Bed lake Fun!!!

Our friends from down south spent the weekend with us and we all spent most of the weekend riding motorcycles at the bed lake (it is really the dry lake bed but the kids have always called it the bed lake). Several friends from the Kingdom Hall also met us there. We made campfires, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, ate lots of chips and cookies and drank a lot of coke. The weather was perfect and the rain had made the dirt just right. There was a constant cosmic like activity of little motorcycles going by in all directions along with the adults screaming and smiling with kid-like delight on go-carts and big motorcycles.

#2 showed me a small "jump" and I got the courage to go over it! I didn't make air but it was the largest mound of dirt I had ever tried. I finally learned to make a tight turn with my foot out, just like #4 had taught me. I felt like such a kid when I made Jay follow me to "the jump" and watch me go over it then make a turn. I thought I was going to have to pull rank because our actual kids were yelling for his attention to watch their new trick. He was such a proud dad of all us!

Jay and I decided if ML ever goes into Motocross, we were going to sponsor her. She has no fear and is wide open all the time. She was in the air over all her jumps! E spent two afternoons with us and is now scouring Craigslist for his own bike.

Now we are all waiting for the next long weekend to do it all again.

I either need to clean or get an art set...

I closed the hatch back to my van only to find more artwork done by little hands. Yes, they do bring me lots of art projects from school and on occasion draw me a picture on copy paper at home. But I guess I don't offer enough art supplies at home to express their "on a whim" creative burst of artistic expression.

My American Idol wanna be..

#4 loves to sing. He has always enjoyed making up songs and singing them to who ever will listen. #4 also has a fascination about becoming a teenager and with cowboys in Texas. These to facts coupled with his joy of singing, I feel confident in saying I think his main dream is being a teenage cowboy in Texas singing on the range.

Tonight he offered up his version of the ABC song, and as he put it, "like Rock-n-Roll." He requested that I put it on the web.

So here is a grainy video of #4's debut single "Rock-n-Roll ABC's"

11 years 9 hours and 12 minutes

As of the writing of this post, that is how long Jason and I have been married. This year we did not do anything especially special. We did though take the kids with us for an anniversary dinner last night to Famous Dave's. Pappy had taken Jason there earlier this year when Jason was visiting TN. Then we went as a family this past summer at the 3 day convention in Long Beach. #1 and #2 really enjoyed the ribs (which surprises me) so last night they were part of our All American Platter for 4. There was little left to bring home. We noticed #1's mouth when we were shopping later and I took a picture of it to remember the night. I am sure at some point we all had ribs smeared on our face. It was a fun evening and the kids thought it was special to join us for "the big dinner".

Today, as I have done every year, I bought a small marble cake like the one we had at the wedding. In years past, I have bought character marble cakes for the kids from the same bakery we got our wedding cake (the grocery store bakery, LOL, we are totally not uptown) but this year I did not plan well so we had a plain marble cake that tasted just as good.

Medicare

With us being in full swing of Part D open enrollment, I can hardly stand not to talk about it. There are so many things to know and so many people just don't understand it. It's funny how much there is to know and I had to have training in order to be considered a counselor yet Seniors are expected to age into something they know very little about. When you get your Medicare & You 2009 book, don't just toss it, read it. It has a wealth of knowledge!

Ok, here is my next installment

AGING INTO MEDICARE: Original Medicare

The following are guidelines to help you as you age into Medicare.

When you turn 65, you have a 7 month window to sign up for Medicare. That is, you will have 3 months before your birth month, your birth month and 3 months after your birth month (Initial Enrollment Period or IEP). Generally, if you are disabled, you will have 3 months before and 3 months after your 25th month of disability.

You will have a guaranteed issue (GI) period for a Medigap Policy from the day Part B becomes effective and GI will last six months, if you are 65 or older.

If you have ever received Social Security (SS), you should receive your card automatically in the mail about a month or so before your 65th birthday. If you do not receive it, call Social Security @ 1-800-772-1213.

If you have never received Social Security, you will need to call that office in order to get your Medicare card. (1-800-772-1213)

You will also receive a Medicare packet in the mail. You will find in the materials sent, the “Medicare & You” book. This book will have Medicare information of importance to you. You should keep this book handy in case you have questions about your Medicare coverage.

