Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Yet another post creating false structure by means of a numbered list

I realize that I have been remiss in my duties as a responsible blogger. Therefore, I give you seven unrelated items for your perusal and enjoyment.

1. I went on vacation. Mr. WG and I took Baby A and went to the Bahamas, courtesy of Mr. WG's work. We left on a Wednesday morning, got to the airport in time to… miss our flight. We returned home and tried again the next day, with better luck. We made it to the Bahamas and had a great time. We left on Sunday, having decided we'd be okay with getting paid to get bumped. Sadly, they weren't looking for volunteers, so we boarded our flight. Even sadder, our flight was diverted for weather, and by the time we landed in Atlanta, our connection had left. Sadder, still, was the complete and utter lack of compassion from the airline reps who told us that the earliest flight to Houston would be on TUESDAY. I will spare you the details and skip ahead to the part where we rented a car for 4 hours (for $350), drove to Birmingham, Ala-freaking-bama, and got on a flight home Monday night. Kind of defeated the purpose of the relaxing vacation, but whatever.

2. Looks like we're homeschooling the girls next year. Got our registration forms for school and decided that we flat out have no desire to pay $40k for three kids to go to school. We just don't think that much of our budget needs to go to elementary and pre-school education. We would rather do other things, like eat, pay our mortgage, and go on vacation. Also, for two years, I have tried explaining to the school that they are not meeting the needs of my S., and no one listens. Most amusing was the email I got from the principal inviting me to meet with her to discuss "immediate implementations" to help S. be more successful. Um, if they are so immediate, WHY HAVEN'T YOU JUST IMPLEMENTED THEM? It reminds me of my experience in Los Angeles six years ago, when I didn't register my kids for school there. A few days later, I got a phone call from the school my older daughter was supposed to move up to, and the same administrator who had never returned any of my calls that year was suddenly offering us a private tour of the school and a meeting to discuss any concerns or questions. Subtext: WHERE IS YOUR CHECK??? Answer: IN MY POCKET, WHERE IT'S STAYING.

3. We are suing Aetna. We have filed a claim in small claims court to recover the fees for all the speech they said they would cover then didn't. We also filed a complaint with the state insurance commissioner. I don't know what will happen, but it should make for some good stories, at least. Also, in the meantime, I have to pay out of pocket for D's therapies. Yesterday, I was told that I would be charged the "discount" rate of $142.50 per session. Mr. WG told me that we are not returning, because we will quickly go broke "saving" that kind of money.

4. My summer promises to be interesting. My daughters are going to Israel to hang out with friends and family for the whole summer. THE WHOLE SUMMER. Like, 9 weeks. It's crazy. And it looks like D. will be going to Camp HASC, if we can get the pesky money thing worked out. Also for the whole summer, but in D's case this means late June through mid-August. This means, for those of you keeping score at home, that we will only have TWO children home for most of the summer. And Mr. WG said that he's thinking we could all fly to New York to take D. to camp, then he would continue to Israel to check on the girls. And he would take J. and Baby A. with him. And THAT would mean, boys and girls, that I WOULD HAVE A WEEK OFF. I can't even comprehend the magnitude of that statement. A WEEK. WITH NO CHILDREN. AND NO HUSBAND. A WEEK. Do you know how many HOURS that is? OF SILENCE? Wow. Crazy.


5. Baby A. is NINE MONTHS OLD.
This is, frankly, unacceptable. I was counting on him to stay all baby-like and newborn-helpless for MUCH longer. Baby A. is crawling and pulling to standing. He babbles constantly. He is absolutely delicious and I love him SO MUCH, but he is almost ONE. NOT COOL. How does this happen? To say nothing of Z. standing on the cusp of her ELEVENTH birthday. Oy.

6. D. does not yet have a placement for next year. I may have a nervous breakdown while attempting to gather all the necessary paperwork and get everything handled.

7. I have created a blog post calendar. This will ensure that my blog is regularly updated with compelling posts and exciting content. Or, it will be just another sheet of paper that gets buried under the vast piles covering my desk. Whichever.

4 comments:

Alexandra said...

Love hearing it all. And look forward to what you will do on you r week off! I can't even imagine the luxury.

Favorite update, though? What you wrote on baby almost being one.

I know just what you're saying: totally unacceptable.

Glad you're back: I've missed your no bullshit ways.

Far far too many rainbow and unicorn and cotton candy blogs out there.

I come here for the real deal.

ella said...

$40K for 3 kids? Eek. Public schools in your area aren't any good, I take it? It's a shame. Are any of your friends and neighbors in the same boat? Could you home school together, with each family teaching a week at a time?

Good good luck with everything! ESPECIALLY against Aetna.

Teej said...

I am:

* so excited for your week alone, and
* thrilled that you're suing the pants off of Aetna.

dee said...

Whoohoo! Here's to family vacations, summers away, time to yourself (!), a baby who's almost one (!!), and suing the asshat insurance company :)

It looks like it's going to be a very interesting summer...looking forward to hearing more!

XO