I’m one hour into my day of studying and Pumpkinhead just came into my office with his Spiderman backpack in tow and a big, sneaky grin on his face.
“What’s up, sweetie?”
“Oh, I’ve packed my swim toys, Mummy. I’m going to put my bag by the door just in case we go to the pool today.”

Where do they learn the art of manipulation-by-cuteness?

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a free six-month Netflix membership to a lucky Mom out there. We used Netflix for a while when Pumpkinhead was an infant. I got to rent all sorts of old movies and TV shows I’d meant to watch but never gotten around to. I hate catching reruns when I’ve never seen the early sequence of shows.

P.S.  The Closer is back on June 18.  Am I the only one that LOVES that show?  I’m so glad it’s the only summer show I care to watch because otherwise I’d be in big trouble.  And thank God for DVR.

Well, if this study is correct, I’m in good shape so far. Profs. Kennon Sheldon and Lawrence Krieger studied students at two law schools and found that both sets of students “declined in psychological need satisfaction and well-being over three years.” Uh-oh… BUT, where faculty were more focused on educating the student to succeed (versus publishing and just showing up to torture their students), that “predicted better well-being in the 3rd year and also a higher grade point average, better bar exam results, and more self-determined motivation for the first job after graduation.”

I have some really friendly, encouraging teachers this semester so at least I’m starting out on the right foot. All of the attorneys I know tell me, “Law school is hell. You don’t go there to enjoy yourself. It’s like a three-year hazing.” Fun. I am hopeful that they are exaggerating a bit (they all went to Ivies so maybe it won’t apply at my T2), but I guess we’ll see as time passes. I don’t want my well-being to plummet even before I’ve entered a soul-sucking legal job.

It went well, I guess, if you measure success by getting done what needed to be done.  (Thanks to those who asked after me.)  But now I hurt and am swollen at the site they worked on.  Got home yesterday and had to take percocet.  Took three, but they didn’t help much so I tried ice.  Finally fell asleep (the pills make me itch) and woke up this morning still swollen but not in as much pain.  Hopefully that will continue (haven’t tried to eat yet).

Pumpkinhead wants to go get a slip ‘n’ slide this morning (yay for things that will distract him while I study!) and I need to get some grocery shopping done.  I’m hoping to do all of that quickly and be home to start studying later this morning.

It’s 8 a.m. and I have the whole day off. Unfortunately I have to go to the doctor for a nasty, sedated procedure this morning so my “day off” is really not that great. I’m hopeful that I will not be drowsy for too long afterwards and will therefore be able to claim some of this work-free, child-free, husband-free afternoon for study time. Lots to do!

A classmate and I are going to start meeting every Monday to review our notes/outlines from the week before and help each other fill in any missing info. I think that will be much more helpful than discussing the week ahead because it seems you really need to just do the work and then let the professor guide you to the right answers. Talking with classmates just leads you down the wrong road (at least it appears to be so from the group that meets before class each night and then asks wild, left-field questions of the professor while the rest of the class roll their eyes and commence their own mini conversations).

Off to drop Pumpkinhead at school (very grumpy this morning!!) and head over to my torture appointment.

Well even though this morning didn’t start out all that well and I had to stay late at work unexpectedly, the evening went much better. I wasn’t falling down exhausted during class and I managed to not only follow along but actually make some intelligent comments. :)  I think I may also have found someone to help me get my blogroll working since the WordPress theme’s designer won’t respond to my e-mails.

Pumpkinhead stayed at my mother’s house while I was in class and she bought him Sam and the Firefly, one of my favorite childhood books. He read it twice with her and again when we got home. Fortunately he’s asleep now and I’ve gotten the rest of my reading done for class tomorrow! Only one more project to work on for school and then I will be set (for this week at least). Fortunately next week should be lighter at work as well because both of my partners will be on travel. That should give me time to catch up on filing and get into a groove with my lunchtime study routine.

This weekend I’m vowing to get my stuff together and plan better for studying. I also need to try out my new crock pot (arrives tomorrow) and see what my boys think. If they don’t like the first dish, they’ll be calling out for pizza every time they come home and see it cooking away so I’d better make something yummy the first time out. Okay, off now to finish my assignment and then peruse my cookbook for the perfect dish.

