It's Exam Time!

Wow! Long time no blogged!  At least I have a pretty darn good excuse.  I've been studying.  And now the time has come...

Today was day 1 of the Texas Bar exam.  I must say that this weekend was miserable.  I had a full-on migraine (which I never have!), and the anticipation of knowing that this week was "it" was starting to take it's toll.  But today was a different story.  I woke up at 5 am ready to go. 

And then when I got to the testing center I was in for a big surprise.  Let's just say that a number of my former classmates (who took the July exam) were there too.  There's nothing to sway your confidence like seeing a bunch of people who failed the previous Bar Exam.  I'm sure that this is primarily a February phenomenon since most people take the Bar in the summer, but it still was slightly unnerving. 

That said, I could totally tell that I was being prayed for this morning.  It was almost surreal, but after the first 90 minute exam, it occurred to me that I was entirely in the zone.  I wasn't nervous.  I wasn't constantly scratching my head trying to remember answers.  I was just answering the questions.  In fact, at one point, my hand and brain were moving together so fast that it was like the answer just appeared on the page.  Some would say I'm weird or lucky, but the truth is that God was literally carrying me through today.  It was such a cool feeling.  I'm actually looking forward to seeing what happens with the 6 hours of multiple choice questions tomorrow and the 6 hours of essays on Thursday.

I also really want to thank you dear readers and friends for all of your prayer and support over the last few weeks.  I've received phone calls, e-mails, letters, Starbucks cards, free babysitting, and many face-to-face encounters with people who promised to pray for me this week.  It would take me forever to name you all personally.  And I have to apologize in advance that my thank you notes will be a few weeks late.  Please know that I appreciate your prayers and encouragement and will carry them with me through the next few days.  Lord-willing, this will all be over by Thursday evening at 4:30 pm!!!!

I am so privileged to have the opportunity to sit for a law license, and I'm so happy to be doing it with such a great team of people behind me.  Thanks for being "my people."  I love you all and can't wait to share pictures from a new adventure next week.  Let's just say that when this is all over, I'll be hanging loose for awhile!

Mommies Need to Give a Rip

What are you doing during that 5pm E/4pm C time slot every afternoon?  Since Oprah's been off the air for awhile, I'm just curious what stay-at-home mommies are watching these days.  For the most part, the 4pm hour on my television is filled with trash. (Who really wants to watch Dr. Oz, a.k.a, the Quack?)  That said, I have one show that I highly recommend.  It's The Five on the Fox News Channel.  Everyday they provide news and commentary on what's happening in the world--and yes, it is fair and balanced. 

Now I know that there plenty of moms who would say, "but isn't it better to watch Martha Stewart or Nate so that I can get some craft and styling tips?"  And of course the answer is NO! 

For years mommies and housewives have ignored the happenings in "the real world."  And now these same mommies are shocked when they hear that schools across the country are telling students that the lunches that their mommies pack are unhealthy. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you're really out of touch and need to watch the news.)  Yes, it's scandalous that our public schools are telling children that their parents suck at being parents.  But it's not surprising!  If mommies really tried to follow politics, they might have seen this coming...

Listen, I know that we're all busy cooking, cleaning, crafting, studying, driving our children all over town, etc..  But we cannot be ambivalent towards politics, and we certainly can't be ignorant.  There are people who really do want to tell mommies how to raise their children--history shows that they've been trying for decades.  Unfortunately, these people having been fighting to control our families while American families have been doing very little to fight back. As we saw in Germany during the 1920's and 1930's, when people allow the government to take control of their lives, governments go wild with power and abuse it. Let's not be so naive to believe that we can do nothing and maintain our freedom. 

So what can we, as busy mommies do?  How can we keep the government out of our pantries and lunchboxes? 

1) Be informed.  Watch the news (preferably nothing by NBC which is slanted by groups like Media Matters).

2) Read. Pick up a nonfiction book by a conservative like Mark Levin, Ann Coulter, Dennis Prager (my personal favorite).

3) Take a class on American History or the Constitution.  Hillsdale College is currently offering a free 10 week course on the Constitution online.  Go here to register before February 20: http://constitution.hillsdale.edu/.

4) Support a non-profit entity that is fighting for our religious and family freedoms. 

5) Vote.  Actually figure out who is on your ballot and what they stand for.  Then vote for the conservative people you like best.  Don't be bullied by the media.  You have a voice, so use it.  When people think for themselves, good candidates like Rick Santorum actually win!

