PT-LawMom

Totally stealing this one from 2L Wannabe (great idea!):

Things I do too much of in Law School:
Surf the web
Spend money due to lack of time or preparation (forget lunch/dinner or don’t have time to shop so buy online)
Worry
Read blogs
Drink coffee
Wonder why I’m inflicting this hell on myself
Get irritated with my fellow students (in my head)
Feel intimidated by my fellow students (in my head)
Stare at the pages of my casebooks, lost, uncomprehending, give up and walk away

Things I am ignoring, at the moment, and generally, since starting law school:
Cleaning the house
Keeping a schedule
Reading
Staying in touch with friends (kills me because I am usually really on top of that)
E-mailing
The speed limit (which reminds me that the 90 days the court allows for ticket-canceling defensive driving for the last ticket I got are almost up! )
My budget
Church
The news
The weather (won’t tell you how many time Pumpkinhead or I have gone out dressed inappropriately for the day!)
Family conflict that needs to be resolved

Things I am kinda proud of keeping in balance:
Putting my son to bed each night (bath, books, prayers) and driving him to school each morning
Time with my husband (we at least try to talk on the phone every day and spend at least 30 minutes of alone time together face-to-face each night). Doesn’t sound like much but I know couples who fly through their week and barely see each other at all.
Time with my parents
Making it to church occasionally
Work! I am sooooo on top of things right now - yay.

Things I hope I get better at next year:
Even more organized study time
Better health, off the dopey meds, to help with the above
Exercise plan (and a place for it to fit in the schedule)
Understanding the shit I am supposedly reading
Juggling! Hopefully the live-in person we’re trying to get will help make all of that 10,000 times easier. Hopefully we can find someone!!!
More sleep, somehow (maybe I need to hire someone to do that as well).

Following Zuska, Ana and Butterflyfish:

In my life, I have ….

( ) smoked a cigarette
( ) crashed a car
(x) got drunk with a good friend
( ) stolen a car
(x) been in love
( ) been dumped
( ) shoplifted
( ) been fired
( ) been in a fist fight
( ) snuck out of my parent’s house
( ) been arrested
(x) gone on a blind date
(x) skipped school
(x) seen someone die
( ) been to Canada
(x) been to Mexico
(x) been on a plane
( ) purposely set a part of myself on fire [who would do this?!?]
(x) eaten Sushi [Oh Yeah!!!]
(x) been skiing
( ) been moshing at a concert
(x) taken painkillers
(x) love someone or miss someone right now
(x) lay on my back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
(x) gone puddle jumping
(x) played dress up
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
(x) been lon
(x) fallen asleep at work/school
( ) used a fake id
(x) watched the sun set
(x) felt an earthquake
( ) touched a snake
(x) slept beneath the stars
(x) been tickled
(x) been robbed
(x) been misunderstood
(x) pet a goat
(x) won a contest
(x) run a red light
( ) been suspended from school
(x) been in a car crash
(x) had braces
(x) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
(x) danced in the moonlight
(x) liked the way I look
(x) witnessed a crime
(x) questioned my heart
(x) been obsessed with post-it notes
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
(x) been to the opposite side of the country
(x) swum in the ocean
(x) felt like dying
(x) cried myself to sleep
(x) played cops and robbers
(x) recently colored with crayons
(x) sung karaoke
(x) paid for a meal with only coins
(x) done something I told myself I wouldn’t
(x) made prank phone calls
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of my nose
(x) caught a snowflake on my tongue
(x) danced in the rain
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) been kissed under a mistletoe
(x) watched the sun rise with someone I care about
(x) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
(x) crashed a party
(x) gone roller-skating
(x) had a wish come true
(x) worn pearls
( ) jumped off a bridge
( ) ate dog/cat food
(x) told a complete stranger I loved them
(x) kissed a mirror
(x) sung in the shower
(x) had a dream that I married someone
(x) glued my hand to something
( ) got my tongue stuck to a flag pole
( ) kissed a fish
(x) sat on a roof top
(x) screamed at the top of my lungs
( ) done a one-handed cartwheel
(x) talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) stayed up all night
(x) didn’t take a shower for a week
(x) pick and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
(x) had a tree house
(x) been scared to watch scary movies alone
( ) believe in ghosts
( ) have more then 30 pairs of shoes
(x) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
(x) gone streaking
( ) gone doorbell ditching
( ) played chicken
(x) jumped into a pool/hot tub/lake with all my clothes on
( ) been told I’m hot by a complete stranger
(x) broken a bone
(x) been easily amused
(x) caught a fish then ate it
(x) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard I cried
(x) cried so hard I laughed
(x) cheated on a test
(x) owned a Britney Spears CD [seriously, am I the only one who will admit to this?]
(x) forgotten someone’s name
(x) French-braided someone’s hair
(x) gone skinny dipping in a pool
( ) been threatened to be kicked out of my house
( ) been kicked out my house
(x) had a fantasy over someone I love as a good friend
( ) sun-tanned naked
(x) ran naked in the rain

I’ve done a lot [naked]. And apparently I’m a pretty straight-laced person. Although I’d bet most of the law students answering this are. Still, I want to meet someone who has set a part of themselves on fire purposely and find out how and why!!

