1. My girls making homemade pie crust all by themselves. And helping a lot in making the filling for those pies. I'm pretty sure I bought crust until I got brave about five years ago and started making my own. They are definitely ahead of the game on this one.
2. When Cinderella said, "I think I will have only pie for every meal until it is all gone." A girl after my own heart.
3. Eating Thanksgiving dinner with good friends and my little family...and pie with many friends at the church. I think there were eleven pies there. Variety is the spice of life. Yum.
4. Sleeping Beauty limiting her Thanksgiving meal to three items: Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, and Rolls. Silly girl. She wouldn't touch a turkey with a ten foot pole.
5. Hearing Snow White say, "I'm turning into being like Aunt Emily. I need hairspray in my hair when I have a ponytail now." She loves Emily so much, I don't dare break it to her that this is sort of an adolescent thing that everyone eventually does.
6. Snuggling a newborn baby for not one, but two lucky evenings. So cute. So tiny. Mmmmmm.
7. Eating a delicious bagel with great company way too early in the morning when out Black Friday shopping. (We decided to sleep in three hours after the first store we wanted to go to opened--which turned out to be a mistake. But, we had a delightful time anyway.)
8. Being at Kohls when all of the power in the town went out was pretty exciting, too.
9. The kids getting on the bus this morning to return to school. Yes, I adore having them home with me, but a reprieve from the elevated decibels in the house will be a welcome thing. They have two switches, "High volume disagreeing" and "High volume squeeling with glee" and I have two switches, "Mild headache" and "Pounding headache". Sometimes our switches don't really mesh for long periods of time.
10. Falling asleep on the couch listening to my girls sing Christmas music, and waking up to a tree that was up, decorated, and twinkling lights strung all over the room. The girls went for a "natural look" this year, which included only one kind of ornament on the tree and a mass of lights in the room that sort of makes it look like a rainbow got sick in there. Not my usual fare, but I guess if I take a nap during the work, I can't really complain.
11. Watching the girls make up dances to Christmas CDs that have been put away for eleven months. (It reminded me of making up dances and plays with my cousins when I was a girl. It's a blessing to have my girls be close to the same age, especially since we live far away from cousins.) Unfortunately, they deemed all of their dances "not ready for performance" so the show was put off until further notice.
12. (I can't think of anything else, but I don't like odd numbers. It took a lot of constraint to not erase one of these to make it an even ten. So I settled for adding a twelve. But can't think of anything to say. So then I just typed this nonsense because I really don't like odd numbers.)
(....Yes, I have had my medication this morning....Why do you ask?)
November 30, 2009
November 24, 2009
It's a Good Feeling
Last night was one of those nights where you feel like you are awake all night. I know I slept some, but every two hours I woke and tossed and turned for at least 30 minutes. Annoying. And I had a song that kept running through my head. Considering the fact that I have three teen/pre-teen daughters living in my house, it's usually a Taylor Swift or Hannah Montana song. But, this time, it was a song from my childhood.
It's such a good feeling
to know you're alive.
It's such a happy feeling:
You're growing inside.
And when you wake up ready to say,
"I think I'll make a snappy new day."
It's such a good feeling,
a very good feeling,
The feeling you know that we're friends.
I could just picture Mister Rogers sitting there in his zip-up sweater and red tie, singing to my little girl self as I savored the few minutes that Mom let me watch TV. Mister Rogers liked me. He cared about my learning, and had the best things to show us in the Picture, Picture when Mr. Speedy brought the reels by. I think I really did think he was singing right to me.
As the words kept running through my head during my sleepless night, I couldn't help but think how true they were. It is good to be alive, and I am happy that each day offers me a way to learn and grow on the inside (and tomorrow, probably the outside, too.) :)
I love his word choice, "a snappy new day". One definition of snappy is "crisp, smart, lively, brisk" and that is definitely what most of our days are like around here--lively, full of drama, and learning for everyone. The days seem to blur by as we live this adventure we call ordinary life. And I love it.
