Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Trying Hard to be Better
I am trying to re-organize my life. I feel like I spend so much time wasting time and nothing of meaning gets accomplished.
When the twins were little we did weekly play dates. Went to special places on the weekend. Enrolled in about 2 years of gymnastics. We traveled to Canada twice and Florida three times. We were routined and it didn't seem overwhelming to get everything done. I don't feel that way.
I used to say it was the addition of the third child that changed the dynamics. But thats crap. Right now the kids are in school all day and I still do nothing. I am tired all the time. I spend too much catching up on things. I need to change some things.
1.) I am looking into getting the kids - all three of them - into some sort of activity. Swimming, gymnastics, whatever. Get them out of the house doing something. The only limitation here is money, but I will try hard to make something work.
2.) I have started a weekly play date here at the house. I need M to be able to play and relate to kids his age. I did this all the time with the twins and I have been so slack this time. Our first event today went well. I will have it here at the house for a few weeks and then once the weather gets better, we will meet at the park.
3.) I need to sleep better. Go to bed earlier and try not to nap my life away. There are mornings when after we drop the kids at school we come back home and go back to bed. M and I can sleep until 11 or 12p. It's ridiculous. But I guess since we both go to bed at like 1am...it makes more sense. M and I both need to get a better sleep schedule.
4.) I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT. I'm sure a lot of my fatigue and crappy sleep come from being so overweight. I need to somehow get control of this. I have to figure out a way. Not just for sleep but my health overall. I NEED TO REGAIN CONTROL!!!
5.) Routine. I need to get into some routine. Wake at this time...Get XYZ done....Do this...just something that makes me follow more of a schedule instead of doing things when I feel like it, or get the energy. Doing things this way means a lot of stuff is never gotten to.
6.) I may need to look into another form of work. The 12h shifts are killing me. I spend the weekend physically recovering from them. I know losing weight might help with this, but I really do think with my MS that 12h is too hard on my body. (as a reference I was only working 8h shifts before M was born).
7.) Continue to work of money. I am doing okay here. It's hard when things like insurance companies continue to screw me, but I am trying.
In one month I will try to revisit these topics and see how I've done. Hopefully I will have made progress on at least half of them.
When the twins were little we did weekly play dates. Went to special places on the weekend. Enrolled in about 2 years of gymnastics. We traveled to Canada twice and Florida three times. We were routined and it didn't seem overwhelming to get everything done. I don't feel that way.
I used to say it was the addition of the third child that changed the dynamics. But thats crap. Right now the kids are in school all day and I still do nothing. I am tired all the time. I spend too much catching up on things. I need to change some things.
1.) I am looking into getting the kids - all three of them - into some sort of activity. Swimming, gymnastics, whatever. Get them out of the house doing something. The only limitation here is money, but I will try hard to make something work.
2.) I have started a weekly play date here at the house. I need M to be able to play and relate to kids his age. I did this all the time with the twins and I have been so slack this time. Our first event today went well. I will have it here at the house for a few weeks and then once the weather gets better, we will meet at the park.
3.) I need to sleep better. Go to bed earlier and try not to nap my life away. There are mornings when after we drop the kids at school we come back home and go back to bed. M and I can sleep until 11 or 12p. It's ridiculous. But I guess since we both go to bed at like 1am...it makes more sense. M and I both need to get a better sleep schedule.
4.) I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT. I'm sure a lot of my fatigue and crappy sleep come from being so overweight. I need to somehow get control of this. I have to figure out a way. Not just for sleep but my health overall. I NEED TO REGAIN CONTROL!!!
5.) Routine. I need to get into some routine. Wake at this time...Get XYZ done....Do this...just something that makes me follow more of a schedule instead of doing things when I feel like it, or get the energy. Doing things this way means a lot of stuff is never gotten to.
6.) I may need to look into another form of work. The 12h shifts are killing me. I spend the weekend physically recovering from them. I know losing weight might help with this, but I really do think with my MS that 12h is too hard on my body. (as a reference I was only working 8h shifts before M was born).
7.) Continue to work of money. I am doing okay here. It's hard when things like insurance companies continue to screw me, but I am trying.
In one month I will try to revisit these topics and see how I've done. Hopefully I will have made progress on at least half of them.
Making Friends
In the past I have made several posts about my frustrations with friends...or the lack thereof. I am trying to live outside my comfort zone and I have been trying to cultivate the potential relationships I have.
I am making some progress with one friend, L. I met her at the school stop where we pick up our kids in the afternoon. She lives a mile or so away and her son is in the same class as the twins. S likes hanging around him (he was the boy we went to the dinosaur exhibit with) and at one time K was going to marry him; although now I think the relationship is just platonic ;0) As luck would have it, she also has a son a few months younger than M.