Can’t even begin to talk about this week. But Blawg Review has a great cartoon.

I was tagged by Law Student Hot Mama for this post meme. Thanks lady! Sorry it’s taken me a few days to get to it.

THE RULES:
** Post about the meme and link back to the person that tagged you.
** Go back to your archives and link to your five favorite posts.

Link One: must be about family
Link Two: must be about friends
Link Three: must be about yourself
Link Four: must be about something you love
Link Five: can be anything you choose

** Tag five other people (at least two must be new acquaintances so that you can get to know them better).

Link one: Family — “Ain’t nothing in the world like youngins. Getcha Some!”

Link two: Friends — this was one of my early posts about two of my good friends, Christa and Ashante. They are both women I deeply admire, each of whom have qualities I hope to emulate.

Link three: Yourself — Using another meme to respond to this one since all the other posts about me are too whiny or generic. This was a good chance to review my tone and realize how much the past 8 months or so have sucked. Time to cheer up and blog sweetly!

Link four: Some[one] you love — this is a post all about Chapin. I don’t write in detail about him often, but he’s my love, my rock and a great support in this journey. Right now I can hear him downstairs reading books to Pumpkinhead using all sorts of funny voices to make the different characters come alive. Pumpkinhead keeps falling off the couch he’s laughing so hard!

Link five: my choice — when I need a fall down, roll around, pee in my pants laugh, it’s all about the joys. And looking at my Bloglines, I can tell you I am 60 entries behind on my Oh the Joys reading. No wonder my blogging style has been so damn uptight and obnoxious lately!!!

Now to tag five other people. I hope I’m tagging people who haven’t already been tagged. Here goes: Christa (because she’s moving to a new platform!), Aspiring Solo (because I love to read blogs about people who are trying to go that route!), Kristina (because she hasn’t posted in a week and I want to know what’s happening!), MeltingMama (because she’s bored, broke, covered with EEG glue and toddler puke, drowning in hate mail and ready to seize at any moment) and Ana (because I need to remind myself to e-mail her or remind her to e-mail me because I need some data from her!)

Julie Fleming-Brown has invited me to join the second annual “Lawyer’s Appreciate…” campaign. I’m far from becoming a lawyer (3 1/2 years to be exact), but I’ve worked for them long enough that I have some sense of what makes their lives easier. So here goes!

1) First and foremost, Lawyers appreciate competent staff who work as an integral part of their team to make their lives easier and their client’s business get taken care of more smoothly. Appreciate and encourage your legal staff to become a member of your team in 2008!

2) Lawyers appreciate clients that work with them, not against them. If we take the time to learn about you and your business/legal problem, please understand that our advice is meant to help you, not hurt you, and that the ramifications of disregarding our advice may be far-reaching.

3) Lawyers appreciate clear, realistic deadlines and fair co-counsel. I’ve pulled many a holiday weekend all-nighter because co-counsel in litigation matters just love to set things up so that the other side gets screwed into having a day-after-the-holiday filing. Not very nice, people. So, too, do corporate attorneys get sucked into weekend-long work at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon by their clients only to have the client pull the plug late Sunday night. It would be nice if everything wasn’t made out to be such an emergency all the time. (Although if lawyers would stop being such procrastinators, that might instill more confidence in clients that the work will be completed in a timely manner!)

4) Lawyers appreciate legal bloggers. Being able to network with people outside your immediate firm/city is immensely helpful and there are some fantastic bloggers out there sharing their tips and tricks with their colleagues.

5) Lawyers appreciate their families. It takes a lot of dedication to be the spouse or child of a lawyer. It’s a demanding service business that takes a lot out of a person, but good clients, good firms and advances in technology are helping to make the lawyer life a bit more flexible.

Those are my five things that lawyers appreciate. I look forward to reading the other bloggers’ entries and appreciate having been included this year. I am supposed to tag three people so I tag Zuska, Lawyer Mama and Shelley.

Yeah, that anonymous thing? My blog (yep, not a fan of “blawg”) was just picked as one of ABA Journal’s Top 100 Blawgs! This has me just a wee bit scared, especially as this list will be featured in the December 2007 issue of the ABA Journal, which all of my bosses and many of my classmates read. And of course the winter break will give them lots of great reading time. Finally, the description of my blog pretty much nails me to the wall in terms of easily-identifiable info. Sigh…

So I guess I’ll just say “Hi Guys!” Welcome! And if you think you know me and want to share that fact with the world, please e-mail me at ptlawmom at gmail dot com for a little heads up first. Thanks!

