Our Horrible Experience with Gymboree Classes...

…let me tell you a tale about our horrible experience with Gymboree Classes in STL. My hands are still shaking from being so mad as I type this.

Back in July, my mom bought us a Groupon for $42 for a month’s worth of classes with them. After we purchased it, AR and I went to a trial class. The location was about 45 minutes from the house which I didn’t realize but AR had a great time. Our teacher, I believe her name was Cindy, was awesome, there was singing and playing and BUBBLES! AR didn’t want to leave. While we were there in July, I signed up to use our Groupon for the month of October. Cindy signed us up, gave us info and our receipt and we headed out the door.

Now fast forward to October 6, the first day of classes. My mom had to take her because I had to work. I gave her the paperwork with the name and address. They headed out the door and when they arrived at the address, there was no Gymboree…no sign, no new address, nothing. My mom called their phone number and it said they had moved locations. Luckily, she had her Garmin so they arrived right at 11am only to see that AR didn’t have a nametag like the other kids. They got her squared away, the two participated in class and they had a good time. When my mom mentioned the address change, the teacher just said, okay, and never even apologized.

October 13 AR and I head to class with the new address. We drive up and down and up and down the street trying to find it but it’s no where in site. I call their phone number and the recording says, “For directions, please leave a message.” This was Sunday at 10:50am and it’s now Wednesday and I have yet to receive a phone call about directions. I called my sister who gave me the cross street and I finally found it. It’s important to point out that their storefront is not actually on the address it’s listed at and if you come from the direction we did, you cannot see their storefront at all. To say I was on fire when we arrived right at 11am is a bit of an understatement.  When I mentioned to her teacher that they needed better directions, she offered for me to talk to her boss. Her boss that never came out to talk to me the entire hour we were there. Again, there was no nametag for AR. The teacher got her one and put down that she was using the Groupon.

At this point, I’m irritated but AR likes the class so I’m okay with it. No one has reached out to us about the initial location change or apologized about the lack of communication and irritation of driving around in an area you’re unfamiliar with looking for a hidden store. Not to mention, we drive 45 minutes there and 45 minutes home for this class. Whatever, it’s two more weeks, we’ll suck it up and finish up the classes.

This week Groupon emails me to inform me that Gymboree has changed locations. I was just going to let it go but since it was brought up, I emailed them about the entire situation. They emailed me back late last night then about an hour ago, my phone rings and it’s someone from Gymboree. I step outside to take the call because I assume they’re calling because Groupon contacted them. Boy, was I wrong. Here’s our convo:

Gymboree:  “Your teacher said you were using a Groupon but your Groupon has expired. Were you planning on enrolling?” Wow, no beating around the bush or being an inkling of polite, huh?

Me: “No. We came to a trial class in July and the instructor signed us up for the 4 Sundays in October. She gave me a receipt.”

Gymboree: “You don’t get a trial class with a Groupon so that counts as one of your classes.”

My face gets hot and I can feel my blood rushing through my body.

Me: “You know what, forget it. It’s been nothing but problems working with you all. Just give us a refund and we’ll be done with you.”

Gymboree: “You’ll have to talk to Groupon about that.”

Me: “That’s fine, I’ve already been in contact with them.”

At this point, my hands are shaking and I can’t look up the phone number to Groupon fast enough. When the guy answered the phone, I told him, “I’m apologizing now because I’m extremely irritated and my hands are shaking I’m so upset.”

He tried his best to calm me down and offered to call Gymboree to see if we could get our final two classes. I told him there was no way I was taking my daughter and myself back to that store after the way that lady spoke to me. The end result was a $20 credit since we’d attended two classes. I might add that the credit was on my Groupon account within minutes.