Today, on this eve of Thanksgiving, I am ever grateful for family and friends that keep my days snappy and my heart happy. I am blessed to be what I always wanted to be: a mother of the best girls ever. I couldn't ask for anything more. Heavenly Father has truly blessed me with a life full of happy, snappy days. It's a good feeling.
to know you're alive.
It's such a happy feeling:
You're growing inside.
And when you wake up ready to say,
"I think I'll make a snappy new day."
It's such a good feeling,
a very good feeling,
The feeling you know that we're friends.
I could just picture Mister Rogers sitting there in his zip-up sweater and red tie, singing to my little girl self as I savored the few minutes that Mom let me watch TV. Mister Rogers liked me. He cared about my learning, and had the best things to show us in the Picture, Picture when Mr. Speedy brought the reels by. I think I really did think he was singing right to me.
As the words kept running through my head during my sleepless night, I couldn't help but think how true they were. It is good to be alive, and I am happy that each day offers me a way to learn and grow on the inside (and tomorrow, probably the outside, too.) :)
I love his word choice, "a snappy new day". One definition of snappy is "crisp, smart, lively, brisk" and that is definitely what most of our days are like around here--lively, full of drama, and learning for everyone. The days seem to blur by as we live this adventure we call ordinary life. And I love it.
Today, on this eve of Thanksgiving, I am ever grateful for family and friends that keep my days snappy and my heart happy. I am blessed to be what I always wanted to be: a mother of the best girls ever. I couldn't ask for anything more. Heavenly Father has truly blessed me with a life full of happy, snappy days. It's a good feeling.
And I'll be back,
when the day is new,
And I'll have more ideas for you.
And you'll have things
you'll want to talk about,
and I will, too.
when the day is new,
And I'll have more ideas for you.
And you'll have things
you'll want to talk about,
and I will, too.
*Feeling especially nostalgic? Click here to hear Fred Rogers sing to you.
November 22, 2009
Again
I believe some of my readers (about three) probably would like a little update on the next chapter of my headache saga. (Maybe I should write a book...) ;) We did practically write a book when we compiled a detailed list of all things that I have done since 2003 related to migraines. I gathered records from physicians, and it was a headache, to use a painfully familiar expression. (But at least they only charged me $20 instead of $80 for a copy of MY records.)
We submitted our official appeal to the insurance so they will re-think their decision not to cover Botox treatment. King gathered more information on studies done on patients with migraines improving with Botox treatment, and information on Medicare coverage of the procedure. Many insurance companies follow Medicare's coverage patterns, and luckily, our state is one of the few that does cover it. This may help our case.
I saw my headache specialist early in the week--basically to document more of my medical history. When they first submitted the Botox plan to the insurance, it was before I'd tried the second round of IV's and two new medications ago. Not to mention my strict non-gluten non-dairy diet. They are thinking this will also help our case. So, they have re-submitted the request to approve Botox again, with more numbers of his patients' outcomes with the treatment. We're hoping to know within the next couple of weeks. We'll see. The manager of our University's benefits office is working with us to help push it along. Not being ones to have $2,000 lying around for use in experimental treatments, and having spent more than that this year on different unsuccessful treatments, we're praying they decide to approve it quickly--before the end of the year. We kind of feel like I need to try this end-of-the-line treatment after coming along this far, and would really, really like to let the insurance pick up most of the tab.
In the meantime, I started on another new medication. (Please don't ask me how excited I am to do this again, I don't like to use swear words.) It is another seizure medication that is tolerated well by lucky people like me who are sensitive to medications. Honestly, I've had a few relatively good days since I began on it, if I ignore the insomnia and constant nausea. Oh, and the one episode of driving home from a place I go all the time and not remembering where I was. The goal is to find a well tolerated medication that will help decrease the severity and frequency of headaches once the Botox helps to stop this two year " headache cycle" my body is stuck in.
So, that's the deal. If you have any further questions, you may contact my publicist. :)
We submitted our official appeal to the insurance so they will re-think their decision not to cover Botox treatment. King gathered more information on studies done on patients with migraines improving with Botox treatment, and information on Medicare coverage of the procedure. Many insurance companies follow Medicare's coverage patterns, and luckily, our state is one of the few that does cover it. This may help our case.
