This is a great deal on Groupon. It's good until tomorrow so run and sign up if you use Redbox. We are planning to rent some movies for the trip to Ohio, then return them once we get there.
$1 for 3 rentals. Click here if you don't have a groupon account.(and I'll love you forever because I think I get some sort of kickback for that) Click here if you do and just want to grab the deal.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Good News and Bad News at the Dentist
So I found a new dentist for the kids. They all went in for their cleaning and xrays. I did my part and sent all my insurance info up front, 3 weeks before the visit. All looked good.
We showed up. They cleaned. They took xrays. No cavities. Grant might not even need braces! They think that once his adult eye teeth come in, they might push the front top teeth together and close the gap. Other than the gap his teeth are nice and straight.
The bad news: My bill was $452!!! After they picked me up off the floor, I paid it, then passed out again. Okay not really. But I paid it. Here's the thing, I have never had to pay anything for the dentist. Nothing. We get full coverage for preventative care. She showed me what they charged and what was covered, etc. Today I finally got around to calling the insurance company. Turns out this dentist is out of network for us. GEE, thanks for telling me, people! Why the hell would I see you and PAY HUNDREDS for something I can get for FREE???!?! You are not all that!!!
Of course I begrudgingly have to take partial blame because I didn't ask if they were in my network, but I have had providers tell me in the past that they weren't, and this group was very organized about getting all my insurance information 3 weeks before the visit so I guess I thought they would alert me that they were not network providers if they weren't. It honestly did not even occur to me to ask. A very costly mistake indeed. Right on top of Jason's Christmas bonus coming in at less than half of what his boss told him last week that it would be. I guess I am just feeling a little burned by that. Don't lie to him. So between those two items, we can subtract a big fat $2500 out of what I thought would be in our bank account right now. For the move and our big upcoming trip to Ohio next week. Crap.
Anyway, I got our Christmas shopping done so that is a plus. As long as the van doesn't crap out on the trip.
Ho ho ho!
We showed up. They cleaned. They took xrays. No cavities. Grant might not even need braces! They think that once his adult eye teeth come in, they might push the front top teeth together and close the gap. Other than the gap his teeth are nice and straight.
The bad news: My bill was $452!!! After they picked me up off the floor, I paid it, then passed out again. Okay not really. But I paid it. Here's the thing, I have never had to pay anything for the dentist. Nothing. We get full coverage for preventative care. She showed me what they charged and what was covered, etc. Today I finally got around to calling the insurance company. Turns out this dentist is out of network for us. GEE, thanks for telling me, people! Why the hell would I see you and PAY HUNDREDS for something I can get for FREE???!?! You are not all that!!!
Of course I begrudgingly have to take partial blame because I didn't ask if they were in my network, but I have had providers tell me in the past that they weren't, and this group was very organized about getting all my insurance information 3 weeks before the visit so I guess I thought they would alert me that they were not network providers if they weren't. It honestly did not even occur to me to ask. A very costly mistake indeed. Right on top of Jason's Christmas bonus coming in at less than half of what his boss told him last week that it would be. I guess I am just feeling a little burned by that. Don't lie to him. So between those two items, we can subtract a big fat $2500 out of what I thought would be in our bank account right now. For the move and our big upcoming trip to Ohio next week. Crap.
Anyway, I got our Christmas shopping done so that is a plus. As long as the van doesn't crap out on the trip.
Ho ho ho!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
It's official...
We're moving to Cincinnati.
I have fought this for the kids' sake (and for mine, to be honest). I don't want to move again. I love my neighbors. I like it here. I don't love it, but I like it. More than that, I just don't want to move. Unless it is to Albuquerque. Albuquerque is home. We have so many memories, such good friends, such involvement. I would walk back into that tomorrow if I could. Without looking back.
But Cincinnati? I am excited to be a reasonable drive from family, but it's still 4 hours. Not a day trip. We will still be strangers in a strange town, once again trying to find our place. Trying to fit in. Ugh. I HATE moving. HATE it. Especially when the destination is just not exciting.
So now I go from praying that we can go back to Albuquerque to praying that it all works out. And that we can go back to Albuquerque soon.
I finished my Disney scrapbook and it arrived today. 74 pages. I love it! The kids love it. It will really keep the trip alive for us. I don't know if we'll take that trip next November because we might not be homeschooling next year.
And I miss my mom.
I have fought this for the kids' sake (and for mine, to be honest). I don't want to move again. I love my neighbors. I like it here. I don't love it, but I like it. More than that, I just don't want to move. Unless it is to Albuquerque. Albuquerque is home. We have so many memories, such good friends, such involvement. I would walk back into that tomorrow if I could. Without looking back.
But Cincinnati? I am excited to be a reasonable drive from family, but it's still 4 hours. Not a day trip. We will still be strangers in a strange town, once again trying to find our place. Trying to fit in. Ugh. I HATE moving. HATE it. Especially when the destination is just not exciting.