6) Either know everything going on in your child's school, or educate your child yourself.  This goes for public and private schools.  You are responsible for what goes into your child's head.  Don't let your child get brainwashed from someone who has no morals.

7) Talk to other moms about these issues.  You might think that your public schools are great or that your neighbors think the same way you do. But you might be surprised.

Mommies have one of the most important jobs in this world.  We've got to start taking our roles seriously.  We don't need psychologists and nutritionists to tell us how to be good moms.  I've seen the blogs out there of extraordinary mothers who are creative and intelligent.  It's time that these mommies channel their skills to do more than decorate their houses.  Let's tell the government to back off and get out of our kitchens and to leave our children alone! 

For other ways to get involved visit http://thekitchencabinet.us/.

February Mini Blogs

Where has the week gone?  Despite some very bloggable happenings in my life recently, my ever-tightening schedule has not permitted me to share all of these moments with you.  Not to worry, my blogging will pick up in due time.  Until then, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of my past week by sharing mini versions of what would have been some of my blog posts.

Sunless Tan

If applied incorrectly, sunless tanner is messy.  For whatever dumb reason, I decided that I needed to help my pale complexion by giving myself a fake tan.  And since I refuse to expose myself to UV rays at the tanning salon (who in their right mind would pay for the chance to get skin cancer?  That was soooo something I tried when i was 19!) I decided to use the bottled stuff instead. 

I try this just about every year.  And every year I end up with orange appendages or funny looking ankles.  So this year I decided that more was better.  If I apply more tanner, then streaks will be less apparent, right?  Well, I was wrong.  And to sum up a story that really deserves a much longer explanation, if I don't figure out this stuff soon, I will be wearing tights and jeans for the next few weeks...

Study Time

It's amazing that I spent 4 years in law school and am learning so much in 3 months time!  Over the past week, I've learned that getting a divorce in Texas is a huge pain and really not worth the hassle.  I've learned that if you have a child out of wedlock with someone else prior to getting married, for the sake of your spouse and other children you REALLY need a will.  Otherwise, that child will cash in big when you die.  I've learned that you should be nice to judges because they have lots of discretion.  And I've learned that if a repo man ever shows up, you should scream and "breach the peace" because this forces him to leave and stop the repossession (cool right?).  Plus, I've learned tons of other facts that will probably have no bearing on my law practice in the future.  But still, when you have the uncanny ability to remember useless facts, studying for the Bar is actually kind of fun!

Breast Cancer Research

If you haven't been following the Susan G. Komen vs. Planned Parenthood battle that has been raging recently, you really need to start reading the news.  Apparently Susan G. Komen had decided that sending money to Planned Parenthood for mammograms was not the most cost effective way to provide cancer prevention services.  Thus, they stopped the funding.  Then Planned Parenthood started accusing SGK of being a right-wing organization that wanted to deny services to pro-choice women.  Planned Parenthood pretty much declared war.

For whatever reason, SGK gave in to the public pressure and went against their board's decision and decided to re-fund Planned Parenthood.  And now I'm ticked.  A private charity ought to be able to do what they want with their funds in order to further their goals.  And a few crazy loud people who make up false accusations should not be able to sway a multimillion dollar charity to veer from it's stated purpose.  I've always really liked SGK, but have decided that if they're not able to act as good fiduciaries of their money, then I will find other organizations to whom I will contribute.  Sorry breast cancer research, the liberal femi-nazis have really hurt your cause.  Maybe when you grow a backbone and can really take a stand for YOUR STATED cause, people will feel like you're worthy of their money again.

Camera

I'm in need a good camera.  I detest my current camera because it takes 30 seconds to take a photo, which means that I never get the really great shots of my kiddos.  I'm also not a huge fan of taking photos with my phone or i-pod.  The pics are decent, but they could be lots better if I had a good camera.  If anyone could recommend a great camera for taking pics of kids, I would appreciate it.  I'm thinking I need something that will fit in my purse (which is large), that I can take on vacation, and that is under $500 (preferably much cheaper).   Anyway, if you have any recommendations, I'd appreciate it.

So there you have it, my head may be full of useless facts, my sinus cavities may be stuffed up due to the virus my children have given me, and my blood pressure may be slightly elevated because my  Bar day is near, but I'm still living life as normally as I can.  Now I need to go get my son out of the sink, save the toothpaste from whatever he's doing to it, and memorize the rules for Texas guardianships.  Oh, isn't life fun!

