I saved how much?!

My last prescription was ready at Walgreens yesterday, so we all jumped in the car to pick it up.  I would have walked, but it was super hot and humid outside.  If I attempted to leave, Kyle would have wanted to go with me and walking with him slows me down, which means more sweat and more time in the hot sun! 

I only had to pay $3 for my prescription since we have Medicaid.  When I opened my wallet, I saw that I only had $2 and then I checked the other slot in my wallet and saw that I had $5, otherwise, I would have had to use my bank card for a $3 purchase.  As I was walking away from the counter, I looked at the paperwork that was stapled to my bag and it said, "With your insurance, you saved $188.99."  I was shocked at how much this medication costs!  All I could think was, "thank goodness for Medicaid."  If I didn't have Medicaid, I would have looked for an alternative herbal remedy. 

When I got back to the car, I told Shannon how much I "saved" and all he could say was "holy sh*t" or something to that effect. 

When we returned home, I took a pill and I took another pill this morning.  I don't think it has started working yet because there haven't been any changes.  I hope this does start to work soon!

Sick, Allergies, Asthma

Kyle was sick for a few days last week.  He started showing symptoms of being sick on Thursday of last week.  He was sneezing throughout the day on Thursday and then his nose was running and stuffed up.  He also started coughing!  He was sick for at least 2-4 days.  On his second day, I started showing the same symptoms he had.  Ever since then, I have had my allergies and asthma flare up!  I have no idea why my allergies are going crazy, I know it's not because of my MIL's cat (I am taking homeopathic medicine).  It's been hard for me to breathe for the last few days.  I have to struggle to breathe, it feels like only one of my lungs is working or someone is squeezing both of my lungs and both are working at half capacity.  I was using my store bought inhaler but I know it doesn't work as well as the prescription.  Since my nose isn't as stuffed, I am able to use peppermint oil, I use it as aromatherapy and it can help, but it takes time.  My asthma does come back if I do any kind of activity, such as walking up and down the stairs or even down the street (to Kyle's bus stop).  I ordered my homeopathic medicine for my asthma.  I hope that will start to regulate my asthma again. 

Kyle was supposed to have therapy tomorrow but Shannon isn't feeling well.  Hopefully we can make it for next week.  In the meantime, Kyle is enjoying school.  All I can say is that I enjoy the quiet time when he's at school!

I recently started watching All My Children, the soap opera!  I used to watch AMC when I was in junior high and then stopped until just recently!  There are only a few actors that I remember from back then!  In the past, I watched Passions (NBC) but was canceled.  I am still learning who is related to who, relationships, etc. 

My in-laws recently downsized on their cable package and now we have much less channels to watch.  It's a huge difference and will have to watch some of my shows online.  They had to downsize because they are having a hard time making ends meet.  I am having a hard time believing that considering my MIL has gone to the grocery store/food shopping 4 times in 8 days and 3 times in 7 days.  She also goes out shopping a few times a week with a nearby neighbor.  I guess that's their way of cutting down on their bills.  

We are still making our own laundry detergent!  It saves us money and it's so easy to do.  It only takes 3 ingredients and it works pretty well.  Plus I have noticed that our clothes haven't faded in color.  We are out of one of the ingredients and just ordered more online since they don't sell it in any of our stores. 

Carpet Cleaning Friday

While Kyle was at school today, I shampoo'd the carpets -- the carpets we walk on everyday! They really needed to be cleaned, there were various stains and it started to smell. I haven't had any carpet cleaning solution since I bought my carpet cleaning vacuum (it came with a sample size), so instead, I use some Shaklee product that is super concentrated all purpose cleaner. The carpets look so much better and our rooms smell better!

I happened to find a "rug & carpet shampoo" product that is earth friendly and safe to use around pets and children. I am excited to try it, as the reviews are very positive. There are still some stains and hope to get them out with this product. I miss using my carpet cleaning vacuum, it was fun shampooing the carpets! I plan on shampooing the carpets on a regular basis now. I like having clean carpets to walk on.



I also needed more homeopathic medicine for my allergy to cats! I am running low and don't want to risk running out.

I am job searching daily for Shannon. I am only focusing on finding State, City, and County jobs. I have applied for several so far. I check several times a day and search at least 4 or 5 surrounding cities and counties in addition to the State website. Every once in awhile, I will apply for other positions that are not State, City, or County jobs. Hopefully we'll get a call back soon.

I am looking forward to Kyle's doctor appointment next Thursday! Hopefully the doctor can direct us on what we should do and give us a few referrals to other specialists.

Crazy Bedtimes

Every evening, Kyle seems to fall asleep at different times. It's a little difficult for us to forecast our evenings, since that is our only "free time." Shannon usually does his school work, that way he can concentrate without having to worry about Kyle.

I thought about using homeopathic remedies for Kyle to help calm him down at night because he doesn't seem sleepy at all in the evenings. I did a search yesterday and found Night Night Balm! I can't wait to try it on Kyle, I really hope it works!

I chose to use a balm, instead of liquid herbs because I can't guarantee Kyle will actually take liquid drops. Balm seemed to be the most convenient choice for a 3 year old!

