Please Don’t Call Me “Smart”

May 17, 2013 by Melanie

I know it’s meant as a compliment, but from time to time, I get thrown off when a family member calls me “smart,” either to my face in response to something I said or did, or on Facebook, in a comment under some post I have about a project I’m working on or something going on in my life.  Occasionally I get this from a friend too.  I could never quite put my finger on what exactly it was that bothered me about this remark, until I had kids.  Then it hit me:

Don’t just call me “smart,” because that judgment fails to acknowledge that I am dedicated to what I set out to do, and that I work very hard to reach my goals.  Read more...

Coming Home for Mother’s Day

May 10, 2013 by Melanie

At Grandma’s house. Photo credit: M. Brookes

I’m exhausted, which is pretty common these days on Friday evenings.  I am home with my kids every Friday, and my business is getting busier and requiring more from me, which means that almost every Friday I’m at my parents house so that they can help me with the kids while I get work done.  My parents are both retired, so they are pretty much always available.

This is not the house I grew up in.  My parents raised me and my sisters in an older house across town that they eventually lost in bankruptcy while I was in college.  This house is nice though, and it still feels like coming home when I’m here.  Well, no, actually.  Coming home for me now is the feeling I get when I go back to the house I bought and had my children in – literally, being a homebirther.  The house where I live and run my own household is where I feel at home.  So coming here feels, well, like something else.  Like going to Grandma’s house, I suppose.  Read more...

I Could Wean? I Could Wean!! The End of Breastfeeding, and the Happy Dance I’m Not Supposed to Do.

May 3, 2013 by Melanie

Start Small, Stay Small? Solopreneur Moms and the Benefits of a Home Law Office

Apr 26, 2013 by Melanie

So I’m about two months into the solo law practice, work-at-home mom gig.  I have some billable work as well as a couple upcoming seminars (one of which is tomorrow – eek!), and things are actually happening for me, which is really great.  And at the same time, a bit challenging.

Everything is sort of feast or famine when you’re a solo lawpreneur (I know I am seriously annoying someone out there with all these trendy terms, but I love it).  You can’t exactly refuse or decline work, at least not if it’s a chance to bring in some much-needed cash and it wouldn’t be impractical or unethical to take the client.  Marketing is equally important right now – I need to keep blogging (on my law firm website) and networking, looking for more places to give seminars, etc.  It all takes up a lot of time, but it needs to be done.  Read more...

A Kitchen Full of Judgment

Apr 12, 2013 by Melanie

“No, sorry, I’m too busy ignoring my daughter so I can cook her a healthy meal.”

If you’ve kept up with my posts on here, you’re aware that I hate cooking, or at least that I hate the difficulty and stress that comes from having to cook for an entire family.  It’s more of a keeping-up-with-the-joneses thing — I always feel like my friends can make awesome gourmet meals when I’m making tacos from a box or shake and bake chicken or something.  And I wonder how other working moms have the time to spend 2-3 hours on food prep, cooking, dinner and clean up when I barely have time to sleep.  Read more...