Christmas Updates

Merry Christmas to all!! We have had a wonderful past few days, though somewhat thrown off schedule by weather. Where to even start? I won't do weather coverage since anyone wanting pictures/updates of the kids can simply go to Wife's blog.

Santa was good to the kids, bringing one big present each, and then filling their stockings with toys, toothbrushes, candy and bath supplies (paint, foam, bubble bath). Mommies, Grandparents and a few distant relatives, including Auntie Stella, did a great job of filling the space underneath the tree, and we are still keeping busy playing with the new toys - kids toys, and adult ones, including a GPS navigational device from Wife that was totally unexpected.

We had a scare on Sunday night, after Christmas festivities with Wife's family (our second Christmas!) when loading the car. Our Little Princess had one of her pallid breath holding syndrome episodes. This is essentially a reflex where her body stops breathing when she gets suddenly hurt....she banged her head on the dvd player in the car while getting in her car seat, she started to scream, but nothing came out. Within seconds was turning blue and went limp. I grabbed her in my arms, started shaking her and calling her name. She did not come out of it as quickly as usual and totally freaked us out. Wife was yelling for her sister in case we needed an ambulance called, but could not run into the house because of a thick layer of ice. When I heard our baby girl gasp for air, it was a wonderful sound, and soon she was conscious again, with no real clue as to what had happened. We all went back into Wife's sister's house to get warm and stop shaking. We had to try to explain it to Boy Wonder, who had not seen it happen in so long that he did not remember it, and was quite shaken. We all were. Even though this is not life-threatening and she is supposed to grow out of it, it is frightening every time because...what if she does not start breathing again? We thank god she does not have something more serious like MS or cerebral palsy, and give thanks that both of our children are happy and healthy. May we always be grateful for that miracle.

Enjoy the Miracles in your life!

Snow Bugs

Want to see some cute weekend snow pictures? Check out Wife's Blog. Note the Boy's two missing front teeth! Probably in the next day or two Wife will post more photos from yesterday and today.

Happy Holidays!

"Let it Snow, let is snow, let it snow!"

Snow!!! Keep it coming!!!

We finally got our snow! OK, well, not the several inches that was predicted. In fact, probably barely an inch, but it was enough to play in, and pretty to watch. Now, everything is iced over and we can't go anywhere, so it may as well keep snowing! I managed to make it to work for all of barely two hours yesterday before dropping temps and accumulating snow sent me racing (OK, driving cautiously) home. By afternoon, all had warmed up and was melting, but then nighttime brought more cold air and snow. Yeah!

Boy Wonder's Christmas vacation has now officially started. We have days ahead of trying to figure out how to keep two kids busy and happy, while possibly being iced in. Snowed in will be much better since at least we can all go out and play in the snow. Could be more snow heading our way. Right now, we've pretty much used up what we had since it wasn't even enough to completely cover the grass. Still, we played in snow saucers, built a small Snow Mickey, and threw some snow balls. Inside it's mostly tv and computer games. We'll get out other activities later, and eventually Christmas movies. Hopefully the Christmas baking that is ahead won't cause us to go searching for Lipovox. Maybe pulling the kids on the saucers will prove exercise enough!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Let it Snow! (Please!!!!)

I am home from work for the second day, due to the weather. (Plus, Monday off for Wife's Birthday!) We were PROMISED a HUGE snowstorm. We got a bit over the weekend, which left roads icy. Today, however, the day of the promised storm, there is not even enough to measure yet. I am so sad. I really want to get out into enough snow to sled and have a snowball fight and build a snowman with the kids. How fun does that sound??? I know I have classmates who have not yet finished their finals and the school has closed (again), leaving them uncertain as to how/when they can take the exams. For them, I have sympathy. As for me - I am so happy I got done last week!

We wrapped up Christmas shopping yesterday, plus ran out late last night to get some more wrapping paper in case the storm had us unable to leave the house for several days. Yes, that happens here, where we are not equipped to deal with severe winter weather. We are all prepared to hang out, do Christmas baking, wrap presents, watch movies, surf the internet, click on links for known and unknown products like Chia Pets and Hydroxycut reviews, and play in the snow.

The snow it trying to come down, but it needs to try harder!

Time to Study - Then Shop!