Roasting Hot

The weather feels really hot today! I feel like I am roasting when I am outside. We've been limiting Kyle's time outside and making sure he drinks water when he does come in.

Tomorrow is Earth Day/Arbor Day at the park! I am excited and really looking forward to going! I hope they have plenty of activities and animals to see.

Shannon received a call from the college. He is officially enrolled!! Classes start next month, so he should receive more information before then.

I called the Post Office regarding our package, and they said they found it and it will be delivered today! I hope the homeopathic medicine will help Shannon quit smoking and help with the withdrawl process! It is NOT fun when he stops! LOL It's like being around a woman with PMS, or even like walking on eggshells the entire time.

Shopping and Pizza

My mother-in-law and I went to the mall today. I got my haircut...finally! It's been about a year and a half since I've had my haircut. My hair was down to my elbows! I was so annoyed with my long hair and hated combing through it after a shower. Just glad to have it short again! The hairdresser used a flat iron to curl my hair, which I didn't know you could use (I always assumed you had to use a curling iron).

We shopped at JC Penney's, Sears, and Belk. I ended up buying 2 pairs of jeans that were on sale. I tried looking for tops, but they were all more than I wanted to spend. I have more of a Mervyn's, Target, Walmart, or Kmart type of budget.

On our way home, we decided to get pizza! It was so good. Kyle had a few pieces too.

Shannon finally received a call back from the unemployment office. They are going to send him another card. They claimed it was sent out on April 6th, which we never received. He already has 4 weeks worth of pay on the card.

The "really rude creditor" is still harassing us. He left another voicemail today, and he didn't identify himself! LOL I can't wait until we officially file for bankruptcy, then he will have to STOP calling. I wish I knew how to record his voicemail and put it on the internet. They are hilarious. He actually sounds like an abusive/obsessive type of person. He sounds like a guy who would be verbally abusive to his wife or girlfriend, just by the way his voicemail sounds. He is pretty much demanding that we call him back.

I am still waiting on our package from the Post Office. I checked the status of our package ad it somehow ended up in Charlotte! They called us 3 days ago to say they can't find it. I waited 2 days before contacting them again via the web and they called us today. I have to call them back tomorrow. In the meantime, I already re-ordered the same product from another website. I wish I had purchased it from the second website, they didn't charge an arm and a leg for shipping and they shipped my order within 24 hours! Plus, I was able to pay by Paypal.

Busy Monday

My in-laws have their new refrigerator! It's much bigger and has so much room for lots of food. It's energy efficient, so hopefully their energy bill will be much less, especially with their dryer that was fixed last week. Their old refrigerator was on it's last leg. The new appliance is digital (the temperature is displayed on the inside) and high tech looking.

I am doing laundry and I did some cleaning today. I vacuumed the whole upstairs and stairs, which needed it. The cat has snuck into our room a few times, so I needed to clean the carpet to help alleviate my allergies. I also cleaned our bathroom and . . . the dreaded toilet! I bought some green-friendly toilet cleaner, which I love using. I am now using my green-friendly cleaners to clean as well as my handy dandy microfiber towel, instead of paper towels.

Shannon has another appointment at the University with the school counselor tomorrow. He's going to enroll, pending his approval of FAFSA and a student loan. The classes start in May, which was perfect timing for him to contact the school in the first place, and hopefully he can get approved before classes start! The classes are 5 weeks long and he can only do one class at a time, since they are so accelerated and consecutively scheduled.

Shannon also called the local unemployment office regarding his unemployment checks. They said he should have received the debit card by now, they said it was sent out on April 5th. LOL I hope they can re-send him a debit card.

A few weeks ago, I ordered Shannon a homeopathic remedy for his smoking. I checked the delivery confirmation online and it said they "attempted to deliver" on Saturday and a notice was left on the door. Of course there was no note. It also said we could pick it up or reschedule a delivery so I chose to have it redelivered today. The post office called today and said that it was delivered, so now they are trying to track it down. What is going on with our mail? LOL It seems our mail is getting lost!

Hoping it will stick!

Shannon said he wants to try to quit smoking due to the tax hike increase in cigarette prices. I am really hoping he means it because (I think) smoking is unhealthy, it stinks, it's costly, and I DISLIKE IT! =o)

I suggested we try a homeopathic method to quit. He's tried the gum, the patches, the lozenges, and quitting cold turkey. Tonight I found a homeopathic medicine that helps with quitting smoking ~ from the cravings, nervousness, and anxiety & irritability! It took me awhile to find the right product, after that, I did some price comparisons. I ended up ordering it tonight! Can't wait to get it so we can get Shannon started!

One of the biggest issues with Shannon when he tries to quit is he gets really irritable! It's like living with a woman on PMS! I always try to stay out of his way, because he's easily annoyed and is not himself.

I am convinced that homeopathic medicines and treatments work! I have been using 2 types of medicines and they have both helped me. We don't have health insurance to go to a doctor to get a prescription. Plus, we'd have to pay for the prescription! It would be so expensive to go that route.