Adam is not having the best birthday ever.

He was woken this morning at about 1:00 am after Lucy vomited all over me in the bed. She proceeded to have vomiting bouts until about 3:00 am.

She seemed all better come morning, though she was having some light diarrhea (which leaked out of her diapers and soiled her pants several times). It certainly didn’t make for good birthday fun trying to clean all the clothing and bedding (and carpet) that had either poop or puke. But come 5:30 we would be heading to see Harry Potter with Uncle Spencer, the first movie we were going to see in theatres since Inception.

Then Lucy threw up again.

Soooo…I’m staying home. Adam feels terrible that I’m missing Harry Potter. And trust me, it does suck. But I told him I’d feel even worse if he missed it too, especially on his birthday. Besides, we already bought tickets. No sense wasting the cost of two tickets instead of just one, right?

So I went out to the store to pick up some higher quality, heavy duty diapers for the kiddo (and some pizza and snack cakes – though maybe I should have gotten booze). And what did I discover on my way?

Our car had been vandalized.

Again.

That’s right, the passenger side mirror is hanging off the car by nothing but the wiring. This jerk couldn’t wait a week before he broke my car again? We haven’t even had a chance to see our insurance agent and upgrade to comprehensive insurance yet (going in Tuesday). We just shelled out $500 to fix the damn windshield he kicked in. Now we have to fix something else? What the hell, guy? What is your problem? Why us?

Let’s just say this is not the best birthday Adam has ever had…and it’s not the best week I’ve ever had either. But “happy birthday” to Adam anyhow…I love you.

PS: Also? My newish purse is falling apart. :(

Dear Jerk MrJerkison,

At 3:00 am on Monday morning you decided it would be fun to kick in the rear windshield on our car. I hope you enjoyed yourself, because it was no fun for me to discover glass on the backseat right when I was about to buckle in my daughter to take her to the babysitter. It was no fun to confusedly look at the passenger window to figure out where the glass had come from only to realize it had come all the way from the rear windshield of my station wagon (that must have been some kick). It was no fun to call my sitter and my boss and explain I’d be late, at best. It was no fun trying to tape plastic over the gaping hole in the cold and snow (which caused the tape to not stick). It was no fun to try to position magnets to hold up the plastic since the tape had failed. It was no fun to call the police and wait on hold for what seemed a lifetime, only to have my phone die right when I was taken off hold. It was no fun, I’m sure, for my landlord to go through hours of security footage looking for you (and only finding waist down footage). It was no fun for my husband to clean up the glass you left in our car and all over the snowy street. It was no fun to learn that we had opted for the liability only insurance and would be paying the $500 out of pocket to replace the window. It was no fun to have the repairs take far longer than we thought because the glass delivery was late and to therefore miss a second day of much needed work. It was no fun to call my boss and tell her I’d be missing work again. It was no fun to receive a call in the afternoon from the auto-shop saying the glass had arrived broken and they’d have to get another windshield the next morning. It was no fun to have a auto-shop employee arrive in a van to pick us up the next morning so my daughter could be taken to the sitter only to discover that not only was the car seat not installed (as expected) but that nobody knew how to install it. It was no fun to send the driver on his way with a “nevermind” when he suggested I sit my precious toddler in the front seat and let him drive us on terribly dangerous, icy winter roads. It was no fun to drag my toddler with me to my place of employment and wait for my boss to get in only to explain to her that, once again, I couldn’t come in (but that I’d do my best to work from home if I could take the Macbook for the day). It was no fun to attempt to get work done with a toddler climbing all over me (and it was no fun to deal with the mommy guilt that came as a result of letting her watch Christmas specials all day in hopes it would distract her). It was no fun to trudge back out in the freezing cold with my toddler to return the Macbook to the office. It was no fun to miss three days of work (and therefore three days of pay), make a $500 repair, and generally feel crappy and violated. So I hope that one kick you got was fun. I hope it was $610 worth of fun because that’s what it cost me you ass-hat.

