Fill-In-The-Blank Friday 08.24.12

1.  My favorite thing to do on Friday is stay up late with my husband and son.  We'll either go to the movies, rent a movie, go to Chuck E Cheese's, go out to eat dinner really late, or just build a fort.  No matter what, we're doing it together and we're doing it until about 11:00PM.  Then, we sleep in on Saturdays, which gets the weekend off to a great start!

2.   This Friday I am planning on renting The Lorax.  Robert and Maddox went to see it while I was studying (either for finals or the Bar, I can't remember) and I really want to see it.  Earlier today Robert and I ate lunch with Maddox at school and agreed that being lazy and watching The Lorax was going to make up our Friday night.  I'm perfectly okay with all the snuggles I'm going to get!

3.  The best thing about a weekend is that I can actually enjoy it now.  I've only been out of law school for three months now, but it's been less than a month since I've been finished with the Bar.  So really these past three weekends are the first completely FREE weekends I've had in the last four years.  It feels AMAZING.  Just knowing that I don't have to study is the best part of everday, but especially the weekends.

4. Now that summer is almost over, I'm feeling a lot of things.  I'm excited that the weather will be cooling off.  We've had a record hot and dry summer this year that was no fun.  But, I am sad that I had to spend the entire summer studying for the Bar.  I wish I would have had that time to spend with Maddox.  But, fall is my favorite season and there's so much to look forward to including Halloween, my son's birthday, and Thanksgiving, that it's impossible not to be excited.

5. The best thing I did this summer was manage to live through studying and taking the Bar Exam while keeping my sanity.  Granted, my sanity did leave for a while, but it's back now--so that counts as "keeping" it.  Taking the Bar was something I've known I was going to have to do for at least 10 years and so to have it behind me (and HOPEFULLY to have passed--no results yet) is a fantastic feeling.  Even if I didn't pass (gulp) at least I accomplished something monumental in my life that I've waited a long time for.  I just hope I never have to take that dang thing again.

6. The thing I'm looking forward to about fall is Arkansas football!  We love our Razorbacks and I can't wait to watch what our new coach is going to do this year.  And of course, I'm looking forward to the weather, THE FAIR (we LOVE the fair!!), being able to spend time outside without feeling like you're going to melt, all of the family time, all of the holiday crafts, the spirit of giving that starts to ignite around this time of year.  I'm looking forward to it all!

7.  If I had to be stuck in one season for the rest of my life, I would choose fall.  My allergies are at their mildest during the season.  The weather is fantastic here.  And there's always an excuse to get together with friends and family.  Yes, definitely fall.

Fill-in-the-Blank Friday is from the little things we do

Fill in your blanks and stop by there to link up!

The Path Not Taken

It's Secret Sunday!  Link up below!

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This Post Secret submission is one that I can really relate to.  I always over analyze everything and like to play it safe.  After all, I'm a mom and I can't just think about myself.  

As I've briefly mentioned in previous posts, I plan to start my own business this year.  Right now I'm trying to get my business plan in order and I swear with every decision I make, I'm forced to ask myself two more questions that I have no clue how to answer.

It'd be so easy to just go to work for an established firm after I graduate.  I'd have a guaranteed pay check.  I wouldn't be stressing out right now attempting to define my business's image and the services I'll offer clients.  

It'd be unbelievably easier not to start my own business.  The only thing keeping me from throwing in the towel is knowing that I'd always regret not taking this risk.  I know I would.  

And I know that if I don't do this now, fresh out of law school, it won't happen.  It'd be even more difficult to justify leaving a firm with a guaranteed salary to venture off into my own business than it is to start one fresh out of school.  So I know that it's now or never.  

Yes, I'm terrified.  But I keep a saying in the back of my mind as I work through all of this that keeps me pushing forward with my dream:  I'd rather have a life of 'oh wells' than a life of 'what ifs.'

So, what's your secret?

{New to Secret Sunday? Find out all you need to know here!}

How My Son Saved My Life

It's Secret Sunday!  Link up below!

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When you become a mother, you're giving life to someone else.  But sometimes when you become a mother, your child is also giving life to you.  Just like this Post Secret submission, I honestly feel like my son saved my life.  

I found out I was pregnant when I was 20.  Seeing those two lines on that stick changed me forever.  So much so, that I can separate the "me" I am into pre-mommy time and post-mommy time.

Pre-mommy time I knew everything (sarcasm) but was doing nothing.  Sure, I was enrolled in college classes but each semester I probably ended up dropping or failing a few classes and then barely passing the others. I was in college because, well... that was just what I felt was the next step.  You graduate high school.  You go to college.  But I had no motivation at all.  

The moment I found out I was pregnant, my life changed.  I remember thinking, "Wow, I'm going to be someone's mommy and this little thing growing inside me is going to need me to have my shit together."  I never purposely messed up before I had my son, but I never purposely made sure I was on the right track either.  

