I got married after 2 years of college to a wonderful man. We relocated and I worked a while so he could finish college (he was closer to a degree) and then I got pregnant.

Fast forward: I'm 42, with 5 children ages 21 (married), 19 (married), 17 (going away to college), 14, and 10. I'm ready to go back to school and finish a degree. My husband makes plenty of money, but I want to finish anyway, for that sense of completion as well as in case he ever loses his job or gets injured or hospitalized and I need to help support the family.

In high school I excelled in Art (got a scholarship) and cartooned for my school paper. I was very good at English as well and my AP English teacher had nothing but praise for my research papers, creative writing and poetry. I sang in choirs both for church and school. I was the most in demand babysitter in my area and could keep lots of kids entertained, safe and happy. I was the regular babysitter for a whole summer and watched a little girl while her single mother worked. I worked at a sporting goods store during one Christmas season and discovered I was good with helping customers but I found I hated the cash register with a passion. I also worked as a Sweet Shoppe girl at a Shakespearean Festival. Again, hate the cash register, love the people. We camped every year as a family and I love the outdoors.

I went to college and planned on being a teacher (secondary schools, Art and English). I got good grades in college, especially in my Art and Honors English classes, although I didn't do very well with sculpture. I tried telemarketing and was decent at it, but although I was good talking to the people, I found I didn't enjoy pushing sales on people or trying to talk to people who obviously weren't interested in the product.

After I was married I worked at a day care center with a class of about 10 two year olds. I really enjoyed this job. While my kids were preschool age I had a registered family home and cared for other children along with my own. I enjoyed this job, but it was stressful at times and it was a very long day. We bought a home and I took classes at night in piano pedagogy. I taught piano for several years, and at one time I had about 17 students. I stopped this because I found it took time away from my own children in the after school hours, when they needed me most to take them to their activities and supervise their homework.

At this point my husband was making more than enough money and he told me I didn't need to work any longer, and to just spend time being a mom.

I did continue to work at my church in a volunteer capacity, wherever I was needed. I worked with the children (in the nursery, teaching Primary classes, accompanying the children singing, doing weekly activities with the girls ages 8-12). I worked with the youth 12-18 (teaching Sunday School classes, being a leader at Girls' Camp many years both with the younger girls and being over the Youth Camp Leaders. I taught early morning seminary for four years (like Bible study) Monday through Friday each day school was in session to high school age teens and enjoyed it. I worked in my region with teenage girls as an assistant (counselor) to the regional Young Women leader, helping to plan activities, conferences, Girls' Camp, and dances on a larger scale, until the leadership changed. I'm currently teaching Sunday School lessons to the 14-15 year olds in my congregation each Sunday and helping plan their weekday activities, as well as helping with a large scale youth musical, and I'll be over the Youth Camp Leaders at Girls' Camp again this summer.

I volunteered at my kids' schools. I loved best reading to the classes, being a chaperone for band, theater, etc, and helping out/shelving books in the library, as well as helping out with class parties, field days, field trips, etc.

My hobbies are cooking, reading (I'm in two book clubs), painting (watercolors), scrapbooking, photography, writing/bloggin