I'm starting a new grocery trend and so far 1st week has gone well. Our family has dwindled back down to the two of us and our fur babies... more on that another time. So as usual we eat out often and go grocery shopping maybe every 4-6 weeks. Bad, I know. So basically you can guess we live off frozen, non-perishable food items. Produce isn't seen very much and it's unfortunate as this type of lifestyle isn't helping our weight/fertility issues. So now that I've had a brief time playing "mom", I've learned to appreciate cooking. I'm taking a small step to help us eat better, and save more money. Back in my couponing days, I grew fond of a particular site foodonthetable.com It is a site that matches up things that are on sale at your local grocery store with recipe ideas. That way, if you enjoy saving a few bucks, you can plan your week's menu accordingly. Problem was at the time 1) I wasn't much of a food planner 2) I was always on some sort of diet 3) I didn't really cook and 4) I had better things to do. Now that I've cooked my fair share of dinners, and now that we're trying to pinch pennies until the end of the year, I've decided to change things up a little. I've been looking at a few blogs about menu planning for both grocery shopping hauls and losing weight and now I think I'm ready for the challenge. So here's what I've been doing for the past two weeks.
We live pretty close to 3 major grocery store chains (2 of which give us fuel points when we shop there, so these are the stores I prefer to shop at... might as well save money on gas too!) So I first go to foodonthetable.com and search for my local store's sale items. I go through the list and jot down any items that we are in need of (including non food items) or that we eat regularly. Anything else that pops out, looks interesting, or is a really good sale I jot down too. So I usually end up with a list of about 2 dozen items. Then I grab the list off the fridge of the things we need to get (regardless of sale) or running low on and I write those items down too.
Next, I search for recipes on the website of foods that I have "extra" of (i.e. can of beans I have sitting around, pack of rice I need to use, the shrimp that needs to be cooked, etc). Then I match those recipes with any other items I had listed down and... VOILA! There's dinner! For instance, I had a can of coconut milk sitting in my pantry, and half a bag of rice... I type in coconut milk and up pops up Thai chicken with basil and coconut milk! MMMMM.... So then I see that the chicken is on sale and so I highlight it. On the back of the page I number 1-7 (7 days a week). Next to #1 I put Thai chicken and rice. Another example: I have two cans of navy beans I need to use. Search pulls up navy bean and ham soup. Ham is on sale and so is the celery (another ingredient). List that down on #2. And so on. I continue until I fill up 5 lines worth of dinner meals. Line 6 and 7 is "extra" considering it's just the two of us and we usually eat leftovers one or two days out of the week. Also, if I'm too tired to cook one day, there's always a spare pizza or frozen pasta dish in the freezer.
Anything left on the list that I haven't paired with any menu item gets crossed off the list. I usually rewrite this list and organize it a little more according to store aisle and BOOM there's my grocery haul for the week. So far so good! I haven't calculated our savings yet as we have just started this trend and when we first went shopping our refrigerator and pantry were almost empty, so it was a big haul.
When we get back from the store and put up all the groceries, I write on the magnetic memo board on our fridge the menu for the week. I don't like assigning meals to certain days as maybe I'm too tired to cook or I don't feel like that food that day. Having a list of meals makes it look like a restaurant menu and so I can pick what I want to eat or hubby can pick what he wants to make on the weekend (We have an agreement he cooks on the weekends if I don't offer).
If I am craving anything or I run across something interesting while searching recipes, I'll jot it down and make note for the next week.
And that's about it.
What about lunch and dinner you ask? Well, for lunch it's usually leftovers and I cook enough to last for about 3 days (damn these family recipes) or we always stock up on frozen microwave meals (hubby prefers these since there is a plethora of choices and since he doesn't have a fridge at work, the frozen meals keep till it's time for his lunch). And breakfast? I eat breakfast on the go, so that means a cup of yogurt, a piece of fruit, a microwave breakfast sandwich, or just plain ole coffee. So those are always a staple in our home. Hubby usually does cereal, or leftovers from the night before. So as you can see, not much planning needed there. Maybe when the weight loss thing needs to get more serious, that'll change (it always does).
So there you go. My grocery shopping and menu planning in a nut shell (yeah, right)
Mom... In Training
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Trouble in CAR-idise BEDA#5
Sorry for skipping a couple of days, but as you can see from the title of today's blog, hubby and I have been experiencing some car issues.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Glad to Be Back! BEDA #1
Wow! It's been a while since my last post. Over two months. This is gonna be a long update. But that's a good thing since I'm thinking of doing BEDA this year. BEDA stands for Blog Every Day in August. I got the idea from fellow YouTubers who do VEDA, and since I stopped posting videos, I decided why not do BEDA instead? I'm a day late, but I think tonight's blog entry will make up for yesterday as well. So here goes...
We've had quite a change in pace over the past 2 months here at home. Though there has been a couple of obstacles to get around, most of the change has been for the better. We are now well acquainted with our foreign exchange students. We've been in communication with them regularly over the last month and a half and it's so exciting learning more and more about them. They are both happily anticipating their visit here with us and already we've made huge plans in traveling and showing them what we like. The list that I mentioned in my past blog has gotten even longer in length. There's over 100 things that I've listed that I can't wait to show them. Granted we probably won't be able to do all of it, but I'm hoping we can do most of it. The girls will be coming in a few weeks, and though we are not quite ready for them yet (still working on getting them registered for school... still need to do some major cleaning around the house), we are almost there. I keep procrastinating and putting off the cleaning for the weekends, but those "cleaning weekends" never seem to hash out. We've always got something else better to do... lol. Anyways, that's about the only thing I'm worried about. Keeping my fingers crossed that we can make some progress on the cleaning this weekend, even though we've already got plans for the evening.
So just to share a little more information about our girls. G, as you recall, is from Thailand. She's the one we've been in contact with the longest (and probably the most "like" us). She's kind of shy and timid, but she's super cute. She's this tiny little thing, probably not even 5 foot tall, and under 100 lbs. So cute, you just want to put her in your pocket. She's still working on getting better at English, and she's a bit nervous about being able to communicate well with us and her fellow peers. She's still attending school in Thailand and actually just completed her midterm exams. She's also really involved in her cultural exchange organization that she participates in outside of school. Unlike the U.S., in Thailand, school is strictly for educational subject classes like math, reading, history, government, language studies, etc. Any sports or clubs that students wish to participate in, they have to do on their own time away from school. G likes being in her cultural exchange program. Already, she has spent a summer in New Zealand as a member of the organization. They also recently had their annual prom, in which they got to celebrate and spend one more evening with their friends of the organization, before packing up and jetting off to their respective countries for the foreign exchange program. G tells me that she has 3 more friends coming to the U.S., though none set for Texas. She is super excited about coming here to Texas, as she has seen lots of pictures of the landscape, seen it portrayed in movies, and read about all the wonderful things to do while here in our city. One of things she tells me she's most excited about is going horseback riding. She's been once before in New Zealand and she really enjoyed it. She's also excited to meet new friends, though she admits she's a little shy and quiet at first. She's kind of glad M will also be staying with us, as it gives her an opportunity to make a friend before school starts. She's also looking forward to getting involved with school sports, primarily swimming and perhaps cheerleading. She wants to take Spanish class so that she can learn the language. It's something she's been interested in for a while. She enjoys the same music as me (in regards to American pop music) and said she's eager to learn how to dance. I told her I like dancing all kinds of music, so she's excited for me to teach her a few things. I told her I would like to learn how to cook Thai food and she eagerly offered to teach me. Though she doesn't cook very much at home in Thailand, she has picked up a few things from her mother. She's very eager to learn and experience as much as she can here with us and every time we email each other, she gives me a countdown as to when she arrives.