I always say that having Maddox made me the me I should have been all along.  

Post-mommy time, I decided I wanted to go for my dream:  applying to law school.  I knew in order to do this I had to pull up my GPA up tremendously.  The semester before I found out I was pregnant (Fall 2004) I had a 2.41!  

I graduated with a 3.08, which is nothing to be proud of ordinarily.  But in order to do that, I had to re-take several classes.  I had six semesters left when I found out I was pregnant, and five of those I either made Dean's List (As and Bs) or Chancellor's List (All As).  The other one, I had one C... grr!  

I studied my ass off for my LSAT and ended up snagging a decent score and then I applied to law school.  I was terrified.  I remember sitting at the computer with all the necessary application documents uploaded, and all I needed to do was hit the "submit" button.  But I couldn't do it.  I bet I sat there for an hour.  

And then I realized that one day my son would have a moment where he would be scared to go for a dream because the odds were against him.  I knew that when that moment comes for him, I wanted to tell him that I at least applied to law school, even if I didn't get in.  So I held my breath and hit submit.

The rest is history, really.  I became the first person in my family to graduate from college in 2008.  Seeing my son in the audience as I entered the arena is a moment I'll never forget.  In many ways, I feel like it was him that should have walked across the stage instead of me.  

I got accepted to law school (although I still have no clue how considering over 1600 people applied and less than 150 were accepted--a 10% admission rate.)  And now I'm 111 days from walking across the stage again, this time with a much higher GPA.  And I'll be opening my own business soon.  

Not only did he inspire me to do my best academically, he just made me a better person.  I know that if I want to raise him to be thoughtful, I have to be thoughtful.  I know that if I want to raise him to be kind, I have to be kind.  All of this has contributed to the post-mommy me.  

When I think about the me I'd be without my son I either want to laugh, cry, or do both.  He inspires me.  He continuously motivates me.  

None of the above would be "my story" if it weren't for my son.  He saved me.  

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.  ~Rajneesh

So, what's your secret?

{New to Secret Sunday? Find out all you need to know here!}

Secret Sunday (inspired by PostSecret.com) 101: What is it & How Can I Link Up?

I am a huge fan of www.postsecret.com.  In case you're unaware, Post Secret is a blog that is comprised of anonymous secrets that are mailed to the blog owner's address each week in the form of post cards.  New submissions are posted on Sundays.  

I started My Secret Sunday Series about six weeks ago, after realizing that I should be writing about how much I'm inspired by the submissions.  (Duh!)  There's not a single week that I am not inspired or touched in some way.  On many occasions, I can also relate to some of the submissions on a personal level.  Some secrets can be very moving, and others unforgettable.  

So, each Sunday I visit Post Secret and then share the secret here that stood out to me the most.  I then use it as a writing prompt.  Now, you can join me!  

How to Link up:

1. Go to http://www.postsecret.com and check out this week's secrets.  Remember, new secrets are posted each Sunday, although sometimes the owner will put them up on Saturday evenings.  
2. Write your amazing blog post.  Did that secret make you sad?  Can you relate?  What advice would you give that person?  Did it inspire you?  Did it make you think of something else?  Anything goes!  [Optional:  Save the image of the submission you choose to write on, and include it in your post.]
3. Please be sure to mention that it's for Secret Sunday and link back to the Secret Sunday post.  The more that know about the link-up, the more responses everyone will get to on their post.  
4. Link up below my Secret Sunday post, which will be posted no later than NOON each Sunday (central time).  My linkys are open from Sunday to Saturday so if you can't post until later on in the week, no worries.  
5. Visit others' blogs to see what they wrote about and share some bloggy love!
6. Come back next Sunday and do it again!  :)  

If you'd like to see my past Secret Sunday posts, to get more of an idea of what I post on each Sunday click here.  

Also, Feel free to follow my blog to be reminded about Secret Sunday, but it's not required to participate.  You can also follow me on FB to know exactly when the linky is up!

I hope to see you this Sunday!!

To My Son: Who You Are is Who I Want You To Be

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This submission to Post Secret makes me so, so sad.  It makes me sad as a human.  But it especially makes me sad as a mother.  

I am probably what most would consider to be a liberal mother.  Basically the only rule we have in this house is to be respectful to yourself and to others.  Period.  In my opinion, that's pretty much the only rule that you need.  It's almost like an umbrella that covers everything that's really important.  And it works for us.  

Everything else pretty much goes.  I think that being creative and silly and having no inhibitions is such a beautiful part of childhood that we somehow (unfortunately) lose as adults.  So I let Madd express himself in as many ways as he wants to.  I think that this has allowed him to truly form (and continously form) his personal identity.  

