Vacation

Tonight I will be leaving for a short (tonight through Saturday or Sunday) vacation to Keene Valley, NY. It's waaaaaaaaay upstate New York, near Lake Placid. I've been going there since I was a kid. It's so peaceful and quiet there.

Anyway, while there is no internet access at the house I believe they finally have a wireless set up at the library so I will try to do some posting at some point. I have a few posts in my head, just haven't had the time to edit the photos. With at least 4 days and no television to distract me I will have PLENTY of time to do that.

IH8MVA

Do you think the MVA would let me get a personalized tag like that? If so, I would totally get one. Because I really and truly HATE the MVA.

Today was the third, yes THIRD, time I went there to renew my license out-of-state, expired license and to get the registration stickers that I paid for but never received.

The first time I went, it was the Saturday before Memorial Day. I got up early, showered, did my hair and really did my make-up. Normally, I don’t wear a lot of make-up but I wanted to look nice for my picture so I went all out. I looked good if I don’t say so myself. Well, I just did say so myself so never mind. We roll up to the MVA and the parking lot was empty. Not a single car to be found. What the hell? Why would they be closed? Apparently, having Monday off for Memorial Day wasn’t enough for the MVA. They needed Saturday, too. Bastards.

All my hair-doing and making applying wasted. Well, I did get a Costco card picture taken so it wasn’t all wasted.

The second time I went was this past Saturday. This time I think I heard someone mention that they only do driver’s licenses on Saturdays so I wasn’t going in with too high hopes to get the registration sticker problem solved. We go inside and it’s crowded. Seriously. A whole lot of people sitting around waiting for their turn. But no numbers are being called, I notice while standing in line to get my number. Then they make the announcement.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience but our systems are down. We will be unable to process any driver’s licenses or permits at this time.”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I’m sorry. I swear like a sailor. I try to keep it PG on this blog but even thinking about the MVA right now gets me so frustrated I have to let it out. Sorry.

At this point we are already in the line and there are only a few people in front of us and it’s moving pretty fast. We decide to stay so we can ask about the registration stickers. When it’s our turn I confirm that we will more than likely not be able to my license today and I ask about the stickers. I figured since the employees (other than the lady at the information desk, that is) aren’t really doing anything since the system is down and all, that maybe I would be able to get my stickers. But no. I’ll have to take time off from work to do it. Bastards.

Which brings us to today dear friends. I left work at 11:00 am to go to the MVA and get there just before 11:30. I get in line at the title and tag information desk and when it’s my turn I tell the lady why I’m there and she gives me a form to fill out and bring back to get my number. She also informs me that I’ll have to pay $5 to get a new sticker.

I’m sorry? I have to pay YOU for something that YOU didn’t send me in the first place???? What kind of bass-ackwards crap is that??? She said that the MVA will replace your stickers within 30 days of expiration and after that it will cost $5. My registration expired at the end of October. Whoops. I paid for it in September but didn’t notice that I never got the stickers until a few months ago. Regardless. I am paying for THEIR mistake. Bastards.

I start filling out the form and realize I have to go back to my car to fill in the insurance information. After I fill out the form I get back in line thinking she will look it over and keep it. Nope. She doesn’t even check it. She just hands me a slip of paper with my number on it. Why she didn’t just hand me the form AND the number at the same time is beyond me. It looks like it will be a long wait so I decide to head over to the license side and get my number for my license as well and cross my fingers that it all works out number-calling wise.

When it’s my turn to get my number I tell them why I’m there and I let them know I have an out-of-state license that is expired. She says I’ll need identification. I was well prepared. I brought my social security card, my birth certificate, my passport and my marriage certificate. I felt my bases were covered. I was wrong. It turns out they need proof of residency and they are very specific as to what they will accept. I didn’t have anything on me that they would accept. Absolutely wonderful. That will make FOUR trips to get my stinking license. Bastards.

I have no other choice but to sit and wait for them to call my number. I was at the MVA for about an hour and a half when they finally called it. It took less than 5 minutes to get the sticker and get the hell out of there.

Does a trip to the MVA cause this much utter frustration and stress to anyone else? I swear, if I couldn’t get the registration sticker today you might have seen me on the news tonight. I was that close to losing it. I think I need to stay far, far away from the MVA for a little while.

Top 10 fertility secrets

Well, some of these aren’t so secret but these were the top 10 fertility secrets that my acupuncturist told me about.

1. Chart your cycle

If have been trying to get pregnant for awhile and you haven’t charted your cycle then what are you waiting for??? Go to www.fertilityfriend.com and start today. It’s free! While I am not currently charting, I have in the past and I know my cycle is normal. I haven’t charted since my miscarriage so I’m thinking about starting again, just to make sure. One thing she mentioned was that if you notice consistent temperatures below 97.7 could possibly mean a thyroid problem. A website that was recommended was www.stopthethyroidmadness.com.