I don’t know if with the location change, they got new staff. I did hear the teacher last week say that one of the teachers got married and was moving to Europe so maybe she was the glue that held them all together. I was also informed that the class AR was in was more about learning to take turns, wait in line, etc…which I was wanting to work on with her but it was more just a free play the whole time. The activities were great and AR really liked it so I feel bad about that part of it. Luckily, we still are doing gymnastics and library classes so she still has plenty of classes to stay busy, have fun and interact with other kids.

Bottom line: If you are a parent with a kid in STL, don’t waste your time and money at Gymboree classes until they get their stuff together.

Update: The day after the incident happened, the owner of the STL location called me. He did offer some free classes for us to attend but I don't think he totally grasped why I didn't want to return. I told him I appreciated the offer but turned it down.

I had tweeted about the incident and Gymboree had asked me to email them which I did and never heard a reply. I'd also left a message on Facebook and about 2.5 weeks after the incident, someone from HQ replied asking me to call them. I did and Danielle was very apologetic and she finally understood why I wouldn't return to classes. Two days later, I was surprised when I got home from work and saw a package on the porch. Danielle had sent me a box of toys for AR to try to make-up for the whole situation. I appreciate their efforts to fix the situation and for reaching out to me. Now, hopefully, this will all be put behind us.

Chocolate Check-In Week 5...

Still training hard for the Hot Chocolate 5k coming up in December. I'm also trying to talk hubs into making a weight loss wager with me...I'll keep you posted.

 

Friday, September 27-Ran 1.5 miles in 17:57! 

 

Saturday, September 28-Ran 1.5 miles in 17:56 before tye dying 100+ shirts at work; glad I did this before work because I was exhausted afterwards.

 

Sunday, September 29-Walked a mile with my sweet AR and my throat gland (official terminology) started getting huge...

 

Monday, September 30-Gland wasn't any better so I went to the doctor. Turns out I have a lymphnode infection so I skipped my run and opted for a 1 mile walk with AR instead.

 

Tuesday, October 1-Ran 1.5 mile in 17:50...gland much smaller and feeling better!

 

Wednesday, October 2-Ran 1.5 mile in 17:48, this run was easy and went fast....amazing what a little Netflix will do to take your mind off the task at hand!

 

Thursday, October 3-Ran my first mile outside and it took 12:06. Glad to see that my pace on the t-mill isn't too far off of my outside pace.

 

Challenge: First thing in the morning when you wake up, do 20 jumping jacks to get going for the day! Try to increase a little bit each day.

 

When AR and I go on walks, we always pass this sign:

I'm sure the middle school kids in our neighborhood did it. While I'm not one to graffiti, I really want to add the extra line so the Mercedes symbol will go away unless, of course, the kids are trying to tell Mercedes to peace out. Hmm...

Mommy Confessions...

...Sarah over at Running from the Law has done a series of Mommy Confessions from momma bloggers. I had started my list of my own confessions but haven't been able to touch base with Sarah to share so I thought I'd share my own confessions here. Here goes...

 

*No matter if she's hysterically crying or throwing a fit, I HAVE to line up all the snaps on the onesies or else it drives me nuts. For this reason alone, I leave out zipper pajamas for my husband for the nights I work.

*I have never talked about poop as much in my entire life as I have the past 9 months...for both her and me. I have also received pictures of poop while at work and had diapers saved for me to inspect when I get home.

*I went to a Sleep Doctor for AR. Yes, I always thought it was ridiculous to go to a sleep doctor for baby...hello! Babies sleep weird! But until you're up every night for 2-3 hours and are seriously a walking zombie, your mind will be changed.

*Now that I've stated my child isn't a great sleeper, when she does sleep then I get paranoid and will check on her. Therefore, waking her up. Smh...

*Although my child is 9 months old, I still wear maternity pants. Most of my old pants "fit," we'll use that word loosely and just state that they are snug. However, the main reason I still wear them is because I now totally understand mom jeans and it doesn't matter what brand they are, all my jeans are now mom jeans. I'm getting really tired of the saggy crotch in the maternity jeans though not to mention they are now way too big and I've worn a hole in the thigh. Updated: When she turned 9 months, I put up the maternity jeans which kind of now takes out the fun of Jean Day on Fridays.

