Thank God that's over!

Today was a stressful day.

And it shouldn't have been.

I thought it was going to be a good day! Jeremy's out of town right now, but he'll be back tomorrow. My brother Stephin has been hanging out with us instead. It's definitely nice to have some company around, even if he does play video games most of the time (to be fair, though, he's been a big help with Jeremiah.) We got up today, and decided to hit up IHOP for breakfast (mmm.... stuffed french toast....) And since we were right there, I thought we'd stop at Babies R Us to see if they had anything good for me to use my Buy Buy Baby 20% off coupon. IHOP... Shopping... good morning, at least!

Well, stupid BRU really set me off! So I found something I wanted to get--a new pack n play. Okay, so we now officially have three pack n plays, and a co-sleeper that we borrowed from a friend. So we really didn't need another one, but there are many +'s to having it. The big one being, we don't know if we're going to have to give the co-sleeper back. The friend we borrowed it from for Jeremiah is also expecting, though they're a few months behind us. More than likely, though, they'll probably need it. Of the two pack n plays we have (not including the new one), one is more of a play pen (seemed like a good idea at the time, but Jeremiah doesn't like being in it....) and the other is at Grandma's for overnights over there. So really, I wanted to get something for our room for those early months.

And that's what we found! It's a Graco PnP in the Devon pattern (it's green), very nice and neutral, and seems very cozy (at least, from what I could tell in the store.) The changing pad is actually a pad with cushioning (unlike the one that came with the PnP at Grandma's, but how could I complain about it--it was free, after all,) and (this is what sold me) it's at waist level when you're changing baby. With Jeremiah, we just used our bed, which worked, but we both had to hunch over wayyyy too much, and when you're already tired and cranky, you need all the help you can get to survive. Other neat features include hood/canopy that will help block light and wind from the fan (Jeremy can't sleep without it on,) and also discovered is some kind of box with all sorts of sound and vibration options (or something... Not really sure what it does, but there were several different selections.)

Anyways, it was originally $160 (crazy!) and was on clearance for $90 (floor model, and I must say, it was in the best shape out of all the others there.) PLUS, Buy Buy Baby had just sent out their latest 20% off coupon (they come out quarterly, and you can only get them if you have a registry with them), so I did the math and figured out that $72 for this thing was a really good deal! So I bought it.

Or so I thought... We got up to the register, put the rest of the stuff we were getting up on the counter, cashier scanned everything in, asked if we had any coupons, and I handed it over (because BRU and BBB both accept competitor's coupons, and I use both at each.) Well, the cashier didn't seem to like this one... "Apparently" they no longer take % off coupons, just $$ off. So if you have a $5 off $25 or something, they'll take that, but nothing with a %. Why? I don't know... No one could explain it. That was just their new "rule". (My guess? People use 'em off big purchase items, as I do, and they didn't want to lose anymore money, since the highest % off they do is 15%.) Well, this was news to me, as I've used that coupon at BRU plenty of times in the past (and know many others who have as well.)

I thought it would all be okay when the supervisor who had helped me with the Pack N Play came over and told the cashier to just enter it as $20 off (since I was spending $100.) In my mind, I was thinking, "Cha-ching! Thank you Mr. Supervisor!" but the cashier wasn't budging. She wanted to ask the Manager on duty. So she did, and this woman shot me down. "We don't take the % off coupons anymore, just $$ off. And you can't use it on this item anyways, see? It says it on the coupon itself. And they wouldn't let you use it on a clearance item in their store either." Uhhh... actually, that's not true. I just used the same coupon on a much larger clearance item at their store last month... And it was a much larger discount than I was asking for here, so no, they WILL take it off clearance. NO WHERE on the coupon does it says, "not valid on clearance" or "original/regular priced items only." It just says, "ANY ITEM" with an exclusion list that includes certain brands, but NO WHERE clearance. "Well, this one time you can use it on another item, but not this one." Yeah, that makes sense.

Well, then I didn't want it. After all that, the stupid cashier wanted to keep the coupon! I had to pull it out of her hands. I was sooooo mad---SOOOOOO MAD! I was fuming! Like, seriously, I'm sure there was smoke coming out of my ears. And I could tell the guy that was helping me before was pissed. But what could he do. He tried to help me.

Needless to say, it ruined my day. I was soooooo mad all afternoon. And come to find out, no other BRU stores have this policy... I know, because I called them. And then used that very same coupon in the Sterling location later in the day--with NO HASSLES WHATSOEVER!

