Ignore this thread!

[ikslo]

According to an email from a petition website, the cost has gone up from $50 to over $300 each in the last few years. If you have a child in school, they may ask for at least 3 - one for the nurse's office, one for the classroom teacher, one for the emergency bag (if they must go offsite). Gymnast's zoned school did. (She doesn't have that severe reaction to her allergies, but the nurse said see if they'd prescribe them anyway.) That's $900 for just meds for school. That doesn't include what families need at home.

Sound to me like that school needs to be educated on epi-pens. If it were my kid, I would have said nope, you get 2. And both go in the emergency bag which goes where she/he goes. (The nurses office should be stocked with epi-pens regardless, on the school's dime, IMO. I would make a horrible school mom. 😜)

 

Anyway, what would happen if they were off site with just one epi-pen and it failed/wasn't enough? They say to always have 2 together. That's why they sell them in pairs.

[ikslo]

Epi-pens. We currently have 2 packs, 4 total. Always have 2 wherever DS is. Up until this last time we always had to buy 6, so that daycare had 2. In an emergency bag, went with him/teacher. They are expensive, but we have decent insurance. However the time before last we went with generic, because even with insurance it was going to be hundreds for the brand name. Time before that, we did Auvi-q because of coupon/ cost vs. brand name. This time the allergist saw my generic, I told her why, and when we got to the pharmacy they had filled the script with Epi-pens and for only $25/pack. I say they play loosey goosey with the price on any given day. Even my insurance doesn't cover the same amount from one time to the next. It's crazy, because we never know how much it's going to cost - or not cost. There's no rhyme or reason.

 

People are sick of it.

ETA: and that's with insurance. Without and you pay hundreds of dollars. Which we all pay in premiums, whatnot with insurance, but then it is not as dire as the parents who have to chose between the meds for one kid or food for the whole family. Grrrrr. It just makes me so mad.

Edited August 25, 2016 by ikslo

[Renai]

Sound to me like that school needs to be educated on epi-pens. If it were my kid, I would have said nope, you get 2. And both go in the emergency bag which goes where she/he goes. (The nurses office should be stocked with epi-pens regardless, on the school's dime, IMO. I would make a horrible school mom. 😜)

 

Anyway, what would happen if they were off site with just one epi-pen and it failed/wasn't enough? They say to always have 2 together. That's why they sell them in pairs.

 

One stays with the nurse, one stays in the classroom. I do believe the nurse takes all meds like in the case of an evacuation (we've practiced plenty of those and I've seen the nurse with her wheely case and wheelchair), but the teacher also takes one in the emergency bag. That red bag only goes out during fire, evacuations, lockdowns, etc. Everything is in that bag (including food and water) and is snatched off the hook by the exit door on the way out. We do not carry the emergency bag everywhere. The teacher also has one for the classroom - what if they are out on the playground and it's needed? Will the kid be closer to the classroom, or the nurses offices? kwim? But, he also told me that if I could only get two, that would be fine.

 

It's all a moot point since I'm not a school mom. But, I am a teacher, so I did see the nurse's point. I think it's a cover-your-bases thing. Rather be over-covered, than under.

 

ETA: I forgot about field trips - the classroom pen and nurse pen both go with the child.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Renai

[ikslo]

One stays with the nurse, one stays in the classroom. I do believe the nurse takes all meds like in the case of an evacuation (we've practiced plenty of those and I've seen the nurse with her wheely case and wheelchair), but the teacher also takes one in the emergency bag. That red bag only goes out during fire, evacuations, lockdowns, etc. Everything is in that bag (including food and water) and is snatched off the hook by the exit door on the way out. We do not carry the emergency bag everywhere. The teacher also has one for the classroom - what if they are out on the playground and it's needed? Will the kid be closer to the classroom, or the nurses offices? kwim? But, he also told me that if I could only get two, that would be fine.