You will have the option of selecting a prescription drug plan under the Medicare Prescription Drug Program (Part D). You will have the same 7 month window to choose a Part D Plan. (see #1)

If you do not join a Part D Plan during your IEP (see #1) or within 63 days of you losing credible coverage (drug coverage at least as good as or better than Medicare’s coverage), you could have a penalty to pay in addition to the Part D monthly premium. This penalty will be with you for as long as you have Medicare.

You can switch to a different drug plan during the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from November 15th – December 31st each year. Your new choice will go into effect on January 1st of the following year.

For assistance with your Medicare questions call you Medicare SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) Office for FREE Medicare counseling.

I am offering this information in good faith but I encourage you to contact 1-800 Medicar(e) or you local SHIP office to talk with someone personally about your questions. You may have a unique situation that may need personalized counseling as opposed to general information. And, there may be changes that would therefore, out date this information.

I will be back...

We had an open enrollment event yesterday and it seemed to be a success with as many people who showed up for counseling. I am off to work now to help more people.

I am winding down my month of Pioneering and a long weekend it coming upon us. So hopefully this weekend I will be back on blog world telling you more about Medicare. LOL, as if anyone out there is googling me and Medicare. I have high hopes though!! :)

As seen on TV...not so good

I am disappointed in the fact that I must report that my banana turned to a black watery mush after 8 days. This is several days under the 11 days shown on the Debbie Meyers Green Bag website, which still shows yellow bananas. Maybe I did something wrong. I am not sure how wrong I could go with just the task of placing a peice of fruit in a bag and leaving it on the counter. I have many bags left, so I will try it again. I will scan the website for any instructions.

I had promised to post the picture of both bananas once the one on the counter turned black but it was intercepted last week as a quick after school snack. And because the banana in the bag had already started looking yucky by the weekend, it was able to avoid the ravious jaws of a 9 year old, sadly, to only meet its doom in the trash. So with one banana gone and the other making me gag...I decided to error on the side of assuming you didn't want to gag too and not post a picture.

Medicare Part D...

If you read my post with the 7 random facts about me, then you know I have some knowledge about Medicare.

If you are a senior or know a senior or anyone who has Medicare, please check your Part D plan to make sure it is still a good plan for you for 2009. There are many changes in my state to the Part D plans and I am sure there are changes in your state. Just because you have had a good deal with your current Part D plan does not mean you will have a good deal with the same plan for 2009.

Medicare has a wonderful website where you can input your Medicare information and a list of your medications and be able to compare all the Part D plans in your zip code. Between November 15th and December 31st, you can even enroll into a Part D plan online through the Medicare website. You can also get help comparing plans by calling 1-800-Medicar(e). This number is open 24hrs a day. They can also enroll you into a plan. You may be able to contact a local senior center or a government agency that can put you into contact with other organizations that can help you compare and enroll into a Part D plan for 2009. Every state has a SHIP office, which is a non-profit volunteer organization funded through grants from Medicare that can help.

Do you need help paying for your prescriptions? If so, contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1212 for an application for Low Income Subsidy. You can also apply online at the Social Security website.

You may want to contact your local Welfare Office and talk with some one about a Medicare Savings Program. This program will help pay for your prescriptions and possibly other medical related expenses if you qualify.

Remember, you must contact and submit applications to programs that assist Medicare Beneficiaries in paying for prescriptions and other medical related expenses. There are set income and resource limits along with other factors that may qualify or disqualify you for the program. The only ones that can tell you if you qualify are those programs who have your application.

Well friends, I have offered quite a bit of information to get you started on comparing and finding a Medicare Part D plan for 2009. My hope with this post (and I am sure a few others during open enrollment) is that those who happen to find my blog and read about Medicare will take the initiative to find help or be to able to help your self finding a plan that works for you.

Maybe the next Medicare post will be about the extra help that is available. I touched on it in this post but there is a little more to know.

So grown up...