Real Mommies Do Exist

Even though motherhood is like a wonderful box of chocolates packaged in a nice little bow, it can also be a mess.  Of course there are days when my little posse and I hit the town in matching outfits and have a fun little lunch date at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  These days create those perfect memories of motherhood.  But then there are those days when one child vomits all over the place, the other child wets the bed, and the Mommy has a complete meltdown because she's only had 2 hours of sleep.  This is the picture of motherhood that so many of us moms try to hide.  Surely you've seen these blog pages where women only post the beautiful pics of their home and children.  Trust me, they're hiding the truth--those "other" days are not making it into their blogs.

I think it's good when Moms are willing to share their real life experiences.  Unfortunately, too often we're only willing to share the stories that give us the image of the "perfect mother."  But let's be clear, there is no such thing as the perfect mother.  And other people do benefit when they hear that we struggle just as much as they do. 

For that very reason, I have to thank Susanna Foth Aughtmon for writing All I Need is Jesus & A Good Pair of Jeans: The Tired Supergirl's Search for Grace.  I must admit that I thought the title of this book was kind of sacrilegious and I almost didn't read it. But I'm actually glad I did.  In her book, Mrs. Aughtmon shares real life stories of her spiritual and physical struggles as a woman trying to live her life to the glory of God.  In each chapter she shares a vividly funny story about a struggle in her life, and then she proceeds to share a passage in Scripture that directly addresses her issues.  As a not-so-perfect mother myself, I appreciated her honesty in the book, but I also appreciated her discussion of each convicting Bible passage that is absolutely relevant to my life as well.  Forget the Chicken Soup--this book is like Red Bull for the Mommy's Soul.  Thanks Mommy Aughtmon! For more information on her books, you can visit her blog at http://tiredsupergirl.blogspot.com/ or click on the link under the blogs that I follow.

So whatever you're doing today, take heart in knowing that there are other moms out there who are dealing with snot and sniffles, crazy work schedules, cleaning up after puppies, explaining to their children that they will NOT be resuming their work-out routines until March (my son is ticked that I haven't been working out lately), and baking frozen pizza for dinner.  Yes, real moms exist--and we're not all baking elegant Valentine's Day cookies on a sunny day in February.  Instead, we're doing our best to fulfill our Mommy duties as we walk in the grace of our Lord and Savior.

Happy February!

I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as she waits for the hour glass to empty out.  That's what it's like waiting for the Bar exam.  Except now that February is here and the exam is THIS MONTH, I can see that there's not much sand left in the top of my hour glass.

I've been told that once you reach the month of the exam you completely turn into a nut case.  Not to worry, this already happened about 2 months ago.  I suppose I deserve these standing-on-the-edge-of-the-cliff emotions, because I very clearly remembering laughing at my husband's friends worry about their Bar exam a few years back.  I mean, they were ridiculous!  (Naturally, Dear Husband wasn't nervous, because he's a "crunch time" player and always does well under pressure, but his friends were a different story.)  Even though I generally don't believe in karma, in this case, karma has come back to bite me.

Anyway, it occurred to me that in the future I will likely never remember what February 2012 was like if I don't blog about it.  I absolutely intend to have a brain flush in March so that I can live in peace without all of this nonsense information in my brain.  Lord-willing, after this exam hopefully I can forget most of what I'm learning now.  After all, that's why people make big money selling lawyers reference books--because in real life lawyers look up the answers and don't memorize them!

So ironically, I'm celebrating February in my blog.  For whatever reason, I want to remember this month on paper, but I want to forget it in real life.  (If this doesn't make any sense, I told you I was turning into a nut case.)  Please bear with me over the next few weeks as I attempt to record all of the happenings of my life.  I'm sure it will be boring to the average reader, but hopefully someday (like in May when Bar results come out) I can look back and laugh at myself. I'm sure there are much better ways to use my time in these last few weeks, but blogging seems like a worthwhile avoidance technique.  (I'm the queen of avoidance when I'm supposed to be studying--like last spring when I turned into a baker during exam week or the previous year when I literally went into labor with my 2nd child during finals week.)

For whatever reason, I'm happy that February is here and I'm closer to being put out of my misery.  On the other hand, I'm dreading the next 4 weeks.  I've already lost my ability to sleep.  And last night I had a dream about the Holder in Due Course Doctrine.  Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out what a Holder in Due Course is.  Even after memorizing what is required to be a Holder in Due Course, I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to identify someone who actually has HDC status (apparently I'm supposed to be able to do this for an essay question on the big exam.) 