M is our other student. She is from Germany. She's very different from G, though I think that will only give them more to talk about when they are together. She's a little more versed in travel and new experiences. She loves the study of language and is also pretty fluent in Spanish. She tells me she also has plans to learn French and Madarin Chinese. Wow, how motivated she is! She is also very involved in tennis in her homeland. She competes in regular tournaments and hoping she can continue the sport while staying here with us. We found out the high school does have a tennis team so hopefully she will be able to participate in that. She also has an interest in cheerleading. She seems a little more social and outspoken, though we've only communicated via email. She spent the summer in Spain and actually just got back home this week. Plus her birthday was a couple of days ago, so it's one thing after another and she seems to stay pretty busy. Though we haven't had as much communication with her as we have with G, she does respond pretty thoroughly in her emails. Her English writing is very good. She also seems to enjoy the same kind of music as I do (we have some of the same favorite music artists). She tells me she is looking forward to learning about the American culture. She wants to be involved in foreign languages when she grows up, so she is hoping to also master the English language while staying here. She tells me she's not much of a cook, but does enjoy her German food so she's eager to try the local German restaurant that I mentioned earlier. She's not into spicy food much so I don't know how she'll handle Mexican and Thai food. We shall see. I told her about our local German festival and Oktoberfest and she says she's super excited to check it out. One of things she tells me she's most excited about is going shopping. What teenage girl isn't? She tells me that she's heard that name brands (especially her favorites, Hollister and Ambercrombie) are pretty affordable here in the states, while in Germany it's really expensive. She doesn't seem to be nervous at all about coming here to the U.S. I asked her if she has ever traveled here and she said a couple of times to Ohio, where she has some distant relatives. As much as she has traveled and studied Spanish, maybe I can learn a thing or two from her.
So those are our 2 students. M just turned 17 and G is 16 and a half. I'm still not sure what grades they'll be in since we still need to get them registered. But like I said earlier, we already have so much planned for them. I wanted to do something big for either the winter holiday break or spring break and since hubby is pretty much guaranteed mandatory overtime during December, I figured we could hold off until the spring break holiday. So what I've started working on is planning a trip to Disney World! I asked the girls first whether their parents would allow them to travel to Florida and whether they'd be able to afford their expenses for the trip. They both discussed it with their family and happily agreed upon the trip. They are both very excited to get to experience Disney since they haven't ever visited any of the theme parks around the world. But of course what kid wouldn't be excited?! Hubby and I are excited ourselves as we've never experienced it either. So that is the big thing we have planned in March. Another thing that hubby and I are planning is a Welcome to America party for the girls. Just something to introduce them to other kids and some of our family and close friends. We are trying to keep it as small as possible, but hubby and I love to throw parties, especially one that has music and barbeque. And finally, and this came up just recently, we decided to invite them to UFC #166 when it comes to our city in October. We weren't sure if they'd want to go, especially having never seen it and the tickets being so expensive. But running it by their parents, they were ready to jump in for the experience. So happy to say, we bought 4 tickets for the upcoming fights and can't wait to share our love of the sport with them.
And now moving on to less interesting news... As far as a TTC update, there's really nothing to report on. It's on the back burner and not a priority in our life right now (something I thought I'd never hear myself say). I don't want to say I've given up on it, but I've pretty much come to the realization that I'm not going to be a mom unless we adopt or until I can get pregnant. And the getting pregnant thing won't be happening anytime soon. We've both basically have an understanding that unless we have some serious medical intervention (i.e. IVF) that it won't be happening naturally. It's the reality of the situation and right now I'm ok with that. I can't say that I won't ever try other means again, but my body is so screwed up right now, that mother nature has pretty much crossed me off her list. Yeah it sucks, but hey... shit happens. And when I say screwed up I mean not only that I haven't had my period in almost 5 months (today is CD 141), but I've put on a few more pounds, and I haven't seen a doctor since we last tried with HCG in January. And no, I'm not pregnant. I take a HPT every first of the month to make sure I don't wind up on that show "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant". Yesterday's test, just as expected came out with a BFN. No surprise there... and it didn't even phase me.
As for the weight thing, yes I know, I know. I can't believe I gained weight either. I was a little depressed as the whole TTC came to a startling halt. That probably contributed to it. But mainly I blame it on letting go. Since letting go of the whole TTC journey, I kinda was like "F- it!" Before I was trying to lose the weight for babymaking, but since that's not gonna happen I decided to enjoy life. Now that I have steady work and the paychecks are coming in regularly, hubby and I have been taking advantage and enjoying going to eat out. We've both actually started to gain weight. And then because I started working so much, I was skipping the gym. And then I get home and I'm super tired and just want to lounge around the house. It's a never ending cycle and I do want to get back on track especially with the girls coming. I hate to validate the stereotype of fat and lazy Americans. (I did some research on culture shock and one of the common first impressions from foreign exchange students are that Americans are fat and lazy.... boooooo) Plus my girls seem really energetic and active and I want to be able to keep up with them. I hope they will be able to motivate me. Maybe I can get them on a student/child membership at the gym. We'll see.
Finally, I just wanted to mention that this is the year for baby showers. I told my mom the other day that I'm at that stage in life where everyone my age is getting pregnant. It's kind of weird, kind of eerie, but I'm so thankful that I've put my TTC days behind me, because this year would suck royally had I still been TTC and not pregnant by now. I finally re-activated my FB account, primarily to keep in touch with the girls (imagine life without social networking, how would we ever be in touch? I mean who writes letters nowadays?... lol... that's sarcasm) and now that I'm back online and in full force, there are friends and family members announcing pregnancies and births left and right! I'm thankful I have a job to afford all these gifts I'm buying. I swear like every month I find out someone new is pregnant. Happy for them, of course, but reminds me more and more that I'm not the one announcing it. Not saying that in a bad way, just that these were some of the people asking me 3 years ago "So when are you gonna have kids?" I guess time flies when you're having fun.
Well that's about all I gotta say for today. Tomorrow is another day and I gotta think about what I want to write about. So see you then.
