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Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Hug A Bug
Well, I'm jumping in. I've decided to attempt a business of my own. Sitting here wasting away at my job for the past several years, I started brainstorming. I can sew. I can draw. I can be creative when given the chance and the time.
I recently attended a market days event with my mom. She had made awesome diaper bags and was trying to sell a few. Unfortunately, there was no traffic. I walked around, passing the time and got ideas from several other vendors. I'd hate to say I "stole" ideas. Let's just say I got ideas and have modified them. And those ideas have grown into new ideas.
The past few weeks I've been drawing and researching. My first step is to buy a good sewing machine. This, to me, is a big purchase, and therefore freaks me out a bit. What if my ideas aren't good enough to sell? What if I spend the time creating and making but nothing comes of all of it? Oh, wait, I can't live by the "what ifs" in life.
So, I'm jumping in. I purchased a domain at hugabugnow.com. Of course, it won't be a complete website until I'm able to sew a few things, but in the meantime, I've got my own domain. Crazy!
What will I be sewing, you ask? Ha! No one reads this blog anyway, so I'll tell ya. I'm going to be appliqueing my own designs to onesies and toddler clothing. The machine I want will be able to embroider pretty much anything I want. I want to be able to accept customized orders too. I will also be making hair clips, eventually, to match some outfits.
We shall see where this takes me, if anywhere. It's pretty scary, for me. But, here goes nothin!
I recently attended a market days event with my mom. She had made awesome diaper bags and was trying to sell a few. Unfortunately, there was no traffic. I walked around, passing the time and got ideas from several other vendors. I'd hate to say I "stole" ideas. Let's just say I got ideas and have modified them. And those ideas have grown into new ideas.
The past few weeks I've been drawing and researching. My first step is to buy a good sewing machine. This, to me, is a big purchase, and therefore freaks me out a bit. What if my ideas aren't good enough to sell? What if I spend the time creating and making but nothing comes of all of it? Oh, wait, I can't live by the "what ifs" in life.
So, I'm jumping in. I purchased a domain at hugabugnow.com. Of course, it won't be a complete website until I'm able to sew a few things, but in the meantime, I've got my own domain. Crazy!
What will I be sewing, you ask? Ha! No one reads this blog anyway, so I'll tell ya. I'm going to be appliqueing my own designs to onesies and toddler clothing. The machine I want will be able to embroider pretty much anything I want. I want to be able to accept customized orders too. I will also be making hair clips, eventually, to match some outfits.
We shall see where this takes me, if anywhere. It's pretty scary, for me. But, here goes nothin!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Homeopathic Awesomeness!
As most of you know, Jake has had horrible allergy issues since he was born. Although the pediatrician assured me Jake was too young for allergies, I knew he was wrong. When he was 11 months old we started giving him Cingulair every day. Then we added Claritin/Zyrtec every day. Then came the Flonase every day. A few months ago I had our pediatrician test Jake for environmental allergies. When the doc called with the results, he said, "I've never seen a child's results come back with so many positives." Out of 25 items tested for, Jake is allergic to 23.
A few weeks before Halloween Jake had his worst case ever. He was struggling to breathe. We made a trip to the doctor who put Jake on a steroid and Xopenex in the nebulizer/inhaler. We also had 2 different medicines for the nebulizer. It was too much to keep up with.
Jake had also been having issues with not sleeping and nightmares. He had become aggressive at school. This was so unlike him. I started researching side effects and decided to take him off everything. I started educating myself on homeopathic remedies. I went into People’s Pharmacy and just asked for help.
For the past month Jake has been taking a household dust/mold mix spray, a cedar spray, pet dander drops and dissolvable allergy tablets with a histamine “blocker.” He’s most sensitive to molds and pet dander. The only thing he’s not allergic to is dust. This means, at all times of the year, he’s sick. Since he’s been taking the sprays, drops and tablets, he’s been a completely different kid. He’s not sneezing. He’s not having the nasal drainage. He’s not coughing. He’s not having the reaction to our dogs. He’s not having nightmares. He’s sleeping all night. He’s not being aggressive at school. He’s happier!