One test down, two to go. I have some things I would like to say about last night's final, but until our exam period is over, I cannot. For now, I can say that the best part is, it is done. This is such an odd time of year for exams. I know it is not unusual...it is interesting, really. There is the dread/anticipation of taking the finals, the excitement of being done for the semester, and the excitement of the Holiday season.

I've done some shopping, but need to do more, and can, once finals are over. I still need to find the Christmas CD's for my car, so I can really start getting into the proper spirit. Without a huge sports fan in my life, I probably will not need any sports gifts, unless coffee drinking is considered a sport. If so, Wife qualifies! It may not be too many more years before I will be buying sport-related gifts and clothing more than we do now. Now our kids are very much still into toys, which are so much fun to buy. Dolls, princess anything, action figures and playsets, computer games, board games, building sets...all of it - so much fun! I will miss this time when the kids are older, and for now, plan on savoring every moment of it!

MPRE Results Are In

I passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a nice way to go into finals, especially with tonight's exam being the one for "Regulation and Ethics of Lawyers," which is based on my state's version of the rules tested on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE).

YIPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Milestones and Missing Teeth

We had a good family weekend, if shortened somewhat by my need to study most of the day on Saturday. My plan is to take all three of my finals this week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday, DONE!

Boy Wonder lost both of his front teeth this weekend, inspiring a true-life story of "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth." See Wife's blog for details and pictures. I will admit, I did prod the teeth a bit, but they have been loose for a long time. Besides enjoying the surprise from the Tooth Fairy, we celebrated in style by going to the local Children's Museum, which was Boy Wonder's choice and something we all enjoyed.

Weekends lately have inspired the need for home theater seating, as we have instituted Friday Movie Night - with an occasional bonus feature later in the weekend. This weekend's movie was preempted by the need to go out and buy Boy Wonder a winter coat to replace the one he lost at school this past week. Some detective work revealed the likely events were as follows: Boy throws coat on cloak room floor rather than on hook. Looks for it later and it is gone. Does not show up in lost and found after 3-4 days. Girl was acting sneaky in cloakroom the day coat disappeared. She is believed to have thrown coat in garbage and covered it with paper towels, but substitute teacher did not put the pieces together until days too late. Boy Wonder now has a new coat, the knowledge of how to look in the lost and found area of his school, and a stockpile of lectures on taking care of his possessions that should last into his teens.

Random Things I for which I am Grateful

Wife just called me and told me about the things our Little Princess has come up with that she might like to get me for Christmas: A little blue Christmas tree and a small plastic rain cloud (blue). I have no idea. Still, her creativity makes me smile.

The peppered turkey that I accidentally bought at the deli. Well, I did not accidentally buy it, but I thought only the outside would be peppered and therefore not too hot for the rest of the family. I was wrong. The pepper must be injected in a liquid form, because it is all throughout the slices, and is delicious to me, but not the rest of the family. That's OK - they got ham and plain turkey, too.

Monogram Queen's kind words letting me know I have been an inspiration for her going back to school. (We've been emailing. I did not simply ignore her comments!)

Hot coffee with yummy creamer.

Jiggle bells hung over door hardware.

Boy Wonder's excitement over finding Jack the Elf each morning. (See Wife's blog if you are not familiar with this new tradition.)

I had my last class last night and now it's a short slide to Christmas break!

There are so many things - I have only to look around and I could come up with thousands of things to be grateful for each day. Hope you do, too.

Gearing up for the Holiday Season

Oh my gosh, where did the semester go? I am technically done with all regularly scheduled classes, but I do have two review sessions left. One I will catch on podcast, but I will go to the other one tomorrow night. Weird. I'm not sure I ever got so into the rhythm of this semester that I was tired of it. That's pretty nice. Yes, there were nights I would have preferred to not be in class, but I was not sick of it, you know?

Now, for the next week, or so, I will be cramming to figure out what I learned, and organize it, so I can spit it back out on an exam. I have three of them. In one class we had a major paper due. I turned it in yesterday! Yippee!

I am already mentally pretty into Christmas. The house is all decorated, our lights are up, shopping for the kids is pretty much done - thanks to Wife and Amazon, and I have done most of my shopping for Wife's Birthday and Christmas. I still have a bit to do, but lots of time, still. We have both gotten very much into shopping on the internet - so much easier than getting out into the crowds, and more realistic considering kids and our schedules. Let's face it, there's not much you can't get over the internet:

Want books or toys - check out Amazon.
Want shoes - check out MBT shoes.
Want meals - try Home Bistro.
Want anything - just do a search, and PRESTO!, there it is.

