I am officially into the 8th day of 8th grade with my youngest son who is on the Autism Spectrum and already the school has made it a miserable thing to go through.
The 7th day started with him being informed that his new aide was being replaced.
I was informed of it much later in the day when I was told that he was upset with the change because he liked the aide that had been assigned to him.
I spent a lot of time this summer making phone calls and sending emails to the district to arrange meetings with his IEP team to arrange for a full time aide to be placed with him. I had my son meet with her the week before school to make the transition easier for both of them. Discussed with both him and the IEP team what was expected from him and what the consequences would be for him if there were any issues that arose.
It was all very successful ! He had a great 7 days !!!
After placing a call to the administration and "expressing" how I felt about how the change was handled I was given lots of "It's not our fault it's the Union's", we have no control over how these jobs are bid on and how people are assigned to them.
Are these people for real ????
Is it the Union's fault that you couldn't place a call to me LAST week when you knew this change was coming to give me time to prepare him for it ??
POSSIBLY to allow my son and myself to meet this new "biddable aide" to once again make this transition easier ???
If you have a child on the Autism spectrum and have had to spend hours explaining to the special education department how transitions for kids on the spectrum can be difficult and still not be given the courtesy of a phone call ... I feel for ya.
Sadly, it is not and will not be getting any better. It truly is all about the bottom line, job bids, politics and funding.
Your child is an after thought in all that is administrative within a school district, or at least in the school districts that surround where we live.
Constant scandals in this whole area concerning nepotism and kickbacks to the powers that be of not just the school districts, but our local legal system as well, makes getting my son the best education afforded to him impossible and just sad.
What's even sadder is 90% of the time it is not the teachers in the trenches with these kids that cause the problems .. but rather they become the fall guys for irate parents and administrators who dump all their problems on top of them. The teachers do try their best, but get no support either.
My son will move out of the district next year to attend a tech school.
THANK GOD I have at least that option.
Is it ideal.... probably not, no school with kids on the spectrum is but at least the population of the school is smaller and the teachers and administrators will at least "know" my child as he travels through it.
I hadn't yet made that descision, but last night confirmed it was the only thing I could do for him. I just can't deal with the nonsense and the same robot responses for 4 more years from my district. I am over it.
And to think .. this whole rant could have been avoided with a phone call.
Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmm........
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Reality TV ... Scary ?
I LOVE reality TV.
There I have admitted it in caps.
I was trying to recall which show first hooked me, and I do believe it was the original Trading Spaces with Ty and Paige !
That crazy hunky Ty with cute as a button Paige keeping him in line, on time and within budget. The designers which could either WOW you with their creations or leave you crying for weeks on end while you sandblast hay that has been glued to your walls. (seriously Hildy what were you thinking ??)
Reality TV has morphed into a whole other animal since the hi-jinks of Ty.
My next must see was Big Brother. At first I was satisfied with the thrice weekly shows on TV ... after 2 seasons though I purchased the live web cam link to watch them 24/7. Yes watch them sleep mostly due to the time change difference from the east to west coast, but I have also witnessed things on the 24/7 cams that must make the participants Mothers cringe and go into hiding indefinitely.
I am not sure why I am so drawn to the drama of others except to think that it is nice to know drama is not just reserved for me and my family.
I am guilty of watching "The Hills" and "The City" which I'm sure just kills my older teen/20 somethings nieces and nephews. I DVR the "Housewives of the OC,NYC,ATL" and the "Bad Girls Club" too.
(for the record "The Amber's" are annoying, but annoying enough to get arrested in a foreign country over ??? .. ok more on that theme later)
I am fully aware of the creative editing that is done on these shows. I know it more certainly because I have subscribed to the 24/7 feeds of the Big Brother house. What you see and the order they portray it is not always how it actually played out.
While I obviously have an "issue" with reality shows, as of late I am finding some of them quite disturbing.
No .. not the ones that contain full grown adults, you signed on the dotted line deal with it, but more the ones that film families with young children.
Ahh ok, so yes I do watch Jon and Kate plus 8, Little People Big World and the Duggars.
These family shows all have their own unique dramas. Amy and Matt Roloff. I like Amy I think she has to work hard and have a ton of patience to keep Matt from jumping the shark on his next "visionary project". It leaves her often seen as the naggy, bitchy wife, but I have to side with her most of the time. Who REALLY needs another pumpkin catapult in your backyard ??
The Duggars. Are these folks for real ?? 18 kids all with J names ??
Ummmm .. in my reality world watching experience I think they are indeed the most real of them all. I do not agree with the choices they have made for their children. (girls in prairie dresses serving as "helpers" to the younger Duggar kids) In my eyes the boys but more clearly the girls are kept from really exploring other options as adults. Homeschooling,jurisdictions and the outfits (ok I went back to the clothes.. sorry) at times reminds me of religious compound living.(HBO's Big Love show comes to mind)
All that said, I do believe that they have the right to believe in whatever it is they want to believe in. This is the USA after all. I don't seem them as a dangerous cult like some have compared them too on message boards ..but I do believe their children are not given the opportunity, good or bad , to see how the real world lives. The children seem to be happy,some of them are downright funny (Jinger cracks me up) overall just good kids. Something we don't really see that often on reality tv.
The Josh got married episode though .. set me over the edge a tad. The father/son talk the night before the wedding was demeaning to his new bride.. Grrrr .. the turning over of Anna to her new authority husband Josh ..Grrrrr. Talk about setting woman back a hundred years !
So while I am still on the fence about the Duggars, I have seen worse on reality TV where kids are concerned.
OK OK OK this brings me to Jon and Kate plus 8.
When this show first aired I was as sucked in as millions of other viewers.
How could you not be? Adorable twins, a set of just huggable sextuplets and what appeared to be a "normal" parents whose world was changed overnight with the chaos of it all.
Anybody watching the early shows could not help but feel for Jon and Kate. Poor Kate looked exhausted trying to keep up with it all and her over the top OCD tendencies for cleanliness and order. Jon pitched in as much as could. Sometimes they had helpers .. Aunt Jodi, Beth, Joan the laundry folder but the show did give you the impression that for the most part Jon and Kate were a dynamic duo of parenting.