The medications he was taking were treating (barely) the symptoms. The homeopathic remedies have helped his body start taking care of itself without the harmful drugs. To me, the best part about the homeopathic stuff, no side effects, AT ALL! It’s also cheaper than the allergy meds (that our insurance decided to stop paying for). Another plus, we don’t have to force Jake to take the sprays, drops or tablets. He calls the tablets candy. The sprays are tasteless so they don’t bother him.
While I’ve gone through feeling guilty that I’ve been drugging my child for the past 2 years of his life, I’m so excited I’ve found an alternative! The alternative works better than all the medicines put together!
A few weeks before Halloween Jake had his worst case ever. He was struggling to breathe. We made a trip to the doctor who put Jake on a steroid and Xopenex in the nebulizer/inhaler. We also had 2 different medicines for the nebulizer. It was too much to keep up with.
Jake had also been having issues with not sleeping and nightmares. He had become aggressive at school. This was so unlike him. I started researching side effects and decided to take him off everything. I started educating myself on homeopathic remedies. I went into People’s Pharmacy and just asked for help.
For the past month Jake has been taking a household dust/mold mix spray, a cedar spray, pet dander drops and dissolvable allergy tablets with a histamine “blocker.” He’s most sensitive to molds and pet dander. The only thing he’s not allergic to is dust. This means, at all times of the year, he’s sick. Since he’s been taking the sprays, drops and tablets, he’s been a completely different kid. He’s not sneezing. He’s not having the nasal drainage. He’s not coughing. He’s not having the reaction to our dogs. He’s not having nightmares. He’s sleeping all night. He’s not being aggressive at school. He’s happier!
The medications he was taking were treating (barely) the symptoms. The homeopathic remedies have helped his body start taking care of itself without the harmful drugs. To me, the best part about the homeopathic stuff, no side effects, AT ALL! It’s also cheaper than the allergy meds (that our insurance decided to stop paying for). Another plus, we don’t have to force Jake to take the sprays, drops or tablets. He calls the tablets candy. The sprays are tasteless so they don’t bother him.
While I’ve gone through feeling guilty that I’ve been drugging my child for the past 2 years of his life, I’m so excited I’ve found an alternative! The alternative works better than all the medicines put together!
Monday, November 15, 2010
It's Been a While!
It's been a while for a couple of things. One being a new post. Two being the weekend we had. Seeing as how I still have loads of free time at work I thought I might try keeping up with this blog again. Also, maybe this will keep me from shopping online while at work. It could save me money!
This weekend my college roommate and her husband came to visit. My mom kept the kids and I even got in a quick nap on Saturday. The four of us headed to 6th Street to hit up Pete's Dueling Piano Bar. You have to first understand that I haven't been out drinking like that since before I was pregnant with Jake (he's two and a half). I wasn't quite sure I would know how to act. There are moments of the evening that are a little fuzzy. Bill has had to fill me on several things. Apparently there was dancing. Dancing with strangers.
Bill was our designated driver and probably had more fun than any of us. He was sober and got to see us make complete fools of ourselves. While I had a great time, I paid for it yesterday. I now remember why I don't overindulge in the alcohol anymore. Being responsible for two kids was quite difficult. Even this morning I'm still feeling a little cruddy. I think it will be quite a while before doing that again. And besides, mothers shouldn't act like that!
This weekend my college roommate and her husband came to visit. My mom kept the kids and I even got in a quick nap on Saturday. The four of us headed to 6th Street to hit up Pete's Dueling Piano Bar. You have to first understand that I haven't been out drinking like that since before I was pregnant with Jake (he's two and a half). I wasn't quite sure I would know how to act. There are moments of the evening that are a little fuzzy. Bill has had to fill me on several things. Apparently there was dancing. Dancing with strangers.
Bill was our designated driver and probably had more fun than any of us. He was sober and got to see us make complete fools of ourselves. While I had a great time, I paid for it yesterday. I now remember why I don't overindulge in the alcohol anymore. Being responsible for two kids was quite difficult. Even this morning I'm still feeling a little cruddy. I think it will be quite a while before doing that again. And besides, mothers shouldn't act like that!
Monday, December 28, 2009
I Remember!
When pregnant with Jake I kept repeating, "I am only doing this once. I will not be pregnant again!" And here I sit, almost 8 weeks pregnant.