How am I now??? JUST PEACHY! Because I was able to use the coupon at the other BRU store, I was able to get the PnP at the Chantilly store for the price I wanted. I won't explain how, but I'll just say that I'm glad it "worked" because I was soooo stressed out all day about this. I was just so angry that they wouldn't let me use the stupid coupon, and then fed me this B.S. about it being a new company policy. Whatever. If that's how they want to play it, I'll just shop at the Sterling store from now on, or drive all the way to BBB, as they have NEVER given me a hard time about accepting BRU coupons (even for things their coupons would normally exclude, like our Phil & Ted stroller we bought last year--their coupon excludes it, but the BRU coupon does not. Did they say, "Aw, hell no you can't use that coupon on that item." NO! They took it, and said, "Thank you!" Wow. Imagine that for customer service.)

I will say this, though--The crew that was on tonight at BRU here in Chantilly was very helpful and very nice. I have a feeling they would have been more accomodating had I tried using the coupon then vs. the crew that was on this morning (minus the supervisor guy who helped me... he was really helpful and nice. And the cashier was just lookin' after her own butt, so I can't really blame her. But that manager... man, she just doesn't care if she loses a customer, huh? I mean, why bother clearancing something out at all, then, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SELL IT and DON'T WANT TO SELL IT AT A LOSS?! Why should I care if that would then be selling it below cost??? Not my problem. If you're that worried about your bottom line then you should be trying even harder to keep your customers happy! I wasn't asking for a lot--just a reason to come back and continue to shop at your store. Guess she didn't want that.)

ANYWHOO.... As I said in my title, I'm so glad that's all over. I was sooo stressed all day today (ya just shouldn't upset a pregnant woman... our hormones shift into overdrive and we can't handle it!) and there was no calming me down until it was resolved. So thankfully, it's resolved now and I can relax. YAY!

Just had to share.

Happy Father's Day, Jeremy!

Obviously, this post is for my wonderful hubby, Jeremy, (or as I call him, "babish") who also happens to make a wonderful Dad! I know Jeremiah is just smitten with him, and loves him to pieces! He's so proud of how hard his Daddy works so he can stay home with Mommy instead of going to daycare. He loves when Daddy comes home, and Mommy helps him climb through the window so he can "drive" on Daddy's lap. And nothing motivates him to run up the stairs faster than, "Oh no! Daddy's coming, Jeremiah!" (other than maybe, "Oh no! Mommy's coming!")
When it's playtime, there's no one better than Daddy, 'cause after all--Daddy means playtime, Mommy means business. And who else but Daddy is going to take him downstairs to see Big Fella, or over to Mr. Ed's house to see Dodger (their big ole german shepherd mix.) No one else is tall enough to help him reach the pull string on the fans, so he can turn them on and off (the "woo woo woos!" as they're called.) Nope, Mommy won't due--only Daddy.

So thanks, Daddy/babish, for being such an awesome husband and Dad (and for spending your afternoon on Father's Day mowing the lawn, in 90+ degree weather.) You're the best, and we're so blessed to have you!

From our rainy Saturday, yesterday...

I just love this pic.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to making a shopping list for Lowe's--we've got a garden to plant, if Jeremiah ever take his nap! :)

"Mucho better-o."

....as my Puerto Rican friend, Jason, used to say. :)

I must say, though, that overall, today has been a really good day. It's been so good, in fact, that if it ended now (or took a nosedive from here on out), I could look back and say, "Wednesday was a good day."

After breakfast, Jeremiah and I headed to the park across the way. My purpose for going was to get my raspberry bread from the Farmer's Market (which I had warned the bread guy to come prepared with.... or else! And he did!) but it was such a nice day, we were able to hang out and play a little. I did my shopping at the market, and we got some "bomb" pops from the country store (I debated on whether or not it was too early for ice cream, but since these were just frozen juice pops, I figured it would be okay,) and hung out on the playground for a while.

I don't know what it is about pops on a sunny day, especially in the morning, but there was definitely a bit of rebellion in that thinking, and it was so fun! Jeremiah had never had one before and couldn't really figure out what to do with it--he kept asking me for mine, even though I had almost finished it, and he had barely touched his! Guess he thought it was better since it was going faster... Or maybe it was because there was more stick exposed, so he was able to get a better grip. I don't know for sure, but I do know he enjoyed himself, too.