The kids didn't seem fazed by the cameras too much, after all the sextuplets were raised with studio lighting installed in the ceiling and cameraman all around. For them this was their normal. The twins were young too when the show started, barely out of toddler hood themselves. Mady was never shy about showing her displeasure in front of the cameras, if anything it made this show more real. Any parent knows meltdowns will and do happen. As a parent though I don't know if I would want to explain to Mady years from now that she had to take one for the team because it made good TV.
Brave thing to do when you still have to get her through the teen years, lets hope Mady develops a better sense of humor by then.
The show has changed A LOT in the last few seasons.
The Gosselins have been on wonderful vacations, received many freebies and appeared on the talk show circuit many times. They have also been the subject of many a message board on the net.
Ok here is where the scary part of reality shows comes in.
There are message boards and blogs out there that were developed soley to discredit Jon and Kate and to "save the children" from the cruel world of being reality show participants without a vote or voice to say otherwise.
Look Kate Gosselin has not been portrayed in a positive light for some time now. Some of her worst moments have been recorded for all to see. Once again if you are an adult and want to participate so be it, deal with it. Whether or not you like Kate or not really doesn't bother me at all. I won't defend her either way.
What is scary is how far the message board/bloggers will go to make their point to "save the children" from what they see as exploitation.Their Mom and Dad making a buck off the kids backs to get vacations, appliances, cash and now a new house.
In their efforts to be saviors, these bloggers and message board participants have exposed where these people live with Ariel views of their new home along with their address. Sure in the days of Google Earth you don't have to be a computer geek to find this yourself but do we have to post links to take folks there ?
There are crazies on the net .. that is the scary part.
How does this help the children ?
There I have admitted it in caps.
I was trying to recall which show first hooked me, and I do believe it was the original Trading Spaces with Ty and Paige !
That crazy hunky Ty with cute as a button Paige keeping him in line, on time and within budget. The designers which could either WOW you with their creations or leave you crying for weeks on end while you sandblast hay that has been glued to your walls. (seriously Hildy what were you thinking ??)
Reality TV has morphed into a whole other animal since the hi-jinks of Ty.
My next must see was Big Brother. At first I was satisfied with the thrice weekly shows on TV ... after 2 seasons though I purchased the live web cam link to watch them 24/7. Yes watch them sleep mostly due to the time change difference from the east to west coast, but I have also witnessed things on the 24/7 cams that must make the participants Mothers cringe and go into hiding indefinitely.
I am not sure why I am so drawn to the drama of others except to think that it is nice to know drama is not just reserved for me and my family.
I am guilty of watching "The Hills" and "The City" which I'm sure just kills my older teen/20 somethings nieces and nephews. I DVR the "Housewives of the OC,NYC,ATL" and the "Bad Girls Club" too.
(for the record "The Amber's" are annoying, but annoying enough to get arrested in a foreign country over ??? .. ok more on that theme later)
I am fully aware of the creative editing that is done on these shows. I know it more certainly because I have subscribed to the 24/7 feeds of the Big Brother house. What you see and the order they portray it is not always how it actually played out.
While I obviously have an "issue" with reality shows, as of late I am finding some of them quite disturbing.
No .. not the ones that contain full grown adults, you signed on the dotted line deal with it, but more the ones that film families with young children.
Ahh ok, so yes I do watch Jon and Kate plus 8, Little People Big World and the Duggars.
These family shows all have their own unique dramas. Amy and Matt Roloff. I like Amy I think she has to work hard and have a ton of patience to keep Matt from jumping the shark on his next "visionary project". It leaves her often seen as the naggy, bitchy wife, but I have to side with her most of the time. Who REALLY needs another pumpkin catapult in your backyard ??
The Duggars. Are these folks for real ?? 18 kids all with J names ??
Ummmm .. in my reality world watching experience I think they are indeed the most real of them all. I do not agree with the choices they have made for their children. (girls in prairie dresses serving as "helpers" to the younger Duggar kids) In my eyes the boys but more clearly the girls are kept from really exploring other options as adults. Homeschooling,jurisdictions and the outfits (ok I went back to the clothes.. sorry) at times reminds me of religious compound living.(HBO's Big Love show comes to mind)
All that said, I do believe that they have the right to believe in whatever it is they want to believe in. This is the USA after all. I don't seem them as a dangerous cult like some have compared them too on message boards ..but I do believe their children are not given the opportunity, good or bad , to see how the real world lives. The children seem to be happy,some of them are downright funny (Jinger cracks me up) overall just good kids. Something we don't really see that often on reality tv.
The Josh got married episode though .. set me over the edge a tad. The father/son talk the night before the wedding was demeaning to his new bride.. Grrrr .. the turning over of Anna to her new authority husband Josh ..Grrrrr. Talk about setting woman back a hundred years !
So while I am still on the fence about the Duggars, I have seen worse on reality TV where kids are concerned.
OK OK OK this brings me to Jon and Kate plus 8.
When this show first aired I was as sucked in as millions of other viewers.
How could you not be? Adorable twins, a set of just huggable sextuplets and what appeared to be a "normal" parents whose world was changed overnight with the chaos of it all.
Anybody watching the early shows could not help but feel for Jon and Kate. Poor Kate looked exhausted trying to keep up with it all and her over the top OCD tendencies for cleanliness and order. Jon pitched in as much as could. Sometimes they had helpers .. Aunt Jodi, Beth, Joan the laundry folder but the show did give you the impression that for the most part Jon and Kate were a dynamic duo of parenting.
The kids didn't seem fazed by the cameras too much, after all the sextuplets were raised with studio lighting installed in the ceiling and cameraman all around. For them this was their normal. The twins were young too when the show started, barely out of toddler hood themselves. Mady was never shy about showing her displeasure in front of the cameras, if anything it made this show more real. Any parent knows meltdowns will and do happen. As a parent though I don't know if I would want to explain to Mady years from now that she had to take one for the team because it made good TV.
