Friday, September 23, 2016

Friday things . . .






Isn't that air puff the worst?






I love you Abby!  Do you love me?
I love you too mom!  Am I too close?
Fine . . . I'll sit over here.


I just love this kid's freckles!

Egg-celent job!



Friday, September 16, 2016

Fall Goals . . . Let's Do This

Let's give it up for lists of things to accomplishment . . . they make me feel so organized and centered!  I'm setting some fall goals to hold myself accountable and to focus my efforts on things that are important to me.  
Life According to Steph
Here we go . . . 

1.  Have a fire pit night or two!  What the heck do I mean by this?  Well, we have a fire pit, fire wood and a back yard . . . why do we not sit out there and chillax with friends, s'mores and a beverage?  Beats me . . . it's on for fall!

2.  Visit a pumpkin patch and/or apple orchard!  My kids are pretty much too old for this "stuff," but I love it!  Plus, this is where memories are made so we are going somewhere in the next few weeks!

3.  Accomplish at least one house update!  Alas, we are not moving.  It seems like a great idea to start over in a new house but really, it's just more work so we are going to begin tackling our home update list.  Honestly I think the hardest part is just making phone calls to get quotes . . . time to get on it.  

4.  Figure out my decorating style!  This seems odd, but I feel like I need a style direction for our main floor as we start to make updates.  I don't have the gift of interior design . . . anyone want to offer their opinions?  I'm perusing websites like Pinterest and Houzz . . . it's all so overwhelming.

5.  Organize the storage room!  Eeewww.  This has to be done because I need to get to my fall decorations.  I know this task is worse in my head than actually doing it.  

6.  Reduce the 2nd digit by one in my 3 digit weight!  This is self explanatory (or did I make that confusing?) . . . and not easy as we enter the season of eating, but I'm going to try!

7.  Make the Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls to give away to friends!  I love to bake, and I love the smell of cinnamon!  These are so easy and delicious and the recipe makes a ton of them, thus the need to give them away.  I did this a few years ago and still chuckle at my Columbian friend Natalia's text to me about them . . . something along the lines of "there is excitement in the house . . . we've never had these before . . . how do we eat them?"  So funny!  Who needs some?  I even deliver!

8.  Start my oldest son's Scout scrapbook!  He will (fingers crossed) hopefully make Eagle Scout soon, and I want to have a scrapbook on display at his Eagle Court of Honor.  I suspect this will take way more time and effort than I want so it's best to get started now.  Anyone have pictures to send me of him from scouting trips and activities?!?  Help a sister out!

9.  Finish Christmas shopping by November 30th!  I don't want to be running around last minute and buy things just to check the box.  I've already started because I like to spread the expense over several months as well. 

10.  Get updated family pictures!  Last time we had them done was June 2014.  I need new ones that are better than school photos.  

11.  Find our wedding video and get it converted from VHS!  Yes, I am that old.  Getzy just randomly asked me where is was and suggested we get it converted so now I get to find it!  I'm sure it's somewhere safe and sound.  

12.  Test out as a handler with my Zeus!  My sweet little baby is leaving on Sunday for K-9 academy.  He will learn his stuff, and we have to learn his stuff.  And then we have to pass two tests as his handler before he can advance.  More to come on this in a later post.  

Whoa, that felt good.  I didn't really have much in mind, but then the juices started flowing and I decided a dozen was enough.  I'll check back on how I did when it's time to post winter goals. What are your fall goals?  Do share . . . because I'm nosey and like to know things! 

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

9/11 - Helping my kids understand

I'd venture to say all of us know exactly where we were and what we were doing when the attacks on 9/11 happened.  
I remember that it was a beautiful sunny day and business as usual at work.  Then my phone rang and Getzy told me to go watch the news.  I'm not much of a news watcher because I feel like so much of it is negative and manipulated. Getzy and I have an agreement that he will let me know when something important is happening.  

At the time I was working for a media company in Dunwoody, Georgia.  I went into my boss's office to watch the coverage just after the first plane hit the World Trade Center.  Originally we thought it was just a terrible accident . . . then the second plane hit.   I think it was then we began to realize that life as we know it would never be the same.