Now that I've rambled for enough paragraphs, please note that I hope you have a wonderful February.  Please enjoy and laugh at my misery.  I knowingly put myself in this situation, and I will get through it just as every other law graduate has done in the past.  But unlike them, I'm going to share with you a look inside the warped brain of a future lawyer.  And for your sake, let's hope I pass so we don't have to repeat this process again in July!

A Case of the Mondays

 
There's nothing worse than a case of the Mondays.  Well, I suppose having a case of the Mondays while fearing the looming Bar exam and contemplating the hours of work that are piling up while you study is kind of worse than just a case of the Mondays.  Oh, and yes, I have been self-diagnosed with this disease.  That said, if you too have the Mondays, you can probably come up with a worse scenario than mine.  After all, that's what having the Mondays is all about--feeling sorry for yourself. 

But whatever your ailments are today, I thought I'd share with you some great remedies that I have discovered that really do cure any case of the Mondays. 

Read Ephesians 1:3-14 and remember the awesome things that God has done for you. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace  which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight  He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.  In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. 

Turn on some praise and worship music and play it really loudly. 

How can you not be moved by a song of praise?  I might even suggest that you pull all the non-worship CD's out of your car or CD player (or delete them from your i-pod) until spring arrives.  Because no type of song can have the effect on your spirit that a good praise song has.  Today I'm blaring Kari Job through my i-tunes.

Hug a Child.

Ok, for the sake of not doing something illegal, hug your OWN child (or someone else's with their permission).  How can you be a downer when you feel a little life in your arms?  Then think about the fact that God's arms are ready to give you a hug whenever you need it.  Just ask Him.


Eat some fruit.

I don't know why this works, but eating some kind of summery, tropical fruit like a pineapple, watermelon, or strawberries seems to lift the mood.  Don't believe me--try it!

 At this point if you still have a case of the Mondays. then you might as well go bury your head in the sand until Friday.  Because for you, it's going to be a long week.  Hope your Monday gets even better!

Channeling the Creative Genes

I know that parents are supposed to encourage creativity with their children, but I'm finding that this push for creativity does not come naturally for me.  I like my house to be clean.  I like crayon markings to stay on paper.  I like children to color "within the lines."  And I like music to be in rhythm and on key.  Yes I know, I sound like a boring, jerk of a mother, but so far my ability to live inside these safe and natural boundaries has served me pretty well.

That said, the other day when I caught my youngest pouring barbeque sauce on our puppy and my oldest "painting" his hands with markers, it occurred to me that maybe I need to make a little more effort to "foster creativity" in my home.  My children are very creative (I mean have you ever seen a barbequed puppy?)  But I think it's time to start channeling their creative genes and their energy into a more appropriate direction. 

So I've made it my goal to find some new creative and fun activities for my guys.  I'm also hoping I can find some great family activities that do not involve things that give me nightmares--paint, glue, BBQ sauce, scissors, ketchup, 1000 little pieces, etc.  But coming up with out-of-the-box, non-crafty boy activities isn't as easy as it sounds!

Today's project, however, worked out pretty great.  We created our own rail road.  And it was a big hit!  My oldest was quite excited to watch Mommy and Daddy work like engineers to build our very own tracks.  And he spent quite awhile pushing his train around the bends and making it whistle. 

Who knew that a couple rolls of painter's tape could produce such splendid results?  Our track is made completely of painter's tape, which means that it comes up easily! And of course, with tape, you can make your track go anywhere and in any direction!  Pretty great.  Someday when we have more time, we'd like to create multiple tracks that run through the kitchen and down the hall.  But I think this first attempt turned out pretty well.

Anyway, our first attempt at a "creative activity" appeared to be a success.  Now I've got to start thinking up a great idea for next week.

Baby News

Haha! You probably think that the title of this post means that I have some exciting personal news to tell, but that's not the case.  Instead, this post is about the "Baby News" I received from someone else.

When I sat down at my computer this morning, I found a cute surprise in my e-mail inbox.  My sister-in-law, the proud mother of my first and only nephew, sent out her first ever "baby newsletter."  In the newsletter, she wrote about my nephew's birth, included pictures, and gave his current 1 month update.  The newsletter is such a creative way to keep the family up-to-date on the little guy (who lives over 4 hours away.)  I love this idea! 

So to all the other mommies out there who (like me) are uncomfortable plastering your little one's face and business all over the internet, think about sharing your little one via a newsletter!  Although I love following up with peoples' kiddos via their blogs, the newsletter provides a little more privacy through which you can share the more intimate details of your life.  Then you can save the really great photos and funny stories to post on your blog for everyone else to see!

