new year, new insurance

So in the new year we will have new medical insurance, yet again. We’d been pretty happy with what we have, so hopefully the new carrier will be comparable. I’m very disappointed in the current health care “reform” package. I’m pro single-payer and I think that our country should be headed toward that like every other civilized nation, but that’s another topic. Basically, I just hope I have to fight with the new insurance company the minimum amount. Drew’s company also offered a good life insurance rate rate this year, so he opted for that as well. All things considered, this coming year should not be as expensive for us when it comes to health care. No more babies on the horizon, so we just have to worry about basic care. Sad that it’s something we have to “worry about” though isn’t it?

ho, ho, ho

Ah, the best laid plans gang aft aglay. That’s usually how it works isn’t it? Yesterday after school we’d planned to go to the mall to pick up a last-minute gift card, get dinner, and take the boys to see Santa Claus (they do put those guys through pre-employment screening, right?). Then, at 3 o’clock I got a call from the school nurse. Jake was sick. Not just “don’t feel so great” sick, but full-on stomach-bug sick. Oy. I’d hoped it was something he’d eaten, but it quickly became apparent that no, he had some kind of virus. So his winter break started a day early because we did not send him to school today. He seems to be feeling much better as I type (he’s begging me for a burger, so that’s a good sign!). I just hope none of the rest of the family gets it. Being sick on Christmas is the worst.

White Christmas

Well, it looks like we’ll be having a white Christmas here, unless we suddenly get a good bit of rain or the weathermen are wrong and it heats up. It’s been cold, cold, cold and while I don’t think there is any significant snowfall in the forecast, snow squalls will probably occur over the next week or so. Unfortunately the snow all started coming down before I put away several of my flower pots. We also wanted to take in the storage bench that holds our patio cushions so that Drew could do some repair work on it. The ice will have to melt a little bit before we can move it now, LOL! The boys are excited about the snow, though. Without a doubt, it does make it feel more special this time of year.

One of Those Days

I hate days that start out good and then just spiral downward. Today is one of those days. Not sure how it happened, but… I’m ready to pack up my bags and run away and join the circus. Or maybe just check into one of the many great New Orleans hotels and enjoy a weekend away from it all.

Not much is going on this weekend and maybe that’s part of it — just sitting around waiting for Christmas. It’s hard to believe it’s so close, isn’t it? I need to start shopping for our brunch, but not until after next Saturday. We’re having a party and I need all the room I can manage in my fridge and freezer. Hopefully we’ll have a good turn-out!

The Sickies

This has been a tough week around here. Luckily it’s ending on a good note, but… Earlier in the week Noah and Laura had both been miserable, with coughing and runny noses. Monday night Noah barely slept at all so I decided to bring both of them to the pediatrician. He was very good the whole time. He wanted to know why they have the crinkly paper on the exam tables, but otherwise was uncharacteristically quiet. Turns out they think he might have asthma (which doesn’t surprise me since I had asthma as a child). So he’s been doing nebulizer treatments and that’s been helping. Laura, luckily, didn’t have anything really wrong. They determined that it’s either a cold or, more likely, teething. At least it seems that the worst is over. Let’s hope we’re all healthy for Christmas!

Finishing Touches

I’m hoping that in the next few months we can finally finish up painting the rooms in our house. Yes, we’ve been here for over five years and the kitchen, dining room, and hallway are still boring “builder beige.” We’ve picked out a lovely mocha for the hall and we might end up using a “mistake” gallon for the dining room. When they were painting Noah’s room, one of the gallons of red paint came out more brown. I think that would look great in the dining room. I’d also like to put up a couple wall sconces. Dolan Designs has some really nice looking ones. The kitchen is the only room I don’t know about. Maybe yellow? It’s hard to choose because the walls all run into each other so the paint has to coordinate with everything else we have. It’ll be a challenge, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.

Wrapping It Up

This afternoon I had just a few spare minutes so I decided to wrap some of Drew’s Christmas presents. Little known fact: I actually hate wrapping. He does most of it. I’m a big fan of the gift bag: much less work and it can be reused. He has a few nice gifts coming his way this year — some he knows about and a couple are surprises. He had been looking at external hard drives (he wants one to put all of his music on), but I think that one might wait until next year. The prices are only going to come down and I really don’t want to go over budget. But don’t worry… there are some nice little gadgets that will be waiting under the tree