It's Not Me, It's The Clomid

I managed to make it through my 4th round of Clomid!  For those of you who don't know what a feat that is, let me explain.  Clomid is a fertility drug that helps you produce more than the one egg women typically produce during a cycle.  While it does wonders to increase fertility, it has some pretty crazy side effects.  Allow me to give you some examples...

Hot Flashes

Being a younger woman, I've been lucky enough not to have to deal with hot flashes.  That is until I took Clomid.  I had heard of hot flashes and thought I knew what they were all about, but I have a whole new understanding now.  During a hot flash, you obviously get very hot.  But it doesn't stop there.  Your face starts to burn and turn fire engine red.  You start to sweat everywhere, especially if you are talking to unhelpful salespeople while trying on bridesmaid dresses.  Trust me.  And dealing with the hotness and redness and sweating only adds to the next side effect: irritability.    

Irritability


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I consider myself a pretty even-tempered, patient person.  It takes a lot to get me riled up.  But watch out when I'm on Clomid!  Even the tiniest thing can turn me into a raving lunatic.  For example, Jazzy woke me up at 2:00 in the morning so she could go outside.  Getting woken up in the first place started to annoy me.  I waited a minute to see if Adam would wake up and let Jazzy out.  No such luck.  So that made me even crabbier.  Then, once I let Jazzy out, she wouldn't come back in.  So I had to go out in the snow in my slippers and herd her inside.  Jazzy must have realized how angry I was when I got close to her because she made a mad dash for the door.  By the time I got back inside I rivaled the Hulk's temper.  Luckily, my moods swung around quite freely so I didn't stay angry at these small incidences for long.  

Mood Swings

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I literally felt like a crazy person.  One minute I was laughing so hard I started to cry at story my dad was telling at a restaurant and the next minute I was crabby because a menu fell on the floor.  I could tell that I was being ridiculous, but I had very little control over my reactions.  The day after I took my last dose of Clomid was the worst!  I spent that day on the couch watching Netflix to keep myself from crying.  It's really hard to remain hopeful and positive while taking Clomid.  Aside from the mental side effects, you just feel kinda blah.  

Ovarian Enlargement 


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Ordinarily, I wouldn't be able to tell you where my ovaries are located.  But I could certainly point them out to you while taking Clomid.  Your stomach feels very full and bloated.  And it is not pleasant when Jazzy walks across your stomach on the way to her spot on the couch.  

As unpleasant as all these side effects are, they will be well worth it if I end up with a baby.  Plus, you really appreciate it when you get back to your normal demeanor.  Hopefully this was my last experience with Clomid!  

Jazzy Stays Warm

It's been cold lately.  Really cold.  Despite the frigid temperatures lately, Jazzy still wants to go on her twice daily walks.  So, Adam and I bundle up to take her.  We put on our coats, hats, gloves and scarves so we won't be chilly.  Piling on all of the extra layers made us wonder if Jazzy got cold on her outings.  

Ordinarily, we aren't the kind of people who like to dress up our dog.  But the thought of Jazzy being cold made us reconsider.  I found the most darling dog coat on clearance at TJ Maxx the other day.  It was red and had a faux fur lined hood.  So, I brought it home and made Jazzy try it on.  It was way too small.  I couldn't get it Velcro-ed shut and the hood wouldn't fit over her ears.  

So, I sadly returned it and set my sights on finding another coat for Jazzy.  I looked at several different stores without any luck.  But my luck turned around today.  I found the perfect coat for Jazzy!  

While it's not quite as cute as the other one, it does suit Jazzy's personality better.  She's more of a tomboy than a girly girl.  This coat is much more sporty.  And another perk is that it's actually a lot easier to get on her.

The hood's a bit big, but Jazzy likes to pretend she's gangsta, so it's all good.  

Jazzy's been on two walks with her new coat now and I think she approves.  She likes how her little tail sticks out so she can still wag away.  And it keeps her nice and warm.    

Heaven Is A Place Called The Container Store

Oh, man.  I got to go to one of my favorite places this past weekend: The Container Store!  I was on the hunt for some storage solutions for my kitchen drawers.  They looked a little something like this: 

Just look at that random jumble of kitchen utensils.  We have a very cozy kitchen, so there's not a lot of drawer space.  I kept all of the utensils in 3 drawers.  There wasn't really any rhyme or reason as to where things were kept.  After nearly scraping my knuckles off with the zester, I decided it was time to do something about it.  

I was tempted to head straight for The Container Store to see what they had to offer.  But, I took a moment, and decided to be more thoughtful about how I tackled this project.  I wanted to make sure I ended up with containers that fit in the drawers and expertly organized all my kitchen stuff.  

So, the first thing I did was empty out all three drawers.  I piled the random assortment on the counter top.  Then I went through each item.  There were several items that I don't think I have ever used.  And there were also some duplicates that weren't necessary and were only taking up valuable space.  I made a pile of the stuff I didn't need and made plans to donate them to Goodwill.  

Once I knew what I was keeping, I sorted things into categories.  I decided which items could go together.  



From there, I figured out where in the drawers each category would fit.  That way I knew roughly what size container I would need to find.  



I also measured each drawer.  I wanted to take the measurements with me when I went to The Container Store so I would know exactly how much space I had to work with.  

Once I got there, I wandered around until I found the perfect pieces.  I ended up buying these fabulous drawer organizers.  I liked them because I could configure them into an arrangement that fit each drawer perfectly, which maximized the space.  I actually laid them out on the floor and used the tape measure I brought with me to make sure they would fit into each drawer.  Pretty dorky, but I think most people who take time to go to The Container Store can appreciate my inner organizing dork.  

When I got home and started to put the containers into my drawers, I realized the drawer liners weren't nearly nice enough to be in the same space as my fancy new containers.  So, I ripped out the old contact paper and put some leftover drawer liners I had lying around.  I think they make the drawer look much nicer, don't you? 

Then I put the containers into the drawers to make sure I did all my measuring correctly.  Once I was convinced they would all fit, I washed them before I put all my kitchen gadgets in them.  You just never know what kind of hands have touched them in the store.  

Finally, it was time to put in all the utensils.  And oh, what fun it was!  I find myself opening up the drawers whenever I walk through the kitchen now.  

I think I might even like cooking and doing dishes a little more, thanks to my newly organized drawers! 

I like that each container houses its own utensils.  It's much easier to find what we're looking for when we're cooking now.  Plus, it just makes me happy.  

I even carved out some extra kitchen utensil space.  We have one teeny, tiny drawer that used to house some dishwasher cleaning tablets and sponges.  I moved those underneath the sink and now have the perfect place to store the bulkier kitchen items, like our apple slicer, mango slicer and potato masher.  

One other thing I do to help save some drawer space is to keep all of the utensils I use most often in a round canister next to our stove.  It's handy to have them close by the stove and it saves some drawer space.

Isn't it funny how much happiness some drawer organizers can bring to your life?  Or maybe it's just me... :)