Ne J'adore Pas: AdoreMe Review Update

I wrote a review for Adoreme.com previously. You can read it here. At the time I loved the matching sets, gift boxes, free gifts and gift cards and the no hassle return policy. But I also began to notice some things that placed me on the fence about the subscription service. Beginning January 1, 2016 I will be permanently cancelling my VIP subscription to Adoreme.com

Price Bait and Switch

When I first signed up I was told that the regular price for sets was $39.95 no matter the size. But if I chose to pay for VIP, I would only pay $29.95. Instead, as a 38DD I was charged $49.95 for almost every single set I ever bought.

Size Unavailable

If you're any level of a "D" cup, you're completely out of luck. The same is true for an "F" cup. There are other sizes that are never in stock but they aren't within my range. One day, I decided to wait up for Eastern standard time to log onto my showroom and to see if my size was available. Fourteen seconds after my showroom was updated, my size was out of stock. That's impossible if it were ever in stock in the first place. Every month for the passed 6 months my size was either out of stock or only available in styles I already purchased.

Style Lie

They tell you they have hundreds of styles in stock. But they don't tell you that each color variation is considered a style. In some cases, the same bra and panty set will be available in black with one name then in yellow in another name. The only difference between the two sets is the color. So after about one year of purchasing a new set every month in the size that's closest to mine since mine is sold out, I basically had all they had to offer in my lingerie drawer. That's when I began to purchase corsets, pajamas, and costumes.

Quality Plummeted

Originally, every item I purchased was excellent quality, lasting longer than my Macy's and Victoria's Secret bras combined. But over the last year and a half, that's not so true. The lace shreds even with hand washing. Bows, jewels and other embellishments fell off in shipping. The worst was when the one convertible bra that could hold my heavy, full breasts arrived with a broken hook. After one month of use, all of my underwire bras were stabbing me with exposed wire, my bra straps were shredding and breaking and the panties where unraveling at an alarming rate. No one feels sexy with "holey draws".

Customer Service

At some point, I downloaded the Adore Me App. The app failed to notify me that I had forgotten to either make a purchase or skip the month. So I had a store credit waiting for me for months, but I was unaware because the app was malfunctioning. When I attempted to have the money refunded, the customer service rep acknowledged their error but required me to email another department to explain to them why I deserved a refund after the 30 day time limit. They just admitted it was their fault and that they were aware the app had malfunctioned but still I, a customer for almost 3 years, had to prove I deserved a refund. That was the final straw for me. I used the last of the credit to make one more purchase so that I could cancel. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of using the coupon code for $5 off. If I cancel the membership, I forfeit my money. If I don't, I can pay more money for lingerie that doesn't fit to use up the $5. Or I can send an email to prove my value as a customer for a measly $5 refund. After being ignored by their "are you worthy" refund department, I decided it was worth the $5 to permanently be rid of them. But as I called to cancel, they told me I have to wait until my final purchase arrives, which for the first time in 3 years, is a week late.


I enjoyed having matching bra and panty sets in my size. I loved having comfortable and sexy pajamas. But I don't like the constant bait and switch tactics with the price, and their customer service reps make you feel like the fool for ever signing up in the first place. Thank goodness Macy's has improved their selection and lowered their prices below those of Adore Me.

4 Ideas for Unwanted Christmas Gifts

Its the week after Christmas and you have at least one gift that you don't want. Perhaps it was a cheapo Secret Santa gift or a gag gift from the White Elephant party at the office. Or maybe it was too personal of a gift from someone who has boundary issues. Maybe a family member didn't know you as well as he or she thought they did and bought you something so far removed from your personality, you can't wait to get rid of it. No matter the source of the gift or its flaw, you want it gone. Here are some tips.

First of all, make a note of all the gifts that you and your close circle are returning. You don't want to buy them something they don't like for their birthday or next Christmas because you weren't paying attention. Second, don't bother with returns the day after nor the week after Christmas. The shelves won't be restocked until January and by then, there will be a whole new sale.

Gift Cards

If you were fortunate enough to either receive everything you needed or not need anything in the first place, you may be returning gifts. Instead of buying more stuff you don't need or really want, ask for a gift card. You can use the money again at a later date or, give the gift card to the person who's gift you returned. That is my favorite way of re-gifting. You can give them the card for any holiday or birthday leading up to Christmas the next year, so long as its a non-expiring card.