So now I go from praying that we can go back to Albuquerque to praying that it all works out. And that we can go back to Albuquerque soon.
I finished my Disney scrapbook and it arrived today. 74 pages. I love it! The kids love it. It will really keep the trip alive for us. I don't know if we'll take that trip next November because we might not be homeschooling next year.
And I miss my mom.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Disney Scrapbook
I have done enough pages (47 so far) to order for my scrapbook. I use the kind that you can add pages to, so I will just add more as I get them done.
I uploaded all my pages to the site where I order the 12x12 pages, so you can see them here.
UPDATE: up to 55 pages. I want to get this book done and printed in time to show off at Christmas. And it is so much fun when the kids look at the pages I have done so far- they actually forgot about some of those details already! Every time they see a new page it sparks memories. We get to relive the trip each time we look at the scrapbook. It will be worth all the hard work. Now if only I ever scrapped pages for our day to day life. I'm only like 3 years behind on that.
I uploaded all my pages to the site where I order the 12x12 pages, so you can see them here.
UPDATE: up to 55 pages. I want to get this book done and printed in time to show off at Christmas. And it is so much fun when the kids look at the pages I have done so far- they actually forgot about some of those details already! Every time they see a new page it sparks memories. We get to relive the trip each time we look at the scrapbook. It will be worth all the hard work. Now if only I ever scrapped pages for our day to day life. I'm only like 3 years behind on that.
Monday, November 22, 2010
We're going back!
I just updated my Disney trip ticker on the top of the page. This time it's a real trip! (I was using it before as a temporary ticker until we knew our exact travel dates). The homeschool group set their next trip and we are jumping on again. The savings are unbeatable. We'll pay about half what we would pay on our own. The countdown begins!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Noteworthy
I just saved $80 at the grocery store. All my hard work and research is paying off. My first trip, I saved $16. Second trip, $32. Now I think I am finally in the game. It took me two hours to prepare for the trip, and sweat was trickling down the back of my neck by the time I was ready to leave for the store, but it's all good. I managed to score at least a week's worth of groceries, including all the fixings for Turkey day dinner, including the bird. On top of that I have a $5 rebate to mail in for the turkey. Not too shabby! I spent $122, so it would have been over $200 without the savings.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Bee City
Two field trips in one week is a little unusual, but so it was for us this week. I actually really needed to get out, personally. Sometimes the school week can be a bit of a drag. It's not the school work, it's the fighting that gets to me. Mentally, it was a perfect week for me to be in the "world classroom" this week.
Bee City was alot of fun. We learned much about bees. We made candles, bottled our own honey to take home, and make wax figures. There were so many animals at the petting zoo. That was really our favorite part. Particularly enchanting were the lemurs. We fed them "monkey-o's" (aka cheerios) by handing it to them. We all just loved how their little hands felt as they took the food out of our fingers.
The capuchin monkeys had little buckets on a pulley system. You drop a monkey-o in the bucket, and the little guy pulls the bucket to where he could reach it and grabs the treat. It was really cute.
You can click (twice, I think to make it even bigger) to see the page better. It is a busy page but I have been waiting a long time to use this honeycomb page template, and I had alot of pictures to put in it.
And look- Kelsey finally got to sit on a horse since we left NM;)
In other news, Jason felt sorry for me in all my depression, anxiety, etc that I have been experiencing lately and came home from Georgia the other day with my Christmas present, albeit extremely early. However, he insisted, and I am now the (co) owner of a shiny new iPad. I say co owner because there is not a living creature in this house that can keep their hands off of it. I have to say, it is very cool. Possibly even habit forming.
Bee City was alot of fun. We learned much about bees. We made candles, bottled our own honey to take home, and make wax figures. There were so many animals at the petting zoo. That was really our favorite part. Particularly enchanting were the lemurs. We fed them "monkey-o's" (aka cheerios) by handing it to them. We all just loved how their little hands felt as they took the food out of our fingers.
The capuchin monkeys had little buckets on a pulley system. You drop a monkey-o in the bucket, and the little guy pulls the bucket to where he could reach it and grabs the treat. It was really cute.
You can click (twice, I think to make it even bigger) to see the page better. It is a busy page but I have been waiting a long time to use this honeycomb page template, and I had alot of pictures to put in it.
And look- Kelsey finally got to sit on a horse since we left NM;)
In other news, Jason felt sorry for me in all my depression, anxiety, etc that I have been experiencing lately and came home from Georgia the other day with my Christmas present, albeit extremely early. However, he insisted, and I am now the (co) owner of a shiny new iPad. I say co owner because there is not a living creature in this house that can keep their hands off of it. I have to say, it is very cool. Possibly even habit forming.
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