We've had quite a change in pace over the past 2 months here at home. Though there has been a couple of obstacles to get around, most of the change has been for the better. We are now well acquainted with our foreign exchange students. We've been in communication with them regularly over the last month and a half and it's so exciting learning more and more about them. They are both happily anticipating their visit here with us and already we've made huge plans in traveling and showing them what we like. The list that I mentioned in my past blog has gotten even longer in length. There's over 100 things that I've listed that I can't wait to show them. Granted we probably won't be able to do all of it, but I'm hoping we can do most of it. The girls will be coming in a few weeks, and though we are not quite ready for them yet (still working on getting them registered for school... still need to do some major cleaning around the house), we are almost there. I keep procrastinating and putting off the cleaning for the weekends, but those "cleaning weekends" never seem to hash out. We've always got something else better to do... lol. Anyways, that's about the only thing I'm worried about. Keeping my fingers crossed that we can make some progress on the cleaning this weekend, even though we've already got plans for the evening.
So just to share a little more information about our girls. G, as you recall, is from Thailand. She's the one we've been in contact with the longest (and probably the most "like" us). She's kind of shy and timid, but she's super cute. She's this tiny little thing, probably not even 5 foot tall, and under 100 lbs. So cute, you just want to put her in your pocket. She's still working on getting better at English, and she's a bit nervous about being able to communicate well with us and her fellow peers. She's still attending school in Thailand and actually just completed her midterm exams. She's also really involved in her cultural exchange organization that she participates in outside of school. Unlike the U.S., in Thailand, school is strictly for educational subject classes like math, reading, history, government, language studies, etc. Any sports or clubs that students wish to participate in, they have to do on their own time away from school. G likes being in her cultural exchange program. Already, she has spent a summer in New Zealand as a member of the organization. They also recently had their annual prom, in which they got to celebrate and spend one more evening with their friends of the organization, before packing up and jetting off to their respective countries for the foreign exchange program. G tells me that she has 3 more friends coming to the U.S., though none set for Texas. She is super excited about coming here to Texas, as she has seen lots of pictures of the landscape, seen it portrayed in movies, and read about all the wonderful things to do while here in our city. One of things she tells me she's most excited about is going horseback riding. She's been once before in New Zealand and she really enjoyed it. She's also excited to meet new friends, though she admits she's a little shy and quiet at first. She's kind of glad M will also be staying with us, as it gives her an opportunity to make a friend before school starts. She's also looking forward to getting involved with school sports, primarily swimming and perhaps cheerleading. She wants to take Spanish class so that she can learn the language. It's something she's been interested in for a while. She enjoys the same music as me (in regards to American pop music) and said she's eager to learn how to dance. I told her I like dancing all kinds of music, so she's excited for me to teach her a few things. I told her I would like to learn how to cook Thai food and she eagerly offered to teach me. Though she doesn't cook very much at home in Thailand, she has picked up a few things from her mother. She's very eager to learn and experience as much as she can here with us and every time we email each other, she gives me a countdown as to when she arrives.
M is our other student. She is from Germany. She's very different from G, though I think that will only give them more to talk about when they are together. She's a little more versed in travel and new experiences. She loves the study of language and is also pretty fluent in Spanish. She tells me she also has plans to learn French and Madarin Chinese. Wow, how motivated she is! She is also very involved in tennis in her homeland. She competes in regular tournaments and hoping she can continue the sport while staying here with us. We found out the high school does have a tennis team so hopefully she will be able to participate in that. She also has an interest in cheerleading. She seems a little more social and outspoken, though we've only communicated via email. She spent the summer in Spain and actually just got back home this week. Plus her birthday was a couple of days ago, so it's one thing after another and she seems to stay pretty busy. Though we haven't had as much communication with her as we have with G, she does respond pretty thoroughly in her emails. Her English writing is very good. She also seems to enjoy the same kind of music as I do (we have some of the same favorite music artists). She tells me she is looking forward to learning about the American culture. She wants to be involved in foreign languages when she grows up, so she is hoping to also master the English language while staying here. She tells me she's not much of a cook, but does enjoy her German food so she's eager to try the local German restaurant that I mentioned earlier. She's not into spicy food much so I don't know how she'll handle Mexican and Thai food. We shall see. I told her about our local German festival and Oktoberfest and she says she's super excited to check it out. One of things she tells me she's most excited about is going shopping. What teenage girl isn't? She tells me that she's heard that name brands (especially her favorites, Hollister and Ambercrombie) are pretty affordable here in the states, while in Germany it's really expensive. She doesn't seem to be nervous at all about coming here to the U.S. I asked her if she has ever traveled here and she said a couple of times to Ohio, where she has some distant relatives. As much as she has traveled and studied Spanish, maybe I can learn a thing or two from her.
So those are our 2 students. M just turned 17 and G is 16 and a half. I'm still not sure what grades they'll be in since we still need to get them registered. But like I said earlier, we already have so much planned for them. I wanted to do something big for either the winter holiday break or spring break and since hubby is pretty much guaranteed mandatory overtime during December, I figured we could hold off until the spring break holiday. So what I've started working on is planning a trip to Disney World! I asked the girls first whether their parents would allow them to travel to Florida and whether they'd be able to afford their expenses for the trip. They both discussed it with their family and happily agreed upon the trip. They are both very excited to get to experience Disney since they haven't ever visited any of the theme parks around the world. But of course what kid wouldn't be excited?! Hubby and I are excited ourselves as we've never experienced it either. So that is the big thing we have planned in March. Another thing that hubby and I are planning is a Welcome to America party for the girls. Just something to introduce them to other kids and some of our family and close friends. We are trying to keep it as small as possible, but hubby and I love to throw parties, especially one that has music and barbeque. And finally, and this came up just recently, we decided to invite them to UFC #166 when it comes to our city in October. We weren't sure if they'd want to go, especially having never seen it and the tickets being so expensive. But running it by their parents, they were ready to jump in for the experience. So happy to say, we bought 4 tickets for the upcoming fights and can't wait to share our love of the sport with them.
And now moving on to less interesting news... As far as a TTC update, there's really nothing to report on. It's on the back burner and not a priority in our life right now (something I thought I'd never hear myself say). I don't want to say I've given up on it, but I've pretty much come to the realization that I'm not going to be a mom unless we adopt or until I can get pregnant. And the getting pregnant thing won't be happening anytime soon. We've both basically have an understanding that unless we have some serious medical intervention (i.e. IVF) that it won't be happening naturally. It's the reality of the situation and right now I'm ok with that. I can't say that I won't ever try other means again, but my body is so screwed up right now, that mother nature has pretty much crossed me off her list. Yeah it sucks, but hey... shit happens. And when I say screwed up I mean not only that I haven't had my period in almost 5 months (today is CD 141), but I've put on a few more pounds, and I haven't seen a doctor since we last tried with HCG in January. And no, I'm not pregnant. I take a HPT every first of the month to make sure I don't wind up on that show "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant". Yesterday's test, just as expected came out with a BFN. No surprise there... and it didn't even phase me.