 

It's all a moot point since I'm not a school mom. But, I am a teacher, so I did see the nurse's point. I think it's a cover-your-bases thing. Rather be over-covered, than under.

See, in that case I would say they need 4 - two in each location. But that's also why we started homeschooling...because I got all crazy after one interaction with the school nurse, and realized that I would drive myself crazy dealing with the schools for the next 13 years. Noooooooooooooooooo!

[Renai]

See, in that case I would say they need 4 - two in each location. But that's also why we started homeschooling...because I got all crazy after one interaction with the school nurse, and realized that I would drive myself crazy dealing with the schools for the next 13 years. Noooooooooooooooooo!

 

When I talked to the principal at my current school, I told her one of the reasons it was safer to keep my kinder home was because of the allergies, especially with them switching up. I related the story of last year of how the children were served yogurt, granola, and oranges for breakfast. Gymnast could only eat the the granola. Thankfully, I saw what my class was being served and walked next door to her class to give her coconut milk yogurt.  If I had been "just a parent", I would not have known that they had switched the menu around and didn't provide a substitute for my daughter. No 4-5 year old is going to function on just granola for 3 hours. At least not my kid. Since she's been home (since May), her hair has stopped falling out. Must have been the school food. She'd be in a separate school if she were to go. I just can't even.

 

So, I'm a current public school teacher who homeschools her kids.  :lol:  I talked to three separate teachers/assistants the first day of school (just this past Monday) who were considering homeschooling or already considered it and thinking again on that option. Because issues.

[AMJ]

Try more like three months. Six months for the people who have to adapt to your new habit. 

 

 

That's still a rather optimistic timeline if life happens along the way.

 

 

My family is starting to realize that they will need to take on a little more self-reliance.  Mom is teetering on the deep end and not about to try to juggle anymore.

 

 

 

I am being bad tonight.  We have 4 Marie Calandar's chicken pot pies sitting in our freezer (5 actually, but there's only 4 of us so one will stay frozen a while longer).  I'm baking those for supper.  I'm checking back in here while the oven heats up.  I've cleared a bunch of the drifts of dishes in the kitchen and gotten in another mile on the treadmill.  I can get in my last mile if I cheat on supper and bake up those pies.  We've had them for months, since before the dietary restrictions were set for me.  Time to depopulate them out of the freezer.  I had a really good-for-me salad for lunch, and the pies will give me a little sanity tonight.

[ikslo]

It's tough working FT and homeschooling. But every time I think about schools and epi-pens, and self-carry and cross-contamination and mean kids and...oh, dear. I have a mini stroke every time.

 

I think about how I would feel if I didn't have insurance and couldn't afford his meds and just the thought makes me cry.

 

It's an FA mom Booyah!

Edited August 25, 2016 by ikslo

[AMJ]

The Robot has called 5 times today. I need caller ID.

 

 

:cursing:  :cursing:  :cursing:  :cursing:  :cursing:

[ikslo]

You all need to get rid of your land lines so people and robots stop calling you. LOL

[Critterfixer]

 

You all need to get rid of your land lines so people and robots stop calling you. LOL 

 

 

Can't. Currently I can't even send or receive a text unless I walk or drive a half-mile to the top of the hill.

[AMJ]

I've had that call too. I keep wondering how I can help them with someone I don't know. "This is a cell number. I don't know who had it before."

 

Once, a few years ago, my bank called for someone I didn't know and said the account was in collections. I kindly informed the dude he had the wrong number. We hung up amicably. Dude called back and left a message that he KNEW it was the right number because it was listed on the account and I needed to get the account paid

 

. I called the bank and told the nice lady that I think Dude is new, and let her know what happened. I also let her know it was a cell number, etc. She confirmed he was, in fact, new, and would be receiving more training. :D

 

 

A couple of decades ago I started getting collection calls from a bank about a defaulted car loan on an old VW bug.  This started a week after my roommate paid cash for an old VW bug, so she was wondering why any bank would be calling me about a non-existent loan on her car.  I explained to her that there were 3 of us in town with the same name, two of us went to the same college, and the one of us who did NOT share our middle initial was bouncing checks all over town.  Because the first and last names were identical collections people just took whomever came up first when looking up the name, and the other gal and I kept getting calls on debts we never had.