Initially we just spoke at the stop, but as the kids relationship has grown, we have spent time together as the kids play after school and on weekends. Her personality jives with mine - the same dark, sarcastic humor and we seem to have similar ideas/beliefs/etc.
Sadly, as I mentioned in the previous post, her father dies very suddenly last Monday. This is a huge loss to her as her family lived in the same home as her parents. He was a huge presence in their life. She is doing pretty well and I have tried to be there for her. I have helped with her son, T, a few times and checked in on her every day or so.
I hope this friendship continues to grow. It would be great since our kids are all the same age and we live so close to eachother. It might also make me a little happier in life :0)
I am making some progress with one friend, L. I met her at the school stop where we pick up our kids in the afternoon. She lives a mile or so away and her son is in the same class as the twins. S likes hanging around him (he was the boy we went to the dinosaur exhibit with) and at one time K was going to marry him; although now I think the relationship is just platonic ;0) As luck would have it, she also has a son a few months younger than M.
Initially we just spoke at the stop, but as the kids relationship has grown, we have spent time together as the kids play after school and on weekends. Her personality jives with mine - the same dark, sarcastic humor and we seem to have similar ideas/beliefs/etc.
Sadly, as I mentioned in the previous post, her father dies very suddenly last Monday. This is a huge loss to her as her family lived in the same home as her parents. He was a huge presence in their life. She is doing pretty well and I have tried to be there for her. I have helped with her son, T, a few times and checked in on her every day or so.
I hope this friendship continues to grow. It would be great since our kids are all the same age and we live so close to eachother. It might also make me a little happier in life :0)
Insurance Rant #45982710
I received the medical bill for M's emergency room visit in January. It was quite a bit more than I thought it should be. Per my insurance, I pay a $150 co-pay for an emergency room visit, and an initial co-insurance of $400 per person. When I read through the bill, my co-pay was listed as $300.
I called my employer and was told that my insurance had made the determination that my emergency room visit was non-emergent and therefor I was being charged an additional $150.
Um....Say the Fuck what?
Children die every year from MRSA sepsis and my child was now on day three of fevers, spreading wounds and an abscess that was threatening circulation to his right leg. This was on a Sunday night, after office hours and after urgent care hours. How is this not emergent? Should I have waited until he was non-responsive, lethargic with other vital sign changes before bringing him in? The doctor was concerned that M might need to be admitted to the hospital. This wasn't urgent?
So needless to say I am launching an appeal and complaint. (1) It should not be up to the insurance company to look at a billing code and decide whether or not the care was warranted and (2) if my child's physician tells me to take my child to the emergency room I should not have to question whether or not my insurance will concur with his direction.
I'm not sure I will win this one, but I will fight tooth and nail for it. The thing that ABSOLUTELY SUCKS is I work for the hospital system that's screwing me and, if I refuse to pay, they just take it from my paycheck.
This just might be a catalyst that makes me look into pulling the kids from my insurance and having them cared for by the tax payers. As horrible as that is, I see no choice. I am trying to do the right thing and yet I am drowning in medical bills. This plain sucks!
***I have no idea why this post is formatted weird. I have tried to fix it with no luck***
I called my employer and was told that my insurance had made the determination that my emergency room visit was non-emergent and therefor I was being charged an additional $150.
Um....Say the Fuck what?
Children die every year from MRSA sepsis and my child was now on day three of fevers, spreading wounds and an abscess that was threatening circulation to his right leg. This was on a Sunday night, after office hours and after urgent care hours. How is this not emergent? Should I have waited until he was non-responsive, lethargic with other vital sign changes before bringing him in? The doctor was concerned that M might need to be admitted to the hospital. This wasn't urgent?
So needless to say I am launching an appeal and complaint. (1) It should not be up to the insurance company to look at a billing code and decide whether or not the care was warranted and (2) if my child's physician tells me to take my child to the emergency room I should not have to question whether or not my insurance will concur with his direction.
I'm not sure I will win this one, but I will fight tooth and nail for it. The thing that ABSOLUTELY SUCKS is I work for the hospital system that's screwing me and, if I refuse to pay, they just take it from my paycheck.
This just might be a catalyst that makes me look into pulling the kids from my insurance and having them cared for by the tax payers. As horrible as that is, I see no choice. I am trying to do the right thing and yet I am drowning in medical bills. This plain sucks!
***I have no idea why this post is formatted weird. I have tried to fix it with no luck***
Some Candid Shots
I was going through the computer looking for some recent pictures and to my dismay I have SUCKED at taking pics. I have no decent picture of M since Christmas!! So while the kids were playing today I took some pics :) Enjoy!
Monday, March 5, 2012
6 Year Stats
The twins had their 6 year check up today. They are both healthy and doing well. No identified problems and hopefully no reasons to go back for another year.
S:
50 pounds (73rd %) and 48.5" (93rd%)
K:
40 pounds (21st%) and 45.5" (55th%)
Both still skinny - thank goodness!
