A Few Updates

Farrah has had a high fever the last two days, so I have been at home taking care of her. She finally seems to be getting better, thankfully, just in time ...we are leaving for Canada July 3rd. Thankfully, whatever she had did not spread throughout the house.

I have been trying to follow some of the health care reform proposals during my time off, so today I read the 98 page proposal. It was long an treacherous and I can't remember a lot. I do remember some one of the things that will affect me...taxes on employer benefits. If I remember correctly, my employer pays around 12K for my benefits so that would be about $3000 in additional taxes next year. I think if we were a single payer I would be "ok" with that but knowing an exec at United Health Care got a billion dollar bonus in the last year, kind of makes me a little angry. I mean, why shouldn't he take some of the burden. He may even get richer off the new plan. Well, I suppose that is life, but I have told my husband we would have to readjust our free spending to account for the loss of $250 month. Sadly probably cut back on donations (boo hoo), eat out less, and keep fixing our house up to a minimum. He laughed at me but I was serious, I mean the next time someone at work asks for a donation for the heart walk, he is to say "no". Someone is always asking for money at work for this fundraiser or that and it adds up. It's not like we won't donate anything, we always have clothes and items given to us we pass on.

My Small Car Incident

Yesterday my husband and I drove to work together, I opted to drop him off and go to get gas and money. On the way back from the gas station the front tire popped which left me driving on the rim. I pulled over from a busy intersection and after frantic phone calls (calling work and letting them know I would be late), started the process of getting my spare out. Well, in the next minute two men who could barely speak English came by and changed my tire in a few minutes. I offered them money, then would not take they said in broken English, someday someone will do something nice for me.

Now lets go back a few years.

When I was 9 months pregnant with my daughter I was driving home from work and suddenly ran over a role of carpet laying in the road. The carpet hooked onto the bottom of my car. I was able to pull over to the side of the road at the entrance of a fairly expensive community (Home probably from the 250's). In my distress between being able to find a sharp object in the emergency kit and roling back and forth over the carpet, I was able to get enough of the carpet unattached from the bottom of my car but it took a looong time. Since I was pregant, I couldn't get under the car, and I had to reposition myself around the car and stretch my arms out so hard they hurt. It is important to note that at least 20 cars drove into that community that night, maybe more. Not one person stopped to see if a 9 month old pregnant women needed some help.

OK, so yesterday I learned something. We all have something to learn from the men in the first paragraph and these men (although could be illegal) in their kindness have made living in the US a better place like the good Samaritian, while as the rich from the second paragraph offerred nothing.

The Kids and I This Weekend

Daddy needs some space this weekend so he could finish putting in the Pergo floors...or at least get most of it done. So, the kiddo's and I left the house Saturday and Sunday in search of adventure.

On Saturday, we went to Grapevine Mills Outlet Mall. I thought it wouldn't be bad to hang out there for the day and there are rides and family bathrooms/nursing stations. For the most part it was fun except we did manage to spend $25.00 and come back with nothing...mostly food and snacks which I should have packed and a few rides. The kiddo's were really tired and I had my first workout in 4 years. Why, because I did not want to pay $4.00 to rent a cart so I carried Colton for the first hour then finally gave in, or my arms gave up. It's not like he's just willing to be carried, he's a real squirmer. Later in the evening we spent time at the park.

Sunday we went to "Going Bonkers" after nap, Farrah and Colton played in the 3 and under area for the most part. I thought, hey this is a better idea then the mall and it only cost $6.00 admission for all of us, but then some older kids around 8 came into the small kid area and start throwing around large objects, hence we left quickly. I suppose I should have said something but I am not really confrontational. Later in the evening, we blew up the kiddie pool and played in the backyard.

We are back for now.

It has been awhile since I have written. We took apart the computer area in order to create a bedroom/office. So, access to the computer has been limited as well as time since I have been watching the little ones in a confined area while daddy builds the new room. So finally the room is complete, but we do have some floor in the adjacent room that we need to complete. (It's a slow process for daddy since he is only one man).

Not much has happened in the last few weeks so there is not to many updates. I did manage to donate my blood for the first time in my life. Prior in Canada I had problems, typically due to low iron. I will be going back to Canada in a month and hope to be able to donate blood again while I am back..you know there is nothing more rewarding then donating blood to a national health care system. Well...I am excited to go back, since it's been 4 years.

Colton has been teething, but that is little news to anyone..just up half the night but I do see 4 new clinkers and 2 more on the way. His chewing has improved a lot, he can eat chicken! Yeah. Tomorrow I take him to his 15 month appt so we will see what the Dr. says.

Farrah, of course is being an angel these days. She is mamma's little helper and each morning is walking Colton to the car holding his hands so he doesn't run in the road. She even wants to change his poopy diaper...I wish she was a few years older...:)

And I have one big thank you to God. There was this older man at work who was a contractor for about 1 1/2 years, he had to buy private health care insurance so with the little money he made, could not make it. So his wife went back to work with special needs teens but was beat and hurt a lot at work. Long story short, he was hired this week and will now be able to receive decent health care. This could mean that his wife may quite her job, although it will be a loss for the special need teens, she will not be beat or hit anymore. Either way, it will be her choice to work.