This whole year while we had insurance, we didn’t really use it. Isn’t it funny how that all works?

With flu season here  (especially H1N1) I know it is important to keep myself healthy and get myself checked out as soon as possible before things get worse.

For the first time in my adult life it seems I have developed and ear infection. I am not even sure it is an ear infection, but my right ear hurts and and I feel pressure that just will not go away. Maybe it is sinus related. It was not going away on its own so I knew I had to see my doctor.

So here I give you some tips on how to save money if you are uninsured and have to self pay. *Only for minor illnesses*

1. Believe it or not,  it is not more economical to go to a walk in or drugstore clinic. IF you have a doctor you have an established relationship with, it is usually cheaper to make an appointment with them and self pay, instead of going the clinic route. When you make your appointment make sure you tell them you are self pay, and then TELL YOUR DOCTOR. If he is nice, like my doctor, he will give you the lowest pay option. Also ask for the free antibiotics first, and any samples if they have them available. Of course, some prescriptions do not have a free or reduced price substitute, but make sure to ask.

2. If you know what your illness is try calling your doctor and have them call in a prescription. I have done this many times and have never had to pay the appointment fee. Again, you can only do this with an established Doctor.

3. Talk to your Pharmacy about an out of pocket prescription plan. For the most part I use Target Pharmacy (Except when I use Publix for the free antibiotics). Target has an EXCELLENT prescription plan for those who do not have prescription coverage. Can you believe I have a prescription that is CHEAPER than my copay was with insurance?

In the end I paid $57 for the doctors appointment, and got a free prescription. This was still way cheaper than the walk-in clinics that start at around $70. I also like the fact that I can still see my doctor who I trust and have a history with.

Even if you are without health insurance, don’t deny yourself medical treatment. If you know you will be without insurance for awhile check into your local health department for your options.

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Did I mention the little ball is popping out and the charger is being held together by tape?  Not kidding.

My new Blackberry has arrived, and so far I couldn’t be happier. Meet my new, Blackberry Tour-

I will have a full review in just a few days as I need to get used to this thing. I will also be reviewing the book, The Blackberry Diaries. ::happy dance:: for my new Blackberry

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That was until…

Crayola Washable Tempera in Yellow. my arch nemesis.

Never has a paint color given me so much grief as this yellow tempera. First of all, I blame my mother in law for giving us this paint. She is an ex-teacher and should know better. I can’t possibly be the only mom on the planet who can’t get rid of this paint out of our clothes.

It all started innocently as my daughter was making a craft project for school (Did you see our painted pumpkin?). Unfortunately,  half of the bottle of washable yellow tempera paint spilled on the table and of course got on my daughter’s school clothes. I immediately went over and cleaned the mess. Paint got on my $72 Yummie Tummie and over some towels I used to clean up the spill.

No big deal I thought. This paint is washable. It says so right on the label.

I soaked her school clothes in the sink and placed the towels in the washer.

Towels in the washer was a total fail. They came out worse then they went in with yellow basically staining everything.

OK, towels can be replaced, on to the school clothes. The soaking brought some of the color out but not all. I then decided to use detergent and bleach in the washer with a lot of water. Still a total fail. Her school shirt is ruined. I only have 3 of these white ones!! It is hard to see, but besides the yellow spots, the whole shirt is dyed yellow.

My $72 Yummie Tummie also has a permanent yellow stain from the paint. I couldn’t even bleach the thing out.

This leaves me to the conclusion that either my Crayola washable tempera pain is defective, or all Crayola washable paints are a total fail. Either way I am mad with everything that is ruined. I hate having to spend extra money to replace items I shouldn’t have to.

My advice, under no circumstance buy this paint.

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This year was a little more hectic with the introduction of Kindergarten parties. For a school project dd and I painted our own pumpkin to be put on display. Since this was our first year I had no clue what to expect and we painted our pumpkin as a princess. Little did I know that our pumpkin would be the most homemade looking of all. It seems everyone goes all out on pumpkin decorating and I saw everything from black cats and an M&M to an elaborate Cinderella’s coach, complete with horse. I really should of taken a picture of that one.

Here is our little ole’ princess pumpkin. DD was proud.

After spending a full day at school we came home and got ready for our local Boo Fest.

I  got to meet another local twitterer, Heather, which was actually a pleasure.

DD got her face painted (the artist did an AWESOME job) and then we went around to get candy from the vendors before meeting up with my mother and sister.

This year the Boo Fest was ridiculous. The place was so packed that it made it unenjoyable after awhile. I can’t believe we made it until the end and then went to Rita’s for an Italian ice after. It was a very long, but fun day for dd.

They have new and improved soft vampire teeth for little mouths! Do you remember those hard plastic white ones?

For Halloween this year dd was Alice in Wonderland for the second year in a row. The costume still fit, and it saved me $60, so it was a win/win. I am just happy she still likes Alice.

We went to a different neighborhood for trick or treating (ours is boring) and ended up having a fun evening with family, pizza and candy.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

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Back in March I was invited to Disney World for the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. At this time there was a special media event where I got to meet and talk with the director (Klay Hall) and producer (Sean Lurie) of Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure.

