Tuesday, November 25, 2014

1 month till Christmas....new Project

Just because I am apparently INSANE, I decided to add another item to my "To Do" list by writing each day in the days leading up until Christmas. Why would I add yet another item to my never ending to-do list you ask?  To document this year? As an outlet? I don't really know, but I have been mulling it over in my head and felt that I have been called to blog this month.

So here it goes. November 25. One month until Christmas.

My mind has been RACING with how on earth I am going to get all the things done that I want to get done. I am starting with lists. So far I have created the following lists.

To Do list

  • Make list of baking and supplies needed
  • Look up and print out recipe
  • Find new easy, dark chocolate dipped cookie
  • Find ice Cream recipe, start list for Christmas week ingredients and supplies
  • Find yummy Gin
  • Order decorative parchment paper for coffee cakes
  • map out baking schedule
  • Start blog
  • List of cookie boxes (i.e. who gets cookies this year. LOTS of people have left my company so my list will be smaller)
  • Re organize all Leah's old clothes, label bins, prepare for storage
  • clean garage, gather all items for Storage
  • start holiday card mailing label list/confirm addresses
I have already made the following lists:
  • To do Thanksgiving weekend
  • People we need to remember to buy gifts for
  • Things to do after the holidays
I like lists. I can cross things off my list, take things one task at a time. There are little paper lists all over our home, and half completed lists in my phone. I know it seems odd that I have to make a list titled "People we need to remember to buy gifts for" but Brian and I suck at buying and/or sending gifts to children who we don't actually see on Christmas day. So, this year to prevent the feeling that we suck as adults with a child, I have made a list for this. (And yes, we are going to buy extra toys in case we forget someone, again - because we suck at this). 

For anyone reading this blog  (is anyone reading this blog?), I get a little crazy with my holiday baking. If you haven't visited my half completed cookie blog, www.Anginettes.com, please do. It'll be a glimpse. Meanwhile, be prepared for some photos of my baking progress. I'll probably put some posts on there too. 

Stay tuned, it'll be a crazy month. 


Monday, November 01, 2010

Health Care FSA Eligable List of Expenses

I know its been forever since I've posted, but I had to vent somewhere. I am totally infuriated about the changes made to the Flex Spending Account Eligibility's. I decided to look it over, because i am raising my allowance for 2011, since I blew through it in 2 months in 2010.


This list is crap. And basically, they are forcing you to spend more money on co-pays every time you have the sniffles (and in turn cost the insurance companies more, on the billed Dr's fees,  because you need a prescription for basic OTC stuff now). The result, inevitably, is that if you need to get medical coverage on your own, you will either have to spend a fortune or get denied altogether because of your "medical History".  They are trying to bulk up your medical history/records so they can use it against you in the end.

The point of OTC meds, is that they are safe to use without a prescription. It is completely BS to get a ‘prescription’ for OTC items, so that you can use your flex plan on it, and costs EVERYONE more in the end.
So here are some of the items that REALLY pissed me off. I mean, I am FUMING, and going to look into who I can write, or what campaign I can join to try to ease this injustice.


NOT QUALIFYING EXPENSES:
Dependent Care Expenses – Better not have kids. Daycare is no longer covered




POTENTIALLY QUALIFYING ITEMS - Basically now, if you purchase any of these items, you will have to show proof in a Dr's note or Prescription that they are medically necessary.

To save time/from repeating myself - All OTC meds, from aspirin to pain relievers, to vitamins, to antihistamines, cough suppressants and expectorants, etc., now require a Dr.'s Prescription to be covered by your flex account. This is ridiculous.

Birthing classes  - YOU ARE BIRTHING A HUMAN! You should be able to get a lesson on how to do it, without a Dr's Note.

Breast Pump - It has to be “Medically necessary”, Yeah – Because every woman is using it out of pure Joy. It is PROVEN that breast feeding is better for the baby. And formula costs a fortune.  Seems like someone (manufacturers of formula) is behind this.

Cayenne Pepper -  ????? I don't get this. At all.

Counseling!!!! - and i quote.... "Will qualify if for a medical reason. Marriage counseling doesn't qualify. To show that the expense is primarily for medical care, a note from a medical practitioner recommending the counseling to treat a specific medical condition is normally required"


Disabled Dependant Care Expenses

Hemorrhoid treatments - This needed to be listed even thought its an OTC.  