It's so much nicer today than the past couple of days... It's just been way too hot! High 90's, sometimes 100's is just not comfortable for playing/walking/doing anything in, besides, maybe, hitting the pool (though I've been hearing the water has been over 90 there, too, so what's the point?) Today, though, it was in the 80's as we walked around, thankfully! Had it been hotter, I don't think we would have hung out at the park as long as we did.

That being said, I was definitely glad to come home and be back in the air conditioned environment that we are blessed to live in. I seriously don't know how they did it "back in the old days." I mean, growing up, we didn't have a/c in our house in RI--but we did have a pool, and many neighbors with pools, and we were in there EVERY DAY! Or, we'd move the TV down into the basement, and watch it there, where it was naturally 10-15 degrees cooler than upstairs. Sometimes, when we were really silly, we'd move the TV onto the pool deck and watch TV from the water (didn't work too well, though, as the sun would make it very difficult to see.) But we made due. Of course, we only had two really hot months, July and August, where we really had to figure out ways to cool off. Around here, things warm up as early as April, and stay warm as late as October, though June, July, August, and the first part of September are definitely the hottest. But thankfully, everywhere and every vehicle has a/c built in, so it's not a problem (unless your a/c unit goes out..... knock on wood.)

So now, I'm waiting for Jeremiah to fall asleep before deciding what to do with my free time. After being out all morning, my body is tired, but I don't feel like I need a nap, so I may just suck it up, and try to get some stuff done around here. I know at the very least, I need to put some diapers together for Jeremiah, as I just put the last one on him for his nap. But beyond that... we'll see! Originally, I was supposed to be heading out to Warrenton to pick Stephin up, so he could help watch Jeremiah which we got some painting done. But now it sounds like his friend wants him to go to Kings Dominion (amusement park, for those of ya who don't know,) tomorrow, so that kind of ruins my plans... Sigh... everyone keeps letting me down. Oh well. Jeremy has to work anyways (though way back when we thought about this, he was going to take off....) and now that we know his buddy and fam are coming THIS Friday for a visit, instead of last Friday, we would have lost a day anyways. Grr... Well, hopefully he's able to take some time off in July, so we can get it done... any later than that is cutting it too close! We'll see...

And that's all. I've gotta scour the ads for the local grocery stores to see who's got the best deals on things I need (since I have to remake all the food I had made last week for our cookout on Friday.....) Off I go...

Too catchy.

This song has been stuck in my head all day...

Nothin' like the classics, huh? Anyone else remember it?? :)

Huh?

Anyone know where I can buy some "vegetative microbes?"

I just ordered some cloth diaper odor neutralizer and all it contains is water and vegetative microbes... I figure it's gotta be available SOMEWHERE, so if anyone has any ideas, let me know! :)

Figured I'd ask.

Welcome to the home stretch!

28 Weeks

Today is the first day of the third trimester! YAY! We've made it!

Life is good right now. I feel fine, albeit a little more tired than before. Mornings and naps are becoming increasingly more difficult to wake from--I just want to sleep "a little bit longer!" But that's it, as long as I'm not walking around for hours (the belly starts feeling REALLY heavy after that! It's not as bad when I'm pushing something, like a shopping cart, or Jeremiah's stroller, but yeah... Hard work this is! :)

The only thing I worry about now is this little one flipping the right way. Jeremiah was pretty comfortable head down once we hit 28 weeks... didn't notice him move much after that. Then again, he had a big ole head, too... It's a wonder he was able to hold it up as quickly as he did! This one, though, she likes to flip around as much as possible. One minute, she'll be kicking my ribs, the next "down low". But she's got some time to get it right. She just better not get "stuck"! Time to kick those "pelvic rocks" into high gear, I guess!

And now we have to run to Tysons. Daddy forgot his work laptop at home, so we'll have to go bring it to him. Guess that means we'll have to stop at Starbucks along the way.... aw, shucks. :)

Off to play!

Today, we're heading out west to my parents' house for some cool, relaxing fun by the pool. We've got a bunch of food to use up, too, from the big bar-b-que that didn't happen yesterday. Most excidedly, I'm looking forward to how Jeremiah reacts. Last year, he was still just a baby, and all he could do was float around in his little baby ring. This year, however, we got him a one-piece type swimsuit that has a built in floaty--so he'll be on his own! It'll be cool to see how he reacts to that.