*Now that I pay attention to ounces, it kind of amazes me. For instance, the other day I stepped on the scale, went pee then got back on the scale and I realized that I'd peed out an entire bottle.

*I wish I could say I'm one of those breastfeeding moms who does it for the benefits and the bonding, Don't get me wrong, I do, but honestly, I'm cheap and lazy. I don't want to spend money on formula if I can feed her for free and I hate washing bottles. Although as we near the 1 year mark, I'm starting to realize how much I'll miss that time with her.

Bottom line...I'd do anything in the world for this face!

Response from Southwest...

...here is the email I got regarding our experience with Southwest. At least it was an apology and not automated although their only "solution" is to fly it them again to give them another chance. IT was also sent from a no-reply email address so I can't email them back. Thoughts???

Dear A,

Without a doubt, we acknowledge how vital Customer feedback is to our operation, and your comments and concerns about your January 18 travel experience with your daughter have been heard and taken to heart. Travel is complicated enough, especially with kids, and we know that a little help is always appreciated.

As a courtesy to our Customers, our Automated Outbound Messaging (AOM) system is intended to proactively deliver customized automated messages to Southwest Customers when there has been a change (or we anticipate a potential disruption) to their flight. AOMs are typically delivered via telephone call, text message, or e-mail to the phone number or e-mail address indicated as the preferred method of contact during the booking process. We sincerely regret if you did not receive the AOM until your flight landed.

Additionally, although we were disheartened to learn of your disappointment in the service you received from our Customer Service Agents (CSAs) as well as the Flight Attendants onboard Flight #, please know that complaints concerning a lack of sympathy, patience, or kindness from our Employees, particularly toward families, are quite rare. Many of them are parents themselves and are predisposed to respond compassionately to children, even under the most trying circumstances. It is clear that you are disappointed with the service you received from our CSAs as well as the Flight Crew and we are very sorry that this experience was not indicative of the considerate service we strive to provide. We appreciate your providing us with the details of this experience, and your concerns in this regard have been included in our monthly report, which is distributed to our Senior Leaders.

Again, we truly regret having disappointed you. We wish that we could erase such an unpleasant memory; unfortunately, we cannot, but we can encourage you to let us create a new one by traveling with us again soon. Your family's patronage is very important to us.

Sincerely,

Amy, Southwest Airlines

Fear and Faith...

...I don't know about all of you but I can't get the incident in Connecticut out of my mind. I'll be driving down the street or rocking AR or unloading groceries and my eyes fill with tears and my heart aches for the families that lost loved ones. I can't even imagine what those families are going through or how they'll ever recover.

It makes me scared for my sweet AR, for my family, for our world. I remember back in '99 when the word about the shooting in Colorado occurred and that was a rarity but now every time you turn on the news, there's a mass shooting at a school, on a college campus, at the mall, at the movies. Are we safe anywhere??? It makes me want to keep my AR home and shelter her from everything but what kind of life is that?

Sure, you can live in a bubble and be a hermit but at some point, you have to have faith. Faith that there are good people in the world, faith that when you leave your house that you family will come home safely and most of all, faith in God. I believe that God has a plan for each of us and He'll protect my family and me and if it's our time to go then it's our time.

I won't live my life in fear but I will live it in faith of God that He will protect this sweet baby and all of our loved ones.

Target FAIL!!!

I ordered a maternity shirt from Target...I opened the package and received a pair of bikini bottoms instead! TARGET FAIL!!!

Happy New Year all!

How Expedia Falsely Advertises...

