I decided to snap pictures of all of the kids and here is Nicky looking thoughtful.  He smiled for the following photo, but this one is more true to his personality.

And, the morning was topped off with admiration of Noelle’s outfit.

At school she and her classmates make books every week.  The teacher provides the start of a sentence and gives each child a blank sheet with a big area for a picture and a line below.  The children cut out the start of the sentence and paste it onto the line and then write down the words they would use to complete the sentence.  Then they draw a picture of their sentence in the big box.  Then the teacher takes all the sheets and binds them into a book and the book comes home with each child for one night and is returned the next day (though, we did misplace a book one night and it went back about a week late).

Tonight Noelle brought home the, I like my _______., book.

Her classmates made sentences such as:

• I like my world.
• I like my friends.
• I like my baby brother.
• I like my cat Alyssa.
• I like my house.
• I like my teachers.
• I like my teddy bears.
• I like my baby blanket.
• I like my Mom.
• I like my puppy.
• I like my Daddy.
• I like my baby sister.
• I like my birthday.

Noelle’s sentence is: I like my jewelry.

I suppose we now know what Santa should bring for Christmas.

The Lie We Love

Suffice it to say that, as with much in life, nothing is clear cut … there is nothing that is starkly white and black.

My essay probably will be forthcoming, someday when I’m not writing so much at work (I’ve only got so many words in me on any given day), but think hard about your reasons for adoption (it is *so* not charity) and from where you adopt.

The title of the post is an actual statement Carlo made to me on Friday, “I no like that doctor.”

It was a good, if busy weekend.  We had gymnastics yesterday morning and then I spent much of the rest of the day cooking (chiken tikka masala, fried rice, whole wheat bread, white rice, cookies, and banana muffins — I’ve decided we spend too much money on bad snacks, hence the cookies and muffins), cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry.  Our friends Mark, Angie and John joined us for dinner at the Chinese buffet last night.

A complete aside — the Iron Chef has Lou Diamond Phillips as a judge tonight for the Thanksgiving episode!

Today we putzed around in the morning … more dishes and laundry.  I made the kids the big Sunday breakfast they’ve learned to enjoy.  Waffles for Carlo and Noelle (and enough extra for Carlo to have a waffle every day for breakfast this coming week).  Nicky choose  fried rice.   And everyone enjoyed the bacon.  Some more playing and putzing and cleaning, and then it was a quick lunch before meeting Kathy and the kids at Madagascar 2.  We had a good time at the movie and then went to the local FCC gymnastics event.  Then we were all hungry and went to the pizza place for dinner.  Finally home for tubbies, showers, books, kisses and bed.  Carlo may have been asleep just before his head hit the pillow (no nap ).

What’s the sign of a busy weekend?? The kids have to go to bed on Sunday night in their sleeping bags because I stripped the beds and never got back to making them before it was 8:30 and past bedtime on a school night.

Noelle

Carlo

BTW — I’m still working an that silly insurance issue (if its OK to characterize $2000 as a silly issue).   I’m not sure I have it in me today to call the next person I’m supposed to call.  I’m guessing no harm will come if I wait until I’m in a better frame of mind later this week.

Have you voted yet????

Oh, it was good, wasn’t it?

I might have to delete off those two seasons of Battlestar Galactica that have been waiting for me to get to them for months to make room for it.  I can go buy those two seasons on DVD in the future, when the mood actually hits me.  I could use with some comedy that makes me smile — worth making for!
Just too good.

I emailed the coordinator in Nicky’s orthopedist’s office to see if she had contact information for the neural monitoring fellow.  She responded and said not to worry.  She’d follow-up with them and have them properly resubmit and I wouldn’t ever get a bill, because they only accept insurance.  She essentially took it off my plate (not completely, because I still have to get the check back to Empire — but that’s way easier than the other).

So, there is the system working!!

Now, I still think that the overall system is wonky, but at least this little portion of it is going to help me out.

Nothing like getting a check for $760.60 and an EOB that says you’ll owe the provider $2208.37.  I suppose it could be much worse, given the $$$ CHOP actually bills for Nicky’s surgeries.  This is for the neural monitoring, I think.  For some reason, CHOP seems to bringing in people outside its networks to do the monitoring (I’m still working through the February one, too — that one is exceptionally frustrating because Empire actually is willing to pay the bill, but the monitoring folks can’t seem to get it together).   The CHOP bills all work fine, they have an army of people in a room somewhere who know what they are doing and whose sole job is to get the hospital and its numerous associations (because Lord knows we wouldn’t want to simplify things by charging from just one group) their money, but these people outside the CHOP network are a nightmare when I come in with the NY based insurance.

I’ve confirmed with Empire that they billed Empire directly, and I’m guessing/hoping that the problem is that they need to bill through the PA BC/BS.  We shall see.  Right now I’m trying to find someone who has a telephone number for this group, as all Empire got was an address.  Phhlttttt.

The worst thing about seeing the EOBs is being exposed to the freaking huge differential between what CHOP and company charge and what the insurance companies cover.  Every time I look at it and think, its just so wrong.  So very wrong.  CHOP (and every other medical professional, don’t want to pick on them) will accept much lower rates from the big insurance companies, but the people who don’t have insurance get the whopping huge bill.  Huh!!!  How, in any way, shape, or form is that acceptable.