Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!! By Liimu

So, first of all, a follow up to last week's blog, which was essentially a long, disgruntled complaint about our recent stay at the Borgata. I am happy to report that after many e-mails and phone calls, I finally talked to their Director of Front Office Operations, who was extremely apologetic and more than happy to credit us for one of our nights' stay. Now that that's been made right, I can comfortably say what was amazing about it...in two words: THE FOOD. If you don't have plans for Thanksgiving and you live within an hour of the place, splurge on the Borgata Buffet! There's a reason why TripAdvisor has rated it the #4 eatery in all of Atlantic City!

I had another blog written up about our recent trials and travails of raising three young daughters (8, 6 and 4) while preparing for the birth of our fourth child. Then I realized that I would be posting my blog on Thanksgiving! I can't post a litany of complaints on Thanksgiving! Instead, I decided to list all the things I'm grateful for, with a bit of a spin...I want to find ways to be thankful for the things that might normally not be considered blessings. Of course, I am grateful for my wonderful husband, my beautiful children, our upcoming new addition to the family, our house, our family and friends, my relationship with God, our health and all the other obvious blessings, but I thought it would be nice to find a way to be grateful for the things that might not appear on the surface to be things that would grace the top of the list.

1) Working 70 hours a week. In this economy, this is probably one that is not particularly hard to spin into a positive, but I have to also say that what I'm grateful for about this fact of my life is that I manifested it. Earlier this year, I had very little work and we were working with creditors to manage our existing debt, including getting assistance with our mortgage. Things were looking pretty bleak. I am a huge fan and follower of the Secret and the Law of Attraction, and I credit them and especially the book, Money and the Law of Attraction, with helping me to redirect the energy in my life, shift my vibration and get to where I am now - working as much as I possibly can and reaping the benefits. Life is good, and we are finally able to see our way to financial freedom!

2) Our earlier financial troubles. Ditto on #1 as far as being grateful for understanding and believing in the Law of Attraction. In addition to that, I have a much greater appreciation for what we have now that I've seen what it's like to not have it.

3) My 6-year old's health problems. First of all, I am so grateful that we live so near CHOP, one of the most amazing hospitals in the country. I am far more familiar with its facility and staff than I would like to admit, and am more aware than anyone I know of how blessed we are to have it within less than an hour's drive and covered by insurance. Second, I have seen strength in my daughter and in myself as a result of this journey that I might not otherwise have seen. I am awed by us both and the grace with which we have all, as a family, been able to face this challenge. Third, I feel like this experience has drawn our whole family a lot closer. Fourth and finally, I think it has made us appreciate each other and the good health we do have a whole lot more.

4) Excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Ok, this one was hard to spin into a positive. But then I think about how lucky I am to have struggled with this one most of my life: it's led me to really appreciate the importance of healthy eating and exercising and after three high-weight-gain pregnancies, it's left me confident in my ability to lose the baby weight. I've never been one of those people who didn't really have to exercise. Quite the contrary. My struggles during pregnancy and even when I'm not pregnant have caused me to gather tons of information and skills around how to properly exercise and modify my eating so that I know what to do. (I just don't do it during pregnancy...hence the weight gain.) And that, my friends, is pretty much all I have to complain about these days.

Everything else is just obvious blessings for which I am obviously thankful. I have to also thank fellow blogger, Robin Gorman-Newman for asking me to join this site as a blogger earlier this year. At the time, I had no idea I was pregnant but as soon as I found out, I knew exactly why this was perfect timing. What a blessing to have the opportunity to chronicle, week by week, what it's like to be pregnant with our fourth and last child. So, thanks to Robin and to MotherhoodLater for giving me that opportunity And thanks to all of you for continuing to read!

What are YOU thankful for? Probably more than you think!

Borgata or Bust? by Liimu

So, last week was all about me trying to reclaim my sass. I'm happy to report that I did exactly that during our anniversary weekend, no thanks to the lame BorNOTTa. (Tee hee - I just made that up. Like it? Me too.)

In lieu of telling you what went WRONG with what was supposed to be a luxurious weekend in a Borgata Suite enjoying the tastes of Borgata at their event, Savor Borgata, I'll share with you a little from my complaint e-mail to them, to which I have yet to receive a response:

"My husband and I chose the Borgata for a much-needed getaway (without our three children) to celebrate our upcoming wedding anniversary. As I am 6 months pregnant, the Savor Borgata event seemed like a perfect choice, as it boasted offering tastings of the finest Borgata chefs, including the world-famous Wolfgang Puck. The price tag to stay in a suite was high, but as it was a special occasion, we decided to splurge. Pregnant, I was looking forward to being treated like a “VIP.” We were more than slightly disappointed to discover that the extra $450 we spent on the room would not even entitle us to free Internet or use of the fitness facility, let alone the bathrobe, slippers and turn-down service we were used to at other hotels for which we are frequent-stay customers (e.g., the Hilton, the Marriott).

While we did enjoy the somewhat pricey buffet – we were encouraged by how good the food was and really looked even more forward to the Savor Borgata event. Upon checkin, we had not been told we would have to wait in line for entry so it was a good thing I thought to check with the concierge 20 minutes before our “reservation.” Of course, there was a line for the Box Office, where we had to go pick up tickets (again – how difficult would it have been to make us feel like special guests by delivering the tickets to our room or having them ready for us upon check in?), and then stand in line to wait for entry. When we entered the event was when things began to get really bad. To make a long story short, there was nowhere for me to sit, even after I complained to management that it would be painful for me to stand the entire two or three hours of the event. (When I got back to my room, my feet were swollen and sore.) It was impossible for us eat and have a drink in our hand at the same time, and we waited in lines that took us 30-40 minutes to get through, only to be rewarded with a tiny plate of appetizer-size food. Further, there was NOTHING for me to drink besides water – they only offered WINE, BEER and water! I was so unhappy and disappointed at what was supposed to be our big celebration, I was near tears by the time we got back to our room at close to 10 PM.

After the event, we tried to salvage our evening by finally getting the VIP treatment that was promised us if we went to one of the two nightclubs. Despite my aching feet, I was determined to feel like a VIP. We had spent close to $1500 on two nights’ stay! That is a lot for us, with three kids and one on the way. How disappointing to find that, yet again, if we didn’t order “bottle service,” we would again have nowhere to sit.

I know Atlantic City caters to gamblers and young people, but I have to say, I had counted on the Borgata, with its reputation for class and elegance, to know how to treat people who were willing to pay for VIP treatment. Instead, we were not only treated like every other clientele, we were constantly encountering folks who were being comped for meals or entertainment, and were given not even the most basic accommodations during a very expensive, supposedly world-class event."

Anyhoo...what I learned from that weekend was that my sass has nothing to do with hanging out in a smoky nightclub or luxuriating in a fancy suite in 4-inch heels and la Perla lingerie. (Not that there's anything wrong with that...) I felt absolutely beautiful, sexy and SASSY all weekend long, and it had more to do with the romantic moments I shared with my husband than anything the lame Borgata had to offer. The most fun moment of the weekend was when I woke up from a luxurious 2-hour nap and immediately broke the silence in the room by chattering about nothing, then had a sudden "aha" moment that I am responsible for the fact that my three girls rarely stop talking unless it's to breathe or eat. As soon as I realized it (and my amused husband confirmed it), I could not stop laughing, even as the tears streamed down my face.

So, maybe the money was well spent after all. Because what I got from last weekend was realizing that the blessings I already have in my life are worth more than any amount of money could ever buy.