Fun Filled Day of Crim and Essays

Today is Saturday and in exactly about 3 weeks and 2 days the bar exam will take place. Guess its down to crunch time! Ive gone back and forth from being scared shitless, to stressed out of my mind.. to being focused...to taking a "it will be what it will be mood" What you have got to understand is that I'm not studying like the average bar student. I have 5 kids, and one husband who's work schedule is outrageous therefore my study schedule has been having to yield to it.

So today and tomorrow the goal is to get caught up on study, do more than a few essays (which by that I mean... I've been outlining the model answers...but I am at least spotting the issues before looking at the answers...that's good right??) Its almost 10 here and i figure if i can just study till 10 or ll tonight and then do it again tomorrow I should have accomplished a bit.

So in true mood changing form... I found one of my most favorite songs and have listened to it 2 times already for inspiration and upliftment. I thought I'd share it with you so you too can be in a happy place. Ive posted it once before on my family blog... but for those of you who are only reading this one, or just started with me on this blog journey, the song is called "Ain't No Stopping Sunshine" by Yoli Tamu and was featured on Deliver us From Eva. Yoli hasn't to my knowledge released a CD but man I wish she would.

So pray for my sanity...and wish me luck in my endeavors.

The Rundown

The rundown thus far has went something like this.... Try to study...get interrupted, get stressed out...have a breakdown....cry...study some more.. repeat

I must admit that after my meltdown on Friday I really did get things in gear. I have determined that in order to try to even pass this horrible horrible beast of a test I will have to put in at least 10 hour days from now to exam time... which is in like 27 days. This weekend I actually felt for the first time that I absorbed some material. I still am behind (Like I haven't even reviewed Crim yet and it should've been done last week) but I am making a valiant effort.

On Sunday I purchased a desk for my bedroom so that while Bean was sleep at night I could study and wouldn't have to worry about him falling off the bed. Yes my 10month old sleeps in the bed with my husband and I. lol. At any rate... why didn't I think of this earlier?? I feel like I've gotten more done in this last weekend than I have in a whole week of studying. I am current on the day's lecture, and assignments. What does this mean considering I'm behind on the Barbri schedule. Just this.... Instead of frantically trying to catch up on the lectures that i missed I did the following. I reviewed the outlines and took notes on the missed material. I then opted to just keep up with the day's requirements and have vowed to make up the material that's missed on a day that's scheduled not to have lecture. So hopefully, this will all work to my advantage.

Today was spent and will be spent studying Wills, and tweaking property. So far (at 5:45pm here) I have listened and taken notes on the days lecture, outlined 4 essays, spent 2 hours doing MBE's and reviewed some flashcards...accidentally fell asleep taking notes for an hour...oops did i say that? Not too bad considering I still have to be mommy and wife.

I just have to remember to eat and take care of myself. I'm finding myself forgetting to eat and then shaking or feeling icky. I know your like how in the hell do you forget to eat... but you try studying for the Bar.. its entirely possible.

Ok...well time to go and try to cram some more shit into this brain of mine.

Till next time...
Take care of you!!

Time

There is never enough time to do anything. I have spent an entire morning taking care of needs and responsibilities only to have my laptop crash, my Barbri be inaccessible, and my mother call me in a chipper mood and tell me that 'you better get it done. you'll be fine". I'm not fine... I'm tired. I'm spent, I have a four year old who does not care that I need to study and his father is here and demands I take care of everything. I have a 10month old that...as lovable as he is still has the demands of a 10 month old. Nothing has gotten done thus far in regards to studying for the the bar. It is...as it always is... another Milton Morning. Who in the hell was I kidding thinking that I could do self study and maintain house and home by myself. There was a reason I never went to online school...it was simply because I NEEDED the forced study time and structure. And now...I'm pissed. I've been up since 5 am and have gotten NO Bar study time in. All has been spent doing regular family things. Add to this the fact that the baby needs formula, the bills need to be taken care of, the kids cleaned up, and a few groceries purchased...Oh and my lovely husband is just awaking from slumber...and I'm tired and spent already. I now need to go get dressed and finish up the requirements for family and home. meaning no time for me this morning because well.. GM has everyone on mandatory overtime (until Freaking April) meaning Mel has to do another 10 today on a day which would normally be his off day.

I think I'm going to go and purchase a cheap desk today for our bedroom. Maybe while the children are sleep I can study in our room at night. No sleep for mom...Goodbye old friend. I'll update as to what I actually get done today. My goal is at least 3hrs of lecture, 40 MBE's and at least 1 or 2 essays.. Lofty goal ehh?

Till next time,
Mai

Roll Call

Roll Call...Chicka Boomm... Cha Cha chicka Boom Roll Call....