...okay so wow-things have been insane around this house! First off, I was gone all week at my sister's watching H and on Wednesday, Matt calls to tell me that he can't go to FL with me the week after Christmas because his boss is leaving town and he has to run the nursery. I'm going to just leave it alone and not add my two cents but that's the jest of the story. The plan was that Matt and I were going to drive my mom's car down to FL December 27 and then fly back on January 4. So now I would have to drive my mom's car by myself 14 hours and 20 weeks pregnant...not so much fun, right?

So my mom and I start trying to think of different ideas to get me to FL. First off, Matt's ticket is non-transferable to another person. We could receive a credit to use in a year but then they charge you a $150 re-issue fee so right away, our ticket has doubled in price so long story short, we're just out that $121 (hoping that his boss will pay for it but doubtful). My mom and I found a flight on 12/30 for me to fly to FL for only $159 (including taxes and fees). Sweet! That's definitely the best deal because 1. I'm not driving 20 weeks prego across country by myself and 2. It's cheap (well for the most part). Now on to how Expedia sucks!

I get on Expedia, price still advertised at $159 and click, "Book this flight." I fill in all the information and get to the payment page and suddenly the price is $189. Hmm...so I pull up another tab and search the flights again thinking maybe I took too long to book and the price had increased. Nope, still advertised at $159. So I call Expedia to find out what's going on. The agent tells me that the airline is updating the price so $189 is the price. I ask, "So you're telling me that the prices you advertise are false? You don't honor the prices you show?" His reply, "Let me put you on hold." He doesn't tell me why, just puts me on hold for over 15 minutes. When he comes back he tells me, he can't do anything so I ask to speak to a supervisor. He transfers me to another lady and I explain the whole situation to her to which SHE replies, "Let me transfer you to a supervisor." What!?! I thought I was talking to a supervisor!!! She goes to transfer me and surprise! my call gets dropped. I'd given her a call back number in case that "might" happen but no one ever called me back.

I get home from work yesterday afternoon and call again to speak to a supervisor who basically sticks to the company policy of apologize, explain and get them off the phone. I plan on writing a letter to the company, not that it will probably do anything but it will make me feel better. I'll never book with Expedia again and I hope you don't either! I highly would recommend trying out other sites like Travelocity, Kayak, Orbitz, Priceline, Hotwire...should I go on? I am now on a personal mission to spread my story because

1. Expedia falsely advertises and does not honor the price they show. It would be one thing if I clicked and then the entire site increased but for the whole 30 minutes I was on hold or speaking to the non-helpful agent, I kept refreshing and checking and the price stayed at $159 so this wasn't just a moment of I happened to click at the wrong time. They falsely advertised this price for a LONG time.

and

2. There customer service is not service at all. They have memorized the policies and lines to repeat but don't actually listen to your problem and try to help. Excuses, excuses, excuses!

So there you have it, my friends, how Expedia falsely advertises and has horrible customer service! Now let's just hope that my reservations are correct!

How Young Is Too Young for the World Series???

...well, as you all know, my sister, niece and I were lucky enough to have an awesome dad/papa who took all three of us to our first World Series game. My niece is only 7 years old. There have been some snarky comments made to both my sister and I that, "it's a waste of a ticket to take a kid to the World Series." My question is why?

She fully understood what was going on and how "big" the whole thing was. She helped me keep attention because she read the ball-strike-out count to me between EVERY pitch and the girl cried at the end of the game because of how awesome it was! Tell me how many adults (aside from the losing Rangers fans) that cried at the end of their first World Series game because they were overwhelmed with emotion. This 7 year old didn't complain ONE time about being cold or that she was tired and she didn't even bat an eye when it started to rain. Heck, I could barely get her to go to the bathroom with me in between innings! Aside from being hit in the eye a few times by her rally towel, I thoroughly enjoyed having her sit next to me at my first World Series game. It's a memory that my sister, my dad, me and I'm sure my niece won't EVER forget.