Little story: This morning, Jeremy made coffee for us parent-types, and I like to have a little cream in mine. Well, we don't keep cream in the house, because we rarely make coffee, so we never need it. But today, I needed something, so I shot some whipped cream in there that we had bought a while ago (it's still good! But only for a few more days!)

Jeremiah seemed very curious as to what this stuff was that was coming out of a can... So I shot some onto his tray and waited for him to dive in. Well, he didn't "dive in". He just sat there looking at it... Next thing I know, he's wailing! "What's wrong, Jeremiah??" We still don't know, but he did NOT like the whipped cream on his tray... And he certainly wouldn't try to eat it.

Daddy was finally able to calm him down, though, with a little piece of cinnamon apple bread, but jeez... All that excitment over whipped cream? I don't get it.

What I meant to say was NEXT Friday....

Yeah... there's no one coming today. Jeremy got the dates mixed up. I had a feeling, too... Probably why I didn't feel the urgency to clean.

Well, that and I don't really like cleaning...

Procrastination pays off! :)

Procrastination.

In college, I was the queen of procrastination. My best friend, Jess, and I would stay up, goofing off, until at least midnight, when we would then decide that it might be a good idea to start homework... Of course, I'd do the absolute minimum, because as soon as you stop being silly, you realize how tired you are, and just want to sleep. But those were good times. It was during those times I learned how to play my guitar. While most of the stuff I played was praise and worship, we'd make up crazy songs about nothing using the same three chords that every praise song uses (it's really quite funny... that's why, so often, in church it's easy to say, "Oh I love this song!" when the band starts, only to find it's a totally different song [and usually one you don't love quite as much...])

We also had a blast with Photoshop and rubber chickens. I'll let you ponder that on your own...

Anyways, the reason I tell you this is because I didn't want to write a whole post just to say, "I'm procrastinating. I should be cleaning right now, but instead I'm telling you all how I'm not instead..." That's basically what's going on, though.

Jeremy's "Best man" and fam should be showing up shortly... at least, we think that's what's going to happen. Jeremy hasn't actually been able to get in touch with them this week, and aside from a missed call from them on Wednesday, we've not heard anything from their end. So we're 'guessing' that things are still on as planned... but unsure of details, at the moment. It's kinda frustrating. While I'm not a strict planner, I do like knowing how much time I have to procrastinate before I have to kick it into high gear and clean like a mad woman.

For now, though, I write to you, my loyal readers. I know there are some of you who check our blog frequently (some of you every 2-3 hours during the work day!) So, here's to you, blog reader! If my house isn't clean by the time they get here, you'll know why, and can feel satisfied knowing you had something to do with it. :) I feel compelled to please you. :)

That, and I don't like cleaning. It's much more fun just sitting on the couch, typing on my laptop, then running around pushing a vacuum (though it is a sweet "ride"!) I always enjoy the end results, though (I hate living in "chaos" but never have the will power to do much about it--until we're supposed to have guests over.)

Hmmm... yup, that basket of clothes there still hasn't folded itself... Nope, the floor hasn't vacuumed itself yet either... And yup, that box that needs to go in the garage is still sitting there, waiting. Well, what is it waiting for, an invitation?! Sheesh...

I give myself 3 more minutes...

Let's see, what else... Well, it's supposed to be 90-something today, though right now it's overcast and high 70's. Jeremy's doing a bit of work in the play room upstairs, while Jeremiah tears what he can apart.

I wish I knew if I needed to start marinating steaks/take out chicken to thaw. These are the kinds of things that would be helpful to know in advance.

There's a blue jay on the deck. So pretty... I wonder if he's looking for Big Fella, before foraging for food... Yesterday, Big Fella put the fear of God into the annoying neighborhood cat (the one that doesn't belong to anyone, as far as we know, and has tried to eat the goldfish in our little pond....) I heard meowing, and then a huge thump again our house. Ran out, and saw Big Fella hot in pursuit of said cat... I don't think he'll be coming back anytime soon.

Ooops, I've gone a minute over. Guess I'd better go. Enjoy!

Sick of high gas prices....?

Get a "Xebra"!

You'll be the envy of your neighborhood (or the subject of ridicule... you pick.)

I wonder if it comes in "bubblegum pink"??

Not sure what you'd haul in this...