I was pregnant with my oldest son, Ryan.  Oddly enough, I remember I was wearing a black maternity maxi dress with tiny red roses all over it.  I still have the dress . . . I couldn't part with it when I let go of my maternity clothes because it had such significance to me.  And I remember thinking what kind of world am I bringing a child into . . . thoughts I hadn't really had before then.

I suppose until you live through something, it doesn't have as much meaning to you.  It wasn't until I visited Pearl Harbor and toured the Dachau concentration camp in Germany that I truly felt like I could understand the magnitude of those events.   
A motley crew for sure . . . we fed the high schoolers right after
cross country practice and told them to get in the car . . .
you never know what the day holds in our house!
To help our children understand, my friend Michelle and I took them to a nearby battlefield where every five years they display 2,977 American flags to represent the lives of each person lost in the 9/11 tragedy.  Until we can make it to the actual sight in New York, this local memorial helps our kids get a sense of the significance of what happened that day. 

To say the flag display was moving is an understatement.  From the minute I saw them, the tears flowed.  To see the volume of flags and to know what each represents was overwhelming. I think the visual made it much more real to all of us.  

It's hard to believe that it's been 15 years.  A lot has changed since 9/11, but I'm choosing to look on the bright side.  So much good in humanity came from the tragedy . . . so much patriotism. America is the land of the free . . . and the home of the brave.  That was never more true than after 9/11.  

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Insurance Rage

Y'all . . . a rant is coming.  I can't help myself.  I need to vent.
I know I can't be the only one that just shakes her head about the state of the healthcare and insurance industries in our country these days.  I go from being totally disgusted, to having the full on rage, to really just being saddened by the state of affairs.   

To be honest, I'm not super well educated on Obamacare, the healthcare industry or the insurance industry.  What I am well educated about is how much it costs our family, what level of service we receive based on what insurance dictates, and how doctors make choices based on whether they will get paid for services . . . regardless of whether it's in the best interest of the patient.  

As a for instance, let's discuss my recent doctor visit.  My appointment was for my bi-annual breast ultrasounds, or so I thought.  I see my very friendly doctor and everything is going along as per usual.  She reviewed my mammogram films and felt me up . . . pretty thoroughly I might add. Then she lets me know I can sit up, shakes my hand very sweetly and tells me to have a nice day.  
I look at her all confused and ask if I'm getting my ultrasounds . . . because last I heard that was the point of being there.  Well guess what?  I am no longer allowed to get those twice a year . . . insurance says once a year will suffice.  

It should be noted that my mammogram films were already reviewed by a radiologist, and I've already received the letter that they were normal.  Listen, when it comes to things like this, you just can't hear the word normal too many times . . . but come on, does having them read twice seem efficient?  I'm going with a big fat no.

Why have I been getting bi-annual ultrasounds?  Oh, I don't know . . . maybe because both my grandmother and mother survived breast cancer and because it doesn't involve radiation.  

Come on.  Why wouldn't insurance want to me to get them more often?  Wouldn't it be a whole lot cheaper to treat cancer when it's caught early versus waiting until it has done more damage?  Not that I'm assuming I'm getting cancer, but you know what I mean.  

Perhaps I should also point out that the f'ing insurance company doesn't even pay for my ultrasounds because my deductible is outrageous . . . so I write a check to the doctors office every 6 months to cover them.  Okay, fine . . . I usually pay it over the phone with a card but stating that didn't seem to have the same umph!  
I may still just go ahead and have them done in the future and pay outright . . . I'm going to see how much this appointment costs me as opposed to the ones in the past and go from there.  

We, as a family, pay thousands a year to have insurance that doesn't even kick in until I've spent thousands more.  OMG.  I can't even.  Most companies can't afford to offer plans that don't have high deductible coverage because they are getting gouged by the insurance companies too . . . so I'm not blaming my husband's employer.  Lucky them I guess.  

Shall I go on?!?  Why yes, yes I will.

How about a couple of weeks ago when I take my littlest to her 11 year old check up.  She's mentions that she can't see the board as well as she would like at school.  I ask if they review her vision at that appointment . . . a check up . . . but alas they do not.  The personality-less nurse asked me if I wanted them to check it and I joked, not if it's going to cost me another $40 because it's not included.  