Brave thing to do when you still have to get her through the teen years, lets hope Mady develops a better sense of humor by then.
The show has changed A LOT in the last few seasons.
The Gosselins have been on wonderful vacations, received many freebies and appeared on the talk show circuit many times. They have also been the subject of many a message board on the net.
Ok here is where the scary part of reality shows comes in.
There are message boards and blogs out there that were developed soley to discredit Jon and Kate and to "save the children" from the cruel world of being reality show participants without a vote or voice to say otherwise.
Look Kate Gosselin has not been portrayed in a positive light for some time now. Some of her worst moments have been recorded for all to see. Once again if you are an adult and want to participate so be it, deal with it. Whether or not you like Kate or not really doesn't bother me at all. I won't defend her either way.
What is scary is how far the message board/bloggers will go to make their point to "save the children" from what they see as exploitation.Their Mom and Dad making a buck off the kids backs to get vacations, appliances, cash and now a new house.
In their efforts to be saviors, these bloggers and message board participants have exposed where these people live with Ariel views of their new home along with their address. Sure in the days of Google Earth you don't have to be a computer geek to find this yourself but do we have to post links to take folks there ?
There are crazies on the net .. that is the scary part.
How does this help the children ?
Monday, February 23, 2009
Flunking Band on Purpose
I don't have any musical instrument ability.It kinda ranks up there with my math skills after the add,subtract,multiply,divide portion at least. Algebra PLEASE it is sooooooo overrated. So back to the title of this blog.
My son .. the one with ASD is a drummer in school. He is not officially in any kind of marching band .. just the regular run of the mill school band class.
This boy has rhythm. He gets drums. He gets A's. Woooo hoo right ??
Today I had to call the guidance counselor and request that he be pulled from band.
Request may be understated a tad .. but nonetheless that was the bulk of the conversation.
Anyone with a child on the ASD spectrum knows these kids have a great deficit in social skills. This is not even earth shattering information to folks that don't have a child on the ASD spectrum.. after all it is one of the main indicators to an Autism diagnosis.
While I struggle yearly,daily sometimes minute by minute with the school district to "get it" (ya know those folks with special ed degrees and administrator behind their names) the bullies seem to pick up on it just fine.
Heck they can spot a social skills deficit clear across a crowded lunch room, band stage .. or in this case both.
After 2 years of watching my son deal with this nonsense and 2 years of very clever bullying (seriously would you really be a bully right in FRONT of a teacher ?) I did what I consider was my only option, pull him from band.
Is it the right solution ? Nope
Will my son be ticked that he will now have to possibly go to art class instead ? Yup
While the boy has rhythm he sorely lacks in artistic drive and creativity.(read HATES art class)
If my son had the skills and resources to deal with the bully I wouldn't pull him. Plain and simple. If there was a program in place in the school years ago to really deal with bullies I wouldn't be in this spot today.
Is it fair to ask a diabetic to handle his diabetes without insulin ? Ok I know that could be a stretch but you get the idea.
Bottom line zero tolerance policies don't work. Waiting for the implosion of a full blown physical altercation on school grounds before acting does not address the issue of bullies. Being proactive rather than reactive is the key.
I can't risk the implosion. I don't want my son to be forced into thinking that is the only way to handle a bully. So out of band he goes .. where too ? Still no clue. If there is no class to go too then he will just have to flunk band for the remainder of the year.
The bully scores again.
My son .. the one with ASD is a drummer in school. He is not officially in any kind of marching band .. just the regular run of the mill school band class.
This boy has rhythm. He gets drums. He gets A's. Woooo hoo right ??
Today I had to call the guidance counselor and request that he be pulled from band.
Request may be understated a tad .. but nonetheless that was the bulk of the conversation.
Anyone with a child on the ASD spectrum knows these kids have a great deficit in social skills. This is not even earth shattering information to folks that don't have a child on the ASD spectrum.. after all it is one of the main indicators to an Autism diagnosis.
While I struggle yearly,daily sometimes minute by minute with the school district to "get it" (ya know those folks with special ed degrees and administrator behind their names) the bullies seem to pick up on it just fine.
Heck they can spot a social skills deficit clear across a crowded lunch room, band stage .. or in this case both.
After 2 years of watching my son deal with this nonsense and 2 years of very clever bullying (seriously would you really be a bully right in FRONT of a teacher ?) I did what I consider was my only option, pull him from band.
Is it the right solution ? Nope
Will my son be ticked that he will now have to possibly go to art class instead ? Yup
While the boy has rhythm he sorely lacks in artistic drive and creativity.(read HATES art class)
If my son had the skills and resources to deal with the bully I wouldn't pull him. Plain and simple. If there was a program in place in the school years ago to really deal with bullies I wouldn't be in this spot today.
Is it fair to ask a diabetic to handle his diabetes without insulin ? Ok I know that could be a stretch but you get the idea.
Bottom line zero tolerance policies don't work. Waiting for the implosion of a full blown physical altercation on school grounds before acting does not address the issue of bullies. Being proactive rather than reactive is the key.
I can't risk the implosion. I don't want my son to be forced into thinking that is the only way to handle a bully. So out of band he goes .. where too ? Still no clue. If there is no class to go too then he will just have to flunk band for the remainder of the year.
The bully scores again.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Dog-Sitting
Soo my sister and her new boyfriend (need a new title after the age of 40!) are going somewhere "Tropical" at the end of this month.
Sure I am in envy of them. I want to go too!
I promise not to bother them I will just hang out at the pool while the cabana boys grab me drinks.
They know how much I love sunshine especially in January, so they decided to ask me to be part of the experience.
Meet "Pearl"
This is not the real Pearl. This Pearl I googled, but she is a great double for Pearl.
Apparantly Pearl didn't qualify for a passport and since she couldn't go my sister decided that Pearl and I should share some quality time together. HERE .. COLD.
What are sisters for ?
Friday, January 16, 2009
Has it been that long ?
I decided to check out my blog today and I couldn't believe it has been so long since I added to it.
The last time was when Barack Obama was voted in as our president and in 4 short days he will be our President.
Also the last time I checked out Mamamormons blog it was not working and now I see I have missed tons of posts. Sorry Mama I am now catching up !
So as I sit here on the coldest day of the year so far (and hoping it IS the coldest day of the year all year) waiting out school delays I thought I should make my first post of 2009.
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!
See now I am all caught up :)
The drama still ebbs and flows but overall not as dramatic as some previous years had been.
The biggest news .. I am going to be a "Great Aunt".
Most of you that read this blog already know this but for those that don't that is the big news.
It is amazing how one day you are hunting through Toys R US for a great present for your niece or nephew and it seems like overnight you start thinking about shopping for their babies.
Boom .. just like that it happens. You are a "Great Aunt".
But even better is that your younger brother and his wife are going to be "Grandparents".
Seeing the word "Grandparents" makes me think "Great Aunt" is wonderful !!
While I one day hope to have grandchildren I am glad since my boys are still teens, that they get the title first :)
My niece is doing well, healthy and anticipating the August 21st arrival.
She has opted to drop the family moniker she was assigned as a middle name if she has a girl.
Trust me .. I totally get that , but I still have to throw it out there to her. After all some genius talked my Mother into it !!
We are now approaching halfway through the school year.
I am still plugging along with the issues that that always brings, but I do admit to having to let it go for awhile over the holidays. I am slowly climbing back onto that horse.
If you think filing taxes, or watching your 401 K's and IRA's disappear I challenge you to an IEP.
Nuff said about that !
I watched the coverage on the plane that landed in the Hudson River yesterday.
It was nothing short of AMAZING !
I hate flying .. no secret to those that know me, but I am declaring right now for the record that I will not get on another flight unless "Sully" is in the cockpit.
Great now I will have to stalk the man before I can book a flight and my vacations will be limited to where ever he is flying.
With the exception of the Hudson River I'm game !
I will pack water wings JUST in case but at least I have the peace of mind that I will make it.
Kudos to Sully !
I will end today's entry by saying the annoying "Hail to the Chief" song that has been playing on this blog will remain until after January 20th.
Inaguration day is only a few days away so it only seems fitting.
Ohh and to add: Joe The Plumber meet Barack the President.
I know what Marksmom will be wearing that day !!
The last time was when Barack Obama was voted in as our president and in 4 short days he will be our President.
Also the last time I checked out Mamamormons blog it was not working and now I see I have missed tons of posts. Sorry Mama I am now catching up !
So as I sit here on the coldest day of the year so far (and hoping it IS the coldest day of the year all year) waiting out school delays I thought I should make my first post of 2009.
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!
See now I am all caught up :)
The drama still ebbs and flows but overall not as dramatic as some previous years had been.
The biggest news .. I am going to be a "Great Aunt".
Most of you that read this blog already know this but for those that don't that is the big news.
It is amazing how one day you are hunting through Toys R US for a great present for your niece or nephew and it seems like overnight you start thinking about shopping for their babies.
Boom .. just like that it happens. You are a "Great Aunt".
But even better is that your younger brother and his wife are going to be "Grandparents".
Seeing the word "Grandparents" makes me think "Great Aunt" is wonderful !!
While I one day hope to have grandchildren I am glad since my boys are still teens, that they get the title first :)
My niece is doing well, healthy and anticipating the August 21st arrival.
She has opted to drop the family moniker she was assigned as a middle name if she has a girl.
Trust me .. I totally get that , but I still have to throw it out there to her. After all some genius talked my Mother into it !!
We are now approaching halfway through the school year.
I am still plugging along with the issues that that always brings, but I do admit to having to let it go for awhile over the holidays. I am slowly climbing back onto that horse.
If you think filing taxes, or watching your 401 K's and IRA's disappear I challenge you to an IEP.
Nuff said about that !
I watched the coverage on the plane that landed in the Hudson River yesterday.
It was nothing short of AMAZING !
I hate flying .. no secret to those that know me, but I am declaring right now for the record that I will not get on another flight unless "Sully" is in the cockpit.
Great now I will have to stalk the man before I can book a flight and my vacations will be limited to where ever he is flying.
With the exception of the Hudson River I'm game !
I will pack water wings JUST in case but at least I have the peace of mind that I will make it.
Kudos to Sully !
I will end today's entry by saying the annoying "Hail to the Chief" song that has been playing on this blog will remain until after January 20th.
Inaguration day is only a few days away so it only seems fitting.
Ohh and to add: Joe The Plumber meet Barack the President.
I know what Marksmom will be wearing that day !!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
VOTE
OK fellow bloggers we must VOTE this Tuesday.
VOTE because it is a privilege.
VOTE because you really like what your candidate stands for.
VOTE because you can't stand one of them so you pick the other.
VOTE because my webmail is starting to freak out with all the political mail I get now.
VOTE because if you are stuck in a waiting room you can't give the ads the DVR Fast Forward.
VOTE because it is a privilege.
VOTE because you really like what your candidate stands for.
VOTE because you can't stand one of them so you pick the other.
VOTE because my webmail is starting to freak out with all the political mail I get now.
VOTE because if you are stuck in a waiting room you can't give the ads the DVR Fast Forward.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Camping with the Blind ...
Last weekend I participated in a conference for Blind children and their parents to deal with their children transistioning from the high school level into college or the work force.
WOW what a weekend.
The conference took place at a camp for folks with special needs. This camp was originally opened for the Blind but now takes other groups with special needs as well.
Do you remember the camp from the movie "Dirty Dancing" ?
That was the set up.
Cabin and dorm type sleeping arrangements. A large dining hall where everyone met for meals family style. NO TV'S 0_0
Various wooden buildings scattered amongst the grounds .. Activity room, Canteen, large living room with a real woodburning fireplace where you could play board games or cards.
It was a real throwback to the 50's with the exeception of more modern plumbing in most rooms.
I was first assigned a dorm style room which has 6 hospital type beds in it with 1 bathroom.
My supervisor and I were both assigned to this room with 4 other women from other parts of the state we had never met before.
WOW what a weekend.
The conference took place at a camp for folks with special needs. This camp was originally opened for the Blind but now takes other groups with special needs as well.
Do you remember the camp from the movie "Dirty Dancing" ?
That was the set up.
Cabin and dorm type sleeping arrangements. A large dining hall where everyone met for meals family style. NO TV'S 0_0
Various wooden buildings scattered amongst the grounds .. Activity room, Canteen, large living room with a real woodburning fireplace where you could play board games or cards.
It was a real throwback to the 50's with the exeception of more modern plumbing in most rooms.
I was first assigned a dorm style room which has 6 hospital type beds in it with 1 bathroom.
My supervisor and I were both assigned to this room with 4 other women from other parts of the state we had never met before.
I am not that much of a "sharer".
For one I know I sleep really lousy when I am in a strange room/place. I will talk in my sleep and roll around all night and while I don't mind annoying my boss doing that I didn't want to get voted out of the dorm by all the other women that were in there.
So we asked (begged) the guy running the program to switch us to a 2 person room. We were on it early and quick and were able to snag one.
That room wasn't bad .. I did have my husbands XM boom box along with me so I was able to listen to music and the presidential debate when I had the antenna turned JUST right to catch a signal in the mountains. It reminded me of walking around the living room when I was a kid with the Rabbit ears to grab a good signal while watching TV.
YES I am old enough to remember that.
The kids at the camp were awesome and inspiring. I hope I can participate again next year !
Friday, August 29, 2008
Out of Pocket vs. Deductible .. HUH ???
Today was the day ... YES I will do it today.
I will take a morning off from work to call the Insurance companies and the Doctors billing office to find out just what these bills mean.
Would someone just tell me in PLAIN english who I owe what and to whom I may owe it.
After compiling the statements for testing done on son #1 and an xray that I had done (referencing toe vs. ottoman in earlier blog post) plus #1 sons ER visit I am literally swamped with pages of bills and "Explanation of Benefits" statements.
Where to begin to make sense of it all.
I call the one that seems the most alarming first. The Emergency room bill.
This came as the Explanation of Benefits statement that declares #1 son is not a member of their health care plan therefore we get to eat that little visit.
0_0
Woahhh back up the bus, how could he be the only member of the family that we decided not to insure ?!?!?
Ehhhh kid you are 17 you take care of it now, we are tired of carrying you ! (insert sarcasm here)
I call the BC/BS people that sent me this explanation.
Apparantly the hospital opted to bill my husbands former employers health insurance instead of his current one.
Oh heck it's only been 2 1/2 years since he has worked for them .. I just can't understand why they wouldn't foot the bill this one time !!
Sooo this morning I call the hospital billing to fix that mess.
I talk with Cathy and explain to her what has happened. I also informed her that the new insurance card was given to the ER when I took my son in and they scanned it so I am not sure how they could have billed the former insurance company.
After some clicking away on her computer she SIGHS loudly.
"Yes indeed you did give them the new card .. I can see it was scanned and entered.
I have no idea why they billed the former company, sometimes I don't know what they are doing over there but I will let you know that I have taken care of it now. Please disregard the 1100 dollar bill that will probably show up in your mailbox today"
Ty Cathy. 0_0
Onto the Doctors group billing and our now current Health Insurance plan.
Apparantly we have these Deductibles and Out of Pocket expenses.
They are listed separately and they show different amounts per person and per family.
One says we have met the family deductible while another line says we have not yet met the individual deductible for #1 son, but yet we still have thousands to go to meet the out of pocket expenses per individual and per family .. confused yet ???
So was I.
I call the insurance company and talked with a woman and requested that she go very slowly .. baby steps .. and walk me through this nightmare.
After repeating back to her several times what she said to me for clarity sake .. I think I get it now.
It is not as bad as I originally thought it was going to be, but we still owe a hefty chunk in deductibles. We took the most expensive health plan through my husbands job .. you know the one that touts the best coverage for a higher employee copay .. but even the best coverage doesn't come without your share of the bill anymore.
Onto the Doctors billing office and we realize there are still some charges that have not been billed yet because they haven't heard back from our insurance company.
Rest assured they will come , but at least now I THINK I am prepared for them.
So just when I get #1 son's billing straight in my head .. the husband goes in for testing of his own this week.
Ahh but this time I am armed with information.. ready to take it on full throttle.
I think !!!!!!
I will take a morning off from work to call the Insurance companies and the Doctors billing office to find out just what these bills mean.
Would someone just tell me in PLAIN english who I owe what and to whom I may owe it.
After compiling the statements for testing done on son #1 and an xray that I had done (referencing toe vs. ottoman in earlier blog post) plus #1 sons ER visit I am literally swamped with pages of bills and "Explanation of Benefits" statements.
Where to begin to make sense of it all.
I call the one that seems the most alarming first. The Emergency room bill.
This came as the Explanation of Benefits statement that declares #1 son is not a member of their health care plan therefore we get to eat that little visit.
0_0
Woahhh back up the bus, how could he be the only member of the family that we decided not to insure ?!?!?
Ehhhh kid you are 17 you take care of it now, we are tired of carrying you ! (insert sarcasm here)
I call the BC/BS people that sent me this explanation.
Apparantly the hospital opted to bill my husbands former employers health insurance instead of his current one.
Oh heck it's only been 2 1/2 years since he has worked for them .. I just can't understand why they wouldn't foot the bill this one time !!
Sooo this morning I call the hospital billing to fix that mess.
I talk with Cathy and explain to her what has happened. I also informed her that the new insurance card was given to the ER when I took my son in and they scanned it so I am not sure how they could have billed the former insurance company.
After some clicking away on her computer she SIGHS loudly.
"Yes indeed you did give them the new card .. I can see it was scanned and entered.
I have no idea why they billed the former company, sometimes I don't know what they are doing over there but I will let you know that I have taken care of it now. Please disregard the 1100 dollar bill that will probably show up in your mailbox today"
Ty Cathy. 0_0
Onto the Doctors group billing and our now current Health Insurance plan.
Apparantly we have these Deductibles and Out of Pocket expenses.
They are listed separately and they show different amounts per person and per family.
One says we have met the family deductible while another line says we have not yet met the individual deductible for #1 son, but yet we still have thousands to go to meet the out of pocket expenses per individual and per family .. confused yet ???
So was I.
I call the insurance company and talked with a woman and requested that she go very slowly .. baby steps .. and walk me through this nightmare.
After repeating back to her several times what she said to me for clarity sake .. I think I get it now.
It is not as bad as I originally thought it was going to be, but we still owe a hefty chunk in deductibles. We took the most expensive health plan through my husbands job .. you know the one that touts the best coverage for a higher employee copay .. but even the best coverage doesn't come without your share of the bill anymore.
Onto the Doctors billing office and we realize there are still some charges that have not been billed yet because they haven't heard back from our insurance company.
Rest assured they will come , but at least now I THINK I am prepared for them.
So just when I get #1 son's billing straight in my head .. the husband goes in for testing of his own this week.
Ahh but this time I am armed with information.. ready to take it on full throttle.
I think !!!!!!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
School and Fall are in the air ....
8:12 am and all is quiet in my house.
It's a tad bit cooler outside this morning so this must mean the unoffical start of Fall and .....
They are GONE !!
All the males in my house have departed for work or school and I have found peace at 8 am in the morning.
Most parents do the happy dance for a few days after school starts.
While the peace is nice it comes with a price.
HOMEWORK ... ughhhhhh.
The kids think they hate homework ???
Although I can't express it to them I do believe I hate it more.
For the next 6 hours I will not think about that but rather enjoy the fact that I can get to work on time without having to juggle who's watching who and what to make for lunch.
Happy Fall/School everyone !!
It's a tad bit cooler outside this morning so this must mean the unoffical start of Fall and .....
They are GONE !!
All the males in my house have departed for work or school and I have found peace at 8 am in the morning.
Most parents do the happy dance for a few days after school starts.
While the peace is nice it comes with a price.
HOMEWORK ... ughhhhhh.
The kids think they hate homework ???
Although I can't express it to them I do believe I hate it more.
For the next 6 hours I will not think about that but rather enjoy the fact that I can get to work on time without having to juggle who's watching who and what to make for lunch.
Happy Fall/School everyone !!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Happy Birthday #1 Son !
Today my oldest son is 17 !!
I think he was hoping to see a car with a ribbon around it sitting in the driveway. Ummm NOT !
Yikes it's going fast, he will be a junior this year .. working on getting his license ( I will admit to slowing that process down as much as possible) and looking for a part time job to help fufill his dream of a car and to pay for his insurance.
Am I a mean Mom by requiring those two things ?
So many of the kids he goes to school with are not required to pay for their privilage to drive.
I on the other hand think it's important for them to do so, he on the other hand probably thinks those other parents are wayyyyyyy cooler than I am.
Chin up kid , it will all be worth it in the end :) (at least that's what my father told me)
In the meantime we have purchased him a ticket for a bus trip on August 31st to go with friends (along with us, his parents, but minus little bro) to one of the last NY Yankees games at their current stadium.
They are building a new one ?? Obviously I am clueless when it comes to sports drama.
He is a huge Yankees fan and he is really looking forward to going.
Happy Birthday to my #1 Son !
I think he was hoping to see a car with a ribbon around it sitting in the driveway. Ummm NOT !
Yikes it's going fast, he will be a junior this year .. working on getting his license ( I will admit to slowing that process down as much as possible) and looking for a part time job to help fufill his dream of a car and to pay for his insurance.
Am I a mean Mom by requiring those two things ?
So many of the kids he goes to school with are not required to pay for their privilage to drive.
I on the other hand think it's important for them to do so, he on the other hand probably thinks those other parents are wayyyyyyy cooler than I am.
Chin up kid , it will all be worth it in the end :) (at least that's what my father told me)
In the meantime we have purchased him a ticket for a bus trip on August 31st to go with friends (along with us, his parents, but minus little bro) to one of the last NY Yankees games at their current stadium.
They are building a new one ?? Obviously I am clueless when it comes to sports drama.
He is a huge Yankees fan and he is really looking forward to going.
Happy Birthday to my #1 Son !
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Vacay 2008 !
Check out the video from our family vacation.
Pause my song player before you start because this one comes loaded with a tune of its own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJSk5Amdaq8
Pause my song player before you start because this one comes loaded with a tune of its own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJSk5Amdaq8
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Teens and Up ....
Tomorrow my "baby" turns 13.
Our home now consists of folks all over the age for kids meals in restaurants and discounts at the movies. :(
It also means I have 2 boys that are teens at the same time, lets bow our heads shall we ??
Happy Birthday Nick !
Our home now consists of folks all over the age for kids meals in restaurants and discounts at the movies. :(
It also means I have 2 boys that are teens at the same time, lets bow our heads shall we ??
Happy Birthday Nick !
Saturday, July 12, 2008
"The appeal of the Appellant is Sustained"
THUD !
When I first opened the letter and saw the "Order" by the Administrative law judge I couldn't help but think to myself ..
This is a good thing right ?!?!?
I had to go over it in my head.
Sustained .. good
Overruled .. bad
Flashing back to my days of watching Perry Mason in the 60's this must mean since I was the appellant ....
"I won" ! (Perry would be proud)
My gut tells me I will be appealing again in the near future but for now we celebrate that we can start off another school year with the right supports in place.
Someone pass me a Miller Lite and the Doritos !!
When I first opened the letter and saw the "Order" by the Administrative law judge I couldn't help but think to myself ..
This is a good thing right ?!?!?
I had to go over it in my head.
Sustained .. good
Overruled .. bad
Flashing back to my days of watching Perry Mason in the 60's this must mean since I was the appellant ....
"I won" ! (Perry would be proud)
My gut tells me I will be appealing again in the near future but for now we celebrate that we can start off another school year with the right supports in place.
Someone pass me a Miller Lite and the Doritos !!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
.7
.7
Not exactly a number that knocks your socks off huh ?
It's a little number .5 short of a whole inch.
BUT .. if you only 4' 5" tall at the age of ALMOST 13 and you suddenly jump to 4' 5.7" its HUGE !
It was his first follow up since starting the twice daily injections of Increlex and I was praying that he would see some success for all he has tolerated so well.
When the nurse first measured him today I wasn't sure if .7 was a good thing.
I must admit I wasn't overly impressed .. MAN I was hoping for at least one whole inch. I knew a whole inch would really rock his world :)
Once again he fools me. He was over the moon at seeing he had grown .7
The Doctor too was very pleased as well.
She calculated that if the growth continues at this rate he could hit that 3-4 inchs of growth at the one year mark that has been touted as possible.
So today was a good day for the little man.
It sure will make the daily injections easier to live with now, and that my friends is a good thing !
Not exactly a number that knocks your socks off huh ?
It's a little number .5 short of a whole inch.
BUT .. if you only 4' 5" tall at the age of ALMOST 13 and you suddenly jump to 4' 5.7" its HUGE !
It was his first follow up since starting the twice daily injections of Increlex and I was praying that he would see some success for all he has tolerated so well.
When the nurse first measured him today I wasn't sure if .7 was a good thing.
I must admit I wasn't overly impressed .. MAN I was hoping for at least one whole inch. I knew a whole inch would really rock his world :)
Once again he fools me. He was over the moon at seeing he had grown .7
The Doctor too was very pleased as well.
She calculated that if the growth continues at this rate he could hit that 3-4 inchs of growth at the one year mark that has been touted as possible.
So today was a good day for the little man.
It sure will make the daily injections easier to live with now, and that my friends is a good thing !
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Finding the right mix ....
This is Nicks first summer "home".
Since he was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 he has been "schooled" in one way or the other year round.
We have done Autism pre-school programs ... in house therapy ... speech therapy ... summer day camps etc.
Once he started public school he would generally have one week off and then right back into a summer program of some sort.
This year we have scaled back to just 15 hrs a week of Mr. John coming to work with him on community type activities to help build social skills, other than that the boy is home.
He LOVES it .. he truly enjoys not having the rules of a summer program.
He will be 13 in less than a month and he figured out a few years ago that most day camp programs stop at the age of 13. Even though I technically could have gotten one more summer of camp for him , since the end of last summer he had convinced himself he was done. I just couldn't do it to him.
When a child with Autism can say .. "Well how come I always have to go and no one else does ? I just want to stay home like everyone else !" it makes you rethink the situation and realize that you have to acknowledge that is a "normal, typical" thing to ask and say. It's a good thing right ?
There are positives for me too. I so far haven't missed having to drag him out of bed in his really grumpy morning state to head to a still chilly camp in the mountains in the early morning.
He is very pleased to be able to stay up later and sleep in longer in the mornings , that too is a typical teen.
BUT ..... I have discovered in a short time that even with his proclaimed need for independence and being "like everyone else" he still has Autism. Autism and a puberty, need I say more ?
Nick still needs rules and routine.
Without them he starts to take forget that no means no .. that just because you don't HAVE to get up early doesn't really mean you can stay up til WHENEVER you want and do WHATEVER you want too.
His attitude changed within the last week. Mouthy and harder to reign in when I need him too.
If I heard "HOLD ON" one more time when I called the child I was gonna scream.
Week 2 of "freedom" became a tad to0 much for the child.
So the hammer came down yesterday.
Shut off timers had to be set on the Xbox. The computer had to be password protected again so he couldn't sneak on when the mood struck him.
Bedtimes had to be set and enforced once again and I will be "waking" him up today so that he doesn't sleep half the day away making it really tough to get him to bed at night.
This made for one unpleasent child yesterday.
Nick quote:
"Why do you have to ruin my life ? "
Because my child at the present time .. that is my job.
Geeze maybe he really is just a "typical teen" !
Since he was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 he has been "schooled" in one way or the other year round.
We have done Autism pre-school programs ... in house therapy ... speech therapy ... summer day camps etc.
Once he started public school he would generally have one week off and then right back into a summer program of some sort.
This year we have scaled back to just 15 hrs a week of Mr. John coming to work with him on community type activities to help build social skills, other than that the boy is home.
He LOVES it .. he truly enjoys not having the rules of a summer program.
He will be 13 in less than a month and he figured out a few years ago that most day camp programs stop at the age of 13. Even though I technically could have gotten one more summer of camp for him , since the end of last summer he had convinced himself he was done. I just couldn't do it to him.
When a child with Autism can say .. "Well how come I always have to go and no one else does ? I just want to stay home like everyone else !" it makes you rethink the situation and realize that you have to acknowledge that is a "normal, typical" thing to ask and say. It's a good thing right ?
There are positives for me too. I so far haven't missed having to drag him out of bed in his really grumpy morning state to head to a still chilly camp in the mountains in the early morning.
He is very pleased to be able to stay up later and sleep in longer in the mornings , that too is a typical teen.
BUT ..... I have discovered in a short time that even with his proclaimed need for independence and being "like everyone else" he still has Autism. Autism and a puberty, need I say more ?
Nick still needs rules and routine.
Without them he starts to take forget that no means no .. that just because you don't HAVE to get up early doesn't really mean you can stay up til WHENEVER you want and do WHATEVER you want too.
His attitude changed within the last week. Mouthy and harder to reign in when I need him too.
If I heard "HOLD ON" one more time when I called the child I was gonna scream.
Week 2 of "freedom" became a tad to0 much for the child.
So the hammer came down yesterday.
Shut off timers had to be set on the Xbox. The computer had to be password protected again so he couldn't sneak on when the mood struck him.
Bedtimes had to be set and enforced once again and I will be "waking" him up today so that he doesn't sleep half the day away making it really tough to get him to bed at night.
This made for one unpleasent child yesterday.