So, when he picked up the loose powder finish I apply to my face everyday and asked if he could put some on, I didn't think twice.  Of course you can.  Here, let mommy show you how to do it.  And then we topped it off with some shimmery lipgloss.  

The week before when he wanted my sister to paint his toenails with the new polish she'd gotten for Christmas, I watched as he stared down at his shiny toes and smiled.  

His favorite colors are pink and purple, and he often tells people that.  And given the choice between picking out a pink yo-yo or a blue yo-yo as a toy at Chuck E. Cheese's, he'll go with the pink.

All of that might seem insignificant to you (just as it does to me), and if it does, I applaud you.  But, I know many, many people who would never allow their son to do those things.  They would flat out forbid them.  

But why?  In my opinion, it's fear.  It's fear that somehow allowing your son to be curious about makeup or think polish looks neat is going to mean that your son will somehow "grow up" to be gay.  

But I don't think that way.  It's just him being a kid.  No one has told him No, that's wrong.  You can't do that!! so it's never crossed his mind.  And I'm so thankful that it hasn't, because that means that other people's opinions of what he should or shouldn't be doing with his life are not holding him back.

Now, I know eventually that people will get in his head and he'll think certain things are "wrong" or that he shouldn't do them because he's a boy.  I can't control that.  

What I can control is what he hears from me.  I want my son to be the best him that he can be.  And I want him to know that he has my full support as he journeys through life and tries to discover who that him really is.  

When he walks into this home and into my arms, HE is safe.  HE is welcome.  HE is who I want to be here.  Whoever that he is, is for him to decide.  My job is just to let him know that HE is who I love.

I'd like to end this post with an article that a friend of my sent to me the other day.  She read it and said it reminded her of how I parent.  Although I can only hope to be like the amazing mother who wrote this article, I took it as a compliment.  It discusses the reaction she received from her blog readers when she posted about her 6-year old son telling her that he had a crush on a popular male TV actor and the revelations she's had throughout this experience.  You can read it here.

Now it's your turn.  How did Post Secret inspire you this week?

Secret Sunday is a series of posts inspired by the weekly submissions to Post Secret.

Click here to visit postsecret.com OR click here to visit other posts by this author in this series.

Hippies Over Cell Phones

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Secret Sunday is now a linky!

Please check out the linky info below & join me! :)

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When I saw this Post Secret submission, I knew it was the one I just had to write about!  I catch myself thinking about how differently my mother grew up than I did, and in return, about how differently my son is growing up than I did.  

My six-year old can't comprehend a world without cell phones.  (Mom, what's a phone booth?)  In fact, he can't comprehend a world without smart phones.  Off the top of my head, he is exposed (in some way or another) daily to three smart phones, two laptops, two iPods, an iPad, a Nintendo DS, and a Nintendo Wii.  

Technology is great.  Don't get me wrong, I love it.  But you have to wonder just how big of an impact it's having on your child's life when he asks you if he can bring the DS with him for a car ride to the store.  

I want his passions to be about politics and current events, not a video game.  And when I think of hippies--true hippies--I think of the reasons for their passions and reasons behind their "rebellion" from the norm.  

So, although technology is a blessing in many ways, it can also be a very powerful force in our lives that we need to stay conscious of.  As many other parents probably know, it can be hard to combat the prevalence of electronics in a child's life, but we're trying to do our part.  

In fact, just two weeks ago I announced that one of my resolutions is to designate at least a one our period per day where no one is allowed to use electronics.  This "rule" applies to all of us, not just my son.  I want to make sure we all stay conscious of how much we're plugged in.  

Although I can't bring back the 60s and the 70s for my son (or me for that matter), I can make sure that he realizes that he can survive without electronics, and I know I have to start now.  I have to start now while electronics aren't a "must" but are just something we do to have fun.  So, continue to wish me luck with my resolution!  

Secret Sunday is a series of posts inspired by the weekly submissions to Post Secret.

Click here to visit postsecret.com OR click here to visit other posts by this author in this series.

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Now for the Linky info!

I am a huge fan of www.postsecret.com.  In case you're unaware, Post Secret is a blog that is comprised of anonymous secrets that are mailed to the blog owners address each week in the form of post cards.  New submissions are posted each Sunday.  

I started Secret Sunday four weeks ago, after realizing that I should be writing about how much I'm inspired by the submissions.  There's not a single week that I am not inspired or touched in some way.  On many occasions, I can also relate to some of the submissions on a personal level.  

So, each Sunday I post the secret that stood out to me the most, and I use it as a writing prompt.  Now, you can join me!  

How to Link up:

1. Go to http://www.postsecret.com and check out this week's secrets.  [Optional:  Save the image of the submission you choose to write on, and include it in your post.]
2. Write your amazing blog post.  Please be sure to mention that it's for Secret Sunday.  :)
3. Link up below!
4. Visit the link of someone else to see what he/she wrote about and share some bloggy love!

Share your secret below!