Finding affordable health insurance

As our children get older and go out on their own there are several things that come up that need to be addressed. One of the smallest is, as the parent, the reminders that I no longer have a child, but a young adult. Every single form I fill out now asks are there children under the age of 18 in the home. Well, regardless of how old my daughter Amber gets she’ll still be my child. It’s just weird to be reminded that she’s an adult.

One of the largest things that needs to be considered is health insurance. All of my children had the same health insurance and it was for minors. Now that my oldest has turned 19 she no longer qualifies, and as a freelance editor and writer who’s also a veteran, I don’t take advantage of typical health insurance. So there’s nothing to add her to.

Now it’s a matter of finding her adequate health coverage for routine check ups, prescriptions and emergencies. My main concern with a lapse in health insurance for her is that since she’s had ongoing medical concerns that she’ll be presented with an emergency situation before this is taken care of. As the parent of a child, I’m worried. As the parent of a young adult, I’m hoping she can get it worked out.

With a little input and help from myself and her godfather, Amber is hopefully on the right track to finding a health insurance plan that will take care of all of her needs. We all know that the ideal plan has low monthly premiums, inexpensive co-pays, convenient prescription plan and the ability to utilize specialists and find second opinions outside of a network without a lot of hassle. The best is a private health insurance package that fits every budget.

If you have older children what did you do concerning their health coverage? If you’re self-employed what health plans do you have in place?

Playing with my camera

I consider myself a lover of all things creative and, in fact, there isn’t much that I don’t like to do when it comes to being creative. I just don’t do the particular hobby or interest often and they don’t rank high on my list. But every once in awhile I’ll get a strong desire to play around with my camera, some paint, jewelry-making stuff, fabric or scrapbooking supplies. I even like to mold clay, but that’s something I haven’t done since about 1994. Wow, that’s a long time. I think I want to look into taking a ceramics class, but that’s another post. I digress.

Over the last few days or so I’ve been playing with my camera. I would love to have something a little fancier with tons of options and lenses and whatnot, but for now I’ll make do with what I have. Here, my dear friends, are a little bit of my photography “work.” I’ve played around with some different effects so you professionals can give me your tips, suggestions and critiques. Be nice, mm’kay?

I’ve been playing with lighting and perspective. What do you think? I’m really pleased with the way they turned out.

What are some hobbies or activities you like to do but that you don’t get around to that often?

Wordless Wednesday: Post-workout rest

Check out last week’s photographic post of Amber on her birthday, and for more Wordless Wednesday participants visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Learn something new each day

Just about everyone is familiar with the saying, “You learn something new everyday.” I’m definitely finding that to be true especially when I have access to just a large library of information by just turning on my computer.

Earlier today, after some unsuccessful attempts, I did a search for information on how to make a friendship bracelet. (I know, seems a bit random, but I have a good reason.) I wasn’t even surprised at the amount of information that’s available on making friendship bracelets, but I was a little amazed at how many different kinds there are. This may seem silly, but I had no idea there are beaded friendship bracelets.

Another thing I learned recently, which is on the entire opposite spectrum, is about a pace-edwards (a premium brand) truck bed cover. This is one lady who didn’t realize a truck cover could be so fancy and that there are so many different kinds. There are a wide variety of styles, brands and types that do all sorts of things. I mean, really, did you honestly know that there’s a truxedo? I definitely didn’t. I will admit, however, that I thought it was a fancy truck cover for dressing up your truck. (Go ahead and laugh.) It’s actually the number one selling roll up tonneau in North America. Who knew?

That’s a little bit about what I learned today. Did you learn anything new today?

Keeping it green

I’m not a master at going green, but we do make some green attempts. Before Amber came home from college I was just recycling newspapers and magazines, but since she’s been home she’s gotten me on the green bandwagon (well, halfway on) that she and her college friends are on. I now recycle cardboard, water bottles and cans – on the off occasion that I use them – along with the newspapers and magazines. Here’s a little glimpse at our stockpile. This is the second (or third?) load of the summer and I’m going to try and commit to it after Amber leaves.

I can not believe how many water bottles we use each day. The bag below is holding only about three days’ worth.

 

There aren’t normally this many cans, but I bought a little soda for Amber’s surprise party.

Tell me, are you a little green, a lot green or somewhere in between?

Bathroom makeovers

Even in this economy, one of the things that hasn’t changed is the desire to improve my space – my home. I’ve noticed it’s the same with most homeowners. They want their homes to be beautifully decorated and functional, but often times finances and circumstances don’t allow for that.

I’m determined not to let my finances be a hindrance to adding a little more color and comfort to my home and one of the first things I’m going to work on is our bathroom. It’s a tiny little thing that I’m totally uncomfortable in. It’s better since Amber and I painted it and changed the flooring, but there is major work that needs to be done. The entire floor has to be replaced from tile to foundation ‘cause of water leaks. After that’s done I’d like to get some new bathroom furniture. You know a new vanity, shelving and cabinets. I glanced at some rustic vanities and I'm not sure if they're for me, but window shopping, dreaming and planning is just the beginning.

Have you done any home improvements or redecorating lately. If so, tell me how it turned out. Maybe I can get some good ideas from you.

Am I back?

If you’ve been reading “It’s a woman’s world” for awhile then you know I used to write a health and weight loss journal each week on Tuesdays. I’ve been avoiding it because 1) it became more about what’s going on with my health, which I know is important but I get tired of talking about it all the time. 2) I wasn’t doing what I should do to take care of myself weight wise.

It seemed as if I had hit a plateau and then, to make matters worse I gained a few pounds. About five or six. That made me feel icky blah. Well, I’m proud to announce I think I’m back – a little – from the icky blahness.

Friday, after much whining and complaining, I finally went to workout with my daughter Amber. That’s us on the way to our local parks and recreation area. (Doesn’t Amber sit too close to the steering wheel!?)

Now, don’t get me wrong, I really like to workout. Yoga, walking, tennis, aerobics… even volleyball; I’m all for it. The problem? Too lazy to initiate it. That’s right, I won’t even put a yoga DVD in the DVR. Or stop at the park on my way home from taking the kids to daycare. Yup, true laziness. Then, to give myself a little break, there were quite a few times when I wasn’t feeling well (you know = the attacks) that would set me back.

What I’ve realized is that the 60 pounds I lost can be kept off by my lifestyle changes, which I so don’t mind keeping. But any extra, especially if I’m going to indulge in treats, is going to come off through exercise. SIGH…

An-t-way, I really had fun walking – I never doubted I would. And I felt great afterward. I’ve already asked Amber if she wants to do yoga with me in the morning so hopefully I will keep this momentum going.

So, do you think I’m back? Have you been working out and, if so, what has motivated you? If you haven’t what do you think you need to get started?

Come back next Tuesday to see how I made out through the week and share your own health and weight loss stories.

I think I forgot to tell you…

… about Anna’s birthday celebration in May. The other day I commented on my friend Heather’s post about her Little H having her 3rd birthday. She responded and asked me didn’t Anna have a birthday coming up. Well, I told her that it passed and that I wrote a post about it. I looked for the post and couldn’t find it. She looked for the post and couldn’t find it. It seems as if the post only got written in my head. I’ve come to the conclusion that I have blogstimers.

Boy, that word sure does give me a good chuckle.

An-t-way, I showed you a picture of the birthday girl, Anna, on her big day (a Wordless Wednesday post) looking like a fabulous big kid so now let me share some highlights of her day.

They had to eat dinner before they could enjoy the festivities. I can’t recall what they ate, but it looks like she’s enjoying it. Whatever it is it doesn’t look too appetizing right now.

RP got her this beautiful cake. When she saw it her eyes brightened up considerably.

Anna was nice enough to hold back her enthusiasm so mommy could take this nice picture of her. I resisted telling her it was too dark and let her continue jumping around.

Regardless of how many times I told her not to stick her little dirty fingers in the cake for a taste, she still managed to do it at least three times. So, of course, I had to capture her doing it and giving me the “mmmm, yea!” face.