Nick quote:
"Why do you have to ruin my life ? "
Because my child at the present time .. that is my job.
Geeze maybe he really is just a "typical teen" !
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Squeaky Wheel ?? Does it really get the grease ?
We are preparing for our second battle with the state to provide services to our son which will take place next week.
This is proving to be much more the bureaucratic nightmare than at times I have the stamina for, I have come VERY close 2 times in the last week to throwing in the towel.
I spent a few days this week navigating the system for just one answer ... Who is the boss of the Doctor who is making these descisions?
Should be simple right ??
Life has taught me that EVERYONE has to answer to SOMEONE .
This has proven to be one of my harder missions yet.
Over the years I have been able to locate people in places I wish I hadn't found them, but because of my need to get to the bottom of something I have started, I succeeded.
For this mission though .. I started with my state senators office.
Even they didn't know who the boss was but they agreed to try to find out for me.
I placed some more phone calls directly to the capital office. That was interesting to say they least because they too didn't know who the boss was.
Eventually I stirred enough pots that I started getting phone calls back from people I hadn't even called in the first place.
The return phone calls often resulted in .. "Oh thats not our division" but thankfully I had one man that offered to check it out and get back to me with the info I was looking for.
Get this folks .. HE DID !
So now I had the boss lady's number and all I had to do was make the call.
I sat on the number for a few hours trying to decide if I could go through the story ONE more TIME.
After a few cans of Coke to rev me up for the call I dialed the number.
She picks up first ring ... THUD !
I had to regain my composure quickly.
I then went through my concerns and requested that another Doctor review his case.
Ultimately I would have liked to have asked that the former Doc be removed all together. I wanted to also ask how I can file a complaint so that she will never be able to access my sons records again .. but I had to keep reminding myself that that may make me look like the "crazy indenial parent" that I know the first Doc has painted me to be.
The boss lady agreed to try to get another Doc to review the records before next weeks hearing.
I am not sure if I will be told the results of that review or if the status of the hearing will change because of it.
Will Doc number 1 be removed from the case ? No clue.
Will Doc number 2 agree with Doc number 1 ? I guess thats a possibility, the state is looking to cut across the board , but it was a chance I had to take.
What if Doc number 2 doesn't agree with Doc number 1 .. then will it all be dropped ?
I have been tested this week.
Keeping myself together , remaining calm yet firm on the phone through the jungle of redirected calls, is not one of my best qualities.
I'm am waiting the outcome of this week .... SIGH .
PATIENCE, Breathe in 123, Breathe out 123.
This is proving to be much more the bureaucratic nightmare than at times I have the stamina for, I have come VERY close 2 times in the last week to throwing in the towel.
I spent a few days this week navigating the system for just one answer ... Who is the boss of the Doctor who is making these descisions?
Should be simple right ??
Life has taught me that EVERYONE has to answer to SOMEONE .
This has proven to be one of my harder missions yet.
Over the years I have been able to locate people in places I wish I hadn't found them, but because of my need to get to the bottom of something I have started, I succeeded.
For this mission though .. I started with my state senators office.
Even they didn't know who the boss was but they agreed to try to find out for me.
I placed some more phone calls directly to the capital office. That was interesting to say they least because they too didn't know who the boss was.
Eventually I stirred enough pots that I started getting phone calls back from people I hadn't even called in the first place.
The return phone calls often resulted in .. "Oh thats not our division" but thankfully I had one man that offered to check it out and get back to me with the info I was looking for.
Get this folks .. HE DID !
So now I had the boss lady's number and all I had to do was make the call.
I sat on the number for a few hours trying to decide if I could go through the story ONE more TIME.
After a few cans of Coke to rev me up for the call I dialed the number.
She picks up first ring ... THUD !
I had to regain my composure quickly.
I then went through my concerns and requested that another Doctor review his case.
Ultimately I would have liked to have asked that the former Doc be removed all together. I wanted to also ask how I can file a complaint so that she will never be able to access my sons records again .. but I had to keep reminding myself that that may make me look like the "crazy indenial parent" that I know the first Doc has painted me to be.
The boss lady agreed to try to get another Doc to review the records before next weeks hearing.
I am not sure if I will be told the results of that review or if the status of the hearing will change because of it.
Will Doc number 1 be removed from the case ? No clue.
Will Doc number 2 agree with Doc number 1 ? I guess thats a possibility, the state is looking to cut across the board , but it was a chance I had to take.
What if Doc number 2 doesn't agree with Doc number 1 .. then will it all be dropped ?
I have been tested this week.
Keeping myself together , remaining calm yet firm on the phone through the jungle of redirected calls, is not one of my best qualities.
I'm am waiting the outcome of this week .... SIGH .
PATIENCE, Breathe in 123, Breathe out 123.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Knoebels .. Staycation Fun !!
Knoebels
Amusement
Park
Elysburg, PA
(Ka-no-bulls)
This is one of our favorite Staycation things to do.
Knoebels is a family run amusement park about 1 hr from our home set literally surrounded by mountains on all sides.
It's a beautiful family park with rides for all age groups to keep everyone happy.
The best part is that it is still a parking free ... admission free park.
This means all of us parents and the grandparents don't have to pay to watch the kiddos enjoy their day. They even had a family style restaurant in addition to the regular amusement park fare.
You can even bring the family dog if you want too !
It's very clean .. very friendly and a heck of alot cooler due to the trees that are in the park rather than acres of blacktop that most amusement parks are parked upon.
We have already spent one day there this year and are going again next Friday.
If you are in the area, for a change of pace ... skip Hershey Park and Dorney Park and give Knoebels a try !
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Priceless ...
5 hr ride at 4 bucks a gallon
Breaking a toe on your foot by defying gravity with heavy objects
Hotels that TAKE reservations but just can't HOLD the reservation
Spending quality time with your teenage son and nephew ......
Priceless
Breaking a toe on your foot by defying gravity with heavy objects
Hotels that TAKE reservations but just can't HOLD the reservation
Spending quality time with your teenage son and nephew ......
Priceless
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