As for the weight thing, yes I know, I know. I can't believe I gained weight either. I was a little depressed as the whole TTC came to a startling halt. That probably contributed to it. But mainly I blame it on letting go. Since letting go of the whole TTC journey, I kinda was like "F- it!" Before I was trying to lose the weight for babymaking, but since that's not gonna happen I decided to enjoy life. Now that I have steady work and the paychecks are coming in regularly, hubby and I have been taking advantage and enjoying going to eat out. We've both actually started to gain weight. And then because I started working so much, I was skipping the gym. And then I get home and I'm super tired and just want to lounge around the house. It's a never ending cycle and I do want to get back on track especially with the girls coming. I hate to validate the stereotype of fat and lazy Americans. (I did some research on culture shock and one of the common first impressions from foreign exchange students are that Americans are fat and lazy.... boooooo) Plus my girls seem really energetic and active and I want to be able to keep up with them. I hope they will be able to motivate me. Maybe I can get them on a student/child membership at the gym. We'll see.
Finally, I just wanted to mention that this is the year for baby showers. I told my mom the other day that I'm at that stage in life where everyone my age is getting pregnant. It's kind of weird, kind of eerie, but I'm so thankful that I've put my TTC days behind me, because this year would suck royally had I still been TTC and not pregnant by now. I finally re-activated my FB account, primarily to keep in touch with the girls (imagine life without social networking, how would we ever be in touch? I mean who writes letters nowadays?... lol... that's sarcasm) and now that I'm back online and in full force, there are friends and family members announcing pregnancies and births left and right! I'm thankful I have a job to afford all these gifts I'm buying. I swear like every month I find out someone new is pregnant. Happy for them, of course, but reminds me more and more that I'm not the one announcing it. Not saying that in a bad way, just that these were some of the people asking me 3 years ago "So when are you gonna have kids?" I guess time flies when you're having fun.
Well that's about all I gotta say for today. Tomorrow is another day and I gotta think about what I want to write about. So see you then.
Monday, March 18, 2013
CD 6 and Another Busy Weekend
Yes, you read right. It's CD 6 for me and that's kind of bittersweet. It's been two months since I've been off of fertility meds and one month since I've been doing acupuncture and taking Vitex. So that means AF come all on her own. Like I said, bittersweet. Either way, I'm still excited that things have seemed to regulate. I'm hoping it will stay like this for a while. I still have yet to ovulate and since being off the meds these two cycles I've had since then, I still have had no clear ovulation pattern. BOOOO :( Then, about a week and a half ago, I called to refill my thyroid meds, metformin and dostinex (all meds my doc put me on while TTC). Turns out they couldn't refill two of them because I'm due for my yearly check up (well woman exam). I still have no insurance since getting laid off in December so this was a bummer. I had been paying cash for my meds since January and it was burning a hole in my pocket. Now adding the expenses of a well woman exam and labwork and I just thought "Nevermind". I'm hoping this new natural treatment will work. The 3rd med, dostinex, that my doc prescribed for my elevated levels of prolactin costs $146 for 4 pills! I was like, "No thanks, put it back on the shelf." So now I'm completely out of ALL my meds and going AU NATURAL, so to speak. LOL. I still am taking the Vitex one to two times a day, my prenatal vitamins and DHA daily, and acupuncture 2-3 times a week. So I'm trying to stay hopeful and optimistic. I had a short cycle this time, so maybe that's something good.
March is a busy month for me and my family. We have 5 birthdays, literally weeks from each other. My niece bday is March 2, DH is March 9, my sister's is March 16, my mom's is March 23 and my MIL is March 24. So this past weekend, we celebrated my sister's 31st birthday. You know, it's funny how you try to find the positives in IF. This month was one of those times I was actually glad I wasn't PG. I know I may have been taking advantage of the situation a little, but who wouldn't if you were in my shoes. I've been drinking every weekend and this past one was no exception. I actually may have drank more than I should have, but I'm glad I didn't get wasted. I told hubby that I was making up for lost time from last weekend since I had to be DD for his bday. Then with the rodeo in town, friends visiting, catching UFC fights, I'm not surprised that I'm enjoying this barren womb. LOL. Sorry.. a bit of sick IF humor there for you. Plus tomorrow I'm off, so I'll prob be drinking tonight and then DH and I are going to the Maroon 5 concert with my BFF and her hubby. And BFF is preggers, so that just means I have to drink for the both of us... hahahaha. Anyways, as you can see March has been pretty exciting social-wise for us.
But being social also comes with its downfalls. I'm still having to explain to friends why we haven't had kids. I'm actually to the point where I just throw it out there about our IF, even to acquantainces. I'm tired of the excuses, of sugar coating our situation. I just put it out there and though the conversation can get kind of awkward, at least maybe they can stop asking. Is it wrong that I get a kick out of it... making it awkward for them? Our conversation will go something like this...
Them: "Hey long time no see. How are you?"
Me: "Good. You?"
"Same here. You know, same old same old. How is married life treating you? How's JC?"
"We're both good. Still working, he's in school now, so he's trying to balance the two. And how's the hubby and the kids?"
"We're good, hubby is still working at the same company. Kids are growing fast. Speaking of, when are you gonna start your family? Have you started thinking about babies yet?"
"Oh, why yes! It's been about what.... two and half years we've been trying? Yeah, it's been a little difficult. Believe me we want kids, it's just that infertility sucks."
"Honey, just relax it will happen" OR "Oh sweetie, stop trying so hard, you're just stressing yourself out." OR "Well it's good that you have this time for yourself right now. Kids/Babies are alot of work." OR "God knows when it's your time. Don't worry about it. He'll bless you when you're ready."
"Well actually I have a medical condition called PCOS and I'm not able to get pregnant without medical intervention. We've been through some treatments already but no luck so far. Like I said, difficult but we are definately hopeful." (Some people I even delve a little more information on what it is. That my ovaries don't work right, that I have hormonal issues, etc.)
"Okay.... um, well I'll keep you in my prayers." Or suddenly they get a text or they hear their kid calling for them, or they need to be somewhere soon or any other reason. Some will even ask if we've tried fertility meds? (Ummmm.... Hello? I said we've been through some treatments.) IVF? (we don't have that kind of money right now. do you? snarky, i know... lol) adoption? (nothing against this but since i'm being snarky... oh, why didn't I think of that? your right it is alot cheaper... NOT! or oh, I didn't think about that, I guess that is better than having to carry your own child or having a child you both created that shares your DNA... who needs that... sooo overated....) keeping your legs up? doing a handstand? being on top? being on bottom? letting him stay in there as long as he can? (yes, yes, yes, yes, and oooh why didn't I think of that? YES! I guess they missed the part where I said that I have a medical condition. Oh well.)
Anyways, off my soapbox. Just went off a little tangent there. My rant is over.
So where was I?.... Oh yeah, so being in social situations can be a little awkward. This weekend I found out that 2 other friends are pregnant. All news via Facebook. And just when I thought I could handle hearing these announcements, I find myself crumbling. Third announcement this month and we're not even at then end of March! I guess we weren't the only ones who got busy on Valentine's Day. It was too much and I made the decision to deactivate my account. I've heard of other gals TTC who did this for the very same reason, and now I completely understand. Kudos for doing it sooner :)
So that's that for now. We'll see what this next month brings. Maybe without FB now, I can dedicate more time to working on course development for my summer class. I've been procrastinating. And hopefully burying myself in work can take my mind off TTC for a bit. I think I'm going to take a break from temping this month too. I need to hide my thermometer.
