Christmas is for Giving and Figuring Out Toy Storage

I love how generous everyone was with the kids at Christmas but we have too.much.stuff. So much that my Christmas gift was these awesome bookcases (two of them) put together and anchored to the wall by Husband and his dad. They were completely filled with books (on shelves), crafts (in cabinets) and dress up clothes (drawers) BEFORE Christmas.

The kids opened everything at once but there were certain toys that they kept on playing with during Christmas day and the days that followed. In no particular order the Esq kids' favorite toys:

Buckle Bear (actually a Monkey I realized when I looked it up). Jo loves this gift from Grammy and Penny also has found enjoyment. For Jo I just unbuckle and rebuckle a million times and sometimes she tries herself. Jo also brings over any new book and demands repeatedly "read! read!" before flipping to the end and saying "all done!" That girl is one big exclamation point.

Ned is a theme kid - Cars, ToyStory, Thomas. His two favorite gifts were the Thomas ViewMaster (thanks, Aunt Rachel!) and Mack Hauler from Cars (thanks, Grammy!). Of course Ned is already complaining that he's "seen all the [view master slides] pictures already". This from a kid who will watch the same movie twice in a row. Interestingly Ned hasn't really played with the one gift he begged Santa for (Flynn from Thomas the Tank Engine) - maybe because he saw it in our home office before I had a chance to unwrap it?

Penny asked Santa for princess dolls and dress up clothes. Her favorite is the $1 crown I got at Christmas Tree Shop and the $3 plush Snow White doll I got at Walgreens (sort of like a really cheap version of this one). When I asked her what her favorite gift was for Christmas she said "having fun with everyone". Damn, she can throw a fit for an hour and be the sweetest kid on the planet twenty minutes later.

We spent much of the day after Christmas actually opening big box gifts, putting in batteries and asking ourselves "where the heck are we going to put this stuff"? I know that some moms put toys away and that sounds great in theory until you realize that your basement has no storage left from all the toys that the kids have outgrown or don't use. I'd sell or give them away but I don't want to hurt our nanny's feelings (she always gets the kids way too much) and I'd like her to baby able to take what she wants for her son (due end of January).

For the grown ups Husband got me only the things I requested/needed - a gel mat for the kitchen and a shower curtain. To some that might sound unromantic but I love a practical gift (I think the best gift my mom gave me was a hairdryer one year). I did get some Ugg boots from my mom lest you thing all my gifts were overly practical. I got Husband a cufflink storage box that turned out to be broken and will have to be returned, along with a computer game (so I can watch my "girl" TV shows). We always try to make things funny with cute gift tags - for example Husband wrote "To my dirty, dirty wife" on the shower curtain.

How do you handle Christmas toy/gift overload?

Grooving and Growing

This little girl likes to groove.

She's always been this way - just a little smaller.

Small Kids; Small Problems

When pre-schoolers are awful it feels like your world is crashing down. But those moments of exhaustion are merely physical - no real emotional needs are being unmet as of yet. Strangers are indulgent about tantrums because of their cuteness.

We have a parenting groove down - we feel like we understand pre-schoolers. Their needs are simple: Love, food, sleep, arts and crafts, books and some physical activities. Maybe a little TV.

We expect them to pay attention to carving pumpkins... for five minutes.

Ned was carried screaming the length of the mall for our fast exit on Saturday morning with three naughty kids. But this morning he completely unprompted snuggled into me and said "Mom, I love you so much".

Penny can scream for over an hour about wanting to watch Small Potatoes which failed to appear after an episode of Special Agent Oso. Penny likes to instruct Ned on how to put on his shoes and underwear. She makes up songs involving chickens to the tune of "Five Little Pumpkins". She reasons "Well, maybe..." and still calls elastics "plastics". She is a very capable little girl.

Jo is into everything - climbing, falling, bruising, angry at not being 3 yet; but when Ned and Penny aren't around she is so chatty and a little less crazy. When we are walking places she wants to hold Ned's hand instead of mine.

She likes to feed me popcorn during movie time.

We may feel like we ran a marathon when the bedtime drill is over. When it is done the kids are in bed for almost 12 hours - the house is quiet.

It won't always be this way. Growing up is a blessing and a curse.

Missing the Billable Hour

Two weeks at my new in-house position at Specialty Retailer and I am sad to say that I miss the billable hour.

What!!, you all gasp in horror. How is this possible? Big Firm lawyers do nothing but bitch about their billable hours.

Here are reasons why Big Firm lawyers should appreciate the billable hour:

1. Self-Worth. Can you measure how valuable your time is? I remember thinking that it was silly not to pay someone to do X or Y or not spend time researching coupons or best deals because my time is worth $XXX. Sure, I never actually saw that money but you know how the Big Firm values your time for a client and in turn you start to value yourself the same way. Now I am reviewing the sales circulars and putting together a detailed list for the grocery store. I pack my lunch and set up the coffee maker to start brewing at 5:30 am. Some of this has to do with the drastic pay decrease but a lot of it is because I can no longer say that my time is worth a specific sum.

2. Showing Me the Value. When you have to record your time then the partner and the client know what you've been doing; it shows how hard you've been working. Now, unless I stay late (more on the in-office culture at Specialty Retailer to come) or send a late email from home, no one knows how long I slaved over contracts to a particular contract. There is no need to be efficient which can be nice but it also means trying to figure out when enough is enough - especially when you are trying to impress a new boss (and the only boss you have, unlike working for many partners at Big Firm).

3. Record Keeping. Tracking your time means you have a good way to look back at your history - your contract and deal-making evolution. Your billable hours indicate what percentage of time you might spend on not just a particular client but a type of matter. At Big Firm if I was spending too much time hand holding junior associates I could push them out of the nest. I couldn't put off painful projects (provided they were billable) if my monthly hours were supposed to show time devoted to that project. Now I find myself putting off longer term projects in favor of ones that can be accomplished quickly (maybe I miss the deal rush?).

I actually think that it is useful for everyone to track their time to some extent but that in turn takes time so no one does it unless economically necessary (as it is in Big Firms since lawyers generate the revenue).

What do you think about the billable hour? Do you track your own time if not required by your job?

Ch-ch-changes!

Fall is a great time of year to make changes, to wake us up from those lazy, hazy days of summer.

Mommy, Esq. is making a change this Fall. I am leaving my Big Firm.

I can't believe I wrote those words but it's official. I gave my notice and I'm moving in-house to a retail company at the end of the month. There are lots of pros and cons which I want to detail for my readers (do I still have any?) since this is a decision most Big Firm lawyers have to make: Do I stay (and try to make partner) or do I go (and where to? how?). If you have any specific questions leave them in the comments.

Ned and Penny also have their own changes: They started pre-school this Fall.

Jojo has her changes: She's walking and talking (a little) and a 15 month whirlwind of terror. (Don't let that Pebbles style hairdo fool you.)

Nanny April has her changes: She's pregnant and due in January.

What does this all mean for the Esqs? Tune back in soon!