 

For two solid months my roommate and I fielded such calls about that car loan that wasn't mine.  Each time it was a different person on the phone.  Each time we explained that it was the person with middle initial E that they were after, and I had middle initial M.  We explained it was a common name and there were at least 3 people in our one town with that name.  Each time the person told us they understood and they would see that our phone number was removed from the call list.  Each time the only thing that happened was our number got passed to another employee to call.

 

Finally I had enough.  It was clear that the person who had called me was quite new and they had given her the list of nasty calls to make.  I told her that I realized from her voice that she was new to the job and that she got stuck with this thankless number to call, but I had a legitimate beef and I was going to start yelling.  I told her I knew they recorded the calls, and I didn't want her to take it personally.  She said she understood (with some bemused humor in her voice), and told me to go ahead and yell.

 

I did.  I HOLLERED.  I ranted coherently.  I stated very clearly that I was SICK of being called MULTIPLE times a day for TWO MONTHS RUNNING about a car loan that WASN'T MINE.  I told her I had explained that to EVERY EMPLOYEE WHO CALLED and that they ALL had promised to remove my number because they clearly had the wrong person.  I told her NONE of them have done this, and that my next step was to CALL A LAWYER if they EVER called me again.

 

When I was finished I calmly and pleasantly told her I was finished and thanked her for listening.  She told me no problem, and thanked me and said I had given her something she could take to her supervisor.  She was very pleasant and sounding rather amused and perhaps smug when she signed off.

 

I still bless that gal.  They NEVER called me again.

[AMJ]

Sound to me like that school needs to be educated on epi-pens. If it were my kid, I would have said nope, you get 2. And both go in the emergency bag which goes where she/he goes. (The nurses office should be stocked with epi-pens regardless, on the school's dime, IMO. I would make a horrible school mom. 😜)

 

Anyway, what would happen if they were off site with just one epi-pen and it failed/wasn't enough? They say to always have 2 together. That's why they sell them in pairs.

 

 

When my kids were still in brick&mortar school I had the honor of driving a boy from another class to an end-of-year event because MY vehicle had never had peanuts in it (it was NEW).  I was handed the emergency kit and given a full run-down on what to do when and if anything happened to this highly allergic boy.  There were two epi-pens in that bag (along with other supplies).  They were sure to point out BOTH pens and mention that one might not be enough.

 

I also had a classmate at field school who was allergic to bees.  We had a swarm come through camp just as we were setting up -- she got inside a zippered tent just in time.  She had more than 2 pens, though it took a special dispensation to get that.  She was only allowed to have more than one pair because we were 45 minutes minimum from the nearest help, down highly rutted dirt roads that could close without warning.

[AMJ]

You all need to get rid of your land lines so people and robots stop calling you. LOL

 

 

I haven't had a landline in years.  They are calling my cell phone.

[Critterfixer]

I'm just glad that I've never had call to purchase an epi-pen. So far.

[AMJ]

Hooyah.  Just finished my 3rd mile, and DH and DD12 are just getting home.  The pot pies will be out of the oven in about 5 minutes.  

[Critterfixer]

The armadillo is working in the back yard. My son calls it the armatiller. :lol:

[ikslo]

Can't. Currently I can't even send or receive a text unless I walk or drive a half-mile to the top of the hill.

 

Oh, yeah, I forgot.  As long as you can get online to post on ITT, though, that's all you need. :D

[prairiewindmomma]

We began homeschooling because of anaphylactic food allergies. Our first set of epi pens had a $15 copay. With our previous insurance last year it was a $250 copay. We have multiple people with epi-pens in the house. It is insane, because a vial of the stuff to fill a few pens is less than $10.

