THANK God or the insurance folk

Remember our daughter's scorpion sting that came with a $64,000 bill?

Here's what I saw in my "explanation of benefits" today...

  $337.80

Your total responsibility:

Amount You Saved:
$63,565.99

We still have a small payment to the actual ER doctor...
but I wasn't looking forward to potentially paying 20% or even 10% of that!

Of course, this is the same stuff that goes for $100 a vial in Mexico... and we didn't do anything but test it on 500 kiddos in the US (without changing it), one of whom was our son... and then start using it!

For me I'm happy, but for families who do not have insurance... you may be talking bankruptcy :(

See also:
How much does anascorp cost?
4 year old stung by scorpion

UPDATE: Public outcry lowers cost of anascorp

Arizona Booster Seat Law - Until age 8!

Arizona Law is protecting more children starting August 2nd. The new law requires children up to age 8 to be secured by a carseat or booster seat unless they are 4'9'' or above.

House Bill 2154, sponsored by Rep. Nancy McLain, R-Bullhead City, now requires children ages 5-7 who are shorter than 4 feet 10 inches to be in a child-restraint system. - as of today children 5 and under are protected... I am happy to see more children protected by this law. Of course some laws are unnecessary, but if parents and caregivers aren't willing to use common sense in these cases, we need laws to protect those who cannot make their own decisions on safety. Once Florida and South Dakota come aboard, all states in the US will require children under 8 to be safely restrained while travelling in a motor vehicle (busses are another situation, though).

Who does HB2154 protect? 

This new law protects children from caregivers who may not on their own understand that young children are not safe in seat belts alone. Many children who today aren't safe, will be required by law to be safer when riding in a car/van.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety,

Boosters elevate children and position safety belts so the belts will fit them better. The lap belt should lie flat and on top of a child's upper thighs, not higher up on the abdomen. The shoulder belt should fit across the middle of a child's shoulder. If it falls off the shoulder or rests on the neck, a child might move the belt behind the back or under an arm.

Even as a short adult, I know that in some back seats I'm not properly restrained. The shoulder belt rides into my neck - not safe. In addition, it is also important that the lap belt portion is not on the stomach where there stands to be more internal injuries.

At minimum put your child in a backless booster.

A backless booster looks like this:

If you do not have headrests or need to ensure the shoulder belt remains in front of your child, then a high back booster should be used and is generally SAFER for your child because the high backs are often also "belt positioning booster" seats to make sure those belts are in the right spot. They often double as a head rest for comfort and safety.

But if the high back booster raises the seatbelt away from your child's legs/hips, do not use it - use one that keeps the seat belt snug against the body - that separation is more movement in a crash!

Don't put your child in a booster earlier than necessary. A 5 point harness is much safer, but even a booster is better than an adult-sized seatbelt.

Garden has begun

Yesterday I dug up a 4'x8' plot of rock to start our garden! The people next door had some men working on their yard and we're now the proud owners of a branch from their tree. I purchased some seeds via an organic site this weekend as well as some items from Home Depot. We also have some saved seeds from food.

Today I need to get some soil for starting some seeds for the garden, I'm soaking a few today to get them started. This weekend i plan to put together the raised garden beds and start working the compost into them and work that way and slowly put some sprouts in through February when we know we're done with any potential frost.

Goal: Keep on task and make this happen!

A family garden - A desert experiment

This year I plan to really buckle down and do a garden. Since it is January in Phoenix... we might as well get started. This weekend's goal is to get some material to create a raised bed garden. This past year (and the fall prior) we tried doing in ground with a mix of compost and it just really doesn't work. We get chilis to grow and a half a tomato and that is it!

For those in a similar situation... here're some recommendations for February.

So how does gardening come into this blog? I really feel that this can be a family event. Most Montessori schools have their 3 year olds working the garden and V really loves watching the plants grow (but not flower!) in our garden... so I hope by paying a bit more attention and being more diligent in watching the calendar (I also have a GREAT book by "The Garden Guy" link below)... we can actually grow some of our own food this year!

Your right to nurse in public

Sad. sad. That's how I see it. First, we have to have a law to protect our right to nurse in public and then, with that protection, we still have our rights compromised!

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