I saw my headache specialist early in the week--basically to document more of my medical history. When they first submitted the Botox plan to the insurance, it was before I'd tried the second round of IV's and two new medications ago. Not to mention my strict non-gluten non-dairy diet. They are thinking this will also help our case. So, they have re-submitted the request to approve Botox again, with more numbers of his patients' outcomes with the treatment. We're hoping to know within the next couple of weeks. We'll see. The manager of our University's benefits office is working with us to help push it along. Not being ones to have $2,000 lying around for use in experimental treatments, and having spent more than that this year on different unsuccessful treatments, we're praying they decide to approve it quickly--before the end of the year. We kind of feel like I need to try this end-of-the-line treatment after coming along this far, and would really, really like to let the insurance pick up most of the tab.
In the meantime, I started on another new medication. (Please don't ask me how excited I am to do this again, I don't like to use swear words.) It is another seizure medication that is tolerated well by lucky people like me who are sensitive to medications. Honestly, I've had a few relatively good days since I began on it, if I ignore the insomnia and constant nausea. Oh, and the one episode of driving home from a place I go all the time and not remembering where I was. The goal is to find a well tolerated medication that will help decrease the severity and frequency of headaches once the Botox helps to stop this two year " headache cycle" my body is stuck in.
So, that's the deal. If you have any further questions, you may contact my publicist. :)
November 20, 2009
Learning from the Master
A couple of weeks ago, King and I were privileged enough to attend Young Women in Excellence. (If you have no idea what this is, click here to learn about this wonderful part of the Personal Progress Program the young ladies in our church participate in.) It was great to see what all of the girls in our ward have been working on this year. King and the other men sang a great song, and I cried like a baby when it was my two minute turn to talk about the growth and change we've seen in Cinderella this past year.
This year, Cinderella decided to focus on the value of Knowledge. She had experiences that helped her learn and grow in knowledge of her Savior, the Gospel and the Word of God, her role as a divine daughter of God, as well as a variety of service opportunities, and developing skills involving fun things that interest her. For her ten hour project, she chose this: "Working with your mother, grandmother, or a sister in your ward or branch, master a home arts skill she teaches you."
She decided to learn how to sew. Lucky for her, my sewing machine broke so she got to learn from two ladies in our ward, who have the capability to help her master this skill. (Learning from me would have put her so far under master, she'd be worse off than when she began. Although, I do miss my sewing machine dearly (it's truly dead) and there are some things I've found I really miss sewing. Like the cute Christmas pillowcases I bought fabric for last year, but now cannot sew. Anyway...) Cinderella learned so much. Not only things about sewing, but, through their examples and patient care, even more about being a righteous woman. I'm so grateful these women took time out of their busy lives to help Cinderella!
Cinderella spent about twelve hours with them carefully making a skirt, and a great little Easter bonnet.
(I'm kidding.) It's a bag--
And it's darling. (I keep telling her she can give it to me for Christmas, but I don't think she cares what I think.)
For the next few months, Cinderella has chosen to work on the value of Good Works. Again, she is learning from people who have mastered this value. She has observed many loving women who have, in the last weeks and months, as my health has been precarious, shared their time and talents with our family in preparing meals for us, cleaning our home, helping her and her sisters in organization and with homework, and countless other ways. They have truly blessed and impacted my daughters (and me and King) for eternity. More than they could ever know. How grateful I am for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the opportunity it gives my family to associate with people who are living as He would have them live, so that we may learn about God through their shining examples.
This year, Cinderella decided to focus on the value of Knowledge. She had experiences that helped her learn and grow in knowledge of her Savior, the Gospel and the Word of God, her role as a divine daughter of God, as well as a variety of service opportunities, and developing skills involving fun things that interest her. For her ten hour project, she chose this: "Working with your mother, grandmother, or a sister in your ward or branch, master a home arts skill she teaches you."