Yesterday I tried to study at lunch but then had to work through. No problem, I thought, I’ll just get up early tomorrow (Since Chapin has to leave for work in the wee hours, we try to sleep as a family by 9:30/10 so I couldn’t stay up late). Well I hit the snooze alarm too much and got up a half-hour later than expected.

4:00 - snooze
4:09 - snooze
4:18 - snooze
4:27 - okay, I’m getting up!
4:38 - showered and ready to study
4:40 - put laundry in dryer and make coffee
4:50 - decide I want a veggie omelette and prepare it then
5:05 - Sit down to write blog post on peace.
5:25 - Pumpkinhead wakes up.
5:40 - Pumpkinhead finally goes back to sleep.
5:41 - Make cup of Earl Grey
5:45 - Start to read/type case briefs
6:15 - Pumpkinhead wakes up again. Bring him downstairs and make him some tea.
6:20 - He wants “Lion King” and eggs.
6:35 - Chapin calls to chat.
6:40 - Decide to post on how I’ve gotten nothing done (instead of actually doing it!)

ANTICIPATED:
6:51 - Release blog post, print out one completed case brief, get dressed for work
7:05 - Get Pumpkinhead dressed and ready to go
7:15 - Leave house to drop Pumpkinhead at school
8:15 - Pull into parking garage
8:20 - Boot up computer
11:30 - Lunch meeting (can’t study!)
5:00 - Race out the door to school

Today is Blogblast for Peace/Peace Globe Day and bloggers worldwide are displaying their globes in the name of peace. It’s been a rough week with some family issues and I haven’t been feeling all that peaceful. I decided to share the peace of someone else I know.

Jim Wallis and his lovely wife are two of the most peaceful (or at least peace-promoting) people I’ve ever met. Jim runs Sojourners and is the author of “God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It.” On the eve of the Iraq war, Jim’s was meeting with leaders from many different faiths trying to encourage the Bush administration to make a different choice. His wife went into labor in the middle of that meeting and his son was born as the troops marched into battle. I used to worship with them but now I just read the newsletter and blog, both of which fill me with hope for the future and a sense that there are people out there who will and can change this world.

Jim and Sojourners are currently hosting a presidential forum on faith, values and poverty and are encouraging voters nationwide to consider these issues as they cast their vote in 2008.

Pledge to Vote Out Poverty

Martin Luther King Jr. famously warned that a “a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” Yet despite King’s caution, we are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a disastrous war in Iraq while 37 million Americans are living in poverty and 3 billion people worldwide live on less than $2 a day.

This election season, we can answer Jesus’ call to care for the “least of these” by demanding that candidates go on the record with real plans for addressing poverty in the U.S. and around the world.

Please visit Sojourners and tell your representative, regardless of the party, that this issue is foremost on your mind going into the election.
Dona Nobis Pacem

I got called on several times in class and was well-prepared enough to field all of the questions.  Yay.  And at least four of my classmates expressed the same sentiments I did in this morning’s post.  Seems like no one finished the reading (actually many only read for tonight!) and everyone thought it took a lot longer than they had expected.  That reassured me a lot.

In other news, I have a new tool in my plan to balance work/school/family.  I purchased a KitchenAid KSC700GC 7-Quart Slow Cooker and the cookbook “200 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes: Healthy Dinners That Are Ready When You Are!”  The book has great tips for using a slow cooker without ending up with mushy food.  One of the main tips is purchasing a programmable cooker, which I don’t have.  My current crockpot is just your standard low/high and, other than soup, nothing really turns out well in it.  I’m very hopeful that this purchase will work out well.  My biggest problem is making too much for our small family but perhaps I can pawn some of the good stuff off on coworkers and family or make recipes that freeze well.  We’ll see!  I’m not much of a cook but I really want to try.

I’m a fast reader. I tend to absorb things well. So why do I feel like I’ve studied for a major part of this weekend and am still nowhere near done? I got the reading/briefing done for two nights of class, but still have to read for the rest of the week and finish an assignment for one of the classes.

We have important clients in this week at work (i.e., I’ll have to dress up more and typically even work through lunch) and I have a ton of billing on my desk. Monday, Monday….