This one is almost cool (3 wheels, though, negates any and all "cool" factor...)

I don't get it..

Am I the only one? I just don't get the whole craziness behind "Sex and the City." There're articles in every magazine I get, promos and commercials during every show I watch, and endless online chatter about the show and now movie. I just don't get it. I'd heard about it when it was on HBO (probably the main reason I never saw it--not crazy enough to pay for HBO,) and I know my Aunt used to watch it with my cousin when she was a baby... But I don't get it. I suppose I'm not in the right class to "get it". After all, I don't have thousands of dollars in disposable income to use to buy the latest "clutch" or "boa" that Carrie, Sarah Jessica Parker's character, wears in various episodes. From what I've heard, the show is about the fashionable Carrie, and her & her friends' quest for sex in the big city, as single women.

But I just don't get it. Then again, I'm sure the same folks who love "Sex in the City" also can't figure out LOST, so I guess we're even. :) Though I'd like to think that loving LOST requires a certain amount of intelligence and devotion that the average TV chooses to not exert. It's the same 12-13 million fans that tune in every week, and that's it.

Seriously... I don't get it.

Where's the silver lining??

You know those days when you wake up, ready to say, "I think I'll make a snappy new day!" only to find that "snappy" is more like "limpy and disappointing?" Yeah, that's the kind of day I'm having today. And I hate to do a whole post about it, but everything else that was supposed to make me feel better, didn't, and so I'm trying a new approach...

My small group leader called me this morning, trying to figure out when we were going to meet this week. The whole confusion started when all of us ladies saw in the bulliten Sunday that Mclean's "Babies in the Park" takes place on Thursday mornings--at the same exact time as our small group. So we've been trying to figure out how we could do both things, at least every now and then, and how to make that work with our small group schedule. Well, after much back and forth email wise and a game of phone tag, we're just going to the park tomorrow. This isn't a "bad" thing, by any means, but it just stinks that outtings are so hard/complicated to plan when you've got multiple moms with various nap schedules. Gone are the days of, "Hey, let's go do this!" and it's done. Wait... that was college... wow, I guess it's really been a while since life was that "simple." :)

Once I actually made it downstairs with Jeremiah, it was just one stupid little thing after another--we were out of his oatmeal, so it was either make him eggs, or give him the "not so good" oatmeal that I bought accidently (I was trying to find an instant oatmeal that had as little sugar as possible, like Kashi, so we could do some different flavors. Well, we got the low sugar Quaker Oats, only to find out it's sweetened with Splenda... No thanks, I'll stick with Kashi.) Jeremiah's no dummy, so he knew this wasn't his normal oatmeal, and refused to eat it. And how he got oatmeal in his armpit, I'll never know....

Checked email, nothing "snappy" there. Looks like Netflix sent Rambo to arrive today. Wait a second.... I didn't order Rambo.... (gee... I wonder who made that one happen....??? Probably rhymes with "share a me" or "bear a me" or "dare a me"....) So we decided to head out to the Farmer's Market, where I could get some yummy raspberry bread, and that would make my day allllllllllll better, right???

Wrong. We get there only to find out that the bread guy didn't bring ANY raspberry loaf... Plenty of everything else, but no raspberry loaf. Okay, now, when a pregnant woman has her heart set on raspberry bread, you'd better have raspberry bread! AT LEAST he did have blueberry and raspberry scones, of which I bought a dozen (they are good!) But man... still disappointing. Just one disappointing thing after another, it seems.

Finally, the sun decided to come out (it was cloudy and cool when we left....) I was dripping when we got home, which is never fun after a casual walk. At least I had turned down the AC a few degrees before we left. AND, it's Jeremiah's naptime, which means it's my naptime. Which means I can try to start this day over this afternoon, and hope the rest of it fares better than the first.

