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| Life is good. |
In late July, I took a certification exam. I believe I have mentioned studying for it a couple of times on the blog, but I was only 50% certain I would pass, so I pretty much felt defeated from the get-go and didn't want to blast it all out there that I was even making the attempt.
I signed up for this in late January, back when Little Tuesday was just barely randomly sleeping through the night. Something must have clicked in my head at the time as thoughts became more coherent. Either that, or I was still slightly insane thinking I can prepare for a test with only a roughly 50%-pass rate while still holding down my job and maintaining my new little family life.
A co-worker of mine leant me her study materials, so I slowly chipped away at them -- books, flash card, and practice exams randomly littered the house for five or so months. I even bought a testing app, which proved to be very helpful when I was playing with my son or on-the-go. Note that I did pretty poorly on the practice exams, so I wasn't feeling very good about the exam as it approached.
In early July, Pokémon Go came out. Knowing the exam was coming, I was stressed, and that game paradoxically helped channel it but at the same time, took me away from studying a bit. By then, though, most of the proverbial hay was already "in the barn," much like the point when you taper before a marathon. The morning of the exam, I think I sat around hunting Pokémon before I walked into the testing center.
The actual exam was mind-boggling. I'm the type of person who rarely ever takes the entire time allotment for a test, but I used every darn second of those three hours, even though I was telling myself that I should take a bathroom and snack break at some point. Knowing they give you the result at the end, I sort of froze when I clicked "Submit..." though the next screen was actually a survey -- hah! But even as the result did come up, I didn't trust it because it said "Preliminary."
Weeks later, I received this in my e-mail. I finally got the certificate in the mail this week.
Why am I sharing all this? Well, I think it's to explain my relative absence from here, in part, and also, it is one of the few tangible accomplishments I've made this year. Well, besides keeping my husband, home, job, and raising a smart little boy. Funny how easily those important things are relatively unacknowledged, isn't it?
Anyway, with that huge test burden off my back, I am definitely still feeling the burn out but enjoying reading more and thinking about what else I can tackle next. Hah! So much for "freedom!"
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Speaking of "free," I'm still trying to catch up on my product reviews, and this one is very long overdue. This ToiletTree Rechargeable Toothbrush has taken over my existing electric toothbrush for the past several months.
I started using electric toothbrushes a couple of years ago because my dental visits kept ending in "you need to floss" when I already did nightly. Since making the switch, I am not always on top of flossing but don't get such comments anymore, so they definitely do the job! What I like about this one especially is that you don't need to attach it to a base. In fact, since we still have the other brushes on the counter, it pretty much charges wirelessly off of those! Pretty neat!
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FTC Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of the ToiletTree Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush but was otherwise not compensated for providing a positive review.
That's awesome -- congratulations! I have been missing your posting but I know how raising a toddler can keep life busy. Glad you're finally sleeping more too.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I remember seeing that in your Instagram. Is this something you're doing towards a career switch, or something that's useful for your current role?
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