Once the "have to's" of the season are done, then we can simply enjoy the good stuff - the lights, the music, the decorations, even the mall is fun when you don't HAVE to shop. Good family times ahead!

Law School and Family Dynamics

I was thinking this morning about how law school has changed my relationship with my extended family. When we moved to this area, we had hopes that our children would be raised as close friends with my niece's children. We all live relatively close by, had enjoyed each other's company on our visits to see my Mom, and it just made sense. We thought we would become close with my sisters. None of that has happened. I was wondering what did happen. Was it law school? Was it something about our children or how we are raising them? Is is us personally? I suppose it is probably a combination of things, but this morning, I spent some time thinking specifically what law school might have had to do with it.

Due to my schedule, we stopped going to family "wine nights," generally held every Friday night. (In all fairness, I think those dropped off a bit in regularity, but still...) We chose not to attend a family gathering, or two, or three, or more, because of my schedule. When you only get two free days per week, and one of those is spent studying, well, there just is not much time to socialize. We've not gone out of our way to be social. Mostly just casual invitations like, "Hey - when you are in our area, give us a call," or "let's get together for dinner on a Saturday night," Saturday being our main free night. When we do get together with family, we generally focus on keeping our kids out of the breakables of non-kid-friendly homes, which does not lead to sustained conversations.

Those things are enough I suppose, to create some distance. Then, I wonder, are there other things related to law school? I don't engage people in political debates or talk about law stuff, but do I come across as arrogant? Is there some kind of strange social hierarchy thing happening that I am not even aware of....or a jealousy thing? I am the youngest sibling by far; the one who was given everything and spoiled by parents who had by the time I came around achieved a certain amount of success and stability. Is there an extension - oh, now she gets to go to law school? Hey, for a mere four years of your life and $150K, you too can go to law school!

As I write this, I suspect law school is only a part of the larger family dynamics. We are not of either my niece's (and nephews, who now also live close and have children of their own) nor my sister's generations. We are in between both. We have probably not always played the family games according to the rules. Our children rarely see family and when they do, are not content to be seen and not heard, and we've not raised them to be that way, either. Yes....I guess there is probably a lot going on that is way more complicated to look at than the Clean Water Act or the Rules of Civil Procedure. Sometimes, it is easier to stay out of the muddy water. Maybe it is my hesitancy to stir up that water that keeps us at a distance, but, hey, you never know where the 'gators are lurking.

Grateful for a Beautiful Morning

Here's hoping all of you find things to be grateful for throughout your day.

Happy Weekend!

Dead Week and Other Random Thoughts

Where has this semester gone?! I cannot believe there are less than two weeks left before reading period, also referred to by some profs that have been around a while as "dead week." I am not sure why this never struck me as odd before. There are no classes for the shortened version of the week, which is only three days since the first two are used as class make-up days, so campus is kind of "dead" except for those choosing to study on campus. It struck me that might also be the mental state of some of us after hours of endless studying.....or the state we fear we could end up in upon viewing the upcoming exams. Multi-purpose phrase...."dead week."

Yes, now the intense paper-writing, outlining and studying begins. On campus we are all whining about how much we have left to do. It is such an excellent time for procrastination. I have heard there are those whose houses are never cleaner than right before finals. Surfing - the Internet kind, not the water kind - is taken to a whole new level. Suddenly movie reviews, diet pill reviews, and clicking "here" to determine your IQ are very important activities. In the end though, most of us are quite good at crunch time, and somehow, the papers, the studying, and the finals all get done. Then - a month off for Christmas break! I can hardly wait!

Cool Personalized DVD for Kids

It smelled cold for the first time on my way to work this morning. It was the perfect almost-winter day smell of a wood burning stove, fresh rain, and coldness. That must mean Christmas is just around the corner!

We have already managed a couple gifts for the kids, but that is all. I will barely have time to think about it between now and mid-December when finals are over (Wife's Birthday is right about that same time, too. We've been thinking of moving it to July!) I did come across something fun this morning that I had seen one other time, but it wasn't near a birthday or Christmas, so it slipped my mind.