She decided to learn how to sew. Lucky for her, my sewing machine broke so she got to learn from two ladies in our ward, who have the capability to help her master this skill. (Learning from me would have put her so far under master, she'd be worse off than when she began. Although, I do miss my sewing machine dearly (it's truly dead) and there are some things I've found I really miss sewing. Like the cute Christmas pillowcases I bought fabric for last year, but now cannot sew. Anyway...) Cinderella learned so much. Not only things about sewing, but, through their examples and patient care, even more about being a righteous woman. I'm so grateful these women took time out of their busy lives to help Cinderella!
Cinderella spent about twelve hours with them carefully making a skirt, and a great little Easter bonnet.
(I'm kidding.) It's a bag--
And it's darling. (I keep telling her she can give it to me for Christmas, but I don't think she cares what I think.)For the next few months, Cinderella has chosen to work on the value of Good Works. Again, she is learning from people who have mastered this value. She has observed many loving women who have, in the last weeks and months, as my health has been precarious, shared their time and talents with our family in preparing meals for us, cleaning our home, helping her and her sisters in organization and with homework, and countless other ways. They have truly blessed and impacted my daughters (and me and King) for eternity. More than they could ever know. How grateful I am for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the opportunity it gives my family to associate with people who are living as He would have them live, so that we may learn about God through their shining examples.
Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.(3 Nephi 12:16)
November 19, 2009
Get A Clue
This morning Sleeping Beauty and Snow White woke up sounding like frogs. Or barking cows. Or something that sounds sick. King told them to go back to bed. (I think he was just relieved to not have to drive them to 7:15 AM choir practice.) I told them to get dressed. If they were staying home, they were going to the doctor. I suspected SB had a sinus infection, and, unfortunately, I knew from recent sinus experience how much better she'd feel if she got started on an antibiotic soon. I figured SW was along for the ride, so we'd check her out, too. Likely she would need meds by tomorrow anyway. Might as well go to the doctor only four times this week, instead of five.
So, we went. And the girls are fine. Yes, they have colds. Yes, they are miserable. But, no infections or fevers. I told them they were staying home anyway. No sense in sharing their colds and being at school when they feel miserable.
But I'm starting to think that maybe they don't feel so bad. My first clue: When I told them they could watch a movie once they got their homework done, they decided to play Dance, Dance Revolution instead.
So, we went. And the girls are fine. Yes, they have colds. Yes, they are miserable. But, no infections or fevers. I told them they were staying home anyway. No sense in sharing their colds and being at school when they feel miserable.
But I'm starting to think that maybe they don't feel so bad. My first clue: When I told them they could watch a movie once they got their homework done, they decided to play Dance, Dance Revolution instead.
November 18, 2009
November 17, 2009
Rock Star
When I grow up, I want to be a rock star.
Not really. But, it's fun to pretend. So, I entered a giveaway for Band Hero on 5MinutesforMom. Click on the button below to see all about the giveaways they are doing this month. Maybe you'll win something. If you do, yes, I do accept cash as a token of gratitude for pointing you that way. :)
Not really. But, it's fun to pretend. So, I entered a giveaway for Band Hero on 5MinutesforMom. Click on the button below to see all about the giveaways they are doing this month. Maybe you'll win something. If you do, yes, I do accept cash as a token of gratitude for pointing you that way. :)
November 16, 2009
Battle of the Budget
Our power company, (which we now know the name of, thank you very much) is kind enough to give us a "budget plan" whereby they charge us a set amount each month, so that we can budget easier, and don't end up paying extra in July, when it costs a fortune to cool the place, or in January, when we have to heat it. It worked well, until our last "anniversary" month, when our budgeted amount rose twenty dollars. Some of it was "fuel surcharges" that the company now charges us, but we were pretty sure some of it was due to our frivolous want to have light after dark or want to not see our breath while inside our house on a frigid day.
So, we made a deal with the girls: If they would be more careful about turning off their lights, and not touch their thermostats in their rooms, so that our budget amount remains the same, we will go out for ice cream AND give them each five dollars. If the amount goes down, they get ten dollars. Good plan, right?
