I'm glad I could help out, girls I hope you can both pursue similar options if it looks like they would suit your situations! I decided to get started before the kids are in school so that I would be 'halfway there' and able to hopefully enter paid employment sooner, itms? Like, get into the uni bit now so that when my kids go off to school, I've got some study done so I'll be in my chosen career (or at least starting out!) within a couple of years of them starting school, instead of 4+ years.
It does get a bit rough at times - we've had a few students drop out due to difficulties balancing study on top of work or family (surprisingly, all the mummies are still here, it's the ones with boyfriends that are having issues lol!), and I've had my own crisis points where I've seriously wondered why I'm bothering, but it's so rewarding to see my efforts paying off (a lot like parenting!), and now that I've completed the first term and we're 4 weeks into Term 2 (only 8 weeks left!), it's a great motivator to keep pushing on, knowing that I'm doing well and there is light at the end of the tunnel. It certainly is a challenge, but it's a really rewarding one so I'd definitely recommend it for those of you who are considering university but don't know where to start!
I looked online and downloaded an application form, sent it off and was asked to do a 'testing day', for which I had to prepare a written piece (just talking about myself and my goals, how I planned to juggle study and family life etc), then was accepted and had a few months to get organised (nut out routines etc with DH) and now I'm scoring High Distinctions on my assessments, making some great friends and I'm really enjoying it Good luck!