Show & Tell: OMG You Rock Day 2009

Thank you to everyone who participated in our gift exchange! I was absolutely dreading this day, and now you've made it - AWESOME!

For my Show & Tell, I'd like to show you what I recieved from my buddy Beautiful Mess! Be sure to check out what the rest of the class is showing over at Mel's!

Here's something cool. Beautiful Mess's father is from Indonesia. Marvy's family lived in Indonesia for many years. In fact Marvy graduated from High School there. This weekend we drove down to spend some time with them for Mother's Day and also because today is Marvy's birthday. So, I took my unopened package down here with me and opened it this morning. Here is the gift box sitting on one of the chairs my MIL brought back from Indonesia. Perfect!

And here is what I received! Lovely smelling Signature Collection Bath & Body Works shower gel, lotion and body spray.

It's perfect! It's not too strong. It's very fresh smelling. I love B&BW!

Beautiful Mess - you are such a wonderful person and I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to get to know you. You are such giving individual. Your emotional bank account may be banckrupt at times with what you are going through, but it doesn't stop you from giving love to others. You are my "always can count on" commenter. I don't know how you do it. I see you encouraging so many women, and I know that they all would agree we couldn't get through all of this with out you!

You Rock Day Peoples - I love, love, love reading about how excited you are and how this made this day just a little less sad. It actually is a gift to me just seeing that you received a gift from someone else and how happy it makes you.

All of my Bloggy Friends - I just puffy heart you guys. I am so encouraged to know that you are all right here. Whether news be good or bad, you are always there! I was so afraid when I started my blog that it was going to simply be writing in a black hole. It's so much more fun to know that you are there to read it!

Mel, The Stirrup Queen, Lollipop Goldstein - because without you none of these relationships would have developed. I am so thankful for you! Your the glue that holds us all together.

Did Someone Just Tell Me I Rock?

Every year the same thing happens right around this time. I face a barrage of "Happy Mother's Day" commercials, cards, store advertisements, and people all telling me to have a HMD. Here is the latest one:

My absolutely favorite resturant, "Here's coupon to eat free!". Oh, but gosh darn there's a hook and a I don't qualify.

But, this year I'm okay with it. And I want the rest of you to be okay with it too. Many of you are participating in our OMG You Rock Day experience. (Which is flippin' awesome by the way!) Some of you may have no idea what I'm talking about which is fine, you are more than welcome to familiarize yourself with the concept, just click on the link at my badge on the right. Even if you haven't participated in the gift exchange, you can still participate in making it a good day, I'll explain in a sec.

First, we have to take care of your heart. There is no doubt that as this day approaches you can't help but be reminded that everyone else is a mother and you are not. And this is a hard thing to face when you have gone through so many trials, hoops, draining of your savings, and heartache for the ability to "belong" on Mother's Day. Whenever you go to a restaurant, or church that day because you are a woman and you are not a child somebody is going to tell you, "HMD" and it can sting.

Or perhaps it's painful for other reasons. Maybe you do have a child that you are so grateful for, but you desire is to give that child a sibling and have suffered through secondary infertility. Or it could be that you have your family, but you have lost your mother so the day reminds you of that heartache. All in all, it can be a difficult day for many when strangers walk up to you and say, HMD! As if all is right in the world.

Here's what I want you to do when this happens. While the person is telling you HMD...in your mind replace that with OMG You Rock! That way it becomes much easier to say, "Hey Thanks!". Who cares if you give a stranger the wrong impression that you aren't a mother. I want everyone to think of me...(oh, here were go... do I have an ego or WHAT?!) saying directly to you, that You Rock. If while at church someone who doesn't know what you are going through just happens to give you a hug because of the occasion, I want you to think it's me giving you a hug. Our minds are pretty powerful and we can take advantage of that for the occasion to help get through a difficult day. Practice this enough and you might stop yourself to say, "Did I just hear that correctly? How did they know about OMG You Rock Day? In fact I have done this already with that email I received, I checked it again and now it looks like this..


Oh, and if you are a friend of an infertile, and not sure what you can do, here's a suggestion. Just approach them either in person or via email with this, "I know that this is a tough day for you. You have gone through a lot and yet you have to be reminded of a goal yet unfulfilled. I just want you to know that I'm thinking of you, that you are such a great person and I am so happy to know you."

Now, on to the second item. Even if you may have missed the deadline on our gift and card exchange you can still participate in the day. On May 10th, we will all get together in The Stirrup Queen Ballroom. There will be an open discussion and chat where we can all help each other get through the day. There is no particular time, although I expect the heaviest traffic will be in the afternoon.

So, carry on my dears. Remember what to do when you are being hit with the dreaded HMD, what your really hearing is, OMG You Rock!

OMG! Because You Rock!