Well, it seemed like a good idea. But, now, we have three intense light monitors. Heaven forbid I walk out of the pantry with full hands and cannot turn off the light immediately! Three girls will yell, "Mom, turn off the light!"
And when my bedroom feels a little warm to the girls, I get a lecture about conservation and the benefits of socks and sweaters in warding off a chill.
Oh, and forget about accidentally leaving my cell phone charger plugged into the wall. That is a major offense.
Today, I looked at our bill, and was relieved to see that our balance was + $464. Phew. Until I read a little further, where it says, "After careful review of your account at your six-month anniversary, your budget amount will be increased $10." What?!
Now I can't decide if I should tell the girls or not. On one hand, I could tell them, they'll be disappointed and feel like their work over the last six months was wasted, and give up. But, there is always the chance that if I tell them, they'll double their efforts, and I will have to start reading in the dark. Or be expected to wear my hat and gloves in the house. And, frankly, I'm already too cold to think about turning down the heat. I think it will be best to keep quiet for a while. At least until around mid-March.
So, we made a deal with the girls: If they would be more careful about turning off their lights, and not touch their thermostats in their rooms, so that our budget amount remains the same, we will go out for ice cream AND give them each five dollars. If the amount goes down, they get ten dollars. Good plan, right?
Well, it seemed like a good idea. But, now, we have three intense light monitors. Heaven forbid I walk out of the pantry with full hands and cannot turn off the light immediately! Three girls will yell, "Mom, turn off the light!"
And when my bedroom feels a little warm to the girls, I get a lecture about conservation and the benefits of socks and sweaters in warding off a chill.
Oh, and forget about accidentally leaving my cell phone charger plugged into the wall. That is a major offense.
Today, I looked at our bill, and was relieved to see that our balance was + $464. Phew. Until I read a little further, where it says, "After careful review of your account at your six-month anniversary, your budget amount will be increased $10." What?!
Now I can't decide if I should tell the girls or not. On one hand, I could tell them, they'll be disappointed and feel like their work over the last six months was wasted, and give up. But, there is always the chance that if I tell them, they'll double their efforts, and I will have to start reading in the dark. Or be expected to wear my hat and gloves in the house. And, frankly, I'm already too cold to think about turning down the heat. I think it will be best to keep quiet for a while. At least until around mid-March.
November 14, 2009
Things Overheard At My House Today
"It's Saturday, I'm supposed to have a break today."
"That's not my (fill in the blank), it's hers."
"Why do I have to clean it? I don't even use the bathroom." (Yikes.)
"Well, I don't know how my stuff got here."
"Why do I have to do that chore? I don't want that one!"
"Tell her to mind her own business. She's not even cleaning her part of the bathroom."
"Tell them to come and get their junk out of the Living Room. I'm supposed to clean it."
"Don't touch my stuff!!"
I would go on, but then all of my childless readers might never have children, and I can't be held responsible for that. Now, back to my slave-driving...
"That's not my (fill in the blank), it's hers."
"Why do I have to clean it? I don't even use the bathroom." (Yikes.)
"Well, I don't know how my stuff got here."
"Why do I have to do that chore? I don't want that one!"
"Tell her to mind her own business. She's not even cleaning her part of the bathroom."
"Tell them to come and get their junk out of the Living Room. I'm supposed to clean it."
"Don't touch my stuff!!"
I would go on, but then all of my childless readers might never have children, and I can't be held responsible for that. Now, back to my slave-driving...
November 13, 2009
What to Give?
When do you start your Christmas shopping? I like to start early. I may not be finished by this time of year, but usually I know what I'm getting, and I'm figuring out the cheapest way to get it. This year, I'm behind. Way behind. The girls have no real requests, and are kind of outgrowing the toy thing. The problem with grown-up kids, is their toys get more complicated, and more expensive, and start with "i", as in iPod, iPhone, or iMostExpensiveThingYouCanThinkOf. (Sadly, these are dreams that, for my children, will not come true this year--King firmly believes that the longer that we can keep earbuds out of our girls' ears, the longer we'll know what's going on in their lives. And I think he may be on to something.)