PT-LawMom made the Your So-Called Life category, along with Ms. JD. I’m putting the “Vote for Me” button below so you can get to the right page, but I would encourage you all to vote for Ms. JD instead. Those wonderful female law students, with the support of some great female attorneys, are blogging about a lot of very fascinating and thought-provoking issues affecting women in the field today (and they just had a wonderful interview with Justice O’Connor). I have been and remain very hopeful that their work will lead to great changes for women in the legal field. That reminds me to tell you that I read a wonderful article in the December issue of Student Lawyer that makes the case for job-sharing as a solution to the work/life balance issue at law firms. The author points out that doctors do it all the time (think surgeons at a hospital) and no one blinks, so why not lawyers?

Anyway, vote for Ms. JD and then assuage your guilt by visiting my Amazon.com store (at left) to purchase all of your textbooks for next term!

P.S. Um, ABA Journal, where is Ana’s blog? And Kim’s (you mention a cancer struggle in the notes, but I don’t see her blog). What about so many of the other wonderful law student bloggers out there. And as fantastic as the solo bloggers who made the cut are, where is Chuck Newton on this list? His blog is extremely helpful and he blogs so regularly, which keeps my Bloglines happy.

Got home late from our road trip to DC. Someone hit the brand new Big Ass Truck in the parking lot where we were staying and dealing with that delayed us (yep, hit and run so we’re stuck paying the deductible for the extensive damage ). I am almost done with “Nice Girls”, but will have to delay discussion until tomorrow night at the earliest if that’s all right with all of you.

As for the Roundup, it’s after midnight now but I’m hoping that I can drag my rear out of bed early tomorrow to get to it. The problem is that I’ve been without Internet since Wednesday (except a short stint at a friend’s house) so whereas I’m usually on top of my Bloglines reading, I haven’t yet read any of the MILS entries this week. Bear with me if I don’t get to it until my lunch hour.

Other than the car damage, rain and the 24 hours it took each way to drive there, the trip was great. I really enjoyed seeing my SIL and BIL and meeting my newest nephew (10 months and walking already!) Pumpkinhead had a blast, especially running around with his cousins and then spending Friday with his Godmother and me. I also dragged my SIL out of bed at 4:30 a.m. on Friday so we could hit the mall (across the street) for a few hours before our kids woke up. We made it back by 7:30 a.m. laden with packages. Then I shopped more with my friend and Pumpkinhead, but I’m glad I made it out in the morning because it’s rare for me to be able to shop alone. Oh, I also managed to get online at my friend’s house to purchase my Blend Creations necklace (yay!) and to take advantage of Lancome’s 20% off Black Friday sale (when does makeup ever go on sale? Double yay!)

When we made it home tonight, I spent over an hour unpacking and putting things away and then spent the past two hours working on the outline I swore to my study partner I’d be ready to exchange with her today (she did one class; I did the other and now we’re switching and filling in each others’ gaps). I’ve never been a carsick kind of gal but apparently the dizziness I get from the Neurontin also makes it hard for me to read or use a laptop while the car is moving. I also had this issue the other day with a PowerPoint presentation for my boss. It appears that my peripheral vision can’t handle fast-moving images like flying text or moving vehicles. So much for my normal book-devouring road trips! I pretty much slept when I wasn’t driving.

Random enough blog post for everyone? It’s now 12:40 a.m. and I am hitting the hay!

Thank you, Susan Cartier-Liebel, for letting me know that my blog is this week’s featured selection on the ABA Blawg Directory. I hope the new readers enjoy my blog.

My discussion typically centers on issues that are important to me as a mother, such as health care, as well as law school, immigration and life as an evening law student. I don’t focus exclusively on any one thing but hopefully there is something for everyone. I also help host the weekly Mothers in Law School (MILS) Roundup, which you will find every week at either my site or A Little Fish in Law School. In addition, I’m currently hosting a Mothers in the Legal Field (MILF) Book Club (yes, I know what that means, but we’re a funny/naughty bunch of ladies).   :mrgreen:

I also work at a law firm and have for many years. I sometimes discuss my work generally, but rarely talk about any specifics (waving at “The Firm”).  :cool:  Please enjoy the blog and leave me some comments or drop me an e-mail at ptlawmom at gmail dot com. Thanks!

Saw this meme at Kelly’s blog and thought it looked like fun!
House meme:

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Dove for Sensitive Skin (for me) and Caress peach (for Chapin - )
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No, but Pumpkinhead loves it so we often do.
3. What would you change about your living room? Enlarge it and change the shape/layout.
4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Clean, but the sink is full of dirty ones.
5. What is in your fridge? Cottage cheese, cheese sticks, lowfat feta, eggs, rotisserie chicken, Lactaid fat-free milk, Sugar-Free Hazelnut Cofeemate, sugar-free jello, turkey sausage, spicy sausage, lamb chops, fat-free yoplait, cherry tomatoes, mixed greens, black bean dip, whole wheat bread, strawberry cream cheese and bagels (Chapin) and GoGurt (Pumpkinhead).
6. White or wheat bread? Wheat, the wheatier the better (and Pumpkinhead will eat it!)
7. What is on top of your refrigerator? Extra fluorescent bulbs for the kitchen lights, Pumpkinhead’s piggy bank and some miscellaneous papers.
8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? We have a glass shower door. The guest bathroom has a plain white curtain.
9. How many plants are in your home? Two. One tall plant from my Grandad’s funeral that, thank God, seems to be thriving. The other is from my Grandmother’s funeral and lives in my office at home. It’s withering a bit.
10. Is your bed made right now? Yes, but only because the cleaning lady came today.
11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Comet because the cleaning lady won’t use anything else. Bleech! If I actually had time to clean, my preference would be Soft Scrub.
12. Is your closet organized? ROFL! If “organized” means that more than 75% of the clothes are on hangers, then yes. Otherwise, not so much!
13. Can you describe your flashlight? Long-handled blue MagLite
14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Glass. Pumpkinhead uses plastic.
15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Yum, I wish. But I’m trying to drink water almost exclusively so it helps if I don’t have other options at home.
16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? A little bit. We park two cars in it and have a fridge and freezer out there, so there’s not much room for clutter. We have shelves for tools and chemicals, keep the SuperCan out there, and also store our lawnmower.
17. Curtains or blinds? Both
18. How many pillows do you sleep with? One
19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? No, Chapin’s an insomniac and he’s constantly “accidentally” breaking the hallway nightlight.
20. How often do you vacuum? Rarely - housecleaner comes every two weeks and I vaccuum when necessary in between. Our most-used rooms have hardwood or tile so I am constantly sweeping.
21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Both. I have one of the fancy ones from my dentist (super-fancy!), but I tend to prefer my standard one.
22. What color is your toothbrush? Clear (freebie from dentist).
23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yes
24. What is in your oven right now? Grime? I rarely use it so I couldn’t tell you.
25. Is there anything under your bed? Pumpkinhead’s stray toys and books, a few socks and assorted hair ties. No, the housecleaner somehow misses getting under things.
26. Chore you hate doing the most? Ironing
27. What retro items are in your home? None
28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Yes
29. How many mirrors are in your home? Six
30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? No. We have money in our safe right now but only because the woman who bought our car paid cash and we decided to use some of it for gas and supplies during our Thanksgiving trip.
31. What color are your walls? Cream primarily. My office is a pretty green and Pumpkinhead’s room is light blue (painted by the previous owners, not us).
32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? No freakin’ way. Not happening, despite Chapin’s pleas. Non-negotiable, locks or not.
33. What does your home smell like right now? Wish I knew! I’m still at school.
34. Favorite candle scent? Lavender
35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? Dill spears and relish
36. What color is your favorite Bible? Multicolored (sunset colors). It’s Max Lucado’s “Inspirational Study Bible”
37. Ever been on your roof? No way!
38. Do you own a stereo? Yes
39. How many TVs do you have? 4
40. How many house phones? 2
41. Do you have a housekeeper? Yes. Best money I spend!
42. What style do you decorate in? ROFL! I haven’t had much time so I don’t really. I do like flowers and calming beach/park scenes.
43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Solid
44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? Yes, and carbon monoxide detectors
45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? I can’t think of anything more important than my family members. I tell Pumpkinhead to just run without regard for anything else so I would need to do the same. There is nothing irreplaceable in my house.

Christa , ML and Andrea, you are so tagged!

If you all are making holiday purchases there anyway, please consider using my Amazon search tool (at right in sidebar) to get there. The doctor bills from the bone scan, MRI and other tests are rolling in at an alarming rate (damn PPO!) so I’m trying to make a little extra cash. Sorry for the added advertising guys. I won’t go overboard, but I did sign up for BlogHer ads (at right) and the Amazon referral bonuses and would appreciate your click-throughs.

If you haven’t already checked out Amazon’s extensive grocery collection, I highly recommend it. You can typically get free shipping over $25. I get toddler wipes, paper towels, laundry and dishwashing detergent and dry goods that we go through rapidly (you have to buy everything in bulk, but that’s okay if you’re buying things you use regularly). I don’t know about you, but I find the convenience of having these things shipped to my door so helpful, especially with my busy schedule. I purchased an Amazon Prime membership last year (free two-day shipping!) so I order almost everything I need through Amazon.