Lactation Consultant: I quote "If a woman is having lactation problems and cannot breastfeed her child, then the expense of a lactation consultant helping to overcome this dysfunction might qualify. To show that the expense is primarily for medical care, a note from a medical practitioner recommending it to treat a specific medical condition is normally required." A FREAKING NOTE. Seriously

Nicotine gum or Patches/Smoking Cessation Medications –  Must be prescribed….Don't they WANT you to quit??? Isn't it medically beneficial?

Psychologist -  Psychiatric Care is qualifying, but a Psychologist isn’t automatically. You need a Dr’s Recommendation to treat a specific thing. Not just for “General improvement of mental Health”. Again, my depression/anxiety was the reason I was denied health coverage. SO now they have a PAPER trail to not give you insurance.

Rogaine – I shit you not, if your doctor says, “Its for a medical condition” (I am sure there is a ‘condition’ for loosing your hair) it’s covered. But a breast pump isn’t.

Ultrasound, Prenatal

Wigs – Might Qualify if you lost your hair due to sickness (MIGHT)

Yeast Infection Medications – You now need a prescription for OTC yeast infection treatments. Because that’s something you’ll buy unnecessarily.


ITEMS THAT QUALIFY
Cold/hot packs ( I can’t get my OTC Allergy meds w/o a prescription, but can get an icy hot pack!)

Condoms  nice to know condoms are covered, but birth control isn’t (w/o prescription)

Ovulation Monitor! – They’ll help you get pregnant, but you’re on your own for the birth and care of human

Pregnancy Test Kits – See Above

Therapy - The Psychologist isn’t covered, but therapy is covered…That’s odd…so are they saying you can’t BUY you’re very own Psychologist, but you can pay for his/her services?

VIAGRA – I shit you not. It is listed on its VERY OWN – as a FULL QUALIFYING EXPENSE!


I CAN NOT BELIEVE HOW LITTLE REGARD THEY HAVE FOR BIRTHING, FEEDING AND CARING FOR A HUMAN!!!! Seriously. Are you freaking kidding me! Birthing classes, Breast pumps and lactation consultation aren't covered automatically?? 
I think, when it comes to having a BABY, if YOU NEED IT its NECESSARY! You shouldn't need a NOTE to get help with your tiny human.

I am totally revved up about it.

Friday, January 23, 2009

I am the anti-bride

Here is an article I found on MSN that pretty much describes me...

You Know You're an Anti-Bride If …

Do you loathe the mad frenzy and expense of the American wedding industry? You just may be an anti-bride.

By Jessica Murphy


After I got engaged, my mother started making a lot of phone calls. She was putting out feelers for venues, dress shops, caterers, but really, she wanted to prompt me into wedding-planning action (of which there had been none). When she called a small historic home and made an appointment for me and my fiancée to visit, she went on to explain to the caretaker that I didn't want anything too fancy, that I wasn't looking to be the center of attention, that she was having trouble convincing me to have a wedding at all. "She's an anti-bride," the caretaker said, nonplussed. "I do very well with anti-brides. Bring her in."

It was the first I'd heard of the term, but it seemed right on target. I felt like an anti-bride—in love and wanting to be married but decidedly not in love with the trappings of the American bride and the American wedding.

Anti-brides are not anti-marriage. They're not anti-wedding. And they're certainly not anti-groom. They're not even necessarily anti-white dress—though they are probably, on the whole, more open to a wedding dress in color or period costume. Anti-brides would simply like to opt out—if not entirely, then at least in part—of the mad frenzy and expense of the beast that is the American wedding industry.

How do you know if you're an anti-bride? Here are some key indicators:

You need to be convinced to have a wedding. Eloping doesn't seem like a bad option. The idea that all of the work involved in planning the event can disappear with one short trip to Vegas is tantalizing—right up until the moment you walk down the aisle.

Bridal boutiques give you the creeps. You're not enamored with the whole process of finding a wedding dress, and Vera Wang price tags seem downright absurd. A generous family member may willing to buy you an expensive dress (and if you're having a short engagement, you can be sure the boutique will charge more to "rush" the order), but you will opt for buying something off the rack, online shopping, eBay, or one of the more reasonably priced chains.