So I ask, if it's a waste to send a kid to the World Series then who should go instead? The girl who doesn't even know what teams are playing and runs for cover at the first sight of a sprinkle and only spends one inning in her seat? Or maybe the guy who is so drunk, he probably spent his entire week's salary on beer and won't remember the score of the game, much less who was playing? Please let me know who is the appropriate demographic to go to the World Series so that you're not "wasting a ticket."

The bottom line is, everyone has their own opinions. I don't really care WHO goes to what game. When I go to a game, I'm there for the atmosphere, the excitement and to cheer my team on. I don't look around and judge who should and shouldn't be there. If only the "perfect fans" were allowed to go then people watching at the game would be BORING!

My Review of the VMAs...

…I’m not one to watch award shows much, maybe flip to them here or there, but Sunday night, I settled in the MTV Video Music Awards. It was an interesting event to say they least but let me give you my opinions:

*Fashion-what was everyone wearing? Really, wearing a block of cheese on your head, hot red pants and specs or a multi-colored face mask doesn’t really equal hip and with it in my book. Is it just me or since Gaga joined the scene does it seem like it’s a contest as to who can have the craziest outfits?

*Chris Brown dancing: Why was he wearing a mic when he wasn’t singing? Did you like how he didn’t have anything choreographed when Nirvana came on?

*I really think Britney was scared of Gaga when she presented her with her award, I know I was scared! I’m not a huge Britney fan but I felt kind of bad for her. Her award was overshadowed by Gaga’s freakiness.

*Gaga: Prior to the show, I didn’t really like nor dislike Gaga. Her music is good, I enjoy listening to it. When I’d seen her on Ellen a few times, I got the idea that she was just a quieter person but really down to Earth. After the award show, I am not a fan. She totally took it WAY too far and wouldn’t let it go. Okay, we get it…okay, we still get it…okay, it’s old.

*Beyonce’s belly rub hurt. That’s all I really care to share on that subject.

*I honestly can say I did not know over half of the people on the show, I thought the New Artist winner, was some kid on the street (really who wears a tie-dye shirt with a cat on it to an Awards Show?). I recognized most of their music when they played but if I passed them on the street, I’d have no clue who they were.

*Jared Leto-wth happened to him???

*Did anyone else think the Amy Winehouse tribute was kind of small? When I think of a tribute, despite how the person died, I think of it as sincere and serious but it was just laid back, not a whole lot of footage. Just odd but then again, the VMAs were odd so maybe that’s what they were going for.

*Jessie Jay singing with the band by herself was also weird and looked out of place. Maybe it was because she was sitting down the whole time. I did enjoy her singing because that was the only songs that I knew, it was more my time.

*And the reason I watched, “The Hunger Games” preview. Totally letdown! It was BARELY 30 seconds and since I follow blogs about it, it really wasn’t anything I HADN’T seen already.

Conclusion: 2011 VMAs were weird and made me feel old. What were your thoughts on the 2011 VMAs???

Friday Foto Fun!!! (Not Wedding Pics-I Promise!)

...I know you all are tired of wedding pics and who doesn't love making fun of yourself, right? Here's my race photo from SCC 10k this past May.

As you can tell, Megan (in the pink to your left) thinks I'm crazy. My philosophy: I'm not going to buy my race photos so I might as well make them entertaining for all to see! Here are some more crazy race photos if you missed them. Happy Friday all!

The Biggest Loser...

...at the Expo on Friday night, we were walking around...do-to-do, minding our own business then I looked up and said, "I think that's the guy from the Biggest Loser." Beth looks and says, "Yeah, I recognize the shirt." All we could see was the back of his plain green shirt, no words. Beth and I started weaving in and out (the theme for the weekend apparently!) until we could see the front of his shirt and his face.

Beth touched his arm, "Excuse me? Are you from the Biggest Loser?" He nodded and said, "Yep! That's the only place you can get this shirt!" I guess you can't buy the team colors with the logo on it. We were SO starstruck and freaking out. Matt was rolling his eyes at us as we took a picture. Apparently, we were either the only ones that recognized him (except one lady who asked for his autograph) or no one else was as excited to meet him as us because really no one else stopped him.

