6/26/06
I registered for Bar/BRI today...
I thought I was going to have a heart attack. So far, I have managed to put the Bar in the farthest reaches of my mind and mostly forget about it. I refused to sign up for Bar/BRI my 1L year just-in-case I flunked out--or maybe because I though it would jinx me. But my PR prof recommended the Bar/BRI MPRE prep, which requires Bar/BRI registration and down payment. So I bit the bullet and registered. I seriously had heart palpitations. It is much easier to ignore the Bar breathing down your neck when you haven't invested any $$ in prepping for it (except for the $100k or so being piddled away in law school tuition). Anyway, I hope the MPRE prep is worth the bar anxiety it is creating--but I guess I would have had to register sooner or later anyway.
6/23/06
I passed Con Law!!!!
I was seriously worried about not passing. It was hardest test I have ever taken, and I swear I didn't know the answers and just made crap up. I was praying for a C-. Anything to keep from having to re-take the class. I got a B-. I have no idea how. I don't even care that it was below the curve, I was just happy to have passed. The rest of my grades came in a month ago, and I have been on pins and needles waiting for this one. Now I feel like I can finally enjoy my summer.
6/21/06
You learn something new every day.
Between today and last Monday I have learned more about blood splatters than I ever thought I needed to know. The science behind it is actually pretty interesting. For instance, did you know that you can get a good idea of what was used to commit a murder by the size of the droplets in the splatter? Apparently smaller droplets are the result of higher velocity impact (i.e. a gunshot) and larger droplets would result from a lower velocity impact (i.e. a baseball bat).
6/19/06
License to Speak (in Court)
Woo Hoo! I got my temporary bar card in the mail today. Now I can start trying cases in the DA's office.
We are still prepping for the murder case that goes to trial in 3 weeks. We spent today interviewing all of the investigators and then we toured the crime scene. I got to visit the lovely trailer trash community of Easy Living. Seriously. The place was called Easy Living. You just know that can't be a high class place.
We are still prepping for the murder case that goes to trial in 3 weeks. We spent today interviewing all of the investigators and then we toured the crime scene. I got to visit the lovely trailer trash community of Easy Living. Seriously. The place was called Easy Living. You just know that can't be a high class place.
6/17/06
I survived
Last night DD invited 5 girls over for a slumber party. Plus my three meant 8 crazy little girls running around. Since this wasn't a birthday party or anything, I didn't plan any activities, figuring that the girls would just kind of hang out until it got late and then settle in for a movie.
Ha! They fought constantly. One of them, L, was trying to boss around the rest, and they fought back. I went upstairs to find three of them crying. The first one I found was L. When I asked her why, she reported that my DD told her that she should probably leave since she couldn't get along with anybody!
I realized then that I probably needed to intervene. This is probably the cheeziest thing I have ever done, but I didn't know what else to do. I made all the girls sit in a "feelings circle". I had a macaroni bead necklace that I named the "speaker necklace", and only the person wearing it could speak. Then one at a time, each girls got to say what she was upset about, and then apologize to anyone whose feelings she had hurt. It actually worked out pretty well, and everybody got along after that.
Later, I indoctrinated them into the world of The Goonies, the slumber party staple from my generation, and they followed that up with the new must have for all girls, High School Musical. In the end I think they all had fun, but I think we will all be taking naps this afternoon.
Ha! They fought constantly. One of them, L, was trying to boss around the rest, and they fought back. I went upstairs to find three of them crying. The first one I found was L. When I asked her why, she reported that my DD told her that she should probably leave since she couldn't get along with anybody!
I realized then that I probably needed to intervene. This is probably the cheeziest thing I have ever done, but I didn't know what else to do. I made all the girls sit in a "feelings circle". I had a macaroni bead necklace that I named the "speaker necklace", and only the person wearing it could speak. Then one at a time, each girls got to say what she was upset about, and then apologize to anyone whose feelings she had hurt. It actually worked out pretty well, and everybody got along after that.
Later, I indoctrinated them into the world of The Goonies, the slumber party staple from my generation, and they followed that up with the new must have for all girls, High School Musical. In the end I think they all had fun, but I think we will all be taking naps this afternoon.
6/16/06
PsychoMom
I don't think I have ever blogged about PsychoMom before. She is the mother of one of DD's friends. I first encountered her when I became DD's Girl Scout leader last year (yes, I was dumb enough to take on Girl Scout leadership at the same time I was starting law school--but that's a whole other post).
It started with her occasionally asking me to take her daughter to or from the meetings--she couldn't do it because she had a baby (2 year old). This excuse didn't fly too well with me since at that time I had two three-year olds, and still managed to get my child where she needed to be. Still, I didn't think much about it at the time, as it was only a minor inconvenience.
My big mistake was asking if her DD (S), could come over for a play date over the Christmas holidays, since I would be out of school. She interpreted this to mean that I would be her holiday babysitter, and invited her daughter over several more times unless I could come up with an excuse to avoid it. And then she realized that I had all school holidays off, and thought that I would be happy to watch S all of those times, too. I finally put my foot down and told her that even on breaks, I still had to spend a great deal of time studying, and that when I wasn't studying, I wanted to spend what little time I had with my own children.
Over the next few months, she would be the only mom who couldn't attend many of our girl scout functions (because of the "baby). The biggest event was a mom/daughter campout in late May. It was the first time camping for many of the girls, and we though having moms there would be the best way to break them in. I felt so sorry for S that her mom was the only one not there. I told the mom that the girls would probably be tired when we got back, and that it would be between 10-12 Sunday morning--probably earlier rather than later.
The camping trip was miserably hot--100 degrees, high humidity and not a breeze the entire weekend. We were in cabins, but they were hotter than being outside (and of course un-air-conditioned). The heat plus the camping experience left the girls (and me) absolutely dragging by Sunday morning. We were up early, ate cold breakfasts, and were on the road by 8 am.
At 9:30, I tried to call PsychoMom to tell her that I would be at her house in 20 minutes. No answer. I tried her cell. She was at church. She said church didn't get out until 12, and could S just stay at my house until then.
I was exhausted, dirty, cranky and at my breaking point with this woman. More importantly, both of our daughters were exhausted and dirty. I told her that my DD and I were headed straight for the shower and bed and that I thought that her DD needed to do the same, and that no, she could not leave her until 12:00.
I'm sure that she thought I was the wicked witch of the west, making her miss church and all, but I really didn't care. When she arrived, she brought church clothes for S and dragged the poor child for church. I am certainly not against gong to church, but I think it is reasonable to miss under certain circumstances, and this was one of them.
I really thought that after that, she would leave me alone-ahhh, but no.
Within a couple of weeks she called to see if S could come over because she didn't have a sitter. I told her that I was working full time over the summer and would not be home. She asked what I was doing with my kids for the summer. I told her that I had a nanny. Then she had the gall to ask if S could come over and stay with my nanny! I was almost stunned speechless, but I finally managed to tell her that I did not fell comfortable with that.
When school started again in the fall, she again wanted to know what I was doing with my kids. I told her that I would be home in time to pick them up from school most days, and the nanny would be here on other days. She of course saw this as an open invitation for me to watch her kid.
I finally told her point blank that law school was not community college, I spent about a 60 hour week between classes and studying, and that I could not have extra kids running around when I was trying to work in the afternoon. I went on to tell her that I had no interest in babysitting--ever--and I recommended child care options to her. (I knew that she had been mooching free child care off of others for the last year). Once again, I though this would get her to leave me alone.
She hasn't asked me to watch her DD since then, but she has invited my DD over a few times. I mostly try to avoid the invitation, because I just don't want to get started with her again. I have yet to figure out if she is manipulative or just completely clueless. I did let DD go to S's b-day party a few weeks ago, but when I went to pick her up I saw an empty wine bottle and glasses sitting on the counter. I don't think it's appropriate to down a bottle of wine when you are supervising other people's kids.
Now PsychoMom has emailed again this week wanting DD to come play. She said that S is home with her grandmother (whom she has told he has dementia and can't be left with "the baby"). I just want her to go away!!!!!! I haven't responded yet, and I don't know how or if I will. It seems kind of immature to just ignore, but no matter how impolite or direct I am with this woman she will not stop. And since our kids go to the same school and there is a reasonable chance they will end up in the same class at some point, it is unlikely that I can avoid her forever. Ugggh. How do you deal with people like this?
It started with her occasionally asking me to take her daughter to or from the meetings--she couldn't do it because she had a baby (2 year old). This excuse didn't fly too well with me since at that time I had two three-year olds, and still managed to get my child where she needed to be. Still, I didn't think much about it at the time, as it was only a minor inconvenience.
My big mistake was asking if her DD (S), could come over for a play date over the Christmas holidays, since I would be out of school. She interpreted this to mean that I would be her holiday babysitter, and invited her daughter over several more times unless I could come up with an excuse to avoid it. And then she realized that I had all school holidays off, and thought that I would be happy to watch S all of those times, too. I finally put my foot down and told her that even on breaks, I still had to spend a great deal of time studying, and that when I wasn't studying, I wanted to spend what little time I had with my own children.
Over the next few months, she would be the only mom who couldn't attend many of our girl scout functions (because of the "baby). The biggest event was a mom/daughter campout in late May. It was the first time camping for many of the girls, and we though having moms there would be the best way to break them in. I felt so sorry for S that her mom was the only one not there. I told the mom that the girls would probably be tired when we got back, and that it would be between 10-12 Sunday morning--probably earlier rather than later.
The camping trip was miserably hot--100 degrees, high humidity and not a breeze the entire weekend. We were in cabins, but they were hotter than being outside (and of course un-air-conditioned). The heat plus the camping experience left the girls (and me) absolutely dragging by Sunday morning. We were up early, ate cold breakfasts, and were on the road by 8 am.
At 9:30, I tried to call PsychoMom to tell her that I would be at her house in 20 minutes. No answer. I tried her cell. She was at church. She said church didn't get out until 12, and could S just stay at my house until then.
I was exhausted, dirty, cranky and at my breaking point with this woman. More importantly, both of our daughters were exhausted and dirty. I told her that my DD and I were headed straight for the shower and bed and that I thought that her DD needed to do the same, and that no, she could not leave her until 12:00.
I'm sure that she thought I was the wicked witch of the west, making her miss church and all, but I really didn't care. When she arrived, she brought church clothes for S and dragged the poor child for church. I am certainly not against gong to church, but I think it is reasonable to miss under certain circumstances, and this was one of them.
I really thought that after that, she would leave me alone-ahhh, but no.
Within a couple of weeks she called to see if S could come over because she didn't have a sitter. I told her that I was working full time over the summer and would not be home. She asked what I was doing with my kids for the summer. I told her that I had a nanny. Then she had the gall to ask if S could come over and stay with my nanny! I was almost stunned speechless, but I finally managed to tell her that I did not fell comfortable with that.
When school started again in the fall, she again wanted to know what I was doing with my kids. I told her that I would be home in time to pick them up from school most days, and the nanny would be here on other days. She of course saw this as an open invitation for me to watch her kid.
I finally told her point blank that law school was not community college, I spent about a 60 hour week between classes and studying, and that I could not have extra kids running around when I was trying to work in the afternoon. I went on to tell her that I had no interest in babysitting--ever--and I recommended child care options to her. (I knew that she had been mooching free child care off of others for the last year). Once again, I though this would get her to leave me alone.
She hasn't asked me to watch her DD since then, but she has invited my DD over a few times. I mostly try to avoid the invitation, because I just don't want to get started with her again. I have yet to figure out if she is manipulative or just completely clueless. I did let DD go to S's b-day party a few weeks ago, but when I went to pick her up I saw an empty wine bottle and glasses sitting on the counter. I don't think it's appropriate to down a bottle of wine when you are supervising other people's kids.
Now PsychoMom has emailed again this week wanting DD to come play. She said that S is home with her grandmother (whom she has told he has dementia and can't be left with "the baby"). I just want her to go away!!!!!! I haven't responded yet, and I don't know how or if I will. It seems kind of immature to just ignore, but no matter how impolite or direct I am with this woman she will not stop. And since our kids go to the same school and there is a reasonable chance they will end up in the same class at some point, it is unlikely that I can avoid her forever. Ugggh. How do you deal with people like this?
I lost my broom
DD is having a slumber party tonight, so the house is getting the deepest cleaning that its had in quite some time. But we can't find the broom. I can't imagine where the broom could have disappeared to--it's not like something that could be buried at the bottom of the twins' toy box. Very weird.
6/1/06
School's Out for Summer...
I have been out of school for a couple of weeks now, but today was the last day for my girls. The last day is always kind of bittersweet. It is hard to say goodbye to teachers and friends that are moving away or who you won't get to see all summer. My twins will be moving to a new school for kindergarten next year, so they will have to make all new friends and won't get to see their old teachers at all. One little girl was crying her eyes out at having to leave her Pre-K teacher.
Despite all of that, I am glad they are done. It will be so nice to have all of the girls in the same school next year--and in one right by our house. We weren't sure if K would be full-day or half, but today I confirmed it was full-day. Woohoo! I think my girls are ready for full day, and it will save me a bundle in child care expenses.
I am a little sad, though, because while my girls' summer is just getting started, I just gave away more of my free time. I was offered the job that I just interviewed for here in my little suburb. It is only 2 days/week, but that is in addition to the 2 days/week that I will be in the D.A.'s office. At least I get Fridays off. And a 10 minute commute will be really nice (compared to the hour drive to school). I think it will be a great opportunity--and hopefully it will help me make some local connections.
Despite all of that, I am glad they are done. It will be so nice to have all of the girls in the same school next year--and in one right by our house. We weren't sure if K would be full-day or half, but today I confirmed it was full-day. Woohoo! I think my girls are ready for full day, and it will save me a bundle in child care expenses.
I am a little sad, though, because while my girls' summer is just getting started, I just gave away more of my free time. I was offered the job that I just interviewed for here in my little suburb. It is only 2 days/week, but that is in addition to the 2 days/week that I will be in the D.A.'s office. At least I get Fridays off. And a 10 minute commute will be really nice (compared to the hour drive to school). I think it will be a great opportunity--and hopefully it will help me make some local connections.
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