She feigned shyness and embarrassment when her siblings and I sang the happy birthday song to her…

But kindly lifted her arms so I could see her beautiful face.

She couldn’t wait to see what was in the bag…

It’s an interactive Curious George book that helps with color, shape and letter recognition. I think it was a hit ‘cause she still “reads” it and enjoys playing one of the games in it. The fact that she cheats at the game is neither here nor there.

I have very few recent pictures of my foursome together and it always warms my heart to see them enjoying a moment as siblings. Aren’t they a gorgeous bunch?

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the cake was absolutely delicious!

 

Now this is the most beautiful face ever!

 

Happy Birthday Anna!

CyroCell is protecting mom, baby

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Finding time to exercise just got a little easier with CryoCell International and the Baby Jogger City Mini.

 

Gotcha!

I mentioned to you in the Joys of birthday celebrations post that there were more surprises to come for Amber who turned 19 on Wednesday. Over the course of Amber’s life there have been quite a few times when I wanted to do more for her but wasn’t able to because of finances. Financially, not much has changed, but for this birthday – the last of her teenage life – I wanted to show her how much I appreciate and love her. So, it’s been quite a birthday celebration and it’s still going on… in little ways, but nonetheless it’s happening and I’m loving her reactions.

Before I tell you how I surprised her yesterday, I have to tell you that Amber knows me like the back of her hand. She knows when I’m upset whether I say anything or not and she knows when I’m up to something, but NOT THIS TIME! Yipp-ee-freaking-yea! LOL

Yesterday, with the help of her BF and her BFF, I pulled this off:

 

 

 

Not as many people came as I would have liked, but the important thing is that Amber was surprised and she had fun. We snacked and talked about things we did to pull off the surprise and I told her that it was hard to do ‘cause I always do that type of thing with her. :-)

 

We lit the candles, sang happy birthday and enjoyed the cake and, of course, more snacking. Then the teens enjoyed a game of Monopoly while I worked in the other room… participating from afar. It was quite hilarious to hear all of the bankruptcy, bribery and laughing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My other daughter (pictured above right), who has been Amber’s BFF since middle school, won the game and had to take a picture for posterity. I, of course, had to blog about it! She bankrupted everyone. Her BF was out first, then Amber. Amber’s BF held on for as long as he could ‘til he too was defeated. (I won’t tell how Donnie also beat everyone at bowling earlier that day. LOL)

 

 

Seeing this sweet face and gorgeous smile makes the entire day worth it. This is what it’s all about:

   

Happy Birthday “little girl!” Love, for always & for-ever, your mommy!

Blogging business, friends & event fun

Not too long ago, on June 17th to be exact, I was able to participate in the SmartMom Solutions Road show with Maria Bailey of MomSelect. This is only the second blogger’s gathering I’ve attended and I’m excited to share a little bit about it – a little at a time – today.

We met at Hyatt Place in Buckhead, which is a northern suburb of Atlanta. I’d never been to the Hyatt Place and, surprisingly, I hadn’t noticed it in the past. I was impressed with everything about it from the parking deck to the cozy, inviting, modern lobby and the food – I absorbed just about every detail.

Here, I must briefly insert, is where I inform you that I neglected to capture any photos. I was going to grab one from their site, but that’s not possible. So, you’ll just have to take my word for it regarding how fabulous it is.

One of the sponsors of the SmartMom Solutions Road show was LikeWear®. I had just become familiar with LikeWear the night before at a Twitter Party so I was already aware of how fashionable and innovative the LikeWear idea is.

LikeWear, with a slogan of “wear what you like,” is a “modern day fusion of a high quality, casual boutique children’s clothing line and a party plan direct sales company.” Like a lot of the companies I’ve been learning about lately, this one was started by a mom.

Take a gander at some of the company’s history from their press materials:

“In May of 2004, Ken Gold returned home for a weeklong trade show to find his entire dining room filled with blank apparel, iron-on transfers, fabrics, rhinestones and ribbons… his wife, Lisa Gold, was hunkered over a sewing machine creating her own clothes. It turns out that while he was away, Lisa decided she was tired of just being an at home mom to their three kids and wanted to start a small business selling embellished children’s clothing. She called it Good As Gold’s and her plan was to make the product herself and sell it at local sales events and house parties in and around northern New Jersey. …”

That was just the beginning.

Ken, a marketing professional with licensed product experience, discovered there were few licenses apparel products at sales events and parties or at the local boutique stores his wife sold to. After some research, the couple they discovered Lisa’s business was similar to home-based opportunities that direct sales companies offer independent representatives. They formed an LLC in 2006 and because true to their vision of having people “wear what they like.”

There’s a lot of work and details in the middle, which you can learn about on their site. Now LikeWear is a member of DSA with independent sales representatives in 12 states and apparel licensing deals with Tootsie Roll Industries, General Mills, Honda Powersports and The Topps Company.

One of the most exciting things happening now – in addition to their popular apparel items – is their new compensation plan, which means they’re looking for founding representatives to help them expand nationally as well as help women everywhere have a flexible, fun business of their own.

Stay tuned for more interesting businesses and products that I learned about at my second blogging event. I look forward to the next event because besides the blogging business info I had the opportunity to chat with one of my favorite virtual friends, Lisa C, and meet a lot of other spectacular and inspiring women.

Have you been to any blogging events lately? What’s the best thing about them to you?

Looking at the Sky on Friday

 

 

 

 

Visit Crazy Working Mom for more Looking at the Sky on Friday posts.

Morey’s Piers new Ghost Ship attraction

As a little girl, growing up in a Delaware suburbs, my family and I often explored parks and fun in the surrounding areas. I vaguely remember going to Wildwoods, New Jersey, and if I recall correctly there was an amusement park there. I recently learned that Morey’s Piers, a classic seaside amusement park in that city, opened a new attraction that has garnered rave reviews.

Morey’s Piers now has Ghost Ship, which is reportedly the newest, creepiest attraction on the Eastern shore. It’s 15,000 square feet of scare-dom that has live actors, stunts and animatronics.

I would love to experience the Ghost Ship at Morey's Piers, and I may just have to do that the next time I visit my friends and family in that area. Sounds like a boatload of fun!

Joys of birthday celebrations

A glimpse at Amber’s birthday!

Yesterday I told you that my sweet baby Amber was celebrating her 19th birthday. One of the birthday traditions that I’ve kept over the years is that the day is dedicated to that person – especially as they age.

For Amber, this meant that she was “off duty” from household chores, sibling patrol, errands, carpooling, kitchen duty and meal preparation. Whew! Since her siblings are still quite young that means mom was totally in charge.

Once the children were dressed and ready to go to daycare yesterday morning I instructed them to slip into Amber’s room and awaken her quietly, say happy birthday and give her the card from the three of them. (They normally do homemade cards, but I think she’s probably collected enough of those for now and I found the cutest card from them for just 49 cents.)

I took them to the daycare and returned to make the birthday breakfast. It was about 10:30 a.m. when we sat down to turkey sausage omelets, biscuits and fruit. She had green tea and I enjoyed my morning cup of joe.

Since we ate a little late we were not hungry when lunch time officially rolled around so I scheduled a sweet treat of strawberry shortcake with a little surprise: flutes of sparkling cider to toast her last year of teenage-hood.

I forgot to get another tub of Cool Whip so I had to use more Ready Whip than I would normally. I also added a bit of banana, some shakes of cinnamon and a few sprinkles of raw sugar on top of the first layer of cream and fruit. It gave it the perfect blend of texture and taste.

 

   

After we finished our treat, I helped her study for a test she had today and then I dropped her off for her class, ran some errands then picked up the children.

Once we returned home (late! but that’s an entirely different post), I began fixing dinner of oven-fried codfish, croissants, spinach pie (I’ll have to tell you about that later), herb and butter rice, shrimp and green iced tea (specially for the guest of honor). I think that’s all; I forgot to take a picture of the table because I was so tired and ready to sit down. We didn’t sit down until about 9 p.m.

After we enjoyed our meal along with Amber’s guest (the BF who is/was the BFF – more on that later too!), we surprised her with the beautiful and delicious cake that RP picked up for her. There was some vanilla frozen yogurt, one of her favorites, but she was too full to have any. LOL… I kept her full all day!

Isn’t she a cutie!

Although I’m feeling the effects of the day, I am so happy to experience this day with my sweet daughter. I’m also pleased that she enjoyed herself and the day (for as much as it can be with three young siblings) was all about her. Happy Birthday, again, dear sweet daughter… Oh, there’s more to come. :-D   

I’ll share with you guys at a later date.

Bucket list to do

Overall I am fairly pleased with the extracurricular activities I’ve been able to participate in. I’ve travelled (there are still destinations I want to experience) to various states in our country and a few Caribbean locations via plane and cruise ship. I’ve screamed during banana boating, viewed underwater life in a glass-bottomed boat, watched friends ride sea turtles in the ocean off of Waikiki, caressed alligators swimming in Florida waters, parasailed and snorkeled. There have been jazz under the stars moments, fireworks and laser shows, gazing from the top of a lighthouse, first-class accommodations and dinner on the patios of restaurants that offer savory culinary delights. But you know what one thing I’ve never done that almost every individual, everywhere has? I’ve never been to a music concert.

Yes. Seriously. It would be nice if someone had some concert tickets they’re not going to use. They could pass them onto me so I can cross one thing off of my bucket list. What experiences do you remember the most? Do you have a bucket list and are you working your way through it?

Amareah’s fashion designer debut

Remember when Amareah received her package in the mail from FashionPlaytes.com? Well, we opened it and it was very exciting. As soon as she put her foot inside of the door I told her I had something to show her and handed her the package. She said, “What is it? Who is it for?”

“What do you think it is? Who do you think it’s for?” I said, enjoying the excitement.

“It’s for me? I got mail?” Her eyes became brighter by the minute. “It’s my dress!”

Amareah could barely contain herself as she waited for me to rip open the envelope.

 

 

 

 

 

I gave her the dress, which I could see was covered in cute tissue paper within a plastic bag. After she turned it around a few times she needed a little help finding the opening to the bag.

 

I love how she patiently waited for her sister to take a picture of the adorable way it was wrapped before we ripped into it. What a beautiful smile and gorgeous tan so early in the summer season.

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since she had been out all day, I told her she could model it after she took her bath. She skipped away to play, eat dinner, bathe and then she was back and ready to style and profile.

After I started taking the second set of pictures I realized someone did not lotion after their bath. Please overlook the little ashy legs poking out from the cute little dress.

 

 

 

 

 

She’s definitely model material, right?

I must admit that I am impressed with how well constructed the dress is. I love the flower appliqué Amareah chose. …It’s very cute…

I was concerned about her choice of turquoise lace and purple-patterned ruffle, but the different color flowers pull the look together nicely.

For a little extra money I could have personalized the label on the back of the dress and the Fashion Playtes logo/information would have been smaller.

Here’s the first in Amareah’s creations hanging and waiting to be worn…

   

This woman’s opinion: For those women who are extremely creative, innovative and patient, they could probably have taken an afternoon with their daughter, grabbed a plain tee-shirt dress added those items for minimal cost and turned out something just as fabulous. But what I like about FashionPlaytes.com is that it’s for women like me who may not have the time, patience, creativity, etc., to sit down with their young daughter and help them “make” an outfit. And, secondly, my young daughter can sit down and do it on her own as she becomes more adept and responsible at the computer.

The choices and additions Amareah made to her dress I sort of guided her in order to keep her within the $25 range, which was the amount of the gift card I won from Fashion Cents Mom. But FashionPlaytes.com has tons of choices for these budding designers. Although I wouldn’t normally spend $25 for a dress for my 5 year old, I’d definitely do this again to enjoy the quality time with Amareah and watch her face light up as she made her own creation. That’s an experience that I can’t put a price tag on. And, I can’t wait ‘til Anna gets a little older to enjoy the experience with her as well.

Overall, Fashion Playtes gets an A+ for providing a fun and memorable experience, a quality product and a bonding moment.