He was so cool as we chatted with him, just very down to Earth asking what corrals we were in and our goals and telling us about the people walking with him. Beth went on and on about what an inspiration he was and he was like, "Good, that's what we like to hear." Anyways, it was a very cool experience if you can't tell by the huge smiles on our face:

As we got in the car to head back to Beth's granny's, (Beth is the super skinny one in the light blue), Beth comments, "He probably thought I was either a big liar or used to be really fat." We all agreed, we'd go with he thought she used to be fat. LOL!

Compliment Yourself!!!

...okay, so for the past 1+ year, I've really had an issue with my self-image. It's horrible! I've wanted to blog about it but I didn't want it to come off as a pity post just to get comments that "I'm great!"

Well this past Saturday morning, I woke up feeling down about a comment that Matt made to me (hey, we all hurt each other feelings from time to time even if by accident), and hopped on FB. My good 'ole friend (and very CUTE friend at that!) Stan had on his FB status, "Compliment Yourself! Share something great or one of the favorite qualities about yourself."

Ten hours later, he posted another status, "There are 2800+ friends on my list and when asked to compliment yourselves, 15 hits??? That's all? If this were a trivial comment or something negative we'd JUMP on it. Give yourself Shine! Write it, then read it so you believe it. Compliment Yourself =) Share something great or one of the favorite qualities about yourself."

How true is that? We're all over statuses/blog posts that we disagree with or that come across negative but asked to compliment ourselves and we can't think of a single thing. Maybe it's because we're too hard on ourselves, maybe it's because we're afraid of coming across as cocky but today, I say WHO CARES!!! My challenge for you is to leave a comment COMPLIMENTING YOURSELF! Tell me about your great hair, your awesome personality, your pretty eyes and NO DISCLAIMERS! Just tell it like it is! I'll get us started:

*I'm really good at remembering certain things. If I met you 6 months ago, I can remember your name and probably even what you were wearing.
*I'm good at my finances.
*I'm good about blogging! :)

Okay, so there, I compliemented myself so now it's your turn...what makes you SHINE???

Snow=Forgetting How to Park...

...I'm sure you all heard we had Snowmaggedon here last week. It really wasn't as bad as we were expecting although my work did close early and open late for the first time in history!!! Anyways, Snowmaggedon must have made people forget how to park.

See how intimidating the snow in the parking lot is:
Oops! We can't pull all the way into our spot, so instead of finding a different spot (two away, an extra 12 feet to walk), we'll just block half the lot so cars have about 2 inches to spare on either side.
Or better yet, I'll pull in behind a car that pulled too far through and just block them in. Yes, people all three of these cars are parked-no drivers around:

But you know what would be REALLY awesome, I'll just park in the middle of the lane and not worry about it:

Yes, people, these are all real situations and yes, this was all in the SAME parking lot. Come on spring!!! People forget how to park and drive in the snow, we need the spring weather to get here ASAP.

My Jockey Mini Briefs...

...A couple weeks ago, if you were a "fan" of Jockey then you had the opportunity to win a pair of mini briefs. I had no idea what they were but I'm always up for free! I quickly became a fan and saw the rules. At exactly noon, the first 250 people to click on the link would win. I didn't think it was that big of a deal but apparently it was!!! People were SOOOO pissed that they didn't win and the link posted like 30 seconds early.

So...I won!!! Which is crazy, insane because Jockey has over 65,000 fans AND the 250 free pairs were gone in 5 seconds!?! YES FIVE SECONDS!!! How bananas is that?! So about a week later, I get them in the mail. First off, let's look at how huge the package is compared to the actual mini brief:
Second, what the heck am I going to do with this? When I saw what it was, I thought it was 1. smaller and 2. plastic. No, it's a key chain with like a small pair of briefs on them...real cloth.