But hey, at least I'm not dead, right? <~ My attempt at optimism. :)

Actually, the rest of the day should be better. I get to go shopping, after all. I'm definitely one of those people who shop away my woes (much to Jeremy's dismay...) Even though it's just grocery shopping, it's grocery shopping with a purpose--Jeremy's "best man" and his family will be here Friday, and so I've got a chance to "show off" one of my few strengths: cooking. So hopefully the crowds at Costco will be at a minimum, and Starbucks won't screw up my drink. If those two things happen, then the world will once again be at peace (at least, my world.) :)

I'm half tempted to drive out to my parents use their pool, too. But, that's a 40+ minute drive, which translates to about $13 worth of gas each way... So maybe not. I should join the Reston Parks Assoc. and use their pools, but I've got too many self esteem issues right now to use a public swimming pool (if I had the perfect preggers belly, maybe, but I don't, so unlikely.) Plus, I don't want to take Jeremiah into a public pool with a bunch of kids running around, jumping in the water, splashing him, and not being able to do anything about it (I know they have kiddie pools, but for some reason, those tend to be even more chaotic... where these children's parents are is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of our time...) So I guess I'll just shop, maybe buy a water gun for Jeremiah, come home, cook, and call it a night. Yeah, I guess that doesn't sound so bad.

Now if only there were such a thing as a self cleaning kitchen...

Progress defined by.... Starbucks??

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I love me some Starbucks. And for a while there, I was a die hard Iced Chai fan. But it's been interesting the past few months--as my pregnancy continues and the weather changes, so does my drink. This may seem normal for some people, but for me, it was always Iced Chai, no matter how hot, cold, or in-between it was. But pregnancy has a way of changing things, that's for sure.

I think the last iced chai I had was sometime back during the holidays... Then it just seemed really gross to me (along with almost everything, except for fresh fruit,) so I switched to hot chais instead. The hot has more spicy flavor to it (and they're supposed to sprinkle extra spice on top, like cinnamon, but I usually had to ask for it,) and it just seemed to sit better than the cold version did. For a while, that's what I stuck with.

And then the weather started warming up again. Time for a new drink! Iced tea lemonade. To most people, this is known as an "arnold palmer". I think it was his favorite drink. And that, too, was quite tasty and refreshing (and a buck cheaper than my chai!) I still enjoy iced tea lemonades, as it's a great way to drink unsweetened iced tea, but without all the caffeine of an iced tea, and less sugar than a lemonade. Win-win, right??

Well, then we went to Vegas. And you'd think I'd stick with my standard, but no, I've made yet another switch: Iced Caramel Lattes. This is the first time a coffee based drink is my drink of choice, as it was always a tea type beverage before. But for some reason, the creamy, caramelly (both from the syrup and the espresso itself,) taste of an iced latte is just too good to pass up. I have recently switched to half-caf, though, since I still want to be able to drink an iced tea during the day.

What will it be next month??? I don't know... I have a feeling Strawberry Frapaccinos may make a comeback as well, but for now, I'll stick with my lattes.

Interesting stuff, huh? :)

A few random things...

~Looks like we've got some exciting weather coming our way! Forecast calls for severe thunderstorms, possible hail, and a tornado watch. Nice... Jeremy's currently bringing in his "babies" (plants for the garden we haven't planted yet...) as the rain has just begun, with a few flashes of lightening in the background. Hopefully the thunder doesn't wake Jeremiah up from his nap...

Guess he won't be mowing the lawn today! (At least he got the front done earlier this week, so the neighbors can't be too upset with us.)

~Jess Jr. has been moving around a lot lately. She even kicked Jeremiah while I was rocking him to bed last night! Didn't bother him, but I thought it was cute... :) I think (HOPE!) she's settled into place, as I've been having a lot of kicks in the upper right side of my belly (same spot as Jeremiah--I'm waiting for the soreness to begin...) We'll see!

~Found out Thursday that I passed my glucose test (yay!) though my iron is a bit on the low side. While they're sure I can bring it up, they want to re-test me at 32 weeks instead of waiting until 36... Booo... Guess I need to start taking my prenatals... At least that'll be the last "stick" for me, so long as I do get my levels up.

~Wow... it just got so dark the light on the deck came on... Guess I won't leave my laptop plugged in after all...

~And there's the rain... Wow, it's really coming down. And we can see lightening strike in the same spot over and over again in the distance. Pretty cool.

~Finally, our ticker has moved us into the 7 month window! Woo hoo! We're just about a week away from the third trimester--the home stretch! YAY!

Still have Avent or Dr. Brown's bottles and want to go BPA-Free?????

Looks like companies are really starting to take this seriously!

Some Moms have reported luck returning their BPA bottles from Avent & Dr. Brown to Babies R Us stores and getting store credit, whether used or not. This is YMMV (your mileage/market may vary, in other words, not guaranteed for all stores yet,) but it's worth a shot. Here's a blurb from safemama.com:

~Call your local Babies R Us store and ask what their policy is on BPA product
returns

~Ask to speak to the manager to clarify what policy they are following
and what you need to bring to receive a store credit/return.