I didn’t have a chance to share these photos until now.

Talking Tinkerbell with Klay Hall (left) and Sean Lurie (right)

All the fairies with Epcot vice president, Dan Cockerell

and of course, me and the fairies.

Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure is the second movie in the Tinkerbell series (of 4 movies – one for each of the seasons), which picks up where the last Tinkerbell movie left off.

Tinkerbell really uses her tinkering skills in this new film where she builds a balloon that takes her out on an adventure beyond Pixie Hollow. Also in the movie is a new character, Terrance. Through him, Tinkerbell learns she must take responsibility for her own actions and that the power and value of true friendship is much greater than she’d ever imagined.

A movie the whole family can enjoy with excellent animation, and special features.

For a limited time, Save $10 when you buy the Blu0Ray/DVD Combo Pack – Print your coupon now!

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It was clear my family needed to get something to replace bottled water. I personally am not fond of the water pitchers you fill and place in the fridge, plus the filtration cartridges do not last long on those.

Cuisinart, a brand known for quality, has a new CleanWater Counter top Water-Filtration System. The Cuisinart CleanWater is a counter top water cooler that holds 2 gallons of water. The best part is that it dispenses hot, cold, and room temperature water. It is like your own personal water cooler that fits neatly on a counter top, and it’s  really attractive too! Take a look…

2 spigots  for hot, cold, and room temperature water. The hot button has a safety feature so children cannot easily access the hot water and burn themselves. As much as I love the convenience of the cold water, and it is by far the button we use the most, the hot button will come in handy this winter for hot chocolate and tea. So nice to not have to heat up water in the microwave. The water comes out piping hot and ready to drink.

Here you can see the size of the Cuisinart CleanWater compared to a 2 liter bottle. The unit fits snugly in the corner of my kitchen, but really could be placed anywhere there is an electrical outlet.  Think home office, or garage. Anywhere you need access to fresh, clean water.

Beyond just the physical appearance of the unit, and the hot/cold water features, the Cuisinart CleanWater uses replaceable filters that last 3 months each. The filters are inexpensive to replace and each filter reduces contaminants including (for pH level 6.5):

– Lead 98.7%

– Chlorine (taste and odor) 97.5%

– Mercury 92.8%

– Benzene 84.1%

– Cadmium 96.6%

– Copper 85.0%

– Tetrachloroethylene 92.5%

– Toluene 89.8%

Other features include:

* 2.0 gallon tank capacity

* Dispenses hot (194°F), cold (44°F) and room-temperature filtered water

* Blue/red LED lights indicate when water is ready

* Energy Saver reduces energy usage by more than 50%

* Green LED lights up when Energy Saver feature is activated (hot water is off)

* Brushed stainless steel housing

* Removable water tank

* 2 spigots

* Fast water flow

* Filter included

The Cuisinart CleanWater System retails for $149.99 and comes with 2 filters (valued at $19.99 each). The unit is easy to set up and can be used almost strait out of the box (there is a short process to clean unit/filter for first use).

I did not find any downsides to the Cuisinart CleanWater, if anything, sometimes the water flow is not as fast as I would like, but I assume that is because it is usually running low and needs to be filled. The convenience it definitely there, and since we started using it 2 weeks ago I have yet to buy another case of water.

Would make a great family Christmas gift!

**Cuisinart sent me a CleanWater Counter top Water-Filtration System in exchange for sharing my honest review of the product – PS I love it!**

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Pumpkin Festivals are supposed to be cool and fun, but with this Florida weather, it is hot, sweaty, and dirty. It is also a money sucking black hole…seriously, I spend less at Disney World.

Still, we go and pick out some pumpkins, buy some crafts, and take some pictures.

Picking the perfect pumpkin…

My mom and daughter…

Now for the bizarre…

Have you ever seen ATM machines out of a van?

What about a headless deer?

JUST KIDDING! This deer had a head, bad timing on this shot.

I was not kidding when I said this place is dirty, just look at my feet!

I suppose it was fun until my daughter had a meltdown because she couldn’t play on the playground or ride the horses.  With all the people I declared the whole thing “germy” and would of bathed her in hand sanitizer if I could.  I am thankful this is a once a year tradition.

For a trip down memory lane, here is our 2007 & 2008 pumpkin pictures-

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How is it possible that all 3 computers can have (different)  serious fatal errors all at the same time?

My main computer, the desktop, has been getting the blue screen of death for well over a month  now.   Today I had enough and went ahead with a full system restore and deleted everything and reinstalled XP. What a nerve-wracking experience.

The amazing thing is it worked! No more problems (as of yet). It is like a whole new computer. I could not have even attempted this feat if it was not for my Seagate Replica, which has a backup of my whole computer. I did lose some pictures and files in the process though because I didn’t get a final update, and was just sick of the computer freezing on me.

My mini is a whole nother issue. I have had it less than a year, and now again, the Blue Screen of Death. Unfortunetly, this one doesn’t come with a restore disk, so it looks like I may be SOL.

I am sick of spending money on computers that just can’t keep up with everything I have to do.

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