 

Heads up, if you ever need chemo or rheumy infusions, you are required to bring your own epipens. It's an expensive thing...especially when they could just pre fill a syringe AND they are already required to know your dose from the vial based on your weight.

[ikslo]

I haven't had a landline in years.  They are calling my cell phone.

 

I don't have a landline, and everyone who knows me mostly texts/emails me.  I sometimes get actual calls from my BFF and my aunt.  But mostly, my ringer is silenced and I'll get back to when I do.  Or not. 

 

I tend to forget people actually use phones for talking.

[prairiewindmomma]

Can you guys please pray our ac is fixed tomorrow? The company is no longer answering my calls and the thought of another several days of this puts me over the edge. The parts were ordered by the warranty company and I am not out money for the repairs yet, thankfully, but I am nervous.

[ikslo]

Heads up, if you ever need chemo or rheumy infusions, you are required to bring your own epipens. It's an expensive thing...especially when they could just pre fill a syringe AND they are already required to know your dose from the vial based on your weight.

 

That's insane. 

[mommyoffive]

Gathering your dirty laundry and heading off to a laundromat might be worthwhile at this point.  At a laundromat you can do many loads at once.

 

I don't know how long you will be gone or how busy you will be, but you can also consider running laundry during your vacation, too.  We do this because it lessens the required packing.  If we are visiting people who have laundry machines at home we ask ahead of time if it would be okay if we run laundry while we are there.  If we are at hotels I will either use the hotel machines (if I have enough downtime, such as when kids were small -- DH would nap in the room with them while I ran a load or two) or visit a laundromat.  I started doing this when I simply couldn't guess on how many days of hot weather and how many of cold we would have.  By packing a few days of each and doing laundry along the way we didn't have to pack the entire closet to make sure we had the clothes we needed for whatever weather.

 

 

I am hoping we can get a replacement part and fix it.

 

Yeah I normally stay at places with laundry.  We are not this time.  It does make it so much easier if you do though.  Argh.

[mommyoffive]

I just wrestled with our budget for hours.  This isn't how I planned on spending my Thursday, but there it is.

 

I hope you won.

[AMJ]

Family is fed.  Cardio is complete.  One child is a little behind on science labs due to technical difficulties, but we can get caught up this weekend.  The other child still needs assistance getting her Youth Digital class running, and her Rosetta Stone Spanish -- once these are set up she can start those topics.  I think this weekend for these, too.

 

My task list for the weekend (aside from those items mentioned above):

• take a chunk of time, perhaps half a day or more, to work out foods (grocery shopping), meal planning for the week (including make-ahead lunches), and food prep.  Use Slashie's suggestion of pre-shredding and pre-chopping veggies to keep on hand ready for salads and sauteing
• take a chunk of time (again, likely half a day or more) to identify and prioritize what needs to happen house-wise
• make hotel reservations for going to see BILs and their families to celebrate one BIL's birthday, and notify both BIL families of our plans (at least one family already said they are looking forward to the visit)
• and of course, cardio cardio cardio....

What am I going to tell the kids and their cousins about birthday cake for my birthday?  I can't have cake anymore....   :confused1:

 

 

But now it is time for a quick shower and bed.  Sweet dreams, everyone!

[Renai]

Sigh. Still working on the Spanish I syllabus for the class I start teaching the week of Labor Day. There are two other teachers teaching as well.

[Jean in Newcastle]

And . . . I'm back to being p.o'd. I have to calm down before staff meeting or I will embarrass myself by crying.

 

 

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[Junie]

(((Jean)))

[Junie]

Sigh. Still working on the Spanish I syllabus for the class I start teaching the week of Labor Day. There are two other teachers teaching as well.

 

Tu puedes hacerlo.

 

(I hope that I said, "You can do it.")

[Susan in TN]

I'm back from orchestra rehearsal. Pops music always wears me out more than "regular" classical music because I feel like I am just sawing away for 2 1/2 hours, trying to balance out the blaring brass instruments. I have to remind myself to relax and let the brass take over if they want.