Sincerely,                                                           

The Co-owner of the Car You Vandalized

Here, after some hacker-caused delay, is the final review from “Bad Blogger Week:”

In an ideal world none of us would worry about the way we look. But an ideal world it is not {hence my weight loss adventure}. And a product that has been quite handy in making me feel like I look good while I’m shedding the pounds is the Slimpressions Long Leg Shaper. Unlike some body shapers it’s no more uncomfortable than panty-hose or tights. I don’t just wear it on important days {like family picture day} but on regular old week days too when I need a little help looking trim. Slimpressions makes several slimming items, including undershirts to make your tummy and arms look trim.

I find that my Slimpressions Long Leg Shaper doesn’t make a huge difference, but it definitely helps, if only psychologically. I think now that I’ve shed about 20 pounds it doesn’t do as much as it once did. One caveat if you plan on using the Slimpressions Long Leg Shaper; if it slips down a little during the day you may end up with muffin top. So just watch for that.

Use the code SLIM10DD for a 10% discount.

Dear Hacker,

I think you may be unaware that it is beyond rude to hack into someone else’s Gmail account. It is a violation of privacy, and, I’m pretty sure, illegal. Your amoral and inconsiderate actions caused me to temporarily lose access to not only my own e-mail account, but my blogging account as well. You interrupted my “bad blogger week,” my weekend, and my sense of security. You stole personal information so you could spam not only my friends and family, but my boss’s clients, my blogging peers and sponsors, and people I contacted only once or twice many years ago. I suppose I should consider it a small favor that at least you did the spamming in such ridiculous Engrish that it seems none of the people you contacted actually thought the e-mail came from me. And perhaps I should thank you for reminding me that not everyone in this world is a decent human being. So thanks, thanks for reminded me that scum like you are out there ready to take advantage of anyone you can for your own gain. Thanks for making me look like an idiot. And thanks for wasting my time and energy.

In other words,

thanks for nothing.

Sincerely,

Holly

Just an update on Adam’s situation. His applications are in. We decided together that this year his best bet would be to apply only to the Alberta schools {sniff…sniff…bye-bye UBC}. The back up plan is for Adam to transfer to the University of Calgary and work on completing a Bachelor’s of Science while reapplying. So, unless he gets into the University of Alberta {in Edmonton} and not UofC we’ll be moving to Calgary next summer. But UofC is Adam’s first choice. It’s a year-round program that only takes 3 years instead of 4…also, have you any idea how miserable Edmonton winters can be?

The applications were a pain. They want soooo much detail. In fact, the UofA demanded three references {non-family} *just* to confirm that Adam has, indeed, lived where he says he’s lived throughout his life. What the heck?

Adam got glowing recommendations to send to the schools. He has excellent MCAT scores. His GPA isn’t as good as some applicants, but still acceptable to med-school wannabes. So now, we wait…and wait…and wait…

…until February.

February is when interview invitations are sent. After interviews you get a few more months of waiting. It’s a pretty miserable process. But at least the hard part is done. Halle-freakin-lujah!

CSN is here. Hooray!
CSN is here to stay!
Regular reviews, and giveaways;
Look for them every 30 days.
CSN has been here before.
But now they’ll be here even more.
Kids backpacks, toys, and gear galore,
Furniture, linens, and lots of decor.
I hope you’re excited for what is in store,
‘Cuz giveaways are what I live for!

Alas…with the start of daycare Lucy is no longer using her adorable fluffy, cloth diapers. We’re going to be selling her diapers to whatever local mama is interested. And if that mama asks me how she should launder them I will tell her:

“Use Rockin’ Green!”

{picture from http://rockingreensoap.com/}

Rockin’ Green is a detergent that is biodegradable, and uses natural scents {or no scents at all}. It smells *fantastic.* But most importantly…it got the stink out of Lucy’s diapers. We had tried stripping her diapers time and time again but they still held onto the stank…until we tried Rockin’ Green. And as soon as our Rockin’ Green supply ran out? Well, the stink came back.