Her reply?  "Yes, actually that sounds about right since we aren't sure insurance will pay for it."  I look at her like she is an alien and say, "Forty dollars for you to see if she can read the Big E?  No thank you.  For that I'll take her to an actual eye doctor."  Her response.  "Okay."  I saw red.  I felt my body have a physical response so I just sat their quietly willing my blood pressure to go down.  
Side note about that appointment since I'm letting it all out . . . my daughter was stressed out about getting her 11 year old shots, as most kids would be.  They doctor leaves and tells her the nurse will return to give them to her.  After more than 15 minutes and me sticking my head out of the door twice, the nurse shows up to give her shots.  Who freaking leaves a child sitting in a room stressing over her shots for that long?!?  I'd switch to a different office, but they are all the same.  We switched to this one feeling like we weren't getting treated like we wanted at a previous office.  

I am ever so thankful that my children are older and less prone to illness.  I am also so thankful that when they were little and we were going through the asthma and ear infection stages that we had better insurance with a copay.  

The doctor mentions in Amanda's appointment that she didn't have any sick visits since her last appointment.  I told her that's because it was way more affordable to take my children to an urgent care and pay a flat fee than to come to their office and pay their negotiated rates.  She had no comment.  Shocker.  
Anything else you ask?  Yes, how about this one . . . don't mind if I do.

So back in the winter and within days of each other, both Kyle and Amanda had to have X-rays from school related incidents.  We went to the area children's hospital urgent care located near us. I was super impressed with the facility and everyone we encountered there was fabulous . . . just thought I'd throw that in there.  

We saw a different doctor for each visit but for about the same length of time . . . less than 5 minutes for sure.  The only differences between the appointments were that the wait time was longer for Kyle . . . and it was his arm and Amanda's leg.  

So the bills for each visit come within days of each other.  And guess what?  Kyle's was over $200 more than Amanda's.  Why would this be unless an arm literally costs more than a leg . . . which seems counter intuitive, right?
So I call and it turns out the doctor's coded the length of the visits differently.  Amanda's coded it for a 20 minute appointment, but Kyle's coded it as a 40 minute appointment . . . that's an expensive 20 minute difference.  I explain that they length of time we saw the doctor was basically equal . . . we just waited longer for Kyle to be seen.  

So this gets sent up to the powers that be for discussion and a decision.  Thankfully they realized that both appoints should have been coded as 20 minutes, the lower amount.  They patient advocate I dealt with was fabulous . . . beyond fabulous.  She instructed me not to pay Kyle's until it was corrected, and I got a new bill.  He was seen on February 3rd . . . I still haven't received a corrected bill.  It's been 7 months.  No seriously, take your time.  I'll wait. 
If I didn't have the "benefit" of both children having injuries within days of each other, I wouldn't have known to call and argue the amount for Kyle's bill.  How often is this happening?  Probably more than we'd like to know.   

You guys.  Don't even get me started on over prescribing of medicines.  Doctors don't have time to look for the root of the problem . . . they have to see more patients to get paid . . . by the insurance companies.  What a vicious cycle.  

I should point out that I really do like our doctors . . . I think they are good people who are equally as frustrated by the state of affairs as I am.  I'm sure doctors endure the years of school and hard work because they want to help people . . . but I also suspect the paperwork and legality ties their hands a lot of times.  

Are others as angry as me?  How many upstanding, tax paying citizens make unfortunate healthcare decisions based on the outrageous costs these days?  Gah.  I could take a more political route on this topic, but I have no desire to debate politics here.  Good day sir.
It may sound defeatist, but this is all big business and the little people making rational sense are not going to be heard.  I could go on and on with my rant, but what purpose will it serve?  I need to let it go, ignore the stupidity of it all and work on keeping my blood pressure at a normal level . . . Lord knows I would like to avoid going to the doctor.  

Okay rant over.  I'm not sure if I feel better or not, but I think it's time to go hug a puppy and have a margarita!  Or three.  Cheers!  

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Three Things I Can't Live Without




Image result for burt's bees menthol lip balm review












Sunscreen - the higher the SPF, the better
Epsom Salt baths - nothing is more relaxing
Coffee - duh
Eye cream - nobody's got time for wrinkles
Margaritas - self explanatory
My Kindle - reading anywhere, night or day
The Internet - because I remember encyclopedias and actual maps


Thursday, September 1, 2016

What's New with You?