I found out about 3 weeks ago. I wasn't sure if I wanted to share the news with everyone and only shared it with a few people. Since then the news has spread and I have found out there's no such thing as a secret.
It is very clear to me, at this point, why I said I wasn't "going through this again." I have been having morning sickness pretty much all day, every day. I called my doctor last week and he prescribed me some meds to help with the nausea. I'd hate to know what it would be like without the meds because even taking them doesn't clear it up. I have to drink a coke to settle my stomach, on top of the meds, and that only works for a little while. I'll only allow myself one coke a day, so after it wears off, things aren't so good.
I'm hoping this passes like it did with Jake. I stopped feeling sick around 15 weeks with Jake but the meds my doctor gave me then worked great. It's the same meds this time.
I have no energy to do anything, at all. Laying in bed is all I feel like doing. It was really hard making myself get up this morning to get ready for work. It's going to be a super long 7 months!
I found out about 3 weeks ago. I wasn't sure if I wanted to share the news with everyone and only shared it with a few people. Since then the news has spread and I have found out there's no such thing as a secret.
It is very clear to me, at this point, why I said I wasn't "going through this again." I have been having morning sickness pretty much all day, every day. I called my doctor last week and he prescribed me some meds to help with the nausea. I'd hate to know what it would be like without the meds because even taking them doesn't clear it up. I have to drink a coke to settle my stomach, on top of the meds, and that only works for a little while. I'll only allow myself one coke a day, so after it wears off, things aren't so good.
I'm hoping this passes like it did with Jake. I stopped feeling sick around 15 weeks with Jake but the meds my doctor gave me then worked great. It's the same meds this time.
I have no energy to do anything, at all. Laying in bed is all I feel like doing. It was really hard making myself get up this morning to get ready for work. It's going to be a super long 7 months!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Denial
Finally, for the love of Pete, the insurance company denied my claim from my accident on September 15. Can you believe it took them 3 months to make a decision?
Apparently, the guy who hit me was not insured, but presented an insurance card. The name on the card was that of the previous owner of the vehicle. According to that insurance company, the owner of the policy gave false information in order to get the policy. I don't really understand it all. So, my insurance paid for my vehicle to be repaired, for all my chiropractor bills and some lost wages. So far it's been about $6,000.
The other insurance company kept dragging their feet. They ended up hiring a private investigator and then had to send the case to legal. It's been a very weird situation. My insurance company (previous company) has been calling them so much they were asked to stop. Ha! Little do they know who they're messing with. As of yesterday, the claim has been denied, meaning I should be getting the money I've had to use out of pocket plus some. I was informed I would be getting money for pain and suffering as well. Hello paying off Christmas! Yay!!
Not so good for the driver who hit me. They will now be putting a lien on his license and going after him for the entire cost. If he doesn't pay, he can't ever get his license renewed. Now, does this really matter to someone driving around without insurance, probably not, but we'll see. He still owes me $250 for my deductible.
I'm really just glad this will all be over. I've been pretty frustrated about all of it and gotten very ugly with the other insurance company. This is probably why they were dragging their feet. They don't like me very much!
Apparently, the guy who hit me was not insured, but presented an insurance card. The name on the card was that of the previous owner of the vehicle. According to that insurance company, the owner of the policy gave false information in order to get the policy. I don't really understand it all. So, my insurance paid for my vehicle to be repaired, for all my chiropractor bills and some lost wages. So far it's been about $6,000.
The other insurance company kept dragging their feet. They ended up hiring a private investigator and then had to send the case to legal. It's been a very weird situation. My insurance company (previous company) has been calling them so much they were asked to stop. Ha! Little do they know who they're messing with. As of yesterday, the claim has been denied, meaning I should be getting the money I've had to use out of pocket plus some. I was informed I would be getting money for pain and suffering as well. Hello paying off Christmas! Yay!!
Not so good for the driver who hit me. They will now be putting a lien on his license and going after him for the entire cost. If he doesn't pay, he can't ever get his license renewed. Now, does this really matter to someone driving around without insurance, probably not, but we'll see. He still owes me $250 for my deductible.