My name is Mai...check
They call me May-yah..Check
I have a family....check
and am attempting the Bar....Attempting the Bar.

LOL.. Ok.. so I know y'all remember that old school chant with my Mai variation on it. Thought that I'd start the first post out on a lighter note as my other blog has been so very serious and stressful and dark.

If your one of my regular family, friends, or family blog readers you already know the deal. If your new I guess I should let you know who I am and a bit about me.

I am she!! Well actually I am... Iam (that's my name spelled backwards). lol. No but seriously, I am a law school graduate who is currently gearing up to take the Michigan Bar exam. I am not your ordinary Bar exam taker. I am a mom to 5 (age ranges from 13-10mths) and the wife to one who on more than a few days could probably be counted as number 6.

I am normally an outgoing, fun loving, high spirited person who has always wanted to become an attorney....well at least that's what my parents always told me. lol. Right now I am in preps to take the February Bar Exam and am stressed the hell out....seriously! You will also notice that I like using the punctuation (...) whatever its called.

I started this blog in an effort to keep my bar post and my family post separate and thus protect against commingling of ideas...see some of that Professional Responsibility stuff actually stuck. lol. No but seriously..To bring y'all up to speed let me re-post a bit of the entry that started this blog. Feel free to follow me if you will and thank you for all your HELPFUL and constructive ideas and or post. Until next time...

Mai

~The Beginning of this Blog~

Its 9am here and the realization has hit me that I have approximately 1 month to get ready for this mental torture marathon called "The Michigan Bar Exam". Up until this point I have been trying to study as best I can given the confines all around me. I have had breakdowns, experienced stresses, caught pneumonia, had a vehicle stolen, went back and forth with the car people, had utilities damn near disconnected, had children who were sick, babies who were vying for attention, didn't give a damn that mommy is stressed, quit smoking, started smoking again (when Mel decided that I need not quit right now because my stress level is tooo high and left cigs everywhere with an inducement to smoke), had my ma yell that she'll kill me if I fail, had a waiting to exhale moment wherein I cut my own hair, went to the salon and let them "clean it up", had one mommy night out, got sick again, discovered that I can't be sick because no one will let me.....and now... with a month to go...I'm wondering if this is doable? **Note I'm still sick but I guess I cant claim it because well.. I cant be**

I've tried multiple schedules and NOTHING seems to be working. I'm so far behind on Barbri its not even funny. Essays??? Nope cant say that I've written even one practice one so far. I have done a shitload of MBE questions though. So what does all this mean?? It could mean one of two things....either postpone it yet again because the requirements of life are just too much and I have NO FREAKING HELP... or 2. Hunker down seriously and do what I can do and pull one outta my ass. I've read blogs of others who did it within a month and passed and after all that's all I'm trying to do is pass. Not pass with flying colors or pass at the top of the curve.. Hell I could just get the exact number needed and I would be a happy camper. So this is what I've decided to do. I'm going to make a serious attempt. In stating that my stress level is extremely high and my mental stability is prone to break any moment (which takes A HELLUVA lot to admit) I have scheduled an appointment with a therapist to give me some coping mechanisms. Lord I hope that the mechanisms come in pill form because the wooo sahhhhs just wont cut it. I am also going to try my best to stick to some form of schedule to at least get in 7-8 hours a day from here on in. Lord knows I'm not sure if this will work.... not sure if I'll be successful... but all I can do is try right??

Since no one seems to understand or appreciate the gravity of what is needed, required , expected I have to turn my mind frame from the one in which i had in Michigan (wherein I actually had help) to that of a single parent going through this alone. Mel is here... but when he is most times he's sleeping till 12 or 1 because of this genius schedule that GM has them on. Then from 12-4 i get some study time in but basically that's all its been. Sleep is about to no longer be a friend... My God... If i can just get through this next month in a half and pass it will be a miracle.

Mai is tired. Mai is mentally drained. And Mai has no examples of individuals attempting to do this with the full demands of a family and no serious help or coping mechanisms. Other than those who are seriously Type A personalities (which I am not) and who probably have a smaller family load than I do.

Lord I wish I were a more structured and detail orientated person, maybe this wouldn't be so hard. If I were in Michigan this wouldn't be so hard. I can only pray that my method of madness pays off in the long run as I know my study schedule for law school test usually began only a week or so before the exam but somehow I pulled that off. Not sure if this 30+ days will allow me to pull off the biggest exam of my law career but we shall see. And if it doesn't well I guess It won't matter because every time I talk to my mother she tells me if I don't pass she's going to kill me so I will gladly welcome her actions if only to forego the stress of enduring this shit again!

Until next time...

Take care of you...and Pray for me!