[grunona]

I’ve just joined up again after a hiatus (and two kids!). I am trying to get back into studying and I’m finding it so hard. How does one do it with small children, a very full time job with heaps of responsibility and a husband? I will get onto a good schedule and then a few days into it one kid will get sick and I love a few nights sleep or I have an unexpected issue at work that takes away from study time, etc. etc. I feel like this happens every other week! I keep reminding myself that my kids are still small so hopefully this will improve but any words of wisdom from those in a similar situation would be great.

AUD 5/30/13
BEC 7/1/13
FAR 8/?/13
FAR ?
REG

[mla1169]

You have to be far more creative than most people. My kids were “older” (10 and 16) when I started this but I'd already been in school for 7 years in addition to a f/t job so I knew the drill.

Use your crock pot. Love your crock pot. Nothing better than coming home to dinner ready for you!

Use paper plates/cups/utensils. splurge. Wash less dishes.

Get review material on audio. Listen while commuting, at work if you can, while you're doing housework.

Take any and all help you can get. Now is the time to ask friends and relatives if they can babysit for a few hours so you can study.

Don't sweat the little stuff. Theres nothing wrong with a laundry basket of clean folded laundry instead of putting everything in its proper place. Its not forever, people will forget, you're still a great mom.

If you have little tiny (babies) its ok to read a cpa review book to them while snuggling. Who knows, maybe the next big time cpa right in your arms!

Thank your significant other (if you have one) for every little thing they do. It is hard when you're exhausted to remember the other persons feeling but honey catches more flies than vinegar and ultimately you want the help in return!

If you do cook/bake, double or triple whatever you're doing. Same amount of work, another meal for later!

Do something decadent for yourself, even if its just a quiet bubble bath, at least once a week. Youre not a machine,you need to regroup!

Good luck, you can do this!

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfSANfVf4-E

[Jobless2CPA]

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[Jobless2CPA]

hats off to you Mrs. mla1169!

[Red315]

I did it. I have two kids ages 8 and 5, a more than full time public accounting job, and a husband. My husband takes the kids out on the weekends so I could study. During the week I didn't get much studying done with work always getting in the way. i would study maybe two hours after the kids went to bed.

I also always took the week before the exam off for hardcore studying.

Doing this I was able to pass all 4 parts in 11 months. If it wasn't for my husband picking up the slack and handling the kids I don't think I could have done it.

Jeanne Aparicio

B - 75 (11/2011, First Attempt)
A - 88 (2/2012, First Attempt)
R - 89 (5/2012, First Attempt)
F - 79 (8/31/2012 First Attempt)

I AM DONE!!!!!! BECKER IS AWESOME!!!!

Licensed Florida CPA 09/2012

[Anonymous]

@Red315 thanks for posting. I'm a mom with two kids -ages 8 & 10 and work full time for a CPA firm. I work all week plus deal with homework and sports and then spend the entire weekend in the library. This is hands down the hardest most exhausting thing I've ever done. I don't know how anyone does this except for to just suck it up and do it. Find what works for you. Stick to your plan and realize that it won't be forever. Good luck. We can do this! Moms rock!

[grunona]

Thanks for the responses. I think I need to make more changes, some mentioned above, in order to really have the time. It is also an obvious statement to say that it's so hard to take time away from the kids when you already feel you don't see them enough! I guess I will get to work. . . thanks, again.

AUD 5/30/13
BEC 7/1/13
FAR 8/?/13
FAR ?
REG

[Anonymous]

My little one was 13weeks and my older child was just shy of 4yrs when I wrote my REG this Oct.Waiting for my results and praying hard.

It was tough as I started studying only when she was around 6 weeks.I just put in random hrs,whenever I get time I study n the max was obviously on the weekends.

Have my BEC (retake) on the 21of Nov.Am down with a flu n waiting to get better so that I can tackle that beast.

My personal opinion,try to stay happy when studying.there are going to be n number of adjustments to make but if u r already stressed u can't take this exam that too with kids.stay calm,be ever ready to change ur study plans.I finish all my work n sit down with my book my baby wakes up.so don't stress out,just out ur book down attend to ur kids n get back when u can.

Hope this helps…betn how old r the kids..gud luck to all of us taking the exams.

