Thrown under the bus by a toddler

I don't want to think about Property for a minute, so I am blogging about Clownfish.

I was chatting with Clownfish's teacher, and he was being his adoreable self, playing on the playground and entering the conversation when he could.

CF: "Mommy I want a soooooo-da."

Me: "Clownfish -- we don't have soda in the house. I don't drink soda. I've never given you any soda. Did he have it here?"

Teacher: "No, just milk, juice, and water... "

Me: "Clownfish, where did you get soda?"

CF: "Papa give me soda in my sippy cup and its good! Can I have some please?"

Me & Teacher laughing.

Teacher: "Oh, he's at that age now. He's gonna repeat everything he hears and repeat it at totally inappropriate moments."

Me: "Better still, he totally just threw Bullshark under the bus."

* * *

I was reminded of this yesterday when I came home from a few hours at the library. I drove down to Grandma, who was watching Clownfish because Bullshark is away.

So I asked Clownfish what he had for dinner, and at the same moment Grandma says "pasta and green beans," Clownfish yells "chocolate ice cream!!!!!"

Grandma fessed up -- she had offerred the healthy stuff when she had already made him aware of the ice cream. Needless to say, he ate very little healthy and went right to the sweet.

Part of me is enjoying the fact I can count on Clownfish to rat them out -- the rest of me is worried about what he's gonna say about me one of these days!

Last weekend before zams

Property Tuesday. Closed book, which is not such a big deal in this class, I guess.

I don't know how to embed Youtube videos, but I am getting my study on.

Bringing study back...

I'd probably find its parody value higher if I'd ever heard the original. But it made me laugh so I thought I'd share.

Limbo

I am a product of Catholic education. I wore wool skirts that itched when it was hot, and knee high socks in green and blue and brown (depending on the year) and penny-loafers with nickels in the slots because I was such a rebel... just like everyone else. 13 years of that. To this day I shun plaid because I figured a person can only wear so much of it in one lifetime and I met my quota by age 10.

I learned about limbo -- the place where unbaptized babies go when they die -- and it made me sad. Then I learned that there was no limbo and that baptism was a rite of initiation and removed the stain of original sin but that stain alone did not bar one from heaven (and something about free will and such... I wasn't paying too close attention that day, I guess).

And I was as ok as one can be with such a doctrine... kind of how one resolves faith with evolution. At some point you recognize certain biblical stories are allegorical and not "gospel" (as it were). And you move on.

So I was shocked to discover that limbo is alive and kicking, and that the Pope taking any kind of stand on it was newsworthy. And that limbo has suddenly become part of the abortion debate. Or maybe not so suddenly, its just I'm that out of touch with my faith... or rather that out of step with The Church.

See a news story about it here.

At least my first thought wasn’t, “Hey, isn’t the limbo a dance? How low can you go?”

Theme Songs

I used to watch Single Female Lawyer... er Ally McBeal. First season anyway, when it was funny. She was all about the personal theme song. It was a neat little plot device that allowed Vonda Shepard to have a career.

I don't know if I have a personal theme song, but certain songs/artists tend to bring me back to different times in my life, for better or worse.

For example, in my mid to late 20's: Matchbox 20 - Unwell. U2 - Stuck in a Moment; 5 for Fighting - It's not easy; REM -- Everybody Hurts.

Nope, no depression here. None at all. Move along. Nothing to see here.

Now: 5 for Fighting - The Riddle. Makes me think of both my Clownfish and Bullshark, and walk away kind of happy and at peace.

I'm big but we're smaller than small / In the scheme of things, well we're nothing at all / Still every mother's child sings a lonely song / So play with me, come play with me

And Here's a riddle for you / Find the Answer / There's a reason for the world / You and I...

And a Laurie Berkner (children's artist) about a magic cardboard box that I find myself humming during the day.


Angry Pregnant Lawyer blogged about this recently. Check out her post too.

Numbers

I like when I look at random numbers and they do something neat. Like when I look at a digital clock and it hits 11:11.

It makes me smile, and I don't know why. I'm not into numerology or anything, so I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing. I just notice it.

I glanced at my odometer just as it crossed 77,777 on my way home.

And I just logged on and my blog hit counter hit 17,000 even.

Its a good day.

La la la I can't hear you

Four exams. Two of them are for full-year courses. A "reading period" of two days, plus a weekend. 10 days (or so) of classes left. But I'm not panicking. Really. Ignore the shaking hands.

Oh, and did I mention that Bullshark will be out of town every weekend between now and the end of exams?

And I am not at all feeling annoyed or inconvenienced by that. (Sure. Right.)

When Clownfish is sick, I'm the one who stays home. And when we've both got plans for the weekend (my "plans" being some alone time with my Contracts outline), I'm the one who makes arrangements for care.

The five year old in me scuffs her sneaker against the ground, arms folded across her chest, and scowls: "It is just not fair!"

The mommy in me sighs and accepts that's just the way it is.