You don't believe that the wedding is "all about the bride." It's amazing how often a bride-to-be will hear this phrase. However, the anti-bride is typically uncomfortable with this notion because to you it's all about the groom—and the vows the two of you will make.

You let your bridal party decide what to wear. Many of us have bridesmaid dresses gathering dust in our closets. As an anti-bride, you'd rather have your friends wear a dress that they like, that they feel beautiful in, and that they can wear and feel beautiful in again. You may not even have a bridal party at all. You may simply have your sister stand by your side.

Save the dates. What save the dates? Party favors. What party favors? You don't sweat the small stuff. You forget to wear something borrowed, something blue …

You'd rather go for a hike than have a bachelorette party. Sure, your friends who don't like to hike will want to kill you for making them exercise—and you may never hear the end of it if they disagree with your interpretation of an "easy" hike—but if they're your friends, they'll still love you. And that sip of wine at the top of the trail will never taste so good.

You opt for nontraditional wedding invitations. Whether you and your fiancée design them yourselves or your best friend and brilliant graphic designer offers to do the legwork, you want the invitations to reflect you as an individual couple, not an ideal that others aspire to.

You fight tooth and nail not to have a bridal shower. This one goes hand in hand with not wanting to be the center of attention. What can be worse than opening gifts all alone? All eyes on you? If you're too slow, people will grumble. If you go too fast, people will think you're insincere. If you must have a shower, be sure the gifts come unwrapped. Displaying the gifts, rather than opening them, will let you get straight to thanking your guests for their generosity. Then you'll have more time to actually catch up with them.

You don't own anything resembling a wedding planner. You don't have any how-to guides or planners—not even the ones that say that they are for "anti-brides" (beware the burgeoning "anti-bride" industry, whose guides seem to resemble every other wedding planner). Any bridal magazines on your bookshelf were given to you by your mother during the aforementioned period of trying to convince you to have a wedding, and any planning is done on an as-needed basis.

You only need a few months to get your act together. Short engagements certainly aren't for everyone, but you can see that needing nine months to a year to plan a wedding is a myth. In fact, aside from writing sincere thank-you notes, the anti-bride probably sees that most of the dos and don'ts of wedding planning are myths. In the end, as long as you and the groom are planning to show up, the anti-bride knows that everything will work out just fine.


Jessica Murphy is a freelance writer based in Seattle.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Allie Rose gets her birthday Present!

Allie wakes up and finds her new kitchen in her play area! Happy 3rd Birthday Allie!

Allie's 3rd Birthday Party

Allie blows out the candles on her cupcake at her 3rd Birthday Party!

Thursday, October 02, 2008

5 Friends Uncensored

A great video I got from my friend Jay today.
VOTE!

Friday, June 13, 2008

A guide for visitors to Los Angeles

You must first learn to pronounce the city name; it is L. A.

The morning rush hour is from 5:00 a.m. to noon. The evening rush hour is from noon to 7:00 p.m. Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday, just after noon.

The minimum acceptable speed on most freeways is 85 mph. On the 105 or 110, our speed is expected to match the highway number. Anything less is considered 'Wussy.'

Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. L.A. has its own version of traffic rules. For example, cars/trucks with the loudest muffler go first at a four-way stop; the trucks with the biggest tires go second. However, in Malibu, SUV-driving, cell-phone-talking moms ALWAYS have the right of way.

If you actually stop at a yellow light you will be rear ended, cussed out, and probably shot.

Never honk at anyone. EVER. Seriously. It's another offense that can get you shot.

Road construction is permanent and continuous in all of L.A. and Orange counties. Detour barrels are moved around for your entertainment pleasure during the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a bit more exciting.

MapQuest does not work here--none of the roads are where they say they are or go where they say they do, and the freeway off and on ramps are moved each night.

If someone actually has their turn signal on, wave them to the shoulder immediately to let them know it has been 'accidentally activated.'

If you are in the left lane and only driving 70 in a 55 - 65 mph zone, you are considered a road hazard and will be 'flipped-off' accordingly. If you return the flip, you will be shot.

Do not try to estimate travel time. Just leave Monday afternoon for Tuesday appointments, by noon Thursday for Friday and right after church on Sunday for anything on Monday morning.

And finally, why is the L. A. Freeway called the '405'? Because no matter where you are going, it takes 4 or 5 hours to get there.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Totally Addicted...

Guitar Hero is the BEST GAME EVER!!!