[Anonymous]

Duplicate post

[Mrschach]

I have two boys, my oldest is almost 6 and my youngest is 4. I seem to be finding a way to juggle everything. I work full time but am fortunate enough to be able to study at work or leave early and study at home. I work for my dad and my mom watches my boys. So when I leave work to study, my mom brings them home to me at an agreed upon time. I do a lot of freezer meal prep. I spend a few hours one Sunday a month and prep meals for the month. This way meal planning is simple and a lot of the work is done. The meal goes in the crockpot or it is simple for myself or my husband to toss it in the oven. I have a few apps on my phone to study whenever I have a few extra minutes. I usually snuggle with my boys in bed every night and do multiple choice questions on my phone. Depending on the night, I will study an hour or two after they go to bed. My boys are in bed between 7:30 and 8 most nights so it is not too bad. I have my study materials at the soccer fields during their practices. If I take them to the skating rink, I bring my books.

In all reality, I don't study much during the weekends. I will take some time and sit at the kitchen table and work through multiple choice questions but I am still present with my family. I have gotten a sitter some Sunday mornings and left to study. My husband was playing in a soccer league every Sunday morning for awhile so I studied at the same time.

The one thing we are very careful about is talking about the test around my boys and me getting too stressed out in front of them. I took REG in August and my oldest was sick to his stomach all day worried if I was going to “win” my test. He just started Kindergarten and I don't want him to have test anxiety because I took the CPA exam when he was 5!

Good luck!

AUD - 76 (July 2012)
FAR - 87 (Feb 2013
BEC - April 2013
REG - 81 (August 2012)

[jw_83]

I have an 8 month old and a 4 year old. I try to get up early in the morning before they do and get an hour of study time in. However, I have been slacking a little bit lately. I also take my lunch to work, eat at my desk and study. Two nights a week I stay after work a few hours and study. These nights I either prepare something in the crockpot or cook something easy for dinner, like frozen pizza or grilled cheese. My husband occasionally attempts dinner on these nights. I try to get some study time in on the weekends, but it is much harder. I took REG this past January when I was 8 months pregnant. I had studied for about 8 weeks and felt I had to attempt it before the baby came even though I knew I wasn't prepared. I then took a break once the baby came. This time I am taking my time studying and only going to schedule my exam, when I know I am ready.

REG - 64, 72, 81!
FAR - 77
AUD - 79
BEC - 72, 79! And Done!

[ReneeNC]

I have 7 (and only 6 of those are at home, ages 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, and 14.) I get up at 4am to get everything done that I need to get done. I leave home at 7am and get home at 6pm. I study when I can. It is just plain HARD to do this when you are taking care of a family, working full-time, etc. I do have significant downtime at my job after mid-month, so I use that to my advantage. My husband and I share evening duties – lately he has been doing homework with the kids, and I cook dinner. The kids do alot. My house is not up to my standard, but the health department isn't going to condemn it yet.

I keep telling myself that if I can do this, I can do anything!

REG - 89
BEC - 82
FAR - 87
AUD - 81
Used CPAexcel, Wiley Online Practice, and NINJA!

[grunona]

Wow, what great inspirational stories! Thanks, again for the wise words. @10YRS, my kids are 5 and a few months shy of 2…

AUD 5/30/13
BEC 7/1/13
FAR 8/?/13
FAR ?
REG

[jaredo155]

@grunon I very much appreciate the thread I can not technically speak from experience on either piece yet, but I will be a father in December and expect to start studying officially in January (I finish up the last of my accounting hours in December). I have been working full time and going back to school and trying to balance a marriage, so I was not sure how I was going to take on two new adventures with that. This site always seems to give inspiration and hope though, and lets us know others are going through the same struggles and making it work. Best of luck to you, and we will both be able to come back and reassure others when it is all said and done.

AUD - 2/2013 - Passed!
BEC - 5/2013 - Passed!
FAR - 8/2013 - Passed!
REG - 11/2013 - Passed!
"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda

[thekoreanaccountant]

I'm studying with a 6 month old. 2-3 nights a week I use paper products rather than silverware, cook bigger servings and save leftovers, and do a few chores rather than leaving them all for the weekend. The other 4-5 days I study at night or weekends. I've accepted the fact that I won't be able to or shouldn't study for hours and hours 7 days a week. It's much harder if I am stressed about it. It also helps that she is too young to object to a bedtime story about governmental and nonprofit accounting and can't walk yet. My husband is also an angel.

AUD - 78
BEC - 76
FAR - 75
REG - 82

1 cat, 2 kids, 3 dogs. Best mediocre runner ever.

AUD 2/2011 76 (lost credit), 2/2013 71, 7/2013 78
REG 2/2012 82
BEC 2/2013 75
FAR 4/2013 75

5 years in private accounting, < 1 year in public accounting. Runner, mommy, dog and cat lover. SO glad I took the exam before I went to public accounting.

[Author]

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