Sylvie's Place

Sunday, July 20, 2008
So.. our stimulus check finally came, about two weeks ago. Thank goodness! Most of it went towards debt, but the first thing I did with any of it was get BG's prescription (inhaler w/mask). I must say that his coughing is gone! (And it took less than a week on the meds for it to happen- the box and the doctor said it could take two). So.. that tells me it was/is asthma, and we'll just keep with it for as long as it's working, and he's not having any adverse effects. :)

Another thing we're doing with the money. This coming Friday is the 25th- our 10th wedding anniversary. You can't *not* do something for that, right?? Though we have no plans for the actual date itself, we got a respite worker for Tuesday, so D and I can go to a nice restaurant. (My mom sent us money to go out to someplace fancy, and our first choice is Mitchell's Steakhouse. Looking at it online, it sounds awesome!) We have 5 hours to ourselves, so I'm not sure what we'll do the rest of the time. Maybe see a movie? Park the car and make out? LMAO! (yeah right!)

Then, D is taking a couple of days off from work, and we're going to have a mini vacation at Cedar Point amusement park, and Castaway Bay (an indoor water resort). I'm excited, but trips make me anxious. Not to mention I worry about BG's behavior, and how he and his dad tend to interact when he's upset. LOL I just hope that "everything Snoopy" will keep BG in awe for most of the trip. (I'm really excited to see his expression when he sees a gigantic Snoopy or Charlie Brown walking by. I wonder if he'll run over to them or start crying? LOL!)

According to About.com, the 10th Wedding Anniversary is traditionally celebrated with gifts of Tin or Aluminum, while modern gifts include diamond jewelry. well, none of that here. However, I did buy D a couple of things he would take over a diamond (or tin) any day: Guitar Hero Aerosmith, and the Firefly series on DVD (I paid like $16 for it!!). (I'm also hoping to have a more sentimental gift up my sleeve, to give him on the 25th). My gift from D is a cell phone, because believe it or not, I've never had one. (With both kids in school, I really need it for emergencies). We've had minutes on the OnStar, but they ran out a while back.. and I get anxious about being stuck somewhere, and/or if something happened to the kids at school (or to D) and nobody being able to get in touch with me.

In any case, I hope the week goes well!

-------

Just to add.. trying to buy a swimsuit sucks!! Maybe it's because it's mid-summer, and the best ones are taken.. I don't know. All I know is I'm too modest to wear my 2-pieces (bikinis) out in public, and I have no 1-piece. So I decided (after much searching) that I'm going to have to wear a 2-piece.. but with a tank top and some type of shorts or something over it. I know. That's just crazy! LOL I finally found a cute bottom that comes with a skirt. Which I can't believe I bought- seems like something old ladies or large women would buy. But I'm a self-conscious person, and never been fond of my rump. LOL In any case, it's not like I'll be doing much at the water park outside of the kiddie area. And who is there to impress anyway?

Sylvie | posted at 6:45 AM |

----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, July 10, 2008
So. My son has most of the channels memorized. Did I mention this? He can basically tell you what is on nearly any channel. (He also knows how to draw their logos). He likes to quiz me, only I fail miserably. So he tries to limit it to channels that are easy, like Nick, Disney, Fox News, etc..

He's been utterly fascinated with the guide button on the remote. I did have some hesitation about it, but it's not like we have any "adult" channels he might stumble across.. though he could certainly tell us which channels those were, if he was paying attention. Well, it seems he's paying attention. Last week, he told me he wanted to watch something on channel 400- he called it something like Adult Central. I was somewhat worried, and went to my room to check it out in private. While the show that displays up on the top right is a family program, clearly the show listings for anything on channel 400 are not. Since that happened, I have kept the remote away from him, so he can't play with the guide button. I've also since gotten rid of the channel lineup guide, that we received with our DVR box. But about 5 minutes ago, he started saying (repeatedly) "I want to watch Playboy". UGH!