March is a busy month for me and my family. We have 5 birthdays, literally weeks from each other. My niece bday is March 2, DH is March 9, my sister's is March 16, my mom's is March 23 and my MIL is March 24. So this past weekend, we celebrated my sister's 31st birthday. You know, it's funny how you try to find the positives in IF. This month was one of those times I was actually glad I wasn't PG. I know I may have been taking advantage of the situation a little, but who wouldn't if you were in my shoes. I've been drinking every weekend and this past one was no exception. I actually may have drank more than I should have, but I'm glad I didn't get wasted. I told hubby that I was making up for lost time from last weekend since I had to be DD for his bday. Then with the rodeo in town, friends visiting, catching UFC fights, I'm not surprised that I'm enjoying this barren womb. LOL. Sorry.. a bit of sick IF humor there for you. Plus tomorrow I'm off, so I'll prob be drinking tonight and then DH and I are going to the Maroon 5 concert with my BFF and her hubby. And BFF is preggers, so that just means I have to drink for the both of us... hahahaha. Anyways, as you can see March has been pretty exciting social-wise for us.
But being social also comes with its downfalls. I'm still having to explain to friends why we haven't had kids. I'm actually to the point where I just throw it out there about our IF, even to acquantainces. I'm tired of the excuses, of sugar coating our situation. I just put it out there and though the conversation can get kind of awkward, at least maybe they can stop asking. Is it wrong that I get a kick out of it... making it awkward for them? Our conversation will go something like this...
Them: "Hey long time no see. How are you?"
Me: "Good. You?"
"Same here. You know, same old same old. How is married life treating you? How's JC?"
"We're both good. Still working, he's in school now, so he's trying to balance the two. And how's the hubby and the kids?"
"We're good, hubby is still working at the same company. Kids are growing fast. Speaking of, when are you gonna start your family? Have you started thinking about babies yet?"
"Oh, why yes! It's been about what.... two and half years we've been trying? Yeah, it's been a little difficult. Believe me we want kids, it's just that infertility sucks."
"Honey, just relax it will happen" OR "Oh sweetie, stop trying so hard, you're just stressing yourself out." OR "Well it's good that you have this time for yourself right now. Kids/Babies are alot of work." OR "God knows when it's your time. Don't worry about it. He'll bless you when you're ready."
"Well actually I have a medical condition called PCOS and I'm not able to get pregnant without medical intervention. We've been through some treatments already but no luck so far. Like I said, difficult but we are definately hopeful." (Some people I even delve a little more information on what it is. That my ovaries don't work right, that I have hormonal issues, etc.)
"Okay.... um, well I'll keep you in my prayers." Or suddenly they get a text or they hear their kid calling for them, or they need to be somewhere soon or any other reason. Some will even ask if we've tried fertility meds? (Ummmm.... Hello? I said we've been through some treatments.) IVF? (we don't have that kind of money right now. do you? snarky, i know... lol) adoption? (nothing against this but since i'm being snarky... oh, why didn't I think of that? your right it is alot cheaper... NOT! or oh, I didn't think about that, I guess that is better than having to carry your own child or having a child you both created that shares your DNA... who needs that... sooo overated....) keeping your legs up? doing a handstand? being on top? being on bottom? letting him stay in there as long as he can? (yes, yes, yes, yes, and oooh why didn't I think of that? YES! I guess they missed the part where I said that I have a medical condition. Oh well.)
Anyways, off my soapbox. Just went off a little tangent there. My rant is over.
So where was I?.... Oh yeah, so being in social situations can be a little awkward. This weekend I found out that 2 other friends are pregnant. All news via Facebook. And just when I thought I could handle hearing these announcements, I find myself crumbling. Third announcement this month and we're not even at then end of March! I guess we weren't the only ones who got busy on Valentine's Day. It was too much and I made the decision to deactivate my account. I've heard of other gals TTC who did this for the very same reason, and now I completely understand. Kudos for doing it sooner :)
So that's that for now. We'll see what this next month brings. Maybe without FB now, I can dedicate more time to working on course development for my summer class. I've been procrastinating. And hopefully burying myself in work can take my mind off TTC for a bit. I think I'm going to take a break from temping this month too. I need to hide my thermometer.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
CD 21 & Hubby Love
Well it seems as if the trigger is finally coming out of my system... I did an OPK yesterday and today and they were both negative. I've been doing pretty good lately, although these past two days I've been dealing with allergies and loose stools (TMI, sorry). I'm not reading too much into that, however. I've also been surprisingly calm these last few days, like no worries. What a nice change of pace. :) I woke up from a late nap a few hours ago, and I feel a little feverish, though my temp is normal. I hope I'm not coming down with anything. I made a promise to myself not to consume any alcohol while in this 2WW (if I can even call it that, since my chart still has no spike), but funny how I've been craving coffee recently. I've had it pretty much every day this week. I told hubby how ironic that I've sworn off alcohol, yet I'm still drinking coffee. I'm going to try and stop that too. (But this cold weather makes me want to enjoy a nice hot cup.) I haven't had any today, YAY! I am excited that next week I will be able to test. I am counting down the days.
In other news, DH has been seriously stressing about our future. I have to admit, we have had to deal with alot on our plate recently. But it's weird because it's usually me that's stressed out and here I am trying to reassure hubby that all is going to be okay. He started his spring semester in school this week and he's taking three classes plus working full time. Also, I still haven't found steady work. I mean, I've picked up two extra days of PT work, but we are still trying to recover, financially, from my recent lay-off. And now, we just found out that our house needs a little work on it too. Plus on top of everything we are dealing with IF. After his first two days of class, he came home pretty overwhelmed with all the expectations of his courses. I told him that now that I have more time on my hands I can help him out. After all, I've been in school pretty much most of my life, so I know what and what not to do. I don't like seeing him stressed like this, especially when I'm trying to be positive and optimistic about this cycle. But I think with the pressure of perhaps bringing a baby into the picture he feels very overwhelmed. I understand it's a lot to deal with at one time, but like I explained to hubby, we just need to take one thing at a time. I used a metaphor with him last night when trying to explain things. I said...