If law school, and parenting for that matter, has taught me anything, its that "fairness" is an illusive construct.

But right now I want to throw a small tantrum, or at least hold my breath until my face turns blue.

Edited to add: The weekends are Reserve related, so while he could get out of some of it, he really shouldn't. I get that. Instead, I am staying at the law school a little later a few nights a week for the coming weeks (without hassle). Nothing beats an all day lawbrary fest on a weekend, but he is helping.

It is selfish for me to feel like its not enough, but I am entitled to feel a little selfish every once and again.

Tell me about your day...

Today was one of those bad days -- car trouble ($$), torrential rain, water in the basement, lost cell phone, miscommunication with Bullshark, general stress, misunderstanding with a classmate, exams approaching, Bullshark leaving for the weekend, overcooked pizza for dinner, Sanjaya is still on Idol. Bad day.

So I asked Clownfish to tell me about his day. This is what I heard, though it was interspersed with "and then what happened?" and "how did you do that?" etc. to help him move the story along.

Me and [Aidan] went to the moon*. I was so big. I stood on the block so carefully. I touched the moon. [Aidan] couldn't touch the moon so I help him. I gave him a Lego. We used 20 Legos**. I hugged the moon.

And I played trains with [Cathy]. I played Thomas and Percy and Fergus. And I hugged [Cathy]. I went pee pee on the potty and I got two stickers. No outside today. Raining. Outside all wet. I sing songs with Miss Sawah and Miss Header [he tried to sing me the song, but I didn't quite catch it... got a rendation of "Twinkle twinkle lu-tull staw" though... he sang it while spinning and then fell down dizzy. "I spin Mommy!"]

Ending my day with a story like that ... it wasn't such a bad day after all.




* They're studying the moon and stars and earth... as much as two year olds study such things... and there is a paper moon and some stars on a black sheet that is hanging from the ceiling like a giant tent that adults don't have to crouch too much to get into.

** 20 = a lot. Its his quantity for anything over 5. He can count to 20, but when he asks for something -- "I want 20 goldfish please" -- he just means a decent handful.

In the news

Two things annoying me this week...

1) I lost $20 on Anna Nicole's babydaddy. I was betting on incest. Good call, Grandma [my mom] -- she'll probably want to collect too.

2) Listening to national radio hosts and television commentators read the lyrics to 50 cent songs to show how rappers use the words that Don Imus used.

Huh

I've seen Jack Bauer make perfectly clear phone calls with nary a hitch from the cargo hold of an airplane. I saw that and wondered if I could get on that network. That is truly amazing. There are strips of highway in one of the most populous states in the union where my cell drops calls. I've dropped calls within a thousand feet of a cell phone tower for goodness sake.

Clearly, Jack had the right network, and my dude with the glasses needs to "hear me now" and get on that.

Yet Jack's cell drops a call when another guy -- on his network -- drives halfway into a short tunnel?

Huh. Wouldn't have seen that coming.

I thought it was because they were torturing bastards...

Regarding Schwenn v Kaye.

Professor Property: Ever wonder why the LSAT has that games/logic section? It’s because of this case.

A butterflyfish as a law student

Courtesy of Joe Mathlete.

Its a Good Friday...

. . . for studying.

Having class gets in the way of productivity, I think.

And I'd better be productive today, because we're having a house-full for Easter, which means clean-and-shop tomorrow.

Back to work.

*whip crack*

Not a mommy role model

I had Clownfish before my sister and my best friend both had their respective children, so naturally they call for advice and reassurance and such. And I know from experience that most of the stuff new mommies get uptight about are not actually worth getting uptight about. "Yes, Sis, she's definitely big enough to ride in the stroller when you go for a walk."

So I am always very supportive and reassuring and "yep, I did that too."

And I usually find myself being reassuring about things I wish weren't true. "Yes, Sis, I too usually gave my breastfed infant his vitamin supplement once a week if he was lucky... not daily as prescribed... and he's fine."

I am not a role-model mommy. My kid watches television. He eats both cookies and broccoli. I don't always remember to make him brush his teeth. I'm not too excited to get him potty trained... I kind of dig the convenience of diapers. I painted his room blue and he has boy toys. If he gets three servings of fruit and veggies and some protein each a day, I consider it a successful day. (Apple sauce is fruit, right?)

I am a bit of a mess as a mommy, but I am ok with it.

So is it totally nuts that I think a two-and-a-half-year-old should not be watching old Bugs Bunny cartoons with his father? We've got DVDs of classic WB cartoons that Bullshark likes to pull out on Saturday mornings. I am watching all that violence with new eyes and think that maybe we should wait til he's older. Drunken Mexican mice. Sexually harassing skunks. Cat eating a cute little bird.

Bullshark thinks I've picked the wrong thing to suddenly get up-tight about. What do you think?

Also, I am not quitting law school.

I quit

I can't take law school any more.

I give up.

No more consideration, adverse possession, dormant commerce clause, negligent tortfeasors, or 12(b)(6) motions.

I am soo out of here.