Sylvie | posted at 3:15 PM |

----------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Darn racist kiddies!!

Kids who say "yuck" may be racist.

"LONDON, July 7 (UPI) -- Toddlers who say "yuck" when given flavorful foreign food may be exhibiting racist behavior, a British government-sponsored organization says.

The London-based National Children's Bureau released a 366-page guide counseling adults on recognizing racist behavior in young children, The Telegraph reported Monday.

The guide, titled Young Children and Racial Justice, warns adults that babies must also be included in the effort to eliminate racism because they have the ability to "recognize different people in their lives."

The bureau says to be aware of children who "react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying 'yuck'."

"Racist incidents among children in early years settings tend to be around name-calling, casual thoughtless comments and peer group relationships," the guide says.

Staff members are advised not to ignore racist actions and to condemn them when they occur."
Labels: absurd, news

Sylvie | posted at 12:36 PM |

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, July 06, 2008
More insurance woes, though not for me.

Employers use federal law to deny benefits

"Dying of cancer, Thomas Amschwand did everything he was told to make sure his wife would collect on the life insurance policy he had through his employer.

But Spherion Corp., the temporary staffing company where Amschwand worked, told Amschwand-Bellinger she would not receive any of the $426,000 in benefits she believed she was due. When she went to court, Spherion succeeded in getting her lawsuit thrown out. The Supreme Court on June 27 refused to review the case.

Spherion's decision to deny benefits to Amschwand-Bellinger turned on an odd set of facts. Spherion, which employs about 300,000 people, switched insurers after Thomas Amschwand was diagnosed with a rare form of heart cancer. The new policy did not take effect until an employee worked one full day. Spherion never informed Amschwand of the requirement.

Amschwand asked repeatedly whether there was anything else he needed to do and was told no. He asked that the new policy be sent to him. Spherion never did so.

He died without returning to work. His widow said he easily could have worked a day if that was what it took to activate the new policy. Spherion could have waived the one-day-of-work provision, as it did for other employees but not for Amschwand."

According to the article, she didn't even get enough back to pay for his funeral. That's just low.
Labels: health, insurance

Sylvie | posted at 8:40 AM |

----------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, July 02, 2008
I think I mentioned early last month, how I took Buddy Guy in because of a persistent cough. The dr decided to ditch the Singulair and try him on a different allergy med regimen (consisting of a nose spray and Zyrtec). Those didn't work after 2 weeks, so she put him on Orapred for 5 days. It did help.. the cough did not completely disappear, but it did lessen. I was supposed to let the dr know (which I did), and just assumed (silly me) that she or the office would call back- either to set up an appointment, or to prescribe some additional meds. No such luck. Well here we are 2 weeks later, and his cough has returned.

I just don't get it. If you (a doctor) think a child may have asthma (even if it's just a mild version) why don't you get serious about it, and do the proper leg work to test for it? We've done the allergy meds.. this isn't just allergies. When can we actually test for asthma? I realize as a parent I need to push to get the help my child needs. But isn't there some responsibility you need to take as well? Don't give him 5 days worth of a medication that *mostly* helps, then go about your business.

So it's a few hours later, and we're back from a trip to the dr. We're going to try him out on an inhaler of sorts- Flovent, that gets dispensed through an aerochamber with a mask.. Crossing my fingers this helps.

Ugh.. Stupid prescription coverage. I called the company D has which pays for prescriptions. They're ok.. but they're telling me that the chamber/mask bit needed to dose the medication is not covered. It's over $70!! I have to wonder.. if this is even correct information, how the hell can they basically deny coverage of something important like this, which helps dose asthma medication (to kids much younger than BG).. when asthma can be potentially fatal? Does that make any sense to you? Thankfully BG has a mild case, but he still needs medication. It's just insane.
Labels: health, insurance, kids

Sylvie | posted at 12:46 PM |