A bit calmer now.

With more of a "screw 'em" attitude.

Other than that, not much to report. The cat is insane, but that was to be expected. I have to take him to the vet next week for his first round of shots. Iz is insase, but I think that's a school thing. Hopefully her behaviour improves over the next few weeks - it's not that she's being out and out bad, it's that she's just not behaving like she usually does, and it seems to be getting worse.

This week is dragging. Slooooooow. Somebody rescue me!

Warning - this is a vent. You don't have to read it.

But it might make me feel a bit better.

So Iz was sick Friday night. Fever, she had been losing her voice all week, and generally was not herself - crying over everything, and compaining that her throat hurt.

So I decide that we have to head to the doctor's on Saturday morning. The doctor that I used to work for, who despite working for a crappy company (the reason I left), is one of the most wonderful doctors in existence.

I call the late night appointment line. I get through - miracle! I talk to the girl on the phone, who gives me an appointment time - wonderful! She puts me on hold for a minute - whatever, I can deal with being put on hold a minute. She comes back, and tells me that since I have a balance on my account (woah! this is news) that I can't have an appointment, so sorry, click. I'm hung up on.

So by this point I'm fuming. I've been denied an appointment for my sick daughter because of a balance I didn't know I had. I call the admin office for the doctors, and leave a rather shouty message concerning my feelings at being denied care and then hung up on. I spend the rest of the weekend feeling sort of sheepish at leaving the shouty message while not actually being sorry, because I did mean everything I said. I just didn't really want it to come out so shouty.

We get Iz to a patient first surgery, and get her treated (don't think I've ditched my daughter in all this saga). Turns out all is well, she doesn't have strep (which I was worried about, since it's already going around school).

So this morning, I get a phone call back from the Admin office - suprising, but disheartening. Apprently I'm an evil woman for not paying bills I didn't receive. Obviously I recieved them, they're all sent via an automated system. I point out that the only bill I had ever received (for myself, not even for Iz) was hand-written. Uncomfortable pause. Explanation of how they do hand write some bills.

I also point out, since I'm talking to someone in the billing department, I point out something my insurance company told me when I called. They had mentioned that one of the charges they turned down was for a urinalysis. Pretty interesting, since my daughter, who has been seeing these people since her birth, has never once peed in a cup for them. It seems they've been billing my insurance company for things that they haven't done. She promises to send me a copy of outstanding bills. I don't trust them one bit now so I'm going to have to go through them item by item. Chances are I'll still not catch everything, as they're pretty vague when it comes to explanations of codes.

Isn't charging insurance for something they didn't do illegal? If it's not illegal, I know it's immoral. It's certainly stealing. I can't help feeling that it's quite a big issue, even if the woman on the phone waved it away like it was nothing.

So there you have it. If you ever find yourself in the Baltimore area, don't ever, ever visit Potomac Physicians for anything. Incompetent isn't even the word for it.

What makes me really mad is that if they'd have told me I had a balance and still let me bring her in, I'd have happily bought a check in the morning of her appointment. I wouldn't have even asked these questions, and they'd certainly be better off.

Does anyone know how to create as much collections trouble for a company as possible, while still keeping it legal (not stooping to their level) and not messing up my credit history? My boss suggested sending them $1 a week - can you do that?

Another week, another party.

Iz has the last of her very drawn out birthday celebrations this weekend. Her Gymnastics party, to which noone has RSVP'd and I need a head count to the gymnastics place by yesterday. I also need to sort out plates, cups, party bags and something for the kiddos to eat. Behind? Moi?

Had an excellent time fishing out on the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday. The company I wokr for chartered ten fishing boats and put on a buffet breakfast. It was awesome, except for the funny looking sunburn I managed to get - burned my whole face except where my singlasses are, so I look like a raccoon in a negative. Stupid fair skin, and stupid me. I swear I've learned my lesson this time - or at least I have for the next few months.

In other news, we now have a cat. It's not a particularly bright cat, but it is quite amusing. Except when I had to fish it out from behind the dryer twice yesterday - that was less amusing. Pictures to follow (but then I always say that, don't I?)

And it's another retrospective

September's going to be like that, folks!

It happened six years ago today. Becoming a mother, for me, was the ultimate "You've got to act like an adult now" feeling. Not a bad feeling at all, though.

Throughout my pregnancy I was a little worried. I mean, babies were OK, but I didn't like them a whole bunch. I was never one of those kids that longed to become a mother - I was more the climbing trees kind of kid than the babydoll kind of kid. The second they placed my child in my arms, it was a complete change. There was nothing more beautiful in this world, and there was absolutely no love like it. I never really understood "God the father" as a metaphor for the way God loves us, but at that moment I understood it, even if I'm still not sure if I wholly believe it.

