Jack has "mad yoga skills"

Jack has a new passion this week -- yoga. (This new passion was ignited even more when I bought a pink yoga mat.) Granted, all Jack knows of yoga are the few poses that I can remember from class (a class that is a mix of yoga, tai chi, and pilates), but that doesn't stop him. He is happy as a clam to do the downward dog pose and the tree pose over and over again. And, then he began to throw in some of his own yoga moves. Of course, these may be moves that fly in the very face of yoga as he jumps and twirls and his arms fly in every direction. Ever since he found out that the poses have names, then he proceeds to name whatever maneuver he has just done. Some have enigmatic names, and others, like "the rainbow" make sense because he has moved his arms in an arc. Jack was happy to have Eric tell him that he has some "mad yoga skills."

And now, on what would seem to be a completely unrelated thought -- let me share a favorite DVD that would make an EXCELLENT gift for any young child. It is the DVD called "We are the Laurie Berkner Band." (The link is the DVD on Amazon.com, but you can pick it up even cheaper at Target or Walmart.) After practicing our "yoga" (I am actually thinking to pick up a DVD for yoga for kids, since Jack is very interested), we popped in the above mentioned DVD and danced around like mad. Both Molly & Jack (ages 2 & 5) love this DVD, and I do too! The music is fun (and catchy!) and there are lots of movements for active watching. We were singing the songs even after we had to turn the DVD off for bed. And -- here's where my yoga connections comes in -- we made up our own verse for the song "The Goldfish" where the fish wake up and decide to do yoga. LOL! Of course, if you have already seen the DVD or know the song, you would know that our verse HAD to end with..."Wait a minute! We're fish...we don't do yoga!"

Sometimes insurance companies aren't the bad guys

One time, about two years ago, we tried to get a prescription filled at a pharmacy that we didn't usually use. (It was late at night and ours was closed.) Luckily, the prescription was cheap, because they insisted that the insurance company was indicating that Molly wasn't on our insurance. They even appeared to call someone "from our insurance company" and they said that she wasn't in the records. (Mind you, we went over our insurance information with them, they had the card, and at least one of the boys was also getting a prescription that DID get approved.) I thought it was odd, since I was pretty sure nobody was at our insurance company at that time (at that time, I was working for the clinic portion of the same company, so I knew their hours were typical business hours). So...the pharmacy makes it out to be the bad insurance company's fault.

On Monday when I called the HMO, they say there is no way they could have talked to anyone, because nobody would have been there, AND they have Molly on the insurance, of course. They then told me that I should go march into that pharmacy with my pharmacy receipt and insist that they re-run the claim properly. I will admit, I wanted to, but then didn't. I figured the $6 - $8 wasn't worth how irritated it would make me to go in there.

So, why am I thinking this right now? It's because we have had another experience of a pharmacy (our regular pharmacy) being at fault but blaming the insurance company. For a week, we have been trying to get a prescription for Noah that the pharmacy said needed HMO approval to get first. They said it would be 3 - 5 business days. So, I finally called today to check again. They said they keep filing it, but the HMO is denying the claim each time. So, I called to the doctor's office to check on it (they had been called by the pharmacy last week to get the insurance approval through them). The nurse said the approval had gone through just fine. Then, she asked me a few questions (it's a long story-ish), that made me realize it was because of something the pharmacy was doing wrong. So, she apologize that we hadn't gotten the medicine sooner, but sounded annoyed (with the pharmacy) and said she would be calling them.

Well...what a coincidence (not!) -- just about five minutes later, I get a call from the pharmacy, "Hi -- it's Mark from (pharmacy) that you spoke to earlier. The insurance company just finally approved the prescription, so we're filling it now and it should be ready in 15 minutes." Like all the sudden out of the blue the insurance company had come to their senses and approved it. I refrained from saying, "Oh, thanks, Mark. I'm sure it has nothing to do with me calling the doctor's office and then probably actually filing it correctly this time."

I seriously feel like I need a rolling eyes icon here!

About marriage...

I have been trying to get ready for my afternoon as Molly is in her room not really napping, and I am thinking of Eric. I was thinking how funny it is to be so much like someone else, but also so different. I typically think of us as having pretty different personalities that just mesh well together, but then there are so many things that we are of exactly the same mind about, and it often cracks us both up.

Like, case in point, I knew that he liked science fiction (which I, as unkind as it is, will often see a movie he has requested from Netflix, and then I declare it to be "a crappy movie that I don't want to watch" when I tell him what is next in the queue). Imagine his surprise when years into our relationship (dating), he found out that I have loved Star Wars since I was a little girl. He tells me that's science fiction too, but I don't buy that. LOL *wink* I just see it as our little way of identifying ourselves as nerds. (We do agree though, that as Star Wars nerds, we rank above Star Trek nerds.)

I have, I feel, successfully brought him to my way of thinking many, many times of the years. That's what I do -- I'm persuasive. LOL He will now eat (and enjoy) macaroni & cheese with tuna in it, as well as things like broccoli and spinach. He even eats his Dinty Moore Beef Stew on bread (on a plate) instead of in a bowl. He will, however, still not eat tomatoes, despite my best efforts. My efforts in "molding" him have also somewhat worked as far as music goes. He and I enjoy a lot of the same music. However, it is still painful for me every time I forget and his the "3" button on his car radio and hit the country station (just for effect, even when I am alone, I have to screech). And, I fear that he will never enjoy sitting down to listen to The Cure, the Violent Femmes, or Michael W. Smith (how are those for a crazy combination?).

But, I suppose if people were too much alike, there would be no fun in life. So, maybe there is fun to be had in me knowing that he likes to sometimes watch crappy movies, and he thinks that I sometimes listen to crappy music. (Ha -- see there, Eric -- I know that your movies are crappy, but you only think that my music is crappy.)

As I was pondering on these things, I also thought of our marriage. It hasn't been perfect, but I don't think there is such a thing as a "perfect" marriage. Perfect happens in books and movies, we are influenced to believe in a perfect marriage from the media. This year, we will be married for 11 years, and I think the good times have FAR out weighed the bad.

I think the key to that is we have always been committed to each other. There were a couple of times where some people might have gone their separate ways. Not because of fights, but just because there were a couple of periods of time when we both knew that it was like we were living together as best friends who happened to have gotten married and had a child. I guess we both knew that it was a phase, and we lived through it. I feel that I can safely say that in this period of time, we love each other more than we probably ever have before. There are some things, I think, that only come with time. And, this period of our relationship feels that way. We've been building to this -- this is a place you only get to with time.

I will finally end this long-winded posting with two thoughts that stick in my head about marriage and relationships. One is from our priest, and then other by me, at age 16 after a reconciliation after a short break up.

The first lesson would be that you have to find someone that you can't be without. Mind you, this doesn't mean that things are great when you are together, but you need to not be able to image your life without them. Upon us getting back together, I told Eric something I think I will always remember, "I guess sometimes we will have to be unhappy together, because we are miserable apart."

And, the second is from Fr. Dan. He told us in RCIA that you need to be married to someone that helps you to be the best person you can be... someone who will help you get to Heaven. I don't think truer words could be spoken. As for me, I think I am good on that one.

The Devil works for Hershey

That just must be it...the Devil works for Hershey. I will admit, I'm not even that big of a chocolate eater. If I had to give up sweets forever or carbs (more like your bread/pasta carbs) forever, I wouldn't even really have to think about it too long. But, man oh man -- these darn cherry cordial Hershey's kisses are killing me.

The kisses "called" to me at the grocery store. "Please take us home. We are so tastey. And, you can be good. You'll just eat three at a time." Yeah, then I'll go back to the pantry and grab three more, and then three more, and then three more -- and then I'll have a pile of little red and black balls of foil. Augh! I even had the audacity to think, "Well -- at least once I eat them all, then they'll be gone." LOL

I'm trying to get back to eating better, and it's kind of hit and miss. I have been trying to lose weight for almost a year now, and had only lost 27 lbs. However, then I started gaining some back, and am back to having only lost 19.5 lbs. Blech!

Seriously -- I really need to make a new committment to losing weight! Although, in an odd turn of events, I have had several people tell me lately how good I look and saying that they noticed that I had lost a lot of weight. So, that's nice. (I think it helps that I stopped wearing clothes that were so darn baggy as well.) Although, I do see (in looking at pictures) that some of the weight I lost was in my face, so that helps too.

I just have to say though -- why in the world can't there be rice cakes that make a person think, "C'mon -- I NEED more. I love them -- they are so tastey." Hmmmmm....

On the up side, today will be the third day in a row of going to exercise! WooHoo! Yesterday, I attended my very first class -- BodyFlow (it is a mix of Tai Chi and Yoga). My muscles are a bit sore today, but not too bad. I have decided that I need to start trying out some of the other classes too, since the hour of that class went MUCH faster than an hour by myself out on the cardio and weights.

And, so, to you Devil employed by Hershey, I say, "Get thee behind me..." but just don't get ON my behind.