I hung them on the cabinet knob in the kitchen to see if Matt would notice. He did and his response was, "WTH are these???"

LOL-so any ideas what I should do with these???

"You Have a Direct Line!?!"

...yeah, my hubs just realized after 4 years of being together that I have a direct line at work. Here's the story...

Last Thursday, I was trying to call my work and no one was picking up, not even the "operator" (you know the automated message). Our convo that followed:

Hubs: Yeah, that happens all the time.
Me: Really?
Hubs: Yeah, that's why I'm never calling you at work again. I'll just call your cell. It's ridiculous I have to talk to three different people to get through to you.
Me: Why don't you just call my direct line?
Hubs (with big eyes of disbelief): WHAT?! You have a direct line!!! That would have been useful to know...FOUR YEARS AGO!!!

Opps! I guess I just assumed he knew I did. Guess I need to go reprogram his phone!

More G-Cards...

..What? Are you surprised? It's a new season at Michael's which means new G-cards!!! Click here to read about my obsession. I'm not really feeling these to much but they've got a G on them so I have to have them. I think they'll be okay for bridal/baby shower cards to stick with a gift.
The ones on the left are Mary Engelbreit-everyone ooo and ahhh now! And just to clarify, other than the note cards, I only have a G flag outside the house but no other monogrammed stuff. Just wanted to share the latest and greatest G-cards!

And even though it's not the first of the month, today is 1-11-11 so I think that allows for a "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!"

I'm Out...

...well peeps, I'm done for 2010. It's been a really awful, horrible year. Yeah there's been some perks but when I look back at it, it was no bueno. I know this totally isn't me but it's what I feel right now so I'm rolling with it.

I do hope everyone has a great Christmas and happy 2011. 2011 has GOT to be better than 2010 that's for sure. I won't be around commenting or blogging for awhile but I hope to return soon. Thanks for being such great and awesome people.

Leftovers & Apple Juice...

...I love my husband, I really do but if eats my leftovers one more time I'm going to SCREAM!!! This is a rant. You would think my poor husband isn't fed but I mean look at him, does he LOOK like he's starving???

After we lived together for awhile, I realized that if I wanted something and didn't want to eat/drink it right away then I was going to have to hide it. So I found a great hiding spot and then he found it. So then I started telling him, "Hey, I'm planning on having those leftovers for lunch tomorrow." That worked...for awhile. The other night I came home with leftovers and told him, don't eat the leftovers in the fridge, I'm going to eat them for dinner tomorrow. I come home and pull over my leftovers, hmm...I thought there was two pieces of chicken. I call Matt at work, make some small talk and then ask him about the leftovers. His response, "I might have had a bite or two." UGH!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ATE HALF OF THE SANDWICH!!! Sigh...moral, if I don't eat it right away, I don't get it for later.

I won those Lucky Charms last week, remember? I was so pumped because I was taking it easy around the house last week so cereal was an easy snack, lunch, dinner, breakfast. I get up Friday morning and go to make some cereal. No Lucky Charms, hmm...okay, well, there's Trix. Wait-check the fridge, no milk! Really???

I rarely EVER drink anything other than water, mainly because I don't want the calories and partly because it would never last long in the fridge. I've been drinking two-three 32 ounce cups of water the past couple weeks (doctor's order) and people that's A LOT of water and I can only stand so much water. The doc had told me I could drink juice too. I asked Matt to pick up some apple juice for me. He forgot. I got some the next day. Friday night I went to bed knowing I had just enough for a cup left. I get up Saturday morning, go to get my cup of juice-GONE! Grrr...he bought me more later Saturday, I drank one glass on Sunday and there was maybe 1/4 of it left on Tuesday. Seriously?

I'm at my wits end. I just want ONE little thing that I know will be there when I want to eat/drink it. Come on Mattie!!! Just give leave me my apple juice, you get your Powerades and I don't steal them from you??? I love you pretty but keep your paws off my leftovers and apple juice!