Love at first sight. C, an avowed agnostic who would rather have his legs waxed than talk about religion, swears he saw a little piece of God in the birth of his baby.

Yes, there will be cake and a party, later. Today a rather overexcited Iz is at school, where she will be ditributing snacks and pencils, and later we're going to Friendly's for dinner. Obviously her choice - and I'm a little suprised, since she's been rather too fond of going to the Outback lately. Friendly's food is more affordable (although a lot less edible) though.

So where have I been?

Well, Saturday we headed down to Charles Town, WV, for the horse racing. Had a great time. Stayed in a brand new Holiday Inn, and it was wonderful. Even had a free shuttle to the racecourse - which was excellent as both of us wanted a drink or two.

Had fun with the horse racing - pretty much broke even, which was better than I had expected. C really, really enjoyed it. We're probably going back one Sunday afternoon, and taking Iz with us - it seems a pretty family place - lots of people had their kids with them, and all the kids were having a great time.

Getting ready for Iz's birthday tomorrow - she'll be 6. There's a brand new bike sitting in our basement, and I know she'll be thrilled with it. Family party on friday, and her gymnastics party next Sunday - we wanted her to get to know some of the kids at school so she could have school friends at her very first real party.

So lots going on. I've been kind of on a freebie hunting and competition entering thing too, lately. I stumbled upon Spoofee.com, which has lists of stuff to enter, and free stuff to get, and really good deals - I bought an MP3 player (just a 512mb one, but good enough for Iz) for $5 including shipping.

All of a sudden, I've decided I want to win something. Anything. Well, anything I really want, obviously. I didn't enter the competition where you get to dance with shakira as a prize, even if it would mean seeing a few really shocked faces. Nor the one where you get to meet a Nascar driver. What would I say? Apart from apologising and telling him that I vastly prefer Formula One, and that would be pretty awkward....

No new beginnings today.

Which, for the moment, is a good thing. I need a day's break, and some planning time.

Tomorrow, I will have been married for ten years. For those of you doing the math, yes, I'm 29, and yes I got married when I was 19.

So ten years. That's a lot of time. Somehow, we've kept it together for long enough that I've been married for more than a third of my life. So what have I learned?

I've learned there's no perfection. If you're looking for someone to make your life easy, then marriage isn't your option. Perhaps one of those helper monkeys would be a better deal on that front. I hear they're less expensive in the long run, too. Cooperation is good, but noone ever got married to become a slave. Be thankful for the help you get, and remember that it means giving help back.

I've learned that although there's no perfection, it doesn't mean you should put up with crap. By crap I mean physical or emotional abuse.

I've learned that the seven-year-itch exists, but if you resist it, and get over it, then after that, your relationship is better. In going through that, I've learned that even though it felt like I would never think my husband was the most wonderful man alive again, that feeling came back stronger than ever.

In other news, I booked Iz's party yesterday. for the first time ever, we're doing a party that's not family at our house (although we'll end up doing an informal one of those, too). She's having a gymnastics party, complete with liability forms to be signed by each parent. Now comes the rush of invitations, RSVP's, party-stuff buying (including some treats to take into school next thursday), party favor construction and actually hosting the party. I hate organising parties. It's also one of those things that I've learned to expect to do on my own (see above). Too much anxiety, too much perfectionism - I'm not a perfectionist about my own life, but Iz's parties have to be generous, happy get togethers, put together on a tiny budget which I always overspend.

I'm thinking about making little tote bags to use as party bags. Quite honestly, I can get the fabric for about the same price as the pre-bought plastic bags, and it looks good. I could probably pick up some small coloring books and crayons and make some really cool party favors. It just means a few nights of sitting in the basement sewing. I had better get to it!

Another first day

We seem to have lots of them lately. Today was the first day Iz went to her new sitters house - she'll be there before school for an hour and a half, and the wonderful lady who's watching her (and I'm not just saying that because she's saving my life) is great. She also has a daughter in Kindergarten, so it should work out great. Iz was a little nervous last night, but I think it was a product of being so excited throughout the weekend.

In other news, it appears we're getting a cat in a few weeks time. I'm cautiously pleased about it - there are so many things to do to make sure it's going to settle in well to the family - including the dog. If anyone has any ideas on how to make this easier, please let me know!

Ready for school!

I know, I'm horrible, she's been back at school for a week and I still haven't posted the pictures.

Actually, you'd think she's been going for years, although she was very pleased to get her first "slam dunk" (see earlier post) - I knew it would bug her until she got one.
Getting off the school bus (since we couldn't get a picture of her getting onto the school bus)

At the school the morning we dropped her off. She looks so nervous and scared, doesn't she?

The bus pulling up to the end of our street, at the end of her first day.

Ready for school!
Originally uploaded by Izzybee2007

This is her leaving for school her first day, with all the stuff she had to take with her. We haven't seen any of it since....