I use mindmanager by mindjet which I find really useful (especially as you can export it to powerpoint or word so it's great for planning presentations). I bought it when I was doing my MSc a few years ago and from what I remember I got it at a special student rate (I think it was around £60). Can't comment on Tony Buzan's I'm afraid (but I've used the books for years and have also bought the children's book which provides a great intro for them).

Not sure if this will help for the toothache but might work for those with wisdom teeth coming through (and before any of the scientists start - I am not interested in a debate - it worked for my children when they were babies who had no knowledge of placebos).

Try Homeopathic teething granules (or the homeopathic remedy Camomila).


Worked a treat for me.

Yes you can see a different doctor in the practice - the best practices will give you info on the specialisms / interests of the GPs (so for example my husband always sees the same guy who has an interest in men's health; I have seen one doctor who had an interest in skin disorders while I see another for women's health issues).  My practice (which apart from the one part-time (1.5 days a week term time only) rubbish GP  is really good) also tells you which doctors are available at which times - if I want a specific doctor I phone up and ask for an appointment with that doctor - if it is urgent then you have to take who you are given but for many /most conditions you are better to wait a couple of days to get the doctor who you think is more sympathetic or who has interest in the right area. They may also have a counsellor / therapist attached to the practice.  Next time you are in ask for a practice information leaflet (or they might have a website with the relevant info on) - say it's for a friend who is moving to the area or whatever.

too vague a question - what sort of opportunities in what sort of field - if you want to stay in stockbroking/finance don't bother with the PhD; if you want a career as an academic or in a research position then the PhD might be worth doing BUT as an overseas student it will be VERY expensive

@ Wally - not sophisticated - more the result of my being middle aged (with a previous life as an accountant earning high salary) - when I was an undergrad it was pints of lager (1664 always seemed to be on offer in the union) and had I done my PhD then (instead of waiting more than 20 years) I probably would have carried on with larger.

Oh and the postscript is I went to see another gp who immediately signed me off as she could see I was in no state from severe sleep deprivation (and totaly drowsiness caused by heavy duty pain killers for the neck and hand pain).  It is worth seeing different gps if you can (the one who isn't much good is the one you can always get an appointment with at short notice which says it all)

I've started taking a whole cocktail of vitamins which includes some for stress / anxiety.  Evening Primrose oil, St John's Wort and something called Q10 Enzyme are the main ones for stress. Feel much better for taking them (along with multi vit and a few others). 

I had a lot of problems last academic year with sleep deprivation which included crashing my car into the central reservation at 75mph after I momentarily fell asleep (fortunately the motorway was fairly empty and I was uninjured other than being shaken up). I had been seeing my gp and she was useless - she was convinced it was my lifstyle and if I did more excercise, ate better (which i do anyway) etc  I would be fine. So I was trying to cram even more into my already overfull days (it doesn't help that I commute by car a minimum of an hour and a quarter each way every day).  Eventually my sleep problems were diagnosed (my physio and then confirmed by neurologist) as being physical (caused by pins and needles from carpal tunnel disturbing my sleep) - have had one operation in Jan and waiting for the other after teaching finishes. Much better now.

I think a lot depends on what the work is - if it is *hard* work then you probably shouldn't have any.  But I reckon you can have a drink while doing some easier stuff. And if you are sorting references, filing etc then a drink is compulsory.

PS not all of us drink beer - my preferred tipple (being consumed now) is dry white wine