It's like putting mayo in your sandwich... If you scoop a spoonful of mayo and plop it on a slice of bread, you're not expected to eat it like that. Yes, of course it seems like alot... but that's if your planning on biting into it like that. And who would do that, certainly not you and me. You have to spread it out the bread slice. Right? That way what seemed like alot at first is now spread out evenly in each bite. I told him that's how we have to approach our issues right now. Yes, we've had a lot to deal with in these past few weeks, but you'd be insane to try and tackle it all at once. You need to deal with these things slowly and with care, making sure to spread it out over time. Yes, I'm not making nearly as much money as I was with my FT job, but I'm still working... I'm still bringing in money. I've got three jobs. I work 3 days a week and I just found out I may be picking up another job (more about that later). Yes, your classes may seem hard at first, but remember, you have your weekends free to study. Plus I will help you out. I'm a pro at these classes. They are what I live through everyday (he's taking Human Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Terminology), I can help you with studying. I can make it seem less difficult. Work, unfortunately can't change. Yes, they are stressing you out over there. But you are only human, you can't be expected to do EVERYTHING. I know you usually try to and that's what makes you such a good, hard working man. But remember, you are not dedicated to this place and you may be soon leaving in a few months if our plans stay on track. Just grin and bear it. Sometimes that's all you can do. The house needs a little work, yes, but we can tackle that gradually. It doesn't all need to be fixed in one day. Slow and steady wins the race. And finally IF... who knows if this cycle will be successful. Yes, this is the farthest we've come and yes, there is chance this may finally be the start of a new chapter. But again it's one day at a time. Babies early on don't require alot of spending. Thank goodness we've decided to cloth diaper and we've already purchased a bassinett. I'm an avid supporter of breastfeeding for the first year, and hopefully I won't have any problems with it. That also will save us money. We both have very supportive families and if it ever comes down to it, I'm sure they can lend a helping hand if need be. I somehow have this feeling that things will turn out okay. I think that's why I've been so calm lately. Maybe it's pregnancy hormones, who knows! (Wishful thinking) But we are here and surviving just fine. Carpe diem. Tomorrow will bring different opportunities, so you just have to take it one day at a time. Times like this will only strengthen our bond and bring us closer together. I love you forever and always.
In other news, DH has been seriously stressing about our future. I have to admit, we have had to deal with alot on our plate recently. But it's weird because it's usually me that's stressed out and here I am trying to reassure hubby that all is going to be okay. He started his spring semester in school this week and he's taking three classes plus working full time. Also, I still haven't found steady work. I mean, I've picked up two extra days of PT work, but we are still trying to recover, financially, from my recent lay-off. And now, we just found out that our house needs a little work on it too. Plus on top of everything we are dealing with IF. After his first two days of class, he came home pretty overwhelmed with all the expectations of his courses. I told him that now that I have more time on my hands I can help him out. After all, I've been in school pretty much most of my life, so I know what and what not to do. I don't like seeing him stressed like this, especially when I'm trying to be positive and optimistic about this cycle. But I think with the pressure of perhaps bringing a baby into the picture he feels very overwhelmed. I understand it's a lot to deal with at one time, but like I explained to hubby, we just need to take one thing at a time. I used a metaphor with him last night when trying to explain things. I said...
It's like putting mayo in your sandwich... If you scoop a spoonful of mayo and plop it on a slice of bread, you're not expected to eat it like that. Yes, of course it seems like alot... but that's if your planning on biting into it like that. And who would do that, certainly not you and me. You have to spread it out the bread slice. Right? That way what seemed like alot at first is now spread out evenly in each bite. I told him that's how we have to approach our issues right now. Yes, we've had a lot to deal with in these past few weeks, but you'd be insane to try and tackle it all at once. You need to deal with these things slowly and with care, making sure to spread it out over time. Yes, I'm not making nearly as much money as I was with my FT job, but I'm still working... I'm still bringing in money. I've got three jobs. I work 3 days a week and I just found out I may be picking up another job (more about that later). Yes, your classes may seem hard at first, but remember, you have your weekends free to study. Plus I will help you out. I'm a pro at these classes. They are what I live through everyday (he's taking Human Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Terminology), I can help you with studying. I can make it seem less difficult. Work, unfortunately can't change. Yes, they are stressing you out over there. But you are only human, you can't be expected to do EVERYTHING. I know you usually try to and that's what makes you such a good, hard working man. But remember, you are not dedicated to this place and you may be soon leaving in a few months if our plans stay on track. Just grin and bear it. Sometimes that's all you can do. The house needs a little work, yes, but we can tackle that gradually. It doesn't all need to be fixed in one day. Slow and steady wins the race. And finally IF... who knows if this cycle will be successful. Yes, this is the farthest we've come and yes, there is chance this may finally be the start of a new chapter. But again it's one day at a time. Babies early on don't require alot of spending. Thank goodness we've decided to cloth diaper and we've already purchased a bassinett. I'm an avid supporter of breastfeeding for the first year, and hopefully I won't have any problems with it. That also will save us money. We both have very supportive families and if it ever comes down to it, I'm sure they can lend a helping hand if need be. I somehow have this feeling that things will turn out okay. I think that's why I've been so calm lately. Maybe it's pregnancy hormones, who knows! (Wishful thinking) But we are here and surviving just fine. Carpe diem. Tomorrow will bring different opportunities, so you just have to take it one day at a time. Times like this will only strengthen our bond and bring us closer together. I love you forever and always.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Work Update and FX for Tomorrow
I know I said I wouldn't update until Friday, but alas, here I am. I had a late lunch with a good friend of mine who is preggers and was updating her on all that's been going on these past few weeks. Thinking about it, made me kind of want to post my thoughts about today and my anticipation of tomorrow's appt. I got a phone call a couple of hours ago confirming my appt tomorrow. I really hadn't thought about it all day (until I happened to mention it to my friend earlier) and that is mainly due to the fact that I started my first day at my new job today.
I kind of started off on the wrong foot considering I was 20 minutes late for work... my first day... geeze what an impression that makes. And I know there's really no good excuse when you're trying to make a good impression, but I honestly underestimated traffic. Then there was this huge traffic jam on one of the main roads leading out of my subdivision. And I was so pissed sitting there, twiddling my thumbs, moving 5 feet every 5 minutes. After nearly 20 minutes sitting there hardly moving, I decided to veer off the main road and drive further out of the area just so I could hop on the tollway hoping the traffic was a little lighter. Well, the 10 minute drive to get to the damn tollway didn't help and just set me further back from the city, which in turn made me drive farther.... ughhh! Then there was traffic on the tollway to top it off. I tell ya, when it rain, it pours. Needless to say, as soon as I got a chance (waiting at a red light), I texted my boss and told him I was gonna be late and apologized in advanced. I was not a happy camper :( Luckily, the patient ended up cancelling their appt so I didn't have them waiting on me when I arrived at the office. But still... great 1st impression I made on the boss. Other than that little mess this morning, the rest of the day at the office pretty much ran smoothly. We had a little hiccup with our medical equipment, but were able to work through it. I need to mention this is a brand new medical office that just opened up a month ago, so they are still trying to work out the kinks. Anyways, I'm still trying to pick up some extra work and so I had a meeting scheduled with one of my previous employer's after finishing today's clinic. I knew she would welcome me back, but she made it pretty clear that she did not enjoy my little hiatuses of going back and forth working for her (I have quit there twice before due to a better job opportunities). Third time's a charm, eh? I wish I could make her see that. LOL... But either way I'm done with that other type of work. Though they pay really well and have good benefits, it is quite unstable, and I cannot afford to take another work risk. I need a steadier job and something that will work for me long-term especially when LO comes. I had to make her understand that and basically asked for my old job back (a little short of groveling, I might add). We ended up agreeing on a one-year contract to put her mind to ease so that she knows I'm serious. I don't like contracts but what can I do? I need my job back. So with that, I now have 3 jobs = 3 days a week. I start next week.