What I'm stuck on right now is a gift for the girls' elementary school teacher. This is the information the girls have given me: He likes to travel, he just got married, his favorite color is orange, and his favorite animal is a giraffe. Oh, and he is hilarious and nice. So, any great ideas? We don't usually spend a lot of money, as I prefer to actually give of my time and help the teacher out with things instead, BUT I've kind of (really, really) stunk at that this year, so I need some good ideas. And please don't say a cute teacher mug with hot chocolate. I still have some of those from when I was a teacher. :)
Also, is it bad that this week of 60 degree weather in November is lulling me into thinking that winter may never come? I think I'm going to be sad in a couple of weeks. Or frozen.
What I'm stuck on right now is a gift for the girls' elementary school teacher. This is the information the girls have given me: He likes to travel, he just got married, his favorite color is orange, and his favorite animal is a giraffe. Oh, and he is hilarious and nice. So, any great ideas? We don't usually spend a lot of money, as I prefer to actually give of my time and help the teacher out with things instead, BUT I've kind of (really, really) stunk at that this year, so I need some good ideas. And please don't say a cute teacher mug with hot chocolate. I still have some of those from when I was a teacher. :)
Also, is it bad that this week of 60 degree weather in November is lulling me into thinking that winter may never come? I think I'm going to be sad in a couple of weeks. Or frozen.
November 12, 2009
The Lights are On, But Sometimes No One is Home
The other day, King and I were both home in the morning. I had just stumbled out of bed, and was beginning my day by attacking the mountain of laundry that was attempting to push it's way out of the laundry room and into the dining area. King was working from home, on the computer. The power flickered off. Then on. Then off. And stayed off.
After a while, King decided that maybe he should call the power company. Since the computer, the washing machine, the dishwasher, the TV, and the radio were all on when the power went off, he thought it would be a good idea to let the company know that maybe it was our fault for draining all of our old home's resources at once. Or something. Or at least find out when we could continue our tasks. (I think he was really nervous one of our children would get lost in the laundry beast if I didn't get back to my climbing...) At any rate, he sat down with the phone book and the cell phone, and set out to contact them.
Only, he didn't really know who 'them' was.
"Hey, dear," he says to me, "What is our power company called?"
"Uh, I don't know. It's on the statements....Oh, but they're all emailed to me. Paperless. Or I could look on the online billing, if the power would come on..."
So, he names them all from the Yellow Pages. And I pick one. And he calls them. And they were very nice, but they were our gas company, and not our power company, and they didn't know why our power was out. (Duh.)
So, he tries another. And another. And, the third time is the charm. They knew us, and they knew why our power was out. There was an accident, and the power would be restored just as soon as they could get to it. It should only be a few hours.
I was sitting there thinking, 'How in the world do I not know who I pay loads of money to so that my lights and computer will turn on?!' In my defense, (and I know it's a weak one) the bill is paid automatically every month. I never write the name or do much more than check that the money was sent. And, our company is a subsidiary of the larger company in the phone book that I had never heard of. So, maybe it's okay that I am so lame?
Maybe. But probably not.
At least I'm not the one that made the phone calls to random power companies just for fun. That would have been really lame.
(Love ya, dearest!) :)
After a while, King decided that maybe he should call the power company. Since the computer, the washing machine, the dishwasher, the TV, and the radio were all on when the power went off, he thought it would be a good idea to let the company know that maybe it was our fault for draining all of our old home's resources at once. Or something. Or at least find out when we could continue our tasks. (I think he was really nervous one of our children would get lost in the laundry beast if I didn't get back to my climbing...) At any rate, he sat down with the phone book and the cell phone, and set out to contact them.
Only, he didn't really know who 'them' was.
"Hey, dear," he says to me, "What is our power company called?"
"Uh, I don't know. It's on the statements....Oh, but they're all emailed to me. Paperless. Or I could look on the online billing, if the power would come on..."