I had very hairy legs as a child. In third grade I could no longer stand it and took the liberty of shaving my legs in secret. I was able to keep it a secret for some time (I don't know how) but eventually my secret was out. Fortunately, with this type of thing, I just had to keep on doing it. Well, maybe not so fortunately. Anyway...after my dad found out, he bought me my first razor.

Now as an adult who can't stand to shave more than...well we will stop there, I have a daughter in the same boat.

Though many may disagree, after trying several ways of putting off the inevitable, I allowed #1 to use a spray on Nair type product. We have discussed many aspects of hair removal and what that means once you start. I discussed with #3 that she will not get to do this for a few reasons; she has that wonderful very blond fine hair that I wish I had and she has never expressed concern or dislike about her legs. #1 has always been concerned and despite the most uplifting discussions about loving ourselves the way we are, well, with this area it was just not happening.

So tonight I have a very happy girl who wants to wear shorts again (even if it is very cold). She wanted me to post a picture of her new found confidence.

Tell me these don't look good...

And no you can't have him..he is mine

Leaning can be so fun...

Because our family does not celebrate Halloween, I kept the kids out of school for the day. We had made plans to go to a local aquarium because the girls each had received a free pass from the summer reading program at the library. We slept in late then headed downtown for a few hours of fun.

As we were walking to the entry gate, we noticed there was some type of IBM convention in town. They had an exhibit where the "globes" would "bounce" over your head as you walked by the wall. You could even touch the wall/globe and it would move.

After playing with the wall, we headed into the aquarium where we were each supplied with a cell phone type device. This device allowed you to key in the number of a specific exhibit and listen about what ever fish or sea animal was swimming in front of you, basically a self guided tour. I was not prepared to have all four kids on different numbers at any given time asking me different questions about what each one was listening too or having any of the four at any given time yelling "look over here mom". Nor was I expecting to be told "wait I am not finished listening" when I suggested going to the next tank. I really didn't need a the listening device, as I had my own personal tour guides directing me in four different directions.

All the kids thoroughly enjoyed listening about each and every creature swimming past us, over us or under us. I was surprised at how much each retained. Ask #4 about the blow fish...he now knows all about it. #2 was all about the jellyfish. #3 was about the stingrays. #1 was my helper so I would know where everyone was when I did my regular head count. They thought it was neat to see a real Dorey and Squidward. Wink had brought them mounted piranha back from his last fishing trip to the Amazon so they found it interesting to see live piranha.

In this post, I have used the word "each" several times. The word "each" was not important the last time I took the kids to the aquarium. They really don't remember it. I was able to hold the one listening device (does anyone know what this is called???) and tell the kids to "look at the pretty blue fish" and then easily direct them to the next tank. Not this time, it was odd because they were older. There were five of us there, each one with our own interest, each with our own "look at this fish" moment. I often think to myself "wow, 10 years ago these little people didn't even exist, and now I have a bunch of little people telling me their opinions." They are so fun!! But this reflective moment is for another post.

All in all, it was a fun day.

As seen on TV...take 4

You will never guess what I purchased over the weekend. Two "As seen on TV" items that I just knew were going to work!!

I bought the Pedipaws for Jr. because, well as the commercial says, I didn't want to hurt him when I clipped his nails. I have clipped his nails in the past and have done a fairly good job. Only once or twice have I cut one of his nails too short. Last year, a friend of mine, who owns a show dog, said you are supposed to file a dog's nails. She has a dremel like tool for Fancy and so I had set out to find one for Jr. Then along came the Pedipaw. I had put off buying it for a while but since the commercial had convinced me that the Pedipaw was the only humane thing to do, I buckled and bought it. Well, I am glad I did. Even though my picture of Jr.'s foot may not reflect how nice and short his nails are now, they are nice and short. He let me file his nails without a problem. #1 helped me by feeding him bits of cheese after every nail. Now he is running all over the kitchen, despite the clicking sound.



The next thing I purchased was Debbie Meyer's Green Bags. Yes, I am one of those unfortunate souls who has to throw out spoiled food on occasion. My sister-in-law had mentioned she had some and they did work, so needless to say, I had to have them too. I am now conducting my own experiment with bananas. I will update you when the banana that is not in the green bag turns black.