A Day to Be Thankful...

...Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today I'm going to share a story with you all to let you know what I'm thankful for...

Last week, an emotional me posted on the wrong blog about "Non Stop Tears." As soon as I realized it, I quickly deleted it but some of you were still able to read the post in Google Reader. If you read it, you were probably confused to all get out-what in the world is she talking about?!?! So now it's time that I come clean...Matt and I have been trying for "only" a year to have a baby but at "only" six months, we were titled with infertility. Please click on that link for a wonderful video that will help to explain just a little bit of what we've felt, been through and what's ahead of us. I've cried, I've been angry, I've questioned why more times than I can count and I've screamed many times that "It's not fair!" but it hasn't helped or changed the situation. I've seen many babies enter the world and watched the proud new mommas only to have my heart break a little each time knowing that I might never have that feeling. I've heard every single ridiculous comment out there that could be made, some coming from our family and close friends.

Matt and I have pushed each other away only to pull each other back because more than ever we need each other now. He's held my hand during doctors appointments where tears just streamed down my face, he's listened to my crazy rants and raves, he's injected me with shots and told me he's proud of me and how brave I am. He's gotten his hopes up with me, only to have them crushed but through it all he's loved me. In our anniversary card, I wrote something along the lines of this journey really sucks but "I wouldn't want to go through it with anyone else." Today I am thankful for having him experience this with me, I'm thankful for his patience, I'm thankful for the way he knows how to hold me and take care of me. In my eyes, he's an awesome husband-I love you Pretty!

I'm also thankful for all of my amazing real-life and blog friends. When I accidentally posted, I had at least 4 emails in my inbox asking what was going on and if I was okay. If I replied and was snippy, I apologize because I was in a really bad place last week in this journey. I had friends calling to check on me, inviting me over, sending me cards, praying for me, and I even had a friend stand in a bathroom stall with me holding all my meds while I shot myself in the stomach. Girl-thank you and I hope I didn't traumatize you for life!

So even though we're going through this crazy journey called infertility, I still have so many things and people to be thankful for and in the long run, that's what ultimately matters. Thank you for being such awesome, rock star people! I have a separate blog that documents our infertility journey if you'd like to read it. It's not a happy one but it's written for me and to help other women out there going through this same thing know that they aren't alone and if I can help one woman or couple then it's worth it to put my story out there. I've met some really amazing women through that blog who have offered me support, guidance and knowledge through our journey. I don't plan to discuss our journey or treatments on this blog but please feel free to leave me any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them or point you in the right direction. My only words of wisdom are that everyone's infertility journey is different, we all have different diagnoses, different treatments, different doctors and we're ulimately all different people so how I feel, think and react to things may be different than someone else going through this.

Thank you for being who you are, you are the best! I hope you have a safe and thankful Thanksgiving!

Milk Mom...

...everytime my mom comes to visit, she brings us goodies. Sometimes its her homemade manicotti, soup, brownies, groceries, books...you name it and she brings it! The newest thing she brings us in cartons of milk. She works at a middle school and each student that buys a lunch is required to take a milk. If they don't use it, they have to put it in a crate back in the cooler. The state can't resale it so they have to give it away. They offer it to the teachers first so my mom loads up for us. Her last visit, she filled our entire fridge. No, I'm not kidding, our entire fridge...LOOK! I'm sure you're thinking what do we need all that milk for? Isn't it going to go bad? If you're asking this, then you obviously haven't met my husband who would drink a gallon of milk a day if I let him. I'm not lying! We go grocery shopping on Sundays and buy 2 full gallons of milk, they are usually gone by Tuesday...Wednesday at the latest. Know what he always does? He'll leave not even a SIP of milk so that he can say, "I didn't drink it all! I left you some!" Grrr...hopefully we'll avoid this problem for awhile! Then again, he drank 5 cartons the first night! :)