SO....
Here is a list of some of the books I plan to read in the next few months
Merry Christmas from the Dixon Family!
3 hours ago
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
What I'm Gonna do Post-Bar Exam ...
READ! For fun!! No more case law, no more statutes... I'm replacing Cardozo and Hand with Evanovich and Daily! Yay! I haven't been able to just read a book for pleasure in about 3 years! I feel like a nerd, but that's ok!
SO....
Here is a list of some of the books I plan to read in the next few months
SO....
Here is a list of some of the books I plan to read in the next few months
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Something's wrong with this picture . . .
Yep. It's official. I have lost my ever-lovin' mind.
For the last month or so, I have been studying 6-8 hours a day. All that studying just isn't good for my sanity.
Today, I studied on the front porch because the weather was awesome! I took a break mid-morning and went inside to get a snack. When I came back to start studying, I reached for my highlighter, but instead found... toothpaste.
Toothpaste?
I do not remember bringing it out on to the porch. I have no idea when or why I brought it out there. I guess I unconsciously grabbed it on my way out of the bathroom thinking it was a highlighter.
Freaky.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Thursday Thoughts -- OK with Inadequate
I am a perfectionist. A classic 'Type A' overachiever. For all 3 of you who read my blog (Hi Mom, Dad, & Mimi), you know that I have been studying for the Bar Exam.
A few weeks ago as I was studying, I thought to myself how inadequate I felt to take the test. This thought surprised me. School has always been my strength. It's easy for me. I enjoy it. I've never had to struggle academically. School is the one thing that I have always been good at. So the realization that I wasn't doing well was kind of shocking. (Ok, it was so scary that I had nightmares about failing the Bar and the Supreme Court yelling at me for being a failure).
(Yeah, Justice Scalia was in my dream.
Very Scary.)
Then, I started thinking about all the other areas of my life that I am inadequate in. I am an inadequate housekeeper, an inadequate friend, an inadequate mother, and an inadequate girlfriend.
But most of all, I am an inadequate Christian. God is Holy; He is pure. He cannot be around sin. And I am an innately sinful creature. Nothing I ever do will change that. All my good works are like filthy rags to God. Being "good" will not make God love me any more than he already does.
And strangely enough, this was a comforting thought to me. Not the part about me being so sinful, but the part about God's unconditional love. He does not expect us to be perfect. This is a load off my shoulders. It's relieving to know that I don't have to impress God. When I fail, when my inadequacies are most apparent, He doesn't withdraw His love.
So, I have come to the conclusion that I am OK with being inadequate.
A few weeks ago as I was studying, I thought to myself how inadequate I felt to take the test. This thought surprised me. School has always been my strength. It's easy for me. I enjoy it. I've never had to struggle academically. School is the one thing that I have always been good at. So the realization that I wasn't doing well was kind of shocking. (Ok, it was so scary that I had nightmares about failing the Bar and the Supreme Court yelling at me for being a failure). 
(Yeah, Justice Scalia was in my dream.
Very Scary.)
Then, I started thinking about all the other areas of my life that I am inadequate in. I am an inadequate housekeeper, an inadequate friend, an inadequate mother, and an inadequate girlfriend.
But most of all, I am an inadequate Christian. God is Holy; He is pure. He cannot be around sin. And I am an innately sinful creature. Nothing I ever do will change that. All my good works are like filthy rags to God. Being "good" will not make God love me any more than he already does.
And strangely enough, this was a comforting thought to me. Not the part about me being so sinful, but the part about God's unconditional love. He does not expect us to be perfect. This is a load off my shoulders. It's relieving to know that I don't have to impress God. When I fail, when my inadequacies are most apparent, He doesn't withdraw His love.
So, I have come to the conclusion that I am OK with being inadequate.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Behavior Beads
SO... about a month ago, I began to notice Eva's behavior going down-hill. Nothing major, just small acts of disobedience here and there. Which really is major. It's easy as a {busy} parent to think that it's ok to let small instances of bad behavior go un-disciplined.
For instance, if I tell her to go make her bed and she just ignores me. It's often times easier for me just to keep nagging her about it until she finally gives in and obeys just to get me to hush up. However, I realize that obedience is just as important in the small things as it is in the big things. The specific task that I am asking her do to is not as important as the fact that I am giving her directions. As the child, she must learn to obey what I say, when I say it.
My dad always used to say,
"Obey me first, then ask questions."
OR
"You need to obey the first time I tell you, without arguing."
At the time, when I was a kid, I just thought he was being mean and controlling. But now, as a parent myself, I understand that he was teaching me and my siblings an important lesson: you must obey those in authority over you, or else you will not get very far in life.
Throughout life, we have so many people we have to obey: God, teachers/professors, bosses, the law, etc. If we as parents do not teach our kids to obey, then when they become grown-ups, they will not understand the importance of obedience.
This means... they may rebel against God's calling for their life; they may not learn as much at school because they are not following the teacher's instructions; they may not be able to hold down a job if they resent their bosses' assertion of authority; and they may end up in Court if they do not respect the law.
I want to protect my daughter as much as I can from the consequences of disobedience. This means instilling in her the importance of obedience at a young age.
Thus began... Behavior Beads.
I got this idea from "The Preacher's Wife" Blog (see My Favorite Blogs on the right-hand side of screen).
I got a glass (yes, I bought my daughter a wine glass, lol) and we decorated it together. We made a list of both positive and negative behaviors, and we gave each behavior a number of beads.
Makes her bed without me asking her to = 10 beads.
Speaks when spoken to = 5 beads.
Argues = -3 beads.
Etc.
When she fills up the glass (200 beads), she gets a prize!
I wasn't sure how this would work, because I did not think I would be consistent in its application, and I wasn't sure the delayed gratification would work with a 5 year old.
HOWEVER, I am so happy that it worked VERY well!
It took Eva 3 weeks, but today she earned her prize! (markers that write on windows)
I hope to "phase out" certain behaviors (such as making her bed) once they become habit, and replace them with new behaviors that I want to develop in her.
Side-Note: I do realize that the Behavior Beads deal primarily with her overt behaviors, and do not deal much with the issue of her heart. More on that in a future post :-)
For instance, if I tell her to go make her bed and she just ignores me. It's often times easier for me just to keep nagging her about it until she finally gives in and obeys just to get me to hush up. However, I realize that obedience is just as important in the small things as it is in the big things. The specific task that I am asking her do to is not as important as the fact that I am giving her directions. As the child, she must learn to obey what I say, when I say it. 
My dad always used to say,
"Obey me first, then ask questions."
OR
"You need to obey the first time I tell you, without arguing."
At the time, when I was a kid, I just thought he was being mean and controlling. But now, as a parent myself, I understand that he was teaching me and my siblings an important lesson: you must obey those in authority over you, or else you will not get very far in life.
Throughout life, we have so many people we have to obey: God, teachers/professors, bosses, the law, etc. If we as parents do not teach our kids to obey, then when they become grown-ups, they will not understand the importance of obedience. This means... they may rebel against God's calling for their life; they may not learn as much at school because they are not following the teacher's instructions; they may not be able to hold down a job if they resent their bosses' assertion of authority; and they may end up in Court if they do not respect the law.
I want to protect my daughter as much as I can from the consequences of disobedience. This means instilling in her the importance of obedience at a young age.
Thus began... Behavior Beads.
I got this idea from "The Preacher's Wife" Blog (see My Favorite Blogs on the right-hand side of screen).
I got a glass (yes, I bought my daughter a wine glass, lol) and we decorated it together. We made a list of both positive and negative behaviors, and we gave each behavior a number of beads.
Makes her bed without me asking her to = 10 beads.
Speaks when spoken to = 5 beads.
Argues = -3 beads.
Etc.
When she fills up the glass (200 beads), she gets a prize!
I wasn't sure how this would work, because I did not think I would be consistent in its application, and I wasn't sure the delayed gratification would work with a 5 year old.
HOWEVER, I am so happy that it worked VERY well!
It took Eva 3 weeks, but today she earned her prize! (markers that write on windows)
I hope to "phase out" certain behaviors (such as making her bed) once they become habit, and replace them with new behaviors that I want to develop in her.
Side-Note: I do realize that the Behavior Beads deal primarily with her overt behaviors, and do not deal much with the issue of her heart. More on that in a future post :-)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Shrinky Dinks
Shrinky Dinks. Are. Awesome!
Shrinky Dinks are basically pieces of paper that you can color, and then bake. You put them in the oven for 2-3 minutes, and they shrink down to about an 1/8 of their original size and become hard (like plastic).
Very Cool.
Eva got the kind of Shrinky Dinks that can be thread onto string to become a necklace. She loved coloring them and then watching them shrink right before her eyes!
And they are not just for kids...
Before.
After.
Check them out here: www.shrinkydinks.com
I bought Eva's at Cracker Barrel for $5.
Shrinky Dinks are basically pieces of paper that you can color, and then bake. You put them in the oven for 2-3 minutes, and they shrink down to about an 1/8 of their original size and become hard (like plastic).
Very Cool.
Eva got the kind of Shrinky Dinks that can be thread onto string to become a necklace. She loved coloring them and then watching them shrink right before her eyes!
And they are not just for kids...
Before.
After.
Check them out here: www.shrinkydinks.com
I bought Eva's at Cracker Barrel for $5.
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