~Bring bottles and cups in the store clean and bring receipts if you have them.

~Bring our BPA Free Bottle and Cup Cheat Sheet with you to make sure
you’re buying BPA Free replacements.

I’m going off the assumption that they won’t provide this perk forever so I encourage you to get on it if you want to make a change to BPA Free.

This is great news--I guess they're starting to realize that people are really unhappy with the whole BPA issue, especially since Canada (and California, most recently!) declared it unsafe for use with babies under 18 months.

Also, if you choose to purchase the new BPA-free Dr. Brown's Polypropylene or Glass Bottles instead, you can submit 3 of the UPC symbols to Dr. Brown's and they will send you three more matching BPA free bottles (polypropylene only). So even if you don't have the BPA bottles to return, Dr Brown is going to reward you for buying their BPA-Free by offering buy 3 get 3 free!

To get your free bottles, simply mail your UPC codes (up to 3) to:Handi-Craft Company4433 Fyler AvenueSt. Louis, Missouri 63116

Part of me wishes I'd waited now to make the switch, but I got a good deal on my Born Free (30% off) and the nipples from Avent work with them, which saves me from having to buy all new ones. But for you Mama's (and Daddy's) that haven't made the switch yet, now's the time to do it!

Don't forget, if you're out shopping and are unsure about what is BPA-Free, or just partially BPA-Free (since very few products actually label as such, especially sippy cups), here are a couple of tips:

~Avoid plastics that are labeled 3, 6, or 7 (pretty sure those are the ones, but I'll double check and change if necessary.) You can usually find this on the bottle itself, on the bottom. It's surrounded by a three-arrow triangle, usually. All other plastics are generally considered "safe".

~Send a text message to "zrecs" with the company name (and item name, if you have it, such as "nuby sippy cups" or "avent nurser") to 69866. This is a free service run by zrecs.blogspot.com and will reply with a message on whether that item is BPA-free or not (as best as it can, at least. Sometimes you have to be more specific.)

~If you remember before you leave the house, print out the cheat sheet in the above quote, or use the one from zrecs that folds up into a wallet size card. It can be found here.

LOST Season 4 - Season Finale, Parts 1, 2 & 3

Obviously, there's no recap from part one of the season finale. Reason being: we were flying to Canada when it aired, and were only able to watch it via spotty download from a friendly fan's Torrent. So I really wanted to wait 'til last night to get it in its full HD glory, back to back with the finale it was meant to precede.

And now that that's happened, I'm here to tell you that I won't be posting a synopsis for a few days. This was a FULLY loaded episode, and there is just wayyyyy too much to cover all at once. So I'll probably take it hour by hour over the next couple of weeks. That will also give everyone who actually cares about LOST and what I have to say about it plenty of time to catch up and watch it all before I start posting spoilers about it ("Frozen Donkey Wheel", anyone???) And it's not like we'll have another episode again for a while--Season 5 doesn't kick off until Feb. 2009, barring anymore strikes.

So sit back, relax, allow it all to sink in, and I'll let you know my thoughts (if anyone cares :) soon.

I will say this, though: Holy crap! They finally give us a BOATLOAD of answers, and throw in almost as many questions. But that's LOST for ya. Hopefully the SERIES finale (in 2010) won't be so cryptic.

Too cool for words...

Finally! A real cleanin' machine!

Ah yes, the joys of housecleaning. Our problem has been not a lack of desire, per se, but a lack of effective technique. And by effective technique, I really mean, ya can't effectively vacuum a house with a vacuum that doesn't work!

We bought our vacuum back after Christmas two years ago, using some games we didn't want as store credit for Walmart. Bought ourselves a little Bissel and were on our way! (Hand-me-down vacs before that... just wasn't cutting it.)

That vacuum served us well until we moved here. Maybe it's just that this house is so much larger than our previous apartments that it wore the vacuum out, I don't know. What I do know is that the best time for a vacuum to break is NOT when you're trying to clean the house before your Christmas party later that night. We were able to get the downstairs done, and part of the upstairs, and that was it--the belt on the hose popped off and wouldn't spin the brush head anymore. BOO!