Today is September first . . . break out all the fall things and color me excited!  
From now until Christmas day is my absolute most favorite time of the year.  I'm ready for cooler temperatures which means jeans to cover my 'never will be tan' legs, scarves to hide a few extra rolls and wrinkles, and the chance to wear my new booties and feel trendy even though I'm not . . . huh, these reasons seem a little suspect.  I am also excited for warm fires, snuggling under blankets, decorating for the holidays, all the cinnamon things and a lower electric bill.  There, that's better.  

We made it through the first month of school . . . I think we all deserve some sort of award.  

Ryan got to enjoy his first high school football games where he sat in the student section, and he did great in his first Cross Country race.  
Amanda had fun at her first school dance with her friends . . . mostly the 6th graders ran around like it was PE.  By the way, I love those girls with her . . . such great friends.  She asked me not to post these because the pictures weren't clear but it's all I have, and she'll appreciate it when she's older.  Oh, and don't give me sass when I ask for another photo . . . there's that.  
And Kyle is rocking all his classes with one exception . . . he's the lucky recipient of a Spanish tutor. I didn't get a picture of that but this pretty much sums him up.
My boys had their scout Court of Honor recently and earned some more merit badges.  I get oddly excited looking at their sash full of badges . . . they, however, could give a rat.  They kind of look like yahoos here . . . it is what it is.  I will say I about lost my mind on those scouts who couldn't sit still and shut up during the giving out of awards.  I threatened my children so they kept it together . . . I made angry mom eyes at several others.  
Getzy and I had a little getaway this past weekend!  I'm waiting on some pictures before I post about our shenanigans, but here's a clue!
I bit the bullet and paid off my car recently.  I can't stand debt, being the former accountant that I am, so the car payment had to go.  
Which doesn't exactly coincide with my itch to move to a bigger and more upgraded home.  Of course the kids ask that we stay in our same community so that rules out new construction.  We need to upgrade our house because we've been here 17 years, but it seems the bigger, more expensive, houses need those same upgrades since they were built around the same time as ours.  
So should we spend for a bigger home and then still have to make upgrades or just make the upgrades on this home and keep the smallish mortgage?  Should I mention that this is our first home? I'm worried I'm being a fool . . . someone rational talk me down from the ledge.  I think I just want a change . . . maybe the upgrades will be enough without the hassle of a move.  Give me some advice.

So my friend Summer sent this key chain to me because as a fellow Jeep owner, she knew I needed it.  She was correct, obvs.  Thank you my friend!
Speaking of Jeep owners, somebody recently got asked if her Jeep wave photo could be used in an online parts store blog (points thumbs back at self with a smug face and attitude). Now, this may not be that exciting to you, but I'll take my wins when I get them.  He also told me that my Jeep wave was perfectly executed, thank you very much.  Check out the photo credits!   Baller.
Have you seen the trailer for the upcoming movie A Dog's Purpose?  I cried while I watched the trailer and for about 15 minutes afterwards.  I will need a full box of tissues to take to the movies, but I just have to see it.  
So obviously this movie has my name written all over it.  The second dog shown is a German Shepherd.  Gah, I die of love.  This not so little guy turned 4 months old on August 25th.  Yes, he will grow into his ears.  
Getzy has been out of town the past couple of nights so a certain cute puppy "accidentally" slept in the bed with his mama.  I swore I wasn't going to let another dog sleep in the bed, but honestly it was just fine.  He slept at the foot of the bed and didn't care to get under the covers.  He never once woke me up.  Getzy got home late last night from his trip and joined us . . . didn't bother him either.  
I suppose the potential problem is that he's only about 30 pounds right now . . . may be a different sleep story when he's pushing 100 pounds.  But he's just so darn cute.

Speaking of cute, this blonde bombshell just got told she was fat, by a professional.  #rude
She's been limping a bit lately, and I feel like her belly and haunches seemed bigger than usual. She had me all worried so I took her to the vet.  She got a thorough pat down and while she has a bum knee, nothing major to report.  Her official diagnosis, as written on her check out form:  Obesity. We left with a prescription for diet dog food.  Listen Abby, I feel you girl.  I should join you on the diet.  Maybe on Monday.  Winky face.  

Well, that's a life lately post . . . seems that's all I can get done these days.  I'm wise enough to know that the small stuff really is the big stuff so I'll just keep counting my blessings over here!  

Linking up with Kristen and Gretch because it's more fun than not!
What's New With You