So, he names them all from the Yellow Pages. And I pick one. And he calls them. And they were very nice, but they were our gas company, and not our power company, and they didn't know why our power was out. (Duh.)
So, he tries another. And another. And, the third time is the charm. They knew us, and they knew why our power was out. There was an accident, and the power would be restored just as soon as they could get to it. It should only be a few hours.
I was sitting there thinking, 'How in the world do I not know who I pay loads of money to so that my lights and computer will turn on?!' In my defense, (and I know it's a weak one) the bill is paid automatically every month. I never write the name or do much more than check that the money was sent. And, our company is a subsidiary of the larger company in the phone book that I had never heard of. So, maybe it's okay that I am so lame?
Maybe. But probably not.
At least I'm not the one that made the phone calls to random power companies just for fun. That would have been really lame.
(Love ya, dearest!) :)
November 11, 2009
Busy Veterans Day
Today is Veterans Day. I cannot believe it has been a year since the last one. That was a crazy day. Today will be a busy day, too.
For lunch, I will be joining Cinderella. It's not very often your Middle School-er asks you to come have lunch with her. And, even though I know it's mostly because if I am there, she can go to the book fair sale, I'm excited to join her. I've promised to buy her The Hunger Games, so I hope they have a copy left.
Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are participating in the Veterans Day program at their school. They are singing with the choir, and with their fifth grade class, and SW has the same solo she did last year, the Marine Corps song. They are excited, and I look forward to being there with them. It's always an impressive program, and their (former) teacher, Mrs. S, works so hard on it. She's fabulous. It is a nice way to remember all those who have and are serving us by serving their country. Thanks Veterans!!
Then, tonight is Young Women in Excellence. I get to take a couple of minutes to talk about the work Cinderella has done this year on her Personal Progress, and, while it's nice to be given a couple of minutes to brag about my daughter, it's very hard to sum up in a couple of minutes what a wonderful girl she is. She has worked very hard this year, and has passed off one of her values, and is well on her way to pass off a second. She has some great YW leaders and loves being in the Young Women Program.
So, I must sign off and actually take a shower. Yes, it is only 11:00 in the morning. I start moving early on some days. :)
For lunch, I will be joining Cinderella. It's not very often your Middle School-er asks you to come have lunch with her. And, even though I know it's mostly because if I am there, she can go to the book fair sale, I'm excited to join her. I've promised to buy her The Hunger Games, so I hope they have a copy left.
Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are participating in the Veterans Day program at their school. They are singing with the choir, and with their fifth grade class, and SW has the same solo she did last year, the Marine Corps song. They are excited, and I look forward to being there with them. It's always an impressive program, and their (former) teacher, Mrs. S, works so hard on it. She's fabulous. It is a nice way to remember all those who have and are serving us by serving their country. Thanks Veterans!!
Then, tonight is Young Women in Excellence. I get to take a couple of minutes to talk about the work Cinderella has done this year on her Personal Progress, and, while it's nice to be given a couple of minutes to brag about my daughter, it's very hard to sum up in a couple of minutes what a wonderful girl she is. She has worked very hard this year, and has passed off one of her values, and is well on her way to pass off a second. She has some great YW leaders and loves being in the Young Women Program.
So, I must sign off and actually take a shower. Yes, it is only 11:00 in the morning. I start moving early on some days. :)
November 9, 2009
A Plea to the (Un)Helpers Everywhere
I would just like to say that if you work in a medical office, you should try to be helpful. Just try.
If, for instance, someone wants their medical information for insurance purposes, maybe you should give it to them. Even if your "unwritten" policy is to not "re-release" records released to you from another doctor. If that doctor now RESIDES IN INDIA, and his office is NO LONGER OPEN, maybe you ought to think about just releasing that information. Don't try to be helpful and suggest that the patient contact the office that IS NOT OPEN, and the doctor that LIVES IN INDIA, to get said records. Try to be helpful and just use the copy machine already. Or let the patient do it. She knows how to work a copy machine. And it is her information anyway, right?