Anyway, I love getting ideas from other mommies!  Hope you enjoyed this idea as much as I did.  My nephew sure is cute!  And no, that's not his picture at the top of this blog post.

Choose Your Leader

"Do I not hate those who hate Thee, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against Thee? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies." Psalm 139:21-24

I'm kind of a political junky.  I love to watch political debates.  I actually try to educate myself on the candidates.  And if you asked me to explain who you should vote for, I could give you the pros and cons of each candidate--on both sides of the political aisle.  That said, I've also learned a few things about choosing a political candidate.
 
For starters, there is no such thing as a "perfect" candidate.  Because candidates are human, they all of carry around some type of baggage.  And they've all made mistakes.  In my opinion, the best way to get past these mistakes is to see who is willing to admit to them; who will be transparent; and who is willing to correct their missteps.  Trust me on this, ALL candidates have some missteps.

Next, you have to realize that you're not going to agree with your candidate on all issues.  I don't care if you go to the same church or went to the same college, odds are there are some issues upon which you will disagree.  And that's OK.  If you're like me and live in the USA, we're blessed to live in a country where we can have our own opinions and disagree.  We just have to be sure we choose a candidate whose differences of opinion we can live with, even if we disagree on minor matters.  If we disagree on major matters, that's when it's time to look for a new candidate to follow.
 
As much as I love politics, I'm so thankful that my God is not a politician.  He is consistent, pure, and ALWAYS on the right side of every issue (and I'm not saying "right" as in "right leaning" but I mean absolutely right!)  When we choose to follow God, we can have confidence that He has no baggage or alternative agendas.  God is love.  He is good.  And God stands for everything that is pure and perfect.  That means, that if we "disagree" with God on an issue like we do our political candidates, we can be sure that we are WRONG on that issue. 

During my Bible time this morning, I noticed a note in my Bible that I wrote in high school.  It said this: Do I love what God loves? Do I hate what God hates? Intimacy with the Creator/Loyalty with the Creator.  In other words, to be intimate with my Creator, I have to be loyal to Him and love what He loves, while hating what He hates.  Basically, to be on God's Team, I have to be 100% on His side of every matter.

I have to wonder, am I 100% on God's side of every matter.  Do I live like I completely agree with Him?  Do I truly hate what He hates?  And Do I really love what He loves and who He loves?  Or do I treat God like He's one of my politicians who I agree with only a percentage of the time? If I truly want personal intimacy with God (which is something I'll probably never have with any of my Presidents,) then I need to live a life of loyalty to Him.  

I'm so thankful that God has made the decision-making process easy for us spiritually--choose Him and all things good or choose all things evil.  It's too bad the political decision-making process will never be this easy.

The Come Back Kid

As is typical after church on Sunday, my family had a big discussion about what we were going to do for Sunday lunch.  I know that there are families out there who have a fancy homemade Sunday dinner planned out every week, but somehow I doubt that will ever become a reality in our house.  In fact, I actually prefer "going out" on Sunday afternoons so that I can have my day of rest and let someone else cook.  Apparently my family has grown accustomed to this weekly tradition too, because this Sunday the discussion was solely a discussion as to WHERE we were going to eat--not just WHAT we all wanted to eat.

This Sunday, my 3 year old informed us that he wanted to go to McDonald's.  Unfortunately for him, nobody else wanted McDonald's.  My husband explained to him that Daddy was going to choose somewhere else to eat.  After all, Daddies get to make important decisions like this, because that's all a part of being a Daddy.  This explanation didn't appease my son at all.  Naturally, he asked my husband why we couldn't go to McDonald's and why Daddy didn't want to eat there...

This was about the point in the conversation where I checked out.  I mean, my son wants an explanation for everything, all the time.  And as is the norm for lawyers' kids, he wants to debate everything.  So at this point, a debate of some sort ensued.  And I decided not to take part in it.  From what I remember, my husband was winning.  Until my son found a way to get what he thought was the last word. 

He said, "Well someday when I'm older and I have my own baby (dramatic pause), I'm going to take him to McDonald's EVERY DAY!" 

It was awesome.  My husband was almost speechless until he realized that my son thought he was "winning."  Of course my husband went back at him, and I just sat there and laughed. 

I can't wait to hear stories someday about my son telling his "baby" that he can't go to McDonald's.  And I can't wait until my son starts suggesting places like Olive Garden for lunch.  Maybe then, my husband will listen.