Well, it took us a good month or two to actually fix it. We thought the hose had snapped, so we had a spare on hand. Opened it up, and nope, it just needed to be refitted. Sweet. Simple, not too complicated (they don't make the covers for these things easy to get off, though!) and we were back in action...

....until we needed to vacuum again, before the window guy came by to measure our windows (we were getting quotes.) It conked out on us yet again, but at least we knew what was wrong this time.

Flash forward to Monday of this week (Memorial Day!) Jeremy's cousin Brooke, her son and Mom were comin' over since they weren't really doing much, and we weren't really doing much, and had been trying to have 'em over for a while now. Okay, time to clean up!

At this point, our floors hadn't been sufficiently vacuumed in over a month (probably longer, but you get the idea.) Yeah, it bugs me, but so does having to fix the vacuum every time you want to use it. Jeremy fixes the vacuum, for the third time, and brings it downstairs for me to use. I turn it on, nothing. No spinning action whatsoever! So our guests got to check out our beautiful house, and dirty carpets. Awesome.

Needless to say, we've had enough! That vacuum is going in the trash, and we're getting a new one! YAY! And not some cheapo piece o' 'crap-o' again. Nope, this time, we're getting.....

A DYSON! Woot! Frys.com had a refurb model on sale yesterday, so I ordered it and it should be here tomorrow! I would have preferred new, obviously, but it was half off, and every review I've read of the refurbs have been positive. So I'm taking the risk, and jumping into the Dyson world! I look forward to never losing suction, never having to touch the dirt (dispenses with the push of a button) and hopefully, cleaner carpets! YAY! I hope they're as awesome as everyone says they are.

Congratulations, you just read a whole post on vacuums! :) I'm sorry I have nothing else interesting to talk about, but I was getting sick of seeing the Vegas posts every time I pulled up the blog. :)

Wedding/BabyMoon/Anniversary/Business Trip, Part 5--The End.

Right now, we're sitting in McCarren Airport, here in Las Vegas, and we couldn't be happier! While we enjoyed our time away, we both agree that it was a day or two too long, and are anxious to get home. It'll be nice to not walk through hallways of smoke, rude people, ringing, beeping, drunk people, etc. And when I say "rude", I'm not just talking about the tourists (though they make up the majority...) I think that the staff that work in the casinos are just so used to rude customers that they don't know how to relax and be nice to those who aren't there to give them a hard time (I couldn't believe how many people I heard talking down to servers, hotel staff, everyone! Hopefully "bitterness" is one of those things that STAYS in Vegas!) And with the exception of the super expensive dinner we had Tuesday night, rarely would we actually want to the tip a full 20%, as many of the servers ignored us to the point where we had to ask for refills, and hope that at some point our food would come out. And I'm all about being a good tipper, but when the only time I see you is to take our order, bring our drinks, and then bring our food (and subsequently, the bill, though usually each part is brought by a different person, with little communication between them,) there's little motivation to be generous (especially when that soda costs $4, is the size of a juice box, and never gets refilled despite asking for one...)

Yeah, we're glad to be coming home!

So here are the last few pics from our trip!

The streets of Venice, inside the Venetian. It's much more bright when you're walking through it than it appears on film.

Street performers in "Venice"

Ditto.

Dude on stilts. Always fun and exciting!

Jeremy sporting his poncho at Blue Man Group. While we were in the "poncho" section, we didn't need them, but always good to be prepared, just in case.

Decked out in paper in preparation for the show!

"Rrrawwwr! I am the paper monster!!!"

Yeah, I got nothin'. (This was post-show... video coming soon...)

Jeremy trying to steal Mona Lisa's twinkie. During the show, they pull a female member of the audience on stage to have a "romantic" dinner (twinkies.) The poor girl at our show was MORTIFIED! You could see she was trying as hard as she could not to cry at times.

It was hilarious. :)

The BAND! Kinda goofy in regular light--freakin' awesome behind their instruments under a black light!

Chillin' with a Blue Man

The "Strip" at night. Well, part of it anyways.

Goodbye, Vegas!!!!

<100 days! Woot!

Just thought I'd point that out--this process started around t-273 days, and now we're down to t-99! Woo hoo! This week has definitely reminded me that preggers need to take it easy and not run around like when you're not. I was perfectly content just sitting around, relaxing, versus trying to do EVERYTHING on the strip. There were a few things I didn't get to do that I had wanted to, but that's alright. There's always next time!