition.

Overall, I came away from Mommy Diagnostics encouraged and better equipped to handle minor illnesses. I think it makes a great addition to My Apothecary. However, at the moment, the only used copies I could find online were fairly expensive. Herbal Drugstore is another great reference book that has much cheaper copies available on Amazon.

Speaking of cheap, I was so excited to find one of the books Shonda recommends, Food: Your Miracle Medicine, at the thrift store this weekend!

Linked up at Natural Living and Healthy 2Day Wednesdays

 (Full disclosure: The links to products in this post are my referral links.)

 

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Beauty in Praise: Guest Posting

January 16, 2012

Does it ever feel that life gets so busy that before you’ve had a chance to stop and take a breath, another week has crept by and you have been going from event to event with no time to pause? The calendar fills up, day to day needs press upon us and it’s so easy to loose focus.

This evening I was feeling overwhelmed and very, very tired (many thanks, darling baby)! I stepped outside just for a minute to gaze at the stars.

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I’m guest posting today over at These Five of Mine Plus Two. Head over to my friend Kasey’s lovely blog to finish reading this post. While you’re there, check out her Handful of Heart link up! 

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