 

#suchaprimadonna

[ikslo]

:grouphug: Jean

[Jean in Newcastle]

I did not cry.

 

 

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[Jean in Newcastle]

I take that back- I cried a bit later but it was with my husband and two good friends.

 

 

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[Another Lynn]

Good Friday Morning!  Yay for another week of school completed!

 

(((Jean)))

 

(((Prairie)))  Hope today brings good things regarding your A/C.

 

The Epi-pen thread on the chat board and the discussion here was a real eye-opener to me.  I had no idea they could be so expensive.  And they don't need to be.  So, so wrong.

 

AMJ - I think you did great!  You got Cardio in and you served a yummy supper - win/win!!

 

Better get the day moving along.....  

[Susan in TN]

Friday! Good Morning!

 

(((Jeannie)))

 

(((Praitie)))

 

All OK Dawn?

 

(((Everyone with life threatening allergies)))

 

Mommyoffive, getting along OK?

[Susan in TN]

Hope everyone has a grizzly-free day!

[AMJ]

And . . . I'm back to being p.o'd. I have to calm down before staff meeting or I will embarrass myself by crying.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

[AMJ]

Everyone did fine with supper except me.  As it turns out, now that I have gotten used to not eating such food so often it just didn't taste right to me.  I ate it anyway because I was too tired to get anything else.  This morning I had other effects from last night's supper, so I have added incentive NOT to go that route again.  DH can eat up the last pot pie.

 

I have informed DH that this weekend I have plans.  First I deal with food, then DD15's labs, then suss out housework.  It will be a full weekend.  

 

Gotta go print out more math stuff and get breakfast.  Have a good day, everyone!

[Susan in TN]

Pants.

Coffee.

Put away a bit of laundry.

Get kids started on lessons (esp. Latin wksht, quiz help, look over cello assignment w/ds11).

Library book drop off.

Bank - deposit check, $20 cash.

Aldi.

Mourn your laziness in not finding the Tackle thread.

[Openhearted]

Good morning. It is Friday.

 

I am either getting sick, or my body is exhausted. Last night, I ached everywhere. Like when you have the flu and have muscle aches. Everything hurt. I'm still not sleeping well. I guess I will have to get a refill on the sleeping medication. I don't want to, but I don't think I can go on like this much longer.

 

Susan, everyone here is doing well so far. I want to see an orchestra perform. I don't do anything that is fun. Ya know, what I mean? Something to look forward to and get excited about. There is nothing here to get excited about except the same old drudgery. Everyday. I used to go to bingo at the VFW once a week, but they quit having it. I am happy with our school stuff and homeschooling. Dh and I never go out. We went out to eat for our anniversary in April. We hadn't been out alone together for years.

 

Well, that is enough rambling.

 

I hope y'all have a beautiful day.

[Critterfixer]

 

 

Susan, everyone here is doing well so far. I want to see an orchestra perform. I don't do anything that is fun. Ya know, what I mean? Something to look forward to and get excited about. There is nothing here to get excited about except the same old drudgery. Everyday. I used to go to bingo at the VFW once a week, but they quit having it. I am happy with our school stuff and homeschooling. Dh and I never go out. We went out to eat for our anniversary in April. We hadn't been out alone together for years.

Fun doesn't happen for me unless I book it. I get downright crabby if I miss my waterfall trips right now. Making up for years of not getting to have any fun---right around ten years. It doesn't even have to be out of the house fun, but that helps. Absolutely go refill the sleeping medication. You need all the help you can get, because nothing is fun or even halfway reasonable without sleep.

 

:grouphug: Jean--organized fun is the worst for the people having to organize it for someone else, I think. No matter how much you love the activity itself. I got put in charge of a camping jaunt in college for some younger kids (parents wanted off, and I figured out why!) That was an eye-opening experience, let me tell you! I didn't cry, but I may or may not have told some capable young teens that if they wanted eat now, they could go pick some berries or something, and get the heck away from my cooking fire and let me make lunch.

