A Day in the Life - February 15, 2012

 5:15am - I wake up on the couch. Apparently I fell asleep during Teen Mom 2 last night shortly after it was revealed that Kail did the nasty with Jo in her shower. Gross.  I get up and go to my bed and immediately turn on the mattress warmer.

5:54 am - Brandon starts jumping in his creeky crib and announces "I'm in my room!!" He says this every morning, but I still think it's funny.  Sometimes I egg him on and ask him "Hey, where are you Brandon?" just to hear him say it again.  this morning was not one of those mornings.

6:15am - I get up to get in the shower, but decide to get Brandon a drink in hopes that he'll shut his yapper for awhile and let the rest of the house get some more sleep.  He is strongly in favor of orange juice.  I tell him to stay put in his crib, I'll deliver it to him.  He verbally agrees.

6:16am - Brandon swings himself like a monkey out of his crib and meets me in the kitchen.  I give him his juice and tell him I have to go take a shower now.  He's cool with this plan and immediately states "I help you."  (yeah, I found this a bit creepy too.)

6:17am - With drink in hand, Brandon runs to the bathroom and turns the bathtub water on.  "Here Mom!" he instructs.  I turned the water off and led him to the living room tv and put Spongebob on.

6:45am - I'm done with my shower and found Brandon, luckily, right where I left him.  I begin to take pictures.... but as you can see, something was wrong.  I immediately deduce my batteries are about to die and start to charge them.  I begin the normal daily routine and start to make bag lunches for the husband (JP or Jeremy) and daughter (Brynn).  JP gets a frozen chicken teriyaki, yogurt parfait, cool ranch doritos, and mountain dew (neither of us take his health very seriously.)  Brynn gets a bowl of pepperoni and cubed ham, carrots with ranch, grape juice, and a tootsie roll.

 7:10am - Brynn starts yelling from her room, but I'm in the kitchen.  All I can make out is "..and you're really hurting my feelings!"  I finished what I was doing and went to check on her.

(I put the batteries back in my camera and snapped a picture of Brandon on the way to Brynn's room and the camera worked just fine... after I turned a light on.  Turns out batteries weren't the problem, just the fact that I bought a fancy camera and have refused to learn anything about how to properly use the settings, the flash, and all that good stuff)

I arrive in Brynn's room to find her thrashing about and crying on her bed.  I ask her what her problem is and she quickly juts her foot out for me to inspect.  She's apparently having problems with her frog socks and since she's 5 1/2 years old, she cannot figure out how to put her toes in. Mmmm-hmmm.

Jeremy is in charge of dropping Brandon off at daycare on his way to work, so the guys left around 7:30am.  Brandon needs to get to daycare by 7:45am in order to get breakfast,so that's usually a pretty good incentive to get everybody up and out the door on time each morning....most mornings.

Brynn finally was up and moderately awake and ate her (disgusting) whipped chocolate mousse-style yogurt for her breakfast. I think it looks a lot like cat food and have refused to ever try it.  Since she's not a breakfast person and we're usually short on time, I let her eat it because she likes it.

8:10 am- hop in the car with brynn for the ½ block (literally) drive to school. (And yes when it's warm outside we walk.)

 At approximately 8:13am I have manuevered through the drop-off line and made it to the front of the school.

8:15am – call the office and say I’m going to CVS because I feel sick. Really sick. Well, that's what I say. The truth is that my nose hurts and I feel all sinusy and gross.

8:30ish – finally make it in to work and start taking pictures. Kate (the office manager) hides. We talk about valentines day and jeremy’s cat drawing and if I got a gift.  (translation: I got my husband a one-of-a-kind drawing of a cat from www.iwanttodrawacatforyou.com and in turn, jeremy got me a brand new flash drive for my computer.  perhaps next year, we'll just buy our own presents and call it good.)

This is my normally cluttered office.

This is where I work with Tim, Kate, and Spencer.

And this is my dead plant that used to be a beautiful palm.  Lesson learned, palms don't last in ND, or in offices.

8:50am – turn on my computer and crack my redbull.

9:00am – kate brings me a police report from the fax machine that I’ve been waiting for, I review it and bring it in to Tim (the Boss) who’s meeting with the client that it pertains to.

9:06am – get an IM from chantel about the Disney vaca she wants to take. Tim wants me to go meet with his client… oh the choices. I choose to follow the directives of my boss.

9:35am – done meeting with tim and his client.

9:46am – still dinking around on the internet. Somewhat happy that Kobe and Vanessa are possibly reconciling and that Blake Lively got a restraining order against an obsessed fan.

9:53am – new client arrives for a meeting. I’m bummed. I’m not in the mood for working. I wait for my airborne to dissolve before I head into the conference.

10:28 am - finish meeting with potential client. Needs to get her tax money back before she can retain me. Typical. I totally lowballed her just to get some business, should be an easy case if she comes back though.

10:42am – still not working.

11:05am – got done writing a letter to the potential client that just came in confirming the poverty lines and that she’d have to pay the whole filing fee with no waiver and to come back when she has the money. Tim came in and asked me to find him some spousal maintenance argument for his hearing this afternoon. I’m starving and can only think about nachos.

This is my half-assed argument - just the part in blue.

11:34am – stop searching for spousal maintenance arguments. Come up with a half-assed argument and write it down. Am completely starving now… and hope that I put brynn’s lunchbox in her bag. I’m about 99% positive that I have.

11:38am – Tim arrives to get his spousal maintenance argument.  Either he's really excited about what I came up with, or this picture was completely staged.

11:45am – invited myself to go to lunch with tim and spencer (his son that does all of our filing and box lifting) but then declined at 11:46 when I felt more of an obligation to get supper in the crockpot. Sad trombone.

(Here's the building buffalo. He never says much,  but he's a great listener. We've enjoyed many a long talks.)

I arrived at home about 4 minutes later....







11:50-1:00pm at home making supper and tidying up.

Here's my house. Brynn and Jeremy made the snowman.

Here's the view from my front steps.



Reason #1,328 why I hate the cat. Puke on the floor moron.

Beef Stew for supper

It was snowing when I came back to work!

Supper is Cookin'

1:06pm – return to my desk with my lean cuisine wood fire style margherita pizza. I had to come back to work so I could eat my lunch.

1:11pm – realizes I should really do something today that I can bill out for. So far I’ve earned NO MONEY today. Barfy. This is exactly what I love/hate about my job as an attorney and why I can basically make my own hours.  Today is a slooooow day and I need those once in awhile because some days are non-stop and you feel like you might end up losing your mind, and some days aren't crazy at all, but you have so much busy-work to do, you could easily end up working all night. So, it's okay that today is slow, but dear lord, let me get paid for something!!

1:16pm – IM with chantel. (I don't think she'll pay me if i bill her for this.)

1:18PM – IM with patty. (nope, she won't pay me either.)

Self-Portrait #1

1:32pm – just about ready to start working. I can feel the motivation starting.

2:17pm – YES!! I worked! I finish modifying a stipulation for parenting time, but the auto-numbering is killing me. I decide to "let" kate try and fix the damn margins because I can’t get it. Go try to take a self-portrait. Oooh – perhaps spencer can?

Self-Portrait #2

This one was Spencer's Idea...

Self-Portrait! (With Spencer)

2:27pm – done with the self-portrait and Tim's glamour shots. Tim is back from Court and won his spousal maintenance argument. Off to organize a request for production of documents with kate. 

Glamour Shot #1

Glamour Shot #2

The pile of documents that were requested.

2:47pm – Document requests had to wait.  After meeting with Tim about his hearing tomorrow, I was tasked with calling a  guardian ad litem to determine a location for a parental capacity exam that she recommended.

2:59pm – talked to a client about the hearing tomorrow and then went back to help Kate with the document requests.

Kate had to explain the hundreds of copies that Spencer had to make.

3:25pm – done organizing RPD’s with kate. Back at my desk trying to decide either what to do next, or what to avoid next…

While laughing at Kate and Spencer, I took the opportunity to photograph my favorite jean trousers.  Are they jeans? Are they slacks? I don't know, but I declare them work appropriate.