I'm really just glad this will all be over. I've been pretty frustrated about all of it and gotten very ugly with the other insurance company. This is probably why they were dragging their feet. They don't like me very much!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Coat
We are traveling to Philly this week and taking a train to New York on Friday. The temps for Friday are supposed to top out around 40 degrees. My mom, Jake and I are also going to New Mexico in January to visit some old friends of ours. I'm sure it will be super cold there. I hadn't bought Jake an actual coat because, let's face it, we live in Texas. If it's cold out I throw a hoodie and a hat on him.
Yesterday I was on a mission to find Jake a coat. I should have known how difficult a task this was going to be. I went to Target on my lunch break and found some "mid-weight" jackets. I purchased one thinking I would return it after finding something better, but wanted to have it just in case. I then went to Old Navy. It's amazing how many girl coats I found. I even found coats for older boys and grown men, but no toddler coats. I hit Marshall's next. Same thing as Old Navy. I was starting to get really irritated. Apparently little boys don't get cold.
After work I headed to Carter's. Carter's has always had a great selection of boy clothing. No coats. I went to another Old Navy. No coats. I was informed there that most of the Old Navy stores in our area are considered "summer stores" and only carry a few winter items. Nice. Do Austinites not travel? Why did they have a whole row full of toddler girl coats?
I proceeded to go to another Target and only found the same jacket I had already purchased. I went to Walmart. Jackpot! I found a really cute, warm camo coat with a matching hat and gloves. What a relief. I took my new found items to the register, the cashier scanned the coat, and scanned the coat and scanned the coat, but it wouldn't pop up on the screen. She radioed a manager. The manager arrives and says, "oh, those coats aren't supposed to be on the racks. They've been recalled by the manufacturer." Me, almost in tears at this point responds by saying, "son of a bi***! You've got to be kidding me!" Both the manager and cashier were very apologetic but it didn't help my frustration.
I hit up Academy, with no luck. I got home, put the original Target purchased jacket on Jake with last year's mittens and hat. He was surprisingly excited about the mittens. Bill comes home and says, "I don't think this jacket is warm enough." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
After hearing about The Coat, Bill suggested running to Kohl's, which is right down the street. I tried to get him to place a small wager on the availability of coats at Kohl's, but he refused...thankfully. Kohl's had several toddler boy coats to choose from. It was amazing. I hadn't been defeated after all. Jake, of course, picked out the orange one (his favorite color, much to my dismay).
Finally, we have The Coat!
Yesterday I was on a mission to find Jake a coat. I should have known how difficult a task this was going to be. I went to Target on my lunch break and found some "mid-weight" jackets. I purchased one thinking I would return it after finding something better, but wanted to have it just in case. I then went to Old Navy. It's amazing how many girl coats I found. I even found coats for older boys and grown men, but no toddler coats. I hit Marshall's next. Same thing as Old Navy. I was starting to get really irritated. Apparently little boys don't get cold.
After work I headed to Carter's. Carter's has always had a great selection of boy clothing. No coats. I went to another Old Navy. No coats. I was informed there that most of the Old Navy stores in our area are considered "summer stores" and only carry a few winter items. Nice. Do Austinites not travel? Why did they have a whole row full of toddler girl coats?
I proceeded to go to another Target and only found the same jacket I had already purchased. I went to Walmart. Jackpot! I found a really cute, warm camo coat with a matching hat and gloves. What a relief. I took my new found items to the register, the cashier scanned the coat, and scanned the coat and scanned the coat, but it wouldn't pop up on the screen. She radioed a manager. The manager arrives and says, "oh, those coats aren't supposed to be on the racks. They've been recalled by the manufacturer." Me, almost in tears at this point responds by saying, "son of a bi***! You've got to be kidding me!" Both the manager and cashier were very apologetic but it didn't help my frustration.
I hit up Academy, with no luck. I got home, put the original Target purchased jacket on Jake with last year's mittens and hat. He was surprisingly excited about the mittens. Bill comes home and says, "I don't think this jacket is warm enough." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
After hearing about The Coat, Bill suggested running to Kohl's, which is right down the street. I tried to get him to place a small wager on the availability of coats at Kohl's, but he refused...thankfully. Kohl's had several toddler boy coats to choose from. It was amazing. I hadn't been defeated after all. Jake, of course, picked out the orange one (his favorite color, much to my dismay).
Finally, we have The Coat!
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