***Update*** The deadline has passed for the organized gift exchange. However, if you'd like to join still send me an email. There have been a few people who contacted me and as long as there are others to partner up with than it will still work. If you can't take part in the gift exchange, then you can still meet up with us in the ballroom on May 10th 2009.
Remember how I said I was scheming something in my last post? Well, I have an idea. I'm hoping you like it. Does anybody know what May 10th 2009 is? Well, yes it does happen to be Marvy's birthday. And yes, you smartypants it's a Sunday. Oh, uh...What do you say? It's also another day? What was that... you say it's

OMG! ____________ ______ !

Does the thought of OMG! ____________ ______ leave you with a feeling of saddness, dread and anxiousness? Are you like me and would like to replace it with a day of giddy anticipation, friendship, and happiness?

So, guess what we are going to do? We are going to have an

OMG! __YOU ROCK___ _DAY_!!!

MAY 10th 2009

Sounding good so far? Great! Read on...

In celebration of OMG! YOU ROCK DAY! We are going to have a gift and card exchange. How happy are we when we get a package in the mail? Don't we all love REAL mail? Doesn't it just make you giddy when you receive something from a real live human being who actually cares about you? Of all days, wouldn't you appreciate it the most on May 10th 2009?

And what if after the high from opening a real life gift from a person that actually cares about you, you could actually get together with all of your favorite people from the ALI/Stirrup Queen community and brag about what you received that day?

Oh, oh, oh!!! But that's the best part see...

Everyone who participates in the gift and card exchange will open their package and card... - are you ready? - AT-THE-SAME-TIME! Then after you've opened it, we all get together at The Stirrup Queen Ballroom to chat about it. Everyone gets to report what they received and who their person was and how much THEY ROCK! I know your getting excited now! I just feel it!

So, here's the nitty gritty in the form of an FAQ.

May I participate?

Yes, anyone who feels connected on any level to the ALI community may participate. I don't care if you already have children and that day means something else entirely to you, but you want to be part of it because you agree that women in this community ROCK! Then you're invited.

What kind of gift? What if I don't have the money to buy something?

The point is to receive something in the mail, open a card, and spend some time hanging out in the world wide web with awesome chikadees. You may find something in your own home to share with your person. You could make something if you're crafty. Burn, some songs on a CD. Heck, it could be a key chain from the dollar store. Honestly, what ever you are able to do will be perfect. It will be fun!

What do I say on the card? Hall.mark doesn't have a OMG! YOU ROCK! section. What do I do?

It doesn't have to be a card. It could be words on loose leaf paper. A collection of sticky notes. Take a sharpie to a coffee filter if you have to. What I want you to do is write a note, letter or whatever you feel comfortable with about how much this person ROCKS!

What if I don't know this person?

How many people are you "friends" with that don't really know you? That understand your heartache? You may have never met your person before and that's okay. You've heard of memes? Well, this is a youyou. Spend a little time reading their blog or sending them an email just to know a little bit about themselves to inspire you to reach our from your corner of the globe and say OMG! YOU ROCK!

What if I don't have a blog?

OMG! YOU ROCK DAY is not exclusive to blogland. All you need is email.

What if I live outside the US?

My goal is to not exlude anyone, even our international buddies. I will try to hook up the overseas crew to others in their same country...however, if you would be willing to ship your package international let me know. You could estimate approx $13-15 US dollars with a shipping timeframe of about 6-10 days. (Do not hold me to this - I got this from usps.com)

What is the Stirrup Queen Ballroom? Do I have to join?

Check out my link on the right to learn more about The Stirrup Queen Ballroom. You don't have to join...but it would be way cooler if you did so that way you can join in on a live chat/discussion with everyone while you open your gift, and read the gushiness your person is saying about you.

Okay! Okay! Liv! You had me at hello - what else do I need to do?

1. Send me email (do not give me your info in a comment!)

Include OMG! YOU ROCK DAY 2009 in the subject field:
Here's my email: livsblog1stedition (at) gmail (dot) com

Please include the following: (feel free to copy and paste below)

Name: (or what you go by)

*Full Address:

Email Address:

Blog: (if applicable)

Would you be willing to ship International if there was a need? Yes/No

2. DEADLINE to sign up via email will be SUNDAY APRIL 19th.

3. I will send you an email with the name and information of your person who ROCKS!

4. You must mail it with enough time for your person to have it by May 10th.

Well, that should cover it for now. More details on the chat/discussion will come as we get closer to the day. This is my way of thanking you lovely people for all of the support, love, laughs, friendship, and prayers you have provided me. That and...

OMG! BECAUSE YOU ROCK!

*I will not use your address for some alterior motive. It will not be shared with anyone other than your person. You may not use the address of your person for some alterior motive. If you are a spammer posing as someone in the ALI community and take advantage of someone's address...I will hunt you down. No one knows wrath like an infertile woman scored. So, I don't recommend it anyway. I will maintain the address on my Nor.ton anti-virus protected computer, however I am not liable if by some unforseen consequence sharing your address with me over the world wide web is taken advantage by some crazy computer hacker. Participants in OMG! YOU ROCK DAY assume any security risk posed by sharing their address.