All this is hypothetical, of course. I'm sure if you really do work in a medical office, you are way more helpful than the people that work in my chronically unhelpful office. This is the last straw. I will have a new Primary Physician by tomorrow.
On a happier note, it is going to be seventy degrees here, and since my Vitamin D was a little low on the medical information they would release to me, I think I will go lie naked in the sun.
(Just kidding. Erase your mind of horrible image. Sorry about that.)
But it will be warm. And I am happy about that.
If, for instance, someone wants their medical information for insurance purposes, maybe you should give it to them. Even if your "unwritten" policy is to not "re-release" records released to you from another doctor. If that doctor now RESIDES IN INDIA, and his office is NO LONGER OPEN, maybe you ought to think about just releasing that information. Don't try to be helpful and suggest that the patient contact the office that IS NOT OPEN, and the doctor that LIVES IN INDIA, to get said records. Try to be helpful and just use the copy machine already. Or let the patient do it. She knows how to work a copy machine. And it is her information anyway, right?
All this is hypothetical, of course. I'm sure if you really do work in a medical office, you are way more helpful than the people that work in my chronically unhelpful office. This is the last straw. I will have a new Primary Physician by tomorrow.
On a happier note, it is going to be seventy degrees here, and since my Vitamin D was a little low on the medical information they would release to me, I think I will go lie naked in the sun.
(Just kidding. Erase your mind of horrible image. Sorry about that.)
But it will be warm. And I am happy about that.
November 4, 2009
What's Up
I apologize for my scarcity in the blog arena this past week--we've had a few busy days. And, when I have busy days, I have to use my "good" hours wisely. Blogging just hasn't been in the cards lately.
We had a fun, crazy Halloween, almost like this one, but with a mouse, a witch, and a marathon runner. I can assure you they were cute, but cannot show you, as King reconfigured the computer that was painfully slow, and we haven't put the pictures back on yet.
I was really, really good at doing my diet through October. Really, I never cheated. There was absolutely no difference in the frequency or severity of my headaches, so I slowly introduced new things. Still the same. So, the diet is over. The good news: I now know it's not food that is doing this to me. Also, I lost five pounds, which we all know pretty much means that the only difference is that my bra is looser. But, it still was nice to knock off a bit of that irritating medication-induced weight gain.
Also, yesterday I found out that my insurance denied Botox for treating my incessant migraines. They won't pay for it. Now, we have the fortunate opportunity to start an appeal process and maybe even file civil action. Yee-haw!! Won't that be fun?
Today I went on a field trip with the twinners. We went to the Art Museum and the Archeology Department at the University. Very informative and the kids had a good time. I managed to survive the chaos of lunch in the atrium, but will now head off to take a nap so I can make it to our evening activities.
Here's hoping it's not another week before I get to blogging again. I'm sure I have more to tell you, but I can't really think of any of it now...
We had a fun, crazy Halloween, almost like this one, but with a mouse, a witch, and a marathon runner. I can assure you they were cute, but cannot show you, as King reconfigured the computer that was painfully slow, and we haven't put the pictures back on yet.
I was really, really good at doing my diet through October. Really, I never cheated. There was absolutely no difference in the frequency or severity of my headaches, so I slowly introduced new things. Still the same. So, the diet is over. The good news: I now know it's not food that is doing this to me. Also, I lost five pounds, which we all know pretty much means that the only difference is that my bra is looser. But, it still was nice to knock off a bit of that irritating medication-induced weight gain.
Also, yesterday I found out that my insurance denied Botox for treating my incessant migraines. They won't pay for it. Now, we have the fortunate opportunity to start an appeal process and maybe even file civil action. Yee-haw!! Won't that be fun?
Today I went on a field trip with the twinners. We went to the Art Museum and the Archeology Department at the University. Very informative and the kids had a good time. I managed to survive the chaos of lunch in the atrium, but will now head off to take a nap so I can make it to our evening activities.
Here's hoping it's not another week before I get to blogging again. I'm sure I have more to tell you, but I can't really think of any of it now...
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