First year of Law School- Part 2: Preparation and Support

I think being organized is a key to being successful in law school. And obviously, the more you are responsible for, the more organized you need to be. I didn't relinquish any of my stay-at-home mom duties once I started school. Hubby works out of town anyway, so it's not like he could have done more. It was up to me to make sure things still ran smoothly around the house and with the kids.

Mostly, that meant going to Costco and/or Sam's Club every couple of weeks and stocking up on everything and anything to avoid having to make repeated trips to the store, especially when someone runs out of something. I have some shelves in my garage dedicated to storing extra cases of bottled water, soda, paper towels, laundry soap, cat litter, etc., and a closet inside that has all kinds of bathroom/toiletry items. I always keep enough supplies that I didn't have to make emergency runs to the store. If you hit the big stores during the week and in the morning, you can usually get in and out pretty quickly. Since I hate shopping anyway, using the stock-up method helped me save time and frustration through the entire year.

Since our schedule is so crazy and varied with hubby working out of town all week, daughter having 2 night classes, and son volunteering at church, I was happy to accept my parent's invitation for a weekly dinner for the kids and I. Every Thursday after class, we went over and had dinner with them. More than just the meal, it was a nice way to make sure I was still spending some time with my family.

The stocking up and the once a week meals with my family were two things that helped me throughout the year. It made my weeks a little less stressful and helped me devote more time to my studies. Things that you can do to help you keep your focus and save time are big keys to making your first year a little more bearable.