Baby J #4 - The final installment

Who is glad to be nauseated? I am. Every day that I have been sick has been a day that I know everything is alright with June Bug. But, I am excited for it to be over. :) 

Fuzzy Math

It's the most wonderful time of the year--for credit card companies. Didn't get a statement from Kohl's, therefore I forgot to pay off my recent charge of $34. It consequently had a $8.55 late fee tacked on. I called to ask for the late fee to be removed and to pay my $34 bill in full. Because I have a great payment history, they were more than happy to take off the fee as long as I agreed to pay the bill in full over the phone right now. Sure, no problem. Then, the service rep says that there will be a $10 processing fee for me to be able to pay the bill over the phone. What?! They just took off $8.55 in late fees only to add on $10 in processing fees because I HAVE to pay over the phone right now?!! I calmly explained a little math to him and asked how this equation could possibly benefit me. He was quiet for a minute, then said, "You're absolutely right, ma'am. That doesn't make any sense at all. I'm not supposed to do this, but I'm gonna dismiss the late fee and the processing fee and just charge what you owe--$34." Thank you! Happy holidays to everyone, and remember to spend wisely and pay off your credit purchases pronto! :)

Tree up

No judging. Just see the cuteness with me. We put up our Christmas tree tonight since we won't be here all week, and it was convenient. Afterward, the kids all curled up under the tree and just stared at it. Love it! I remember doing that as a kid and wanting to be as close to the tree as possible in the evenings when the lights were on. Putting up the tree and decorating the house is one of the best parts of Christmas. What I really love is that nearly all of our ornaments and decorations are handmade by us or the kids, so even though the tree looks a little hokey, the kids love it all and they all have some special meaning. This is how we decorated our tree growing up. Except we always had a real tree. We had one last year, but opted to put up our fake one this year since we'll be gone for the week of Christmas. I'm planning on making a real wreath, though, so that I can still get that awesome smell. I got the kids some Christmas CDs just for them--Chipmunks, Muppets, The Grinch. Trying to re-create those same sentiments and feelings I had as a kid for them. So many little things just fill me up with the Christmas spirit and remind me of my childhood. My mom and dad really made that magic happen for us. We have all our Christmas books out, and I'll start putting the movies out after we get back from Thanksgiving.

family pics!!

We only got a few shots. With these rugrats, it's lucky we got any at all.

Faith

Financial decisions for next year are made. Holding breath, moving forward. Feeling pretty good that things are gonna start looking up--they already are a bit. I was grateful for many of the talks at General Conference. I think I got all my crying and overwhelm out during the Relief Society broadcast, so I was super humbled to feel the spirit of GC. Incredible announcement about the missionary program. Wish it was 19 ten years ago. I'm pretty sure I would have gone. Glad my young women have more options after high school, though. I think this will help keep our youth more focused. Had some wonderful spiritual experiences the past month or so. Many answers to prayers. I've had some really eye-opening and confirming experiences that faith, patience, and especially hope are very important. Take comfort in the scriptures and attend the temple often. Follow the prophet. Peace is awesome.

What do you think?

Which whole family health insurance would you choose? Our premiums are before-tax deductions, so saving money is good, but it will then become taxable income. Currently we are with Kaiser.

Deseret Premium: $710/month 90%/10%, small copays, pretty good coverage
Kasier: $501/month (this is going up by $16 from last year) small copays and nearly everything else is covered 100%)
Deseret Value: $80/month 70%/30%, small copays, decent coverage

We can also get a Flex Spending Account with pre-tax dollars to help with copays and prescriptions. We could be saving more than $400 per month in insurance premiums just by lowering our coverage a little. However, I was glad we had such great coverage this last year since I was in the hospital so much and had surgery. But I think we have it under control now. Even if we ended up spending a lot on medical stuff, we would still be okay since the out of pocket maximum is $4000 and we would save $4800 (from not being with Kaiser) during the year with Deseret Value. I am really leaning toward DV so we can have a little extra money in our pockets to pay down Jeremy's student loans. It will only be for a year. We can re-enroll in Kaiser at the end of next year if we feel like we didn't have enough coverage.  Oy, I hate having to make adult decisions.

WARNING: Not for the weak of stomach

Today we had a special fast for our former Stake President who is in the hospital after suffering a major heart attack. We began last night at 7 pm with a group prayer. Many people were there from the stake to pray for him and his family. I have not really fasted since my gallbladder surgery. I would skip breakfast, but that was it. Well, I decided last night that I was going to really try to do a full fast again. I ate dinner at 6:15, went to the prayer at 7, allowed myself to have a sip of water here and there. I was doing really well. I didn't feel hungry. I got no stomach pains. I was a little tired, but I'm always tired, so that wasn't too bad. I thought it was going great. We got home from church at about 12:30 today. I didn't have lunch, but about 1:30, I decided I better eat something since I was planning on going to choir at 3:45 and didn't want to pass out. So I had a little leftover spaghetti, half a banana, and a granola bar. Bad move. Since I have no gallbladder storing bile for digestion when I eat, it just constantly drains into my system. Imagine having stomach acid and bile accumulating in your middle for nearly 20 hours and then finally hitting it with some food. Yeah, I'm glad I didn't just eat right before choir. That could have been a disaster. So, I guess I'm gonna have to figure out a way to modify my fast or just go back to skipping one meal (but even that can have unpleasant results). Despite all this, I am really glad I fasted. I had some perspective and inspiration that helped me better understand some inspiration I had at the temple the other day. God certainly does work in mysterious ways. :)