 

Well, I have an unexpected day off from work. What to do on Critterfixer's day off? I think I will start the morning with some music and writing, then take a break for refreshment, and finish off the last bits of planning for the fall term (I've decided to give myself another two weeks before fall term things start, because I've got a little summer stuff to finish off, and Math and Latin are just do the next thing anyway) and I might go clean out Moby, the great, white cabinet.

[prairiewindmomma]

:seeya:   I'm alive.  I came back from the gym and totally crashed for about 20 minutes, but I'm up, showered, and well into my morning.  Happy Friday, everyone!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Last night a couple of us got out some built up frustration over some parts of camp that don't support and further the mission of reaching out to these kids. Most of camp is more than ok. And I don't expect perfection. But years of no progress on a few issues have come to a head this year for me.

 

 

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[Critterfixer]

Prairie, I hope your air gets fixed today. I forgot to put that in my post. 

[Another Lynn]

(((Dawn)))

[KrissiK]

Good Morning! Wow, looks like many of us are in need of hugs and an ITT retreat! Complete with waterfalls, chocolate, COFFEE and foot massages from Rocco and his brother, Roderigo. Oh, and cold drinks with little umbrellas in them!

 

Jeannie, I'm sorry things are rough. Keep your chin up!

 

Dawn, I completely understand of the lack of things to look forward to and fun. I got through the summer anticipating Homeschool Convention with my BFF. But, that's over. It makes a difference in one's outlook if one has something fun to anticipate.

 

Prairie, here's a smack upside the head for the AC people!

 

Susan, no grizzlies here, but speaking of grizzlies, anyone familiar with the story of explorer Jedediah Smith and his encounter with the grizzly bear? Jaw dropping it is!(http://hughglass.org/jedediah-smiths-encounter-with-a-grizzly/. Here it is if anyone is interested. I like the account better in the book I have "Pioneer California" but this will do)

 

Everyone else, have a Good Friday!

Edited August 26, 2016 by KrissiK

[AMJ]

Good morning. It is Friday.

 

I am either getting sick, or my body is exhausted. Last night, I ached everywhere. Like when you have the flu and have muscle aches. Everything hurt. I'm still not sleeping well. I guess I will have to get a refill on the sleeping medication. I don't want to, but I don't think I can go on like this much longer.

 

Susan, everyone here is doing well so far. I want to see an orchestra perform. I don't do anything that is fun. Ya know, what I mean? Something to look forward to and get excited about. There is nothing here to get excited about except the same old drudgery. Everyday. I used to go to bingo at the VFW once a week, but they quit having it. I am happy with our school stuff and homeschooling. Dh and I never go out. We went out to eat for our anniversary in April. We hadn't been out alone together for years.

 

Well, that is enough rambling.

 

I hope y'all have a beautiful day.

:grouphug:

[ikslo]

I'm still not sleeping well. I guess I will have to get a refill on the sleeping medication. I don't want to, but I don't think I can go on like this much longer.

 

Have you tried ZzzQuil?

[Critterfixer]

I decided to try a recipe for GF Rustic bread. The oat flour starter smells really good.

[prairiewindmomma]

The company still won't answer the phone, so it looks like I have the long weekend for sure to get through without ac.  It's supposed to rain this weekend which is awesome for the earth, but I need to figure out how to weatherproof the cardboard I have sitting in my window around the ac we borrowed or find something else I can use---the windows in this house are extra wide.

 

Our new air conditioner is not keeping our room cool.  It was 86F with 70% humidity in the air-conditioned room last night.  I'm going to sleep in the boys' room tonight, I think.

 

And, I got some news this morning that has me kinda down right now. 

 

I'm so ready for an ITT retreat with waterfalls & chocolate!

[ikslo]

Oh, Prairie, that totally stinks. :grouphug: