Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow....

Well we are in for more snow! Crazy weather just 2 weeks ago we were having a small thaw- it actually reached in the 40s and about a foot of snow had melted. Then last Wed-Fri we got small snow showers and tonight we are looking at getting 7-11 inches! Oh well what is one to do living in Maine. It's still better than last winter when we accumulated over 100 feet of snow. Before it hits we are heading out to go sledding at a friends house with a super fast sledding track. Should be a blast.

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day. Hannah and Owen enjoyed their school parties and came home with more candy then they needed so off to work went half of it. By the way who gives Pixie Stixs to 4 and 6 year olds- that is one mean parent- trying to sugar up my kids lol. H and O helped me make cute little cell phone cards with candy buttons for the phone buttons (no sugar in those- ok I'm a hypocrite). They came out really cute if I do say so myself.

Just finishing up school vacation week! We did not go away so planned playdates to keep Hannah busy- 3 of the 5 weekdays were occupied. Thursday had 6 girls from school over- we painted suncatchers, made some jewelry, ate cupcakes and played. Pretty surprised to see some drama between them already at 6 years of age- but overall they got along well. Just a slight glimpse into the teen years- so not ready!

There is a horrible cold going round- a horrible cough that last 2-3 weeks. I had been dodging it at work pretty well, but it eventually caught up to me. Izzy started it- she has been fever free for 3 days- the longest in the past 2 weeks and she slept fairly well last night! Hopefully it is almost over for her. Hannah had 2-3 days of being slightly off and not feeling well and Owen had it for 3-4 days but luckily no croup!!! (at the risk of jinxing myself I think he may have outgrown it). I started last Tuesday with sore throat and cough. Still have the cough and it's a joy to listen to me talk- poor clients who had to try and understand me at work the past few days.

In light of all the sicknesses I realized how sucky our health insurance is. Sorry for this little soapbox moment, but I sure hope this economy turns around soon. It's so frustrating to be working full time (and doing extra shifts) and feel like you can not support your family and keep them healthy. My work changed to a PPO (whatever that means)- so there is no copay, instead you pay a slightly reduced rate for everything and it does go towards your deductible (so supposedly you meet your deductible sooner and then more is covered fully). There is also a Health Savings Account that you deposit into tax free and can use for paying for your visits and pharmacy items. In parts it's an ok plan- however to get a bill saying you owe $100 for the visit you took your sick, febrile daughter in for hits hard when you are living on 1 salary. Guess we will not be going to the doctor for every sniffle and ache we have anymore, which is a bit scary for this over-reactive mother. I see what can happen with some patients that wait it out- now they have a sicker pet and more expenses then if they had just come in when it first started. Oh well cold season should be over soon- right? Plus at least I have some form of insurance- there are many out there (children mostly) who don't have any. Plus for the most part we are healthy. I just feel I'm working hard and getting nowhere. I'm a very educated person-with a doctor's degree, married to a very educated husband with a Bachelors and Masters degree, yet we are struggling- how the #$%&?)@ does that happen?

Sorry for the soapbox. I'll leave you with some photos below.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thanks for the indirect kick in the butt- Jenn!

Ok I'm way behind on updating this blog. I keep telling myself to update and then get caught up doing something else- typical me. For as anal as I can be- it's amazing how easily distracted I am. Anyways I was being distracted over at my friend Jenn's blog and saw my blog in a list of ones she follows and it guilted me enough to get a new post up. Thanks Jenn!

Not only have I been distracted but there just is not much to tell. January saw a few snowstorms- we still have about 2 feet of snow piled up out there. Unfortunately it is too cold for the children to go out and play in it. Charlie, Hannah and Owen enjoyed Disney on Ice again this year. They had great seats and Charlie figured the camera settings out and got some awesome shots. They also indulged in some cotton candy- sorry Gramps- they will brush well I promise.

Work has been steady- we will have a super busy day and then a slow day. I am actually taking a vacation in March- the first vacation since last June/July (well the first whole week since then). I'm starting it off with a weekend scrap retreat in North Conway NH and ending it the next weekend at my parents house in NH (so Charlie can take some more teaching tests). In between I will attempt to go through the bins of clothes we have that they have outgrown.

Charlie is still doing some part time web editing from home and is on the substitute teachers list. I'm not optimistic for GlaxoSmithKline to hire him back seeing as most pharmaceutical companies have been laying people off- but we will see come late March. He also has an interview next Thursday for the etep program at USM. It is a 9 month program that gives him lots of teaching experience and credits towards his Masters degree in teaching- hopefully making him that much more desirable to hire. It would start in September. He continues to sing in the church choir and attends monthly meetings.

Hannah is doing very well at school. Her reading ability is amazing and the teachers love her. They are still collecting postcards from the US and other countries- so if anyone wants to send a postcard- leave a comment and I will get you our address. She is looking forward to her February vacation - we are setting up some playdates to keep her busy. Hard to believe her 6th birthday is only about a month away! Her favorite songs are All the Single Ladies (Beyonce) and So What (Pink). She continues to sing in the church choir.

Owen is also doing well, although his work can be messy and he is made to do it over. He will attend kindergarten in the fall and a few friends will be attending the same school to help the transition. He is still in awe of Star Wars, Transformers, and Super Heroes (especially Spiderman and Batman). His favorite song is Kung Fu Fighting. He also continues to sing in the church choir and have fun on the TumbleBus at school.

Isabel continues to try everything her sister and brother do and loves to interfere while they are playing (much to their dismay). She is a dancing fool and cracks us up. She loves any song, singing and acting out Row Your Boat and Ring Around the Rosie, as well as rocking on the rocking horse. She also is a huge fan of lift the flap books (although some do not have flaps anymore- hmmm)

We continue to have a blast with friends- whether it's whole families or just couples, Helping out at school functions when we can and keeping the family afloat. Until next time.......