On to other thoughts... my 2nd follicle search is scheduled for tomorrow and I'm getting nervous. I just took an OPK and it was negative. I have a bit of watery CM but I'm not trying to read much into it. BBTs are still a little wonky and I haven't seen a definate O yet. I've been massaging and touching my left side hoping to bring positive energy to Lefty, though I don't know how much it will help. This may be our last chance for a medicated cycle this season due to our financial situation and it makes me a little sad. Of course we are not giving up TTC. We are just going back to doing it the "old-fashioned" way, so that means I will definately need to start on my WL. Perhaps in the summer, we can reasess our situation, see where we are at in terms of finances, school, work, weight loss and then maybe pay a visit to the doctor again. I'm seriously considering transferring to an RE (I know some may think I should've done this long, long ago but I had faith in my OB/GYN). I don't know if that would cost more considering I may be doing more monitoring. I am still hanging on to the script that Trudy wrote for me yesterday. In case this cycle was unsuccessful, she wrote me one for 100mg Clomid. I don't know if I will fill it, but will keep it tucked safely anyway. I feel sad ending today's entry on this note, but it is what it is. I'm just keeping my FX that cycle #2 is our cycle. Pretty please, with a cherry on top? ;)
I kind of started off on the wrong foot considering I was 20 minutes late for work... my first day... geeze what an impression that makes. And I know there's really no good excuse when you're trying to make a good impression, but I honestly underestimated traffic. Then there was this huge traffic jam on one of the main roads leading out of my subdivision. And I was so pissed sitting there, twiddling my thumbs, moving 5 feet every 5 minutes. After nearly 20 minutes sitting there hardly moving, I decided to veer off the main road and drive further out of the area just so I could hop on the tollway hoping the traffic was a little lighter. Well, the 10 minute drive to get to the damn tollway didn't help and just set me further back from the city, which in turn made me drive farther.... ughhh! Then there was traffic on the tollway to top it off. I tell ya, when it rain, it pours. Needless to say, as soon as I got a chance (waiting at a red light), I texted my boss and told him I was gonna be late and apologized in advanced. I was not a happy camper :( Luckily, the patient ended up cancelling their appt so I didn't have them waiting on me when I arrived at the office. But still... great 1st impression I made on the boss. Other than that little mess this morning, the rest of the day at the office pretty much ran smoothly. We had a little hiccup with our medical equipment, but were able to work through it. I need to mention this is a brand new medical office that just opened up a month ago, so they are still trying to work out the kinks. Anyways, I'm still trying to pick up some extra work and so I had a meeting scheduled with one of my previous employer's after finishing today's clinic. I knew she would welcome me back, but she made it pretty clear that she did not enjoy my little hiatuses of going back and forth working for her (I have quit there twice before due to a better job opportunities). Third time's a charm, eh? I wish I could make her see that. LOL... But either way I'm done with that other type of work. Though they pay really well and have good benefits, it is quite unstable, and I cannot afford to take another work risk. I need a steadier job and something that will work for me long-term especially when LO comes. I had to make her understand that and basically asked for my old job back (a little short of groveling, I might add). We ended up agreeing on a one-year contract to put her mind to ease so that she knows I'm serious. I don't like contracts but what can I do? I need my job back. So with that, I now have 3 jobs = 3 days a week. I start next week.
On to other thoughts... my 2nd follicle search is scheduled for tomorrow and I'm getting nervous. I just took an OPK and it was negative. I have a bit of watery CM but I'm not trying to read much into it. BBTs are still a little wonky and I haven't seen a definate O yet. I've been massaging and touching my left side hoping to bring positive energy to Lefty, though I don't know how much it will help. This may be our last chance for a medicated cycle this season due to our financial situation and it makes me a little sad. Of course we are not giving up TTC. We are just going back to doing it the "old-fashioned" way, so that means I will definately need to start on my WL. Perhaps in the summer, we can reasess our situation, see where we are at in terms of finances, school, work, weight loss and then maybe pay a visit to the doctor again. I'm seriously considering transferring to an RE (I know some may think I should've done this long, long ago but I had faith in my OB/GYN). I don't know if that would cost more considering I may be doing more monitoring. I am still hanging on to the script that Trudy wrote for me yesterday. In case this cycle was unsuccessful, she wrote me one for 100mg Clomid. I don't know if I will fill it, but will keep it tucked safely anyway. I feel sad ending today's entry on this note, but it is what it is. I'm just keeping my FX that cycle #2 is our cycle. Pretty please, with a cherry on top? ;)
Friday, January 4, 2013
Blessings in Disguise
So today was my meeting with a potential employer. We met over lunch. The meeting went really well and he was impressed with my work history and experience. The meeting lasted longer than we both expected, but in a good way :) He basically hired me on the spot, but needed to run things through with his accountant, doctor, and office manager. Company is pretty new to the area and staff is kinda small. He said work would only be part-time with FT potential in the future. I told him that was perfect, since right now I'm only looking for PT. We discussed networking together since we have a couple of the same connections. I walked out of our meeting feeling really good.
Since I was in the area, I decided to stop by one of the doc's office I worked at with my other company. They have half-days on Friday, so I caught them just in time as they were locking up. Doc wasn't aware the extent of the company issues, and I explained that alot of us were laid off. He and I had developed a good comraderie, so I was pretty open about it with him. I told him I'd keep in touch since I'm pretty sure he will still need some of the services I provide. Plus he is one of my personal medical providers so I'm sure, I'm gonna want to stay in contact. He and his staff were sad to see me go, but hopefully we can work something out. I gave them all hugs.
On my way to pick up a couple of movies for this weekend, I got a call from the office manager/co-executive of the potential employer from today. She was really nice and we hit it off immediately. She works in a different city, but works from her home doing insurance billing, scheduling appointments, and basically running the office with what she can. Turns out that she used to work for my old company as well and left them just a little over a month ago after deciding not to return from maternity leave. Now she's a SAHM and tries to work from her home as much as possible. We both knew about each other, but never met. Funny how things work out. So our phone conversation lasted over an hour and we spoke about a multitude of things. Like I said, we really took to each other. She too was impressed with my knowledge and expertise. She said I'd make an excellent addition to the company. I also discovered that she is on the comittee that runs the board exams and education for my field of work. I haven't been very active with that society since they collect annual dues and plus I didn't have alot of time to dedicate to it. However, I thought that with her connection, it would be an excellent opportunity for me to jump into the educational aspect of what I do. Already, I will be meeting with the program director at one of the colleges that offers degree programs in my field. So with this new connection, I am thinking of doing some teaching work on the side (and also try to put in to work as a board examiner) as well as get clinical experience with the new job. I think it would offer the perfect balance. It still doesn't help the issue of getting FT benefits like medical insurance. We still have a few months to figure it out and hopefully we can work out something to get on DH's company's insurance. We'll see. I'm not worried about it at the moment. So I'm super excited to start this new venture and I'm on cloud 9 right about now.