Hi Sheena
I wrote a really long reply last night but somehow lost it before I posted it.  I don't know if any of this is of any help (and I wasn't studying when the children were really young - although I did hand in MA dissertation 3 weeks before delivering my son).
You say that you have to do all the housework - why - can't your partner do some at the weekend to help out? If they can't then you need to accept that the house will not be as tidy - so long as it isn't a death trap or ain incubation site for nasty germs then it will be fine for a while. You can do housework when your child is with you = when they get older they sometimes like to help.
Do you have any friends (maybe from ante / post natal group) who you could do childcare swaps with - you take their child (and two aren't much harder than one to look after) while they go shopping / to the gym  / get a haircut / whatever in exchange for them taking your son so that you can study. You may find a babysitting circle locally which does this.
There are cheap childcare option - when I was expecting my daughter and immediately after she was born I had a friend of a friend with an American daughter who was visiting London for the summer and wanted to earn a bit of money - she was only 16 but she used to come round to my house originally to do a bit of cleaning - but she ended up playing with my son (then 2) while I got on with other things (I was kind of working at the time) - I was in the house so she didn't have sole charge but she entertained Dominic which meant I could get on with things - you might find a sensible teenager who would do a similar thing after school for a few pounds (if you can afford that).
It does get easier when they are a bit older and a bit more independent and also you can get some free nursery time.
Do you have any family who could hep out occasionally?
It seems that you need to balance a few options and try to fit your PhD in around that. Do the PhD at the best time (so if you are tired at night then use that time to catch up on housework, take a bath etc) use daytime sleeps (toddler) to get a couple of hours work done.
Shop online (with the same order each week so you just reload it) although takign your son out to the supermarket is probably a chance to get out.
I'm sure there are lots of other ideas - will postagain if i think of any.
Good Luck

Chris

I agree that is is ordinal. I'm not a huge expert on SPSS but a colleague has recommended a book by Julie Pallant with she said taught her everything she knows (and she is fab at it) - maybe get that from your library

I did for my MSc (sadly my MA supervisor died from a long battle with cancer almost as soon as we got our restuls) - couple of bottles of wine.  I teach undergrads and while I don't expect anything I am always pleased when I get something and always disappointed if don't even get a not or card.

Have you decided yet?
When we were choosing names for our children we wanted unusual but not weird, no dodgy spellings / pronunciations (I have Irish ancestry and we like a lot of Irish names but we rejected most because of the spelling problems), nothing that sounds weird with the surname, nothing too frivolous (I wouldn't have confidence in a surgeon or barrister called Pixie).  In the end we chose Dominic with Thomas (after my grandad) as a middle name (strangely even though we didn't know we were having a boy we didn't have a girls name) for our son. Our daughter is Kitty (but her birth certificate name is Caitlin so if she decides to be a barrister, surgeon etc she has a "serious" name) with Harriet as a middle name (my mother-in-laws maiden name was Harrison so it is kind of a tribute to that).  A friend gave me advice when I was pregnant - remember you will be yelling the name for the next 18 years so make sure you can live with that.
Let us know what you (and your sister) decide.

PM me - I have access to several univeristy libraries (work in one, studying in another) or try inter library loans from your uni library - depending on how generous your uni are you will pay a small amount (or as at my PhD uni they let you get them for free) You shoudl definitely get the actual article for your thesis or for journal submissions.

Great idea but I am REALLY picky about the pens etc I use so monthly trips to Staples are my treat (I get pencils, post its etc form work). I'm very into mini clips at the moment (yes I know small things amuse small minds) and those special post it little page markers.

Hi Masha
It isn't clear what nationality you are but that might be an issue for some employers if you don't have an eu passport.  Also 33 is quite old in the UK to be looking for graduate finance positions they do exist but you would need to make clear in your cv what you have done since leaving school (most people in the Uk would be looking for graduate fiance jobs at around 21/22).
If you are looking for a finance job then you would probably better to have a professional qualification (ACA, ACMA etc) rather than an MBA and also for many finance jobs you need to be up on the current accounting and legal requirements of the UK.  You could look into the professional bodies and see if how easily you can convert your MBA into the professional qualification. When I worked as an Accountant in industry (1988-2005) most staff had (or were working towards) professional qualifications - good news is if you can get a graduate position employers will often pay for training and give study leave.
Have you tried contacting the temp agencies for finance staff - companies like Michael Page?  That is a great way to get into companies - often a temp job can turn into a permanent job.
Sorry I can't be more positive but hopefully this will give you some suggestions

Chris