2. Make sleep a priority

This is one I need to adhere to. I get terrible sleep. Well, actually the sleep itself is fine, it’s just that I don’t get enough of it. She says we should get 9.5 hours each night. Wow. Your room should be dark, meaning no light from cell phones, alarm clocks, windows, etc. She also said you could take 1 tablespoon of Really Raw Honey (that is the name brand) to induce the melatonin/serotonin cycle.

3. Identify and address nutritional deficiencies

The top five she noted were:

• Vitamin D – this is especially true for someone who doesn’t get a period or for people with dark skin.
• Zinc – you may have a deficiency if you have white spots on your fingernails.
• Omega 3 – She recommends fermented cod liver oil capsules and you can get them from www.greenpastures.org.
• Mineral – Switch from table salt to Celtic sea salt but since it isn’t ionized (contains no iodine) you can add granulated sea kelp. I did and you can’t taste the sea kelp.
• Iodine – See above.

4. Eat REAL food

Goodbye delicious Cool Ranch Doritos. I’ll miss you. Oh, sweet Cheetos…what will I do without you?

Seriously though, she said to eat lots of the following:

• Eggs
• Organic veggies and fruit
• Cultured dairy – yogurt and kefir (it’s similar to a yogurt drink but it’s got a tang to it. I make a smoothie with it every morning)
• Fermented foods – Bubby’s (name brand but I’m not sure if I spelled it right) sauerkraut and komboucha (an interesting drink I’ve since tried. It’ll take some getting used to.)
• Full fat dairy
• Healthy fats – butter (preferably from grass fed cows), unheated olive oil, avocados, coconut oil

And of course there are foods to avoid:

• Margarine and butter substitutes
• White flour and white sugar
• Fake foods – tofurkey, “not” dogs
• Soy products
• Processed foods – the good stuff, basically
• Canola and other vegetable oils
• Genetically modified foods – mostly corn, soy and canola products

5. Use fertility superfoods

• Maca – a root vegetable. Go to www.superorganicfoods.com or www.natural-fertility-info.com. I purchased a bottle of Maca powder and put it in my morning smoothie.
• Royal jelly – you can also find this at www.natural-fertility-info.com
• Cod liver oil – see #3

6. Reduce your exposure to toxins

Get rid of those toxic cleaning products! Even the ones that are “green!” You don’t really need them and they could be causing you harm. Click here to find a TON of wonderful cleaning recipes made from stuff you probably already have.

She also mentioned that scented candles can mess with your hormones and to avoid them or use beeswax or soy candles.

Beauty products were another caution. Lotions, shampoos, make-up, etc can contain carcinogens but you can check your products out at www.cosmeticdatabase.com to see if they are safe or not.

The last toxin she mentioned were non-stick pans. Stick with stainless steel, cast iron or glass.

7. Go to acupuncture

So far so good as far as I’m concerned. I don’t have anything negative to say about it but it’s too early to start raving. I think that this something I will definitely continue though.

8. Use the law of attraction to manifest your greatest desire

I mentioned the “vision board” before. I’m still perfecting mine but it’s definitely coming together. I promise to share pictures soon. Whatever your vision, it should make you feel uplifted when you look at it. She also recommended reading (or watching the movie I didn’t know existed) The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

I thought it was about new age mumbo jumbo but I might have to give it a read.

9. Create room in your life for a baby NOW

Un-busy (yeah, I know it’s not a real word) your work schedule, solve the problems you have in your marriage, etc. Do it all now, before there is a baby in the picture.

10. Focus on healthy first, then pregnancy

That is a tough pill to take but it’s definitely true. She mentioned that 85% of all diseases originate from stress.

So that’s it. These are what I’ve learned and I’m passing them on to you, dear friends. Use them. Learn from them. And hopefully they will help you as I am hoping they will help me.

Holistic healing

I’ve started acupuncture.  I’ve always been interested in trying it but reluctant because of the price tag and the fact that I couldn’t find anyone that specialized in fertility and was relatively close.  Well, back in January, before I found out I was pregnant I found a lady who not only specialized in acupuncture for fertility, she was practically down the street.  Seriously, it takes me about 5 minutes to get there.  I put in a request for information and then after we found out we were pregnant, forgot about it.  We all know how that turned out.

So, I’ve been doing some soul searching and I feel ready to start trying again.  We are still going forward with the foster care thing though.  It’s something we want to do whether we have biological children or not.  I’ve been doing some reading on ways to better manage my diabetes as well as natural ways to prepare my body to get and stay pregnant.  One book I found was The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis.

It’s about how to use traditional chinese medicine to treat infertility.  It covers acupuncture, herbs and foods to take/eat to treat infertility.  Reading this book is what made me get back in touch with the lady I had found in January. 

If you live in Maryland, or even DC or Virginia and are interested in meeting her (she offers a free consultation) her name is Cara Bergman and the name of her practice is Stillwater Fertility Clinic.  She is extremely nice, knowledgeable and compassionate.  I was very comfortable talking to her.  I cried.  And I never cry.  At least not in front of strangers.  I couldn’t help it though.  She talks to you about EVERYTHING.  I’ve never opened up so much in my life.  I don’t generally enjoy talking about my feelings.  I tend to bottle things up.  Not so healthy as it turns out.  ;o)

I had my first treatment on Sunday and had needles placed on my abdomen, legs, feet and back.  Some of them I could feel when they were put in and others not so much.  Some ached in the places they were put and others I couldn’t tell they were there.  After she placed them in my back she brushed her hand over them and it was the WIERDEST feeling ever.  It’s what I would imagine a cat or dog feels when you brush their whiskers. 