Hijacked Photo #1

3:35pm – my camera was hijacked and tim has started taking pictures of random shit and then decides to crush my soda can (like he does every day)…. I’m trying to do my time slip for today so I can determine if I’ve even broken even today.

Hijacked Photo #2. I was being instructed to "work it"

Hijacked Photo #3, of Melvin the Janitor

3:37pm –ordered my boss to go get me some gardettos after he gave me back my camera

3:39pm – my gardettos arrive at my feet after being flung from the front door.

3:45pm – still eating gardettos

The gardettos delivery service.

Hijacked Photo #4, of the crushed can.

3:47pm – tim asks me to look at the witness list from the other atty for his hearing tomorrow… still nothing but unbillable hours but for the stipulation revision.

4:00pm – basically given up on work for the day and decide to update my monthy expenditure spreadsheet with my paycheck information (I have started tracking everything that goes out/in to keep me from overspending)….Then I start reading an article about international abductions and aging out of the hague convention.

4:03 pm – client stops in unexpectedly. I try to hide, but am found and agree to meet with her. Yes, I will bill her for this.

4:18pm – back in my office to finish my cnn story about parental abductions.

4:33pm – just spent approximately 10 minutes on 'I want to draw a cat for you"'s fb page… and found a funny video of a guy skating in his basement. Posted it to my FB to share the laugh and to annoy my friends who don't understand my love for the cat man.

4:45pm - I get my notes from my 'day in the life' project printed out so I can keep working on them tonight.  I get ready to leave, go to the bathroom, etc. and come back to the office to find Tim digging through my purse. 

4:47pm - find Tim digging through my purse.

4:48pm - Tim realizes I'm writing this down and asks me to clarify that he was actually 'rummaging' rather than digging.

4:51pm - Off to get the kiddos.

5:00ish - I pull into the daycare parking lot and find Brynn outside playing.

I left her playing and walked through her classroom to go find Brandon in his classroom.

And here's my rascally wild man that I love so much.  He loves anything to do with cars, motorcycles, trains, airplanes - you get the picture.

I get the kids packed up and signed out, and Brynn took the opportunity to have a melt down in the car.  She got even more hysterical when I began documenting her meltdown.  (Reason for tantrum #2 of the day: she wanted to buckle herself up but couldn't get it quite right and I wasn't helping - but she never asked.)

5:19pm - we arrive at home.  Jeremy is already there.

The crockpot meal was done.  I gave Brandon a PB&J to go along with it because I knew there wasn't a chance he would actually eat the stew.  Brynn decided to have a sandwich with her stew and she ate it all.

(  I didn't eat anything because I'm a vegetarian and my kids have no idea that I don't eat meat. )

5:37pm - Brynn is done eating and Jeremy sits down to review my 'day in the life' notes and is absolutely horrified at what I do (or more appropriately what I didn't do) all day.  He also wants me to either clarify why I slept on the couch on Valentine's Day, or make up some other beginning to my day. (the reason I slept on the couch: we got home from supper with his family. He felt tired and sick and went to bed at 8:30pm and wouldn't let me have the tv on in our room. I went to the couch and fell asleep around 9:30pm. )

5:40pm - I tell Brynn to hurry up and get ready for dance tonight.

5:41pm - I tell Brynn to hurry up and get ready for dance tonight.

5:42pm - I ask Brynn if she has any idea of what she's supposed to be doing right now.  She has no idea.

5:44pm - I find Brynn completely naked in the bathroom wearing a fake mustache. 

6:02pm - Brynn is finally ready to go to dance class and has put on a completely atrocious outfit.  I don't really care as dance starts in 13 minutes and is a good 15 minutes away.



My Tiny Dancer



6:16pm -- Miraculously, dance has yet to start so I'm able to snap a picture of her as I leave her in Abby Lee Miller's care (just kiddin' - anyone else watch 'Dance Moms'?)

I got a bit paparazzi-ish and snapped a picture in the dance studio.

6:20pm - I'm back in my car, but not before I hold the door open for another mom and her baby. Wait, that's not a baby. It's her daughter's doll.  I'm completely embarassed and feel the need to say audibly to her "That's not a real kid!"  Nervous laughter ensues. I get in my car and head off to get myself some supper.  I used to sit at dance class and wait for Brynn and then go home and have a bowl of cereal, but for the past couple weeks, I've started to treat myself to a dinner by myself, wherever I want.  I sit and read a book and just enjoy the quiet.  Tonight I wanted Qdoba.

Two corn, Two Pico, Two Habenero

6:33pm - I sit down with my vegetarian gumbo and am very relieved that I left the horrible book in my purse that I was committed to never finishing because it's really really bad.  I read a couple more chapters and put it back in my purse, even more committed to never finishing.

6:40pm - The dance mom that I had the awkward conversation with moments before arrives at Qdoba with her husband, sans "baby."  I make an overly friendly smile at her.

7:10pm - I arrive back at the dance studio and get a call from my mom asking me if I'm at the dance studio. Mmm-hmm. She then proceeds to question me on scrapbooking techniques and how I would recommend to adhere pictures.  Really great conversation.

7:15pm - class is over and I decide to snap a couple more pictures.

7:30pm - We arrive back at home and Brynn beckons her brother so that they can open the present from Grandpa Tim and Grandma Pam that came in the mail today.



What seemed like an hour later, but was only minutes, the box was finally opened! Grandma and Grandpa sent a present from their Florida vacation - tshirts, sunglasses, and a SEASHELL THAT YOU CAN HEAR THE OCEAN IN!! Brynn has been wanting one for a loooooong time!!! 

Really?? My own seashell??

 

The seashells were a hit!

Brandon wasn't a big fan of the sunglasses and opted to put his hood back on whenever I tried to put them on his face.

My camera-friendly diva had no problems posing for me.

7:45pm - Time to start rallying the troops and heading for bed.  It was Jeremy's night to tuck in Brandon and my night to tuck in Brynn - but since I felt like I was only able to see him for about 10 minutes today, I let Brynn stay up a bit longer and I went and read Brandon 1 of his bedtime stories.

As you can tell, he was really excited.

7:55pm - and then I was off to get Brynn in bed- after I turned on my mattress warmer.  She is just learning how to read and it's awesome to hear her do such a good job!  Tonight she was blowing through a Biscuit book.

(it's good the cat is so good to the kids and vice versa -- tonight the cat got to listen in on Biscuit and his aversion to baths)

8:15pm - I have Brynn all tucked in and I head to the kitchen to get the beef stew packed up for Jeremy's lunches over the next couple days and make sure Brynn's ice packs are in the freezer for her bag lunch tomorrow.  I go through her backpack to make sure I'm not missing any notes.

I check the meal planning board to see if I need to get anything prepped for supper tomorrow and find that I need to take some hamburger out of the freezer.

8:45pm - I get to my room, happy that I had turned on the mattress warmer earlier. I play a round of mario kart on Brynn's nintendo ds and wait for Revenge to start at 9:00pm

9:00pm -- Oh I am so happy!!

9:30pm - I get a text message on my phone from Tim, my boss. My phone is wacked and I can't read my text messages and have yet to get it fixed.  I have to get up from my bed and go downstairs to get jeremy's cell phone.

9:35pm - I text Tim back with Jeremy's phone and tell him if he really needs something to text me at this number instead. (anybody watch 'Two Weeks Notice' with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant? -- well working with Tim is much like that movie. I never know if the random text is because something urgent has happened, or because he doesn't know if he ate chicken or turkey for lunch -and that IS a true example of a text I once recieved.)

9:36pm - Tim texts back.

9:36-10:07pm - Texts between Tim and I regarding his hearing that starts at 9:00am tomorrow in Ada.  I need to get to the office first thing in the morning and attempt to subpoena somebody to show up at the hearing. That should be a lovely experience.

10:00pm - start to watch 'Untold Stories of the ER' on TLC.  The first story is about a man who was stoned and drunk and decided to put his 'you know what' in a camper stove that was missing a knob.  He arrived at the er with two blankets clothespinned at his shoulders and holding a camper stove.  I fell asleep before I found out if the stove was removed or if the doctors had to amputate.

And THAT was my February 15, 2012.