This company does all sorts of personalized gifts, but my favorites are the customized DVDs for kids. You know the various elf videos that go around at Christmas where you stick pictures of your family's faces onto elves and they have a snowball fight or whatever? The videos operate under the same concept - send a picture of your child, and next thing you know, they are in a Dora episode or hanging with Spiderman. The characters interact and say the child's name....and I have a feeling our Little Princess would love it. There are a variety of options, including a Christmas adventure. Of course, if we purchased one for our Princess, Boy Wonder would need one, too.

Well, we'll see! (Wife - check it out!)

Trade your old stuff for new stuff

Here is an interesting concept - trade your old CDs, DVDs, games and books for new electronic items. The company, which appears to be very environmentally conscious, is called abundatrade.com and have quite an interesting business model. They take in used used cds and DVDs for credit, based on the market value of the item. Mostly it is one item for one credit. Customers then can use those credits to purchase new items. If not enough credits have been earned, the customer pays extra for the difference.

What happens to the used CDs and DVDs? They sell them, of course! The prices appear to be very good. I did notice that under "used DVSs" there were many VHS recordings, so that is something to be aware of when shopping. I did not see an explanation of that particular oddity.

The amount of credits that were needed for a trade was at least 100, and more in the 200+ range....so this site will be best for those with stacks of old items that are still in good shape.

Seems like a smart way to cash in on people's desire to be more environmentally conscious and appeals to the concepts of trading and recycling. I wonder if any of the movies we want for the kids are available...

Completed MPRE? Check!

When I am grocery shopping with the kids, which frankly is anytime I go grocery shopping, other than picking up an "emergency item" on the way home after school, we play sort of a game. After shopping for a bit, I read off the list, and whichever child is with me says "check" if we already picked up the item. (I know, very original, right? *grin*) Sure, I could do it in my head, but it is a fun way to get the kid(s) focused and helping.

This past weekend, I took the MPRE, which is the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, and I am sure I blogged about it sometime in the past week or two. It is sort of like a first step in taking the bar exam. It is only a two-hour test, relatively low-cost, and it can be taken again in March, if necessary. Still, clearly we all want to pass the first time.

For those not familiar with standardized testing situations, such as the LSAT or the MPRE (I won't even try to pretend to know what the bar will be like), I will say they are somewhat surreal events. You stand around and nervously await to file into a room where you present some form of identification assuring that you are the person identified on the test as the test-taker. You then have rules read to you about filling out boxes and taking bathroom breaks. Finally, you take a test designed by people fond of inflicting pain upon others that is supposed to either represent the likelihood you can handle law school (actually first year) and whose outcome will determine your chances of even getting into law school (LSAT) or how well you understand the rules that govern the professional responsibility and ethics of lawyers and how many practice questions you studied. It is very weird to be in the situation and thinking about the situation at the same time. Maybe it's just me.

Well, I feel pretty good about how I think I did, so I will be happy with that for now.

MPRE? Check!

Celebrating the United States

The sheer enormity of this victory, the patriotism and the postive energy that it has stirred up leaves me almost speechless. (Mind you, I said "almost" - let's face it, not much really shuts up a law student. *grin*)

Check out this scene last night.

The Next President of the United States of America

Thank God.

Just Vote

This is another fun video. It features well-known celebrities urging us not to vote.

WHAT?

Just watch it. (Thanks for the heads up, Mieke.)



On November 4th, Vote for Change. Vote for Barack.

Pike Place Fishmongers for Change

This is not the best video ever.
The message is simple and clear - but not terribly well-tied to the visuals.
No matter. It is totally fun to watch because it is filmed at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Enjoy.
Vote for Change.

Do we want an America that enshrines hate into our laws?

This is from a newsletter I received from Love & Pride today. It is well-written and says a great dea, so I wanted to share it with you here.