Charity

If the clothes you received aren't your style or size, consider giving it to charity. My daughter got a bike from Toys for Tots this year and an even bigger and better bike last year from the Boys and Girls club. We re-donated the brand new bike from Toys for Tots to a foster child at her school. She also received a free GORGEOUS puff coat from a school lottery. Her grandmother bought a similar, far more gorgeous coat for Christmas, something we didn't know until that day. So she kept grandma's coat and donated her free coat to a homeless child. My son did the same with his coat. He also received a pair of name brand jeans, so he donated a pair of jeans he was outgrowing faster than he could break them in. My daughter received new boots that were a size too small. Boot season is almost over here and she already has three pairs. She donated the new pair. Purses, bags, shoes, coats, hats, gloves, toys, all can be donated to those who are so quickly forgotten after the holidays are over.

Sell it

No receipt, no tags, no return? No problem. List it on Ebay, Amazon, or any one of the plethora of garage sale apps on your phone. Use the money to pay your bills that may have piled up during the holidays. You could also have a garage sale along with all of those clothes that you thought you'd fit into by the end of the year. Don't have time to wait for a sale? Pawn it.

Repurpose it

Earrings can upgrade a pair of shoes. Necklaces can spruce up a lampshade or make a great curtain draw. Jeans make trendy skirts and the sleeves of hideous sweaters make fantastic legwarmers. Dishes can be painted, glued, and bedazzled to make wonderful decorations, If you like the fabric of a garment but not the garment, use it to make another garment. Daughter received an ugly doll? Re-style her hair and clothing for a one of a kind original creation.

Kindergarten Sight Words: Level 2

Before beginning level two of sight words, your child should have mastered level one. Mastery as defined by my child's school district involves being able to say the word presented to them in three seconds or less without sounding them out. The child should also have mastered the alphabet, counting to 100, the sound each letter makes and should have a beginner's working knowledge of dipthongs, digraphs, and silent "e". Mastery of level two is measured the same as in level one, however, your child's teacher may still encourage sounding out words, so long as during the testing day, they know the words on sight. You can copy the list of level one sight words here.


Level Two Sight Words

again     oh
all         one
away     our
behind   out
does      over
down     put
find       some
from      there
give       under
goes      very
good     want
has        would
her        your
his        who
how     what
make   where
many   when
new     why

Kindergarten Sight Words: Level 1

I tried to make a regular habit of writing posts on this subject but my first kindergartner was very advanced. He went from kindergarten to first grade in 3 months of school. At one point I had to home school him to wait for the school to catch up to his level. So basically, I didn't have any kindergarten info to share. Now I have a daughter who is in kindergarten. And though she is an amazingly fast learner, she is not at the accelerated level as her older brother...yet. Her speed seems to be in reading and writing, while her brother was advanced in math. Perfect reflection of their parents. As a result I just might be able to maintain a regular blog post to help parents of pre-k kids prepare their little ones for kindergarten.

The following in a list of sight words. In case you don't know what they are, they are words that must be instantly recognized on sight. In kindergarten here in California, a child is not considered proficient in the sight words list unless they can read the word in three seconds or less, without sounding it out. Again, they must read it on sight. If your child is in a daycare center or a preschool, they are already being exposed to these words. Be sure to find books on their level that include as many of these words as possible.

Make flashcards out of these words to practice. Also keep a checklist of these words to keep track of which words they know and which words they don't know. Practice every day, wait three seconds before telling the child the word. Once a week, using a checklist, have the child point to the words they know and call them out. Put a checkmark next to the words they get right. They should have the words memorized within three months.

Do not begin sight words for your children until they can recognize each and every letter of the alphabet in capital or lower case letters. The child should also know exactly what sounds each letter makes. Beginning sight words before this mastery will frustrate your child and create unnecessary difficulty.

Kindergarten Sight Words Level 1

a          and     they
I          are      this
at        can
do       for
go       see
he       she
is        the
it        was
me     you
my     have
no      here
of       like
to       look
up      went
we     with

Dairy-Free Baked Cornbread

So, I still have no milk and now I've run low on eggs. So I experimented with this dairy free cornbread recipe. My children like it better than the regular cornbread recipe. It's softer and they could taste the sugar better. We served it with beans. 

Ingredients 

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal (Alber's works best)

1/4 cup sugar

5 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup + 2 tbs water

1/3 cup oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into greased muffin or cake pan 

Bake approximately 15 minutes checking the center with a toothpick.  

No Milk Pancakes

I ran out of milk and my children wanted pancakes. I got this recipe from a friend of mine but made some alterations. The pancakes were soft and fluffy. Better than my regular recipe with milk. 

Ingredients 

2 tbs melted butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of water

1tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

4tsp baking powder

2 cups of flour

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients. RESERVE 1/2 CUP OF WATER. Whisking vigorously, add the dry ingredients. While adding the flour, add the last 1/2 cup of water. Use more or less water depending on how thick or thin you want your pancakes. Mix batter until it is ribbon like. No lumps. Let sit for 5 minutes before cooking on a hot griddle.