Check out the Rockin’ Green FAQ. I think you will be impressed. And just look at some of the scents available:

Orangevana
Smashing Watermelons
Rage Against the Raspberries
Mighty Mighty Marshmallow

If you’re not sure you want to commit to a whole bag of detergent you can even buy little sample packs {very useful for finding your favorite scent} for 75 cents. There are even different formulas for different types of water…got hard water? Try the Hard Rock detergent! Soft water? Then the Soft Rock formula is for you! Otherwise go with the Classic Rock, the original formula that started it all.

If you use cloth, you should be using Rockin’ Green. Follow Rockin’ Green on Twitter.

*I was provided with some product for the purpose of review…but I also bought some myself; these are my honest opinions.

I interrupt “Bad Blogger Week” to bring you…

Our family portraits!

Check ‘em out! I would love for you to leave comments over on the Madchen Studios blog rather than on this post {don’t worry, I’ll see them all}.

As you know, Lucy is no longer in cloth diapers. That means her pants, which had to be purchased large to fit over her fluffy butt, no longer fit. Actually, even pants purchased since the switch to disposables don’t fit in the waist {poor kid already has the same sizing problems with pants as her mother}. So I was legitimately thrilled when I was asked to review a pant clippo from Clippo {a Canadian company-hooray}!

{picture from clippo.ca}

There really aren’t a lot of features for me to tell you about. It’s not a complicated product to use. But you know what, it works. It works great. It’s super simple to use…just clip it to your kiddo’s pants {no belt loops needed}!

   

{pictures from clippo.ca}

I am a much happier mama now that I’m not pulling Lucy’s pants up every five minutes. Seriously you guys…Adam and I were singing the following to her constantly:

But not anymore. And I have Clippo to thank for that. The pant clips come in lots of cute prints, including designer fabrics like Michael Miller. But pant clips aren’t the only products you can buy; there are hair clips, mitten clips, and super, super adorable bow ties for the little fellow in your life {and more}.

You can get a 30% discount using the code DOMESTIC30 {good until January 30th}.

*I was provided with one pant clip for the purpose of this review. I have thus far resisted buying more in other cute prints, but my resolve is weakening.

What seems like ages ago {I am a bad blogger, BAD BLOGGER} eShakti contacted me and asked me to do a review.  I chose a lovely wool coat.* With the cold finally having made it to our neck of the woods {including some snow earlier thiss week*} I pulled the coat out from the back of the closet and realized just how naughty a blogger I had been.

So, better late than never right?

Just nod and say “right.”

And now…for my review:

eShakti is a unique clothing site because, get this, they will tailor the clothes to your measurements. In fact, you can even customize products. Like this dress but wish you could get it in a below-the-knee length? eShakti can do that. {PS: That dress would be friggin’ fabulous for a Christmas party!} Gotta have this cute little suit jacket, but need a long sleeve version {because, oh…I dunno…your office is always cold…*coughcoughIwouldn’tknowanythingaboutthatcoughcough*)? eShakti can do that too. I think it’s a really clever, and novel idea. The prices are comparable to off-the-rack clothing at nicer retail stores like The Bay, or Macy’s, or whatever your local version of such stores is. A word of warning to Canadian buyers though, you may end up paying duty upon delivery {I did}.

Overall, I’m happy with eShakti. Someday I think I’d like to try ordering something more fitted than a coat, and see how it turns out. But I’m trying not to buy too much clothes right now {because, and I’m totally not complaining, I’m losing weight fast enough that my size isn’t staying the same for very long}. When I do order again I’ll be sure to do another review.

If you’d like to give eShakti a try you can use the promo code Ho5J4U to get 15% off until the end of November {I think Christmas party dresses are calling your name - *wink wink*}!

*eShakti provided the coat, and a discount code if I would like to review additional items. This post was otherwise non-compensated; it contains my honest opinion.

**Curse you Canada! I hate your weather but I love your health care!