------------------------

Dear Friends of Love and Pride
I was recently asked to share my thoughts on marriage equality and Proposition 8 the proposed amendment in California that would effectively enshrine homophobia and hate into in their state constitution. This measure has the potential to reverberate either positively or negatively across the U.S. We have made such wonderful progress in our fight for the rights of all loving couples even under the last 8 years of a less than supportive administration. We cannot afford to take such a giant step back. Please take a look at the editorial that was recently posted online. And let your voices be heard in a clear and resounding NO to Proposition 8 next week. Whether you live in Wisconsin, New York, Alaska or anywhere else we are all Californians next Tuesday.
- Udi Behr


THE IMPORTANCE OF 'I DO' A STRAIGHT MAN'S
PERSPECTIVE ON GAY MARRIAGE.

Picture this.

A typical New York dinner -- good friends sitting around and pontificating on the state of the world -- with everyone having an opinion on everything. The upcoming election is the topic of the evening. And while the majority of the diners are confirmed liberals -- there is of course, a smattering of Republicans -- well, OK, only one confirmed conservative at the table. I do believe in equality after all.
He gets very quiet while we are discussing the impact of the election on marriage equality -- especially the upcoming vote in California on Proposition 8. Thinking he is just a bit uncomfortable about voicing a negative opinion on marriage rights for gays and lesbians amongst this ACLU crowd, and given how vocal I tend to be on the subject, I turn to him during a lull in the conversation and ask what he is thinking.


The table quiets down as he turns to one of the gay men at the table and says, You know, apart from about 1 hour a week, you and I are pretty much the same. I am really uncomfortable about taking away such a basic right. I always supported an America that gave freedom and rights -- not one that enshrined hate in their laws.

Overwhelmed by his comment and insight, I am encouraged that perhaps the true spirit of Americans will show itself in California in November.

Marriage equality is a reality in California -- a right that we, as Americans from every state, need to nurture and protect from those who would like to see the State Supreme Courts decision set aside. How ironic that we need to protect our lesbian and gay children and family members newfound rights from those organizations with names like the Campaign for Children and Families.

Who do these people think lesbians and gay people are? Where do they think they come from? Dont they get that every gay and lesbian is the son and daughter, sister and brother, uncle and aunt, mother, father -- and grandparent of someone else in this wonderful world.

I have been married for 25 years. Flexing emotional muscles every day is hard work -- whether straight or gay. But the end results can be wonderful. My wife and I have two children, a son and a daughter. They are our family and we only want the best for both of them . We want them to have the ability to experience the universal joys of life. How could parents look at their children and know that they couldnt share the same right to express their love -- our most astonishing gift as humans -- just because of who they were born to love?

Love is our very best quality and the law cannot put a limit on that.

I am a jewelry activist. I express my dreams and my beliefs through my designs. I design jewelry for people who want to make a fashion and a social statement. 10% of proceeds from my companys sales are donated to non-profit organizations that support a world of true equality -- like the one that Lambda Legal fights the good fight for on behalf of the gay and lesbian community.

The right to say I do is fundamental and a life experience not to be denied to 10% of our family and friends. So, if the gay and lesbian community cant say I do, Ill say I dont.

- I dont understand why over 4,000 American soldiers have died fighting in Iraq to bring democracy and civil rights to those outside the U.S. when many more are fighting in California to deny the basic right to love.

- I dont get why foreclosures are up 65% from last year -- and rising with no end in sight.

- I dont fathom how gas is at $4 and we continue to be the #1 global warming polluter in the world.

- I dont conceive how our elected officials can look at themselves every morning in the mirror knowing that our most vulnerable children and citizens dont have affordable healthcare.

- I dont understand why people are surprised at the global economic meltdown with the policies of the last 8 years.

I dont get why all of this is true -- and were still talking about enshrining prejudice and hate in our state and federal constitutions. As if the right of all loving couples to marry is the most important evil to overcome.

Where are the constitutional amendments for equality, diversity and tolerance?

Now I am an optimist at heart. And I believe in the better angels of our nature. But I will keep a vow to say No and I dont until all of us can say I do. I truly hope that others, like my conservative friend, will also say no to hate and send a clear message on Proposition 8 that love and marriage is a basic right for all loving couples.

For me, its truly that black and white. As a jewelry designer, I know that no two diamonds are created equal. But as a husband and a father -- I know that all love is.

A former Israeli paratrooper turned award-winning jewelry designer, Udi Behr is the Chief Designer and Creative Director of Love and Pride, the first high-end designer jewelry online destination for people who believe in equality, diversity and tolerance. Find out more about Udi Behr and his Love and Pride Collection at www.loveandpride.com.