S:
50 pounds (73rd %) and 48.5" (93rd%)
K:
40 pounds (21st%) and 45.5" (55th%)
Both still skinny - thank goodness!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
So Much Going On
Sorry I have been absent. I have had so much to say, but then when I sit to write it, I get overwhelmed and just give up. The last week alone has been very trying. I will give a quick run down.
1. Sunday night while finishing up what seems like my millionth load of laundry, the washer stops working. Not a great feeling. I have actually had a sense of doom about the house for a little while now because after my 12 month marathon of monthly house repairs, it had been rather quiet. Luckily someone came out and found that it was just a simple switch. Repair and all only cost $60. Score one for me.
2. Another Sunday night defeat. Max laid down to take a nap about 5p on the couch. All was well. When he woke around 8p he was covered, once again with MRSA sores. I just wanted to cry. We are all still on special soaps and I did everything I could. First thing Monday morning he was seen by his doc. I expressed how frustrated I was and the doctor really didn't have any further advice for me other than this can be typical, and I was doing everything right. He is now on 2 weeks of high dose antibiotics followed by 4 weeks of low dose. He is also on the nasal treatment and will continue with surgical soap. Since we caught it early there wasn't a lot of drama with fevers or draining this time...so that was great!
3. A few weeks ago, a close acquaintance had premature triplets. 2 boys and a girl were born at 29 weeks but doing rather well. Monday morning I found out that the girl had developed a sudden infection and died Sunday night. News like this always sends me into a depression. I felt like sh!t all day. Boys are doing well and I hope they continue on that path.
4. Monday night while talking to someone who I am starting to develop a good friendship with - will probably post about that at a later time - she mentioned that her dad was being taken to the hospital for shortness of breath. Her dad is somewhat of a celebrity around here and he was speaking at an event. We stopped talking at about 9:40p so that she could meet her dad. At 10:30p I signed onto FB only to see on my news feed people posting about his death. I was in SHOCK. This man was an amazing guy. The twins also knew him well because they are best friends with his grandson, and he volunteered in their classroom several days a week. I saw him the morning he died walking his grandson in.
The news has been in the media all week. I was able to attend the visitation which I was grateful for and then even able to watch the funeral service streaming online. The more I learned about him the sadder I felt. Not only did this community lose a great man, but I felt guilt for not getting to know him better while he was here. Its been a tough week with the emotions but also talking to the twins who have had lots of questions.
So today is Sunday...one week exactly from when the chaos started. I'm hoping for a quiet week. I will try to post more as I have some plans for change in place. I am just hoping I succed in them.
1. Sunday night while finishing up what seems like my millionth load of laundry, the washer stops working. Not a great feeling. I have actually had a sense of doom about the house for a little while now because after my 12 month marathon of monthly house repairs, it had been rather quiet. Luckily someone came out and found that it was just a simple switch. Repair and all only cost $60. Score one for me.
2. Another Sunday night defeat. Max laid down to take a nap about 5p on the couch. All was well. When he woke around 8p he was covered, once again with MRSA sores. I just wanted to cry. We are all still on special soaps and I did everything I could. First thing Monday morning he was seen by his doc. I expressed how frustrated I was and the doctor really didn't have any further advice for me other than this can be typical, and I was doing everything right. He is now on 2 weeks of high dose antibiotics followed by 4 weeks of low dose. He is also on the nasal treatment and will continue with surgical soap. Since we caught it early there wasn't a lot of drama with fevers or draining this time...so that was great!
3. A few weeks ago, a close acquaintance had premature triplets. 2 boys and a girl were born at 29 weeks but doing rather well. Monday morning I found out that the girl had developed a sudden infection and died Sunday night. News like this always sends me into a depression. I felt like sh!t all day. Boys are doing well and I hope they continue on that path.
4. Monday night while talking to someone who I am starting to develop a good friendship with - will probably post about that at a later time - she mentioned that her dad was being taken to the hospital for shortness of breath. Her dad is somewhat of a celebrity around here and he was speaking at an event. We stopped talking at about 9:40p so that she could meet her dad. At 10:30p I signed onto FB only to see on my news feed people posting about his death. I was in SHOCK. This man was an amazing guy. The twins also knew him well because they are best friends with his grandson, and he volunteered in their classroom several days a week. I saw him the morning he died walking his grandson in.
The news has been in the media all week. I was able to attend the visitation which I was grateful for and then even able to watch the funeral service streaming online. The more I learned about him the sadder I felt. Not only did this community lose a great man, but I felt guilt for not getting to know him better while he was here. Its been a tough week with the emotions but also talking to the twins who have had lots of questions.
So today is Sunday...one week exactly from when the chaos started. I'm hoping for a quiet week. I will try to post more as I have some plans for change in place. I am just hoping I succed in them.
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