Starting the Solo Law Practictioner Stay at Home Mommy Blogger Life

"Haha, good luck with that," they say sarcastically. "You've graduated from law school, passed the bar and now you won't be able to practice law until your kid goes to pre-school." That's what all the naysayers say...Well, okay, let me take that back. I've never actually had anyone say that to me, but when the congratulatory smile I receive after telling seasoned lawyers that I've been sworn into the Illinois bar quickly changes to a slight frown and pursed lips, I know what they're thinking. It usually happens right after I tell them that I'm not applying for jobs right now because I'm six months pregnant and trying to figure my life out, which involves coming up with ways for me to be a stay at home mother and an attorney at the same time. My husband and I are so excited about becoming parents to a precious baby girl, but let's be real here; babies tend to complicate things. We've talked on numerous occasions of all the ways we could make this work. Option 1: I get a job and pass my infant off to daycare providers. No. Not happening. I know it's going to take me a while to warm up to the thought of leaving my baby with complete strangers, I don't care how many certifications they have. And I want to be involved in every detail of my little one's first few years of life. Option 2: I get a job and he becomes a stay at home father since I have the potential to make more money anyway. Nope. I always imagined that I would be the one at home caring for my little munchkin. And while my husband would make a great stay home dad, his father taught him that "Momma can stay at home and do whatever she wants for as long as she wants, but a man, he gets up and goes to work." Because of my husband's upbringing, it's difficult for him to imagine sitting at home not doing something that will bring in any income. Option 3: I hang a shingle, fragile as it may be, and hope it doesn't fall and shatter into a million pieces, all so that I can be the hands-on mother I've always wanted to be during the first 3 or 4 years of my child's life. Yes. I like that option. It's the most difficult, unpredicatable, foggy, and possibly insane option, but it's the only acceptable one in my eyes. My husband and I were both blessed to have mothers who stayed at home with us full time before we went to pre-school. My mother in law, the wife of a general surgeon, was able to stay at home with her kids without having to worry about finances I presume, while my mom was only able to stay at home with me because my father committed to picking up two jobs to support us. But regardless of the circumstances, we both had four years of our mothers bonding with and nuturing us before we tottered into the snot infested, whiny world of pre-school. I would like for my little girl to have the same. So I'm starting this blog in hopes that one day, it will morph into an actual guide for other mothers who have chosen to rebel against the traditional 9 to 5 so that they can make money, yet have the flexibility and freedom to take care of their precious little ones. As I go along, I hope to provide work-life balancing tips along with business tips and maybe even the occasional "dote on my baby" post. But wherever this solo practitioner mommy blogger life might lead, thanks for following me as I figure it out.