Finally, I called my doc's office to inquire about the self pay services since I still plan on going next Wed for my monitoring. I don't know why I thought that it would be hugely expensive, and I was waiting for the blow. As it turns out, they provide a 20% discount for office visits for cash paying patients! So that's really good. Plus I would get $100 off the u/s cost. She quoted me $120 for the office visit and $100 for the u/s, so I'd be out of pocket $220 for that day. Not bad, I can deal with that. So again I'm super excited and optimistic. Please don't let me down follies. That's all I need, another let down to add to my crappy holiday news. Keeping FX! Will update soon.
Look what came in the mail the other day. 50 pk OPK and 3pk digital HPTs. Yay for TTC! :p lol
Since I was in the area, I decided to stop by one of the doc's office I worked at with my other company. They have half-days on Friday, so I caught them just in time as they were locking up. Doc wasn't aware the extent of the company issues, and I explained that alot of us were laid off. He and I had developed a good comraderie, so I was pretty open about it with him. I told him I'd keep in touch since I'm pretty sure he will still need some of the services I provide. Plus he is one of my personal medical providers so I'm sure, I'm gonna want to stay in contact. He and his staff were sad to see me go, but hopefully we can work something out. I gave them all hugs.
On my way to pick up a couple of movies for this weekend, I got a call from the office manager/co-executive of the potential employer from today. She was really nice and we hit it off immediately. She works in a different city, but works from her home doing insurance billing, scheduling appointments, and basically running the office with what she can. Turns out that she used to work for my old company as well and left them just a little over a month ago after deciding not to return from maternity leave. Now she's a SAHM and tries to work from her home as much as possible. We both knew about each other, but never met. Funny how things work out. So our phone conversation lasted over an hour and we spoke about a multitude of things. Like I said, we really took to each other. She too was impressed with my knowledge and expertise. She said I'd make an excellent addition to the company. I also discovered that she is on the comittee that runs the board exams and education for my field of work. I haven't been very active with that society since they collect annual dues and plus I didn't have alot of time to dedicate to it. However, I thought that with her connection, it would be an excellent opportunity for me to jump into the educational aspect of what I do. Already, I will be meeting with the program director at one of the colleges that offers degree programs in my field. So with this new connection, I am thinking of doing some teaching work on the side (and also try to put in to work as a board examiner) as well as get clinical experience with the new job. I think it would offer the perfect balance. It still doesn't help the issue of getting FT benefits like medical insurance. We still have a few months to figure it out and hopefully we can work out something to get on DH's company's insurance. We'll see. I'm not worried about it at the moment. So I'm super excited to start this new venture and I'm on cloud 9 right about now.
Finally, I called my doc's office to inquire about the self pay services since I still plan on going next Wed for my monitoring. I don't know why I thought that it would be hugely expensive, and I was waiting for the blow. As it turns out, they provide a 20% discount for office visits for cash paying patients! So that's really good. Plus I would get $100 off the u/s cost. She quoted me $120 for the office visit and $100 for the u/s, so I'd be out of pocket $220 for that day. Not bad, I can deal with that. So again I'm super excited and optimistic. Please don't let me down follies. That's all I need, another let down to add to my crappy holiday news. Keeping FX! Will update soon.
Look what came in the mail the other day. 50 pk OPK and 3pk digital HPTs. Yay for TTC! :p lol
Thursday, January 3, 2013
CD 7 and Pic Share
Well today is CD7 and I just took my last dose of Clomid for this cycle. Now we wait and see what follies will brew. The Crazies have simmered down some and I feel a little more myself. Still no job, but it's only been a week. I have a meeting with a potential employer tomorrow, so I will update on that later. I feel pretty decent, considering I've been laid off. I mean, I still have my 5 hours a week Saturday job and hopefully soon, the unemployment benefits will kick in. I'm remaining pretty optimistic that I will find something soon. Also called one of the community colleges that offers programs in my field and the director sounded interested in what I had to offer. So I should be meeting with her in a couple of weeks as well. DH and I discussed me perhaps working part-time. I think this would be better for us to adapt after LO comes. I don't know where that will leave us financially, but I don't want to stress too much about it. I think we can manage a couple of years until hubby finishes school. Also I think I've decided not to go with the COBRA insurance after all. It's really expensive and the lower premiums have high deductibles, that I might as well just pay cash instead. Plus we may only be needing it for a month or two. I don't know what my prescriptions will cost, but again not too worried about it. But I'm going to try and use a drug savings card. I didn't work out today. I'm kinda just taking it easy and relaxing this week. I promised myself I'd start next week if not this weekend. Other than that just waiting on CD13 when I will get the u/s. I will be calling my doc's office tomorrow and getting quotes for self pay. No real update. Same old, same old.
Until next time, I want to leave you with this pic one of the gals on TB found. I needed a little laugh.
Until next time, I want to leave you with this pic one of the gals on TB found. I needed a little laugh.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
New Year Off to Bad Start :(
On Friday evening (two days ago) I got news that I was laid off effective immediately. My company shut down due to recent changes in Medicare/Medicaid legislative cuts. After finding out via a mandatory company teleconference, I was a hormonal mess. JC was at work and I got to only speak to him briefly. I was alone to deal with the impact. Immediately, I texted a few of my close girlfriends to tell them what was up and that I may be MIA for a while. Last year I was laid off from the same company due to other reasons, and the changes put me into a slight depression. So I was expecting the same this time around as well.
I know it may be a little early to worry but with all that was going on in TTC life, I was pretty upset. I didn't know where this would put us. Our insurance was covered under me and with the job loss, I now won't have any medical insurance. The COBRA premium is to costly for us to afford and hubby's insurance is also very expensive. What has made this news even worse, was I just had started my cycle the previous evening. I was so happy, and so excited (as you read in my previous blog) to start the new cycle. The morning of the layoff, before receiving the news, I had scheduled all my appointments for monitoring and picked up my new prescriptions for this second medicated cycle. That excitement was short lived, as you could have expected, when I received Friday's sad news.
I'm still kind of in shock from the news and decided I really couldn't do anything until the new year started (which is in a few days). With the upcoming holiday, and with everything being closed, I decided that Wednesday, Jan 2nd is when I would start putting in calls to previous employers and filing for unemployment. Hubby and I discussed if we should move forward or not with this TTC cycle, and we both decided that yes, we would since I already had paid for the meds. If it happens and I get a BFP, we would deal with it when the time came. In the meantime, hubby will continue working and still plan on resuming his classes this coming semester. I have already applied to several jobs online. I am trying to remain optimistic that things will turn out okay. I am still worried about our financial situation since bills will continue to come in. I will try and stay focused on losing weight, especially now that I am no longer employed. I can dedicate this free time to staying dedicated to my weight loss.
That is all for now. I will leave you with a pic of all the meds I'm on since TTC. I am still amazed that I take this many pills just so that I can try to get pregnant. From not taking anything, having no medical illness up until this year when diagnosed with PCOS... to now taking 7 meds. These include cabergoline, levothyroxine, metformin, progesterone, clomid, prenatal vitamins, and HCG. I used to also take prednisone when first diagnosed. But they took me off that when they saw that wasn't helping any. You can also see my weekly pill organizer and see what I'm taking daily. This also varies week to week, depending on where I'm at in my cycle.
So here's to a new year and a new beginning....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)