It’s going to cost me $85 a session and I’m doing one session a week.  I should really be using the money to pay off credit cards faster but I’m cutting things from my spending to be able to afford this.  This means no more pedicures, eyebrow waxing (I will be tweezing them myself), buying lunch (bringing lunch is healthier anyways) or other stuff I don’t really need.

She’s given me a ton of tips to try that I plan on sharing.  Things like foods to add and to avoid.  Supplements to take.  And other things as well.  That will be a whole other post.  I promise.  One thing I will share now is that she recommends making a “Vision Board.”  Just a simple posterboard (the arsty fartsy in me plans on doing something a little nicer than that) with pictures of things that you want in your life.  Specifically for me and most of the women she treats, a baby or a family.  It should be pictures of things that bring you happiness so if seeing a pregnant belly or ultrasound picture upsets you (even though you want it) you shouldn’t put it on there.  I’ve been collecting magazine pictures and I hope to start on that soon.  I’ll post pictures as soon as it’s done.  You can use a vision board for anything.  So, if you already have a baby, what would you put on your vision board?         

Playing (o)possum?

I was enjoying a nice evening in with my husband, watching a movie, and relaxing on the couch when Penny (one of my Jack Russell Terriers) came prancing in with a something in her mouth. Do you remember this post? Well this time, it wasn’t a vole. It was a possum. Or is it opossum? Does anyone know if there is a difference between the two?

Anyway, she has a baby possum in her mouth and I assume it’s dead. All I can say (after I quickly pull my feet onto the couch) is “Penny’s got an animal!!!” I didn’t even want to see what it was at the time because I don’t really like to look at her kills and this one looked bigger than a vole. Courtney comes back into the room (he was in the kitchen, I think) and looks and confirms it’s a possum. I ask if it’s dead and he says, “Yeah,” but then he gets a closer look and sees that it is, in fact, breathing.

I don’t know which is worse. A dead animal or a half-dead animal? Either way, it needed to be taken outside and I wasn’t about to do it. Thankfully, my husband was willing to do his official “man duties” and take the creature outside. He grabbed a few plastic bags from the kitchen and came to pick it up when it started hissing at him! It then sat up and started crawling across our floor!!! I saw it scamper to the corner of the room near the couch and I ran into the other room. I swear, it looked like an R.O.U.S. (Rodent of Unusual Size….Princess Bride people!) except smaller.

Ick.

Long story short (well, it’s not really short anymore, is it?) he scoops it up in a shoe box and puts it in the field across from our house. He checked on it the next day and it was gone. So our little baby possum tricked our killer dog into thinking it was dead by playing….what else?….possum.

Fantabulously Frugal

Who loves free stuff?? Ummmm...me!

I just found this blog through another blog I read and they are having a giveaway for a whole bunch of neat stuff. Check out Fantabulously Frugal to enter for a chance to win. You can also earn more chances if you write a post about it and if you put my name down since I referred you.


My name is Kate....just in case you didn't know. ;o)

The state of things

So, I know it’s been awhile since I mentioned anything about the whole foster care thing.  Well, after a few mail mix ups we finally received the paperwork from the Department of Social Services.  Most of it we can easily fill out ourselves but we had to both get a physical and TB test and all of our animals needed to be up to date with their rabies vaccines.  As of today, both Courtney and I are finished with our physicals and Penny got her rabies shot.  Beaker will get his before next Wednesday because that is when we are going on vacation.

After all the paperwork is filled out, which will also be done before next Wednesday, I will mail it in and await a call about a home inspection.  I think all we need to do (other than cleaning and basic childproofing) is to get a fire extinguisher for the kitchen.  Once the inspection is finished we get signed up for classes which are about 8 weeks (I think) in length. 

I feel prepared for a child.  Whether it be biological or otherwise, I feel prepared emotionally, physically and stuff-wise.  I’ve been hording and collecting baby things for quite some time but after the miscarriage, when we started talking about foster care I’ve been going crazy.  I can safely say I have plenty of clothes thanks to Goodwill, Salvation Army, yard sales and flea markets.  You might think of stained and dated clothing when you hear Goodwill or yard sales but believe it or not I’ve found a TON of brand new and very gently used clothing at these places.  Plus, I’ve also picked up a few bargains through Babies R Us when something goes on clearance or on a really good sale.  I got this brand new Boppy Travel Yard:

on clearance because it was the floor model for $60.  It retails for $180.  It was on clearance for $119 (I think) and I had two coupons, a gift card and my measly 10% discount.  Not too shabby.

I have two Bumbo seats. 

Those little suckers retail for $40!  I found one at Salvation Army and one at Value Village.  They were each less than $4!  I love thrift stores!  You never know what you will find in there!