Monday, September 2, 2013

The latest happenings...

So, we may be moving to some new apartments soon. The new ones they are building. It's been a really long process. I contacted them months ago and they sent me a bunch of stuff to fill out. We also had to pay $25 for them to do a background check on us. In May, we were basically told that we were approved. The apartments are based on income – luckily there are two different income levels. If you meet the lowest income level then you pay one price, if you meet the higher income level then you pay a higher price. We were told that we came in just under the higher income level. Then this particular lady went on maternity leave or something and a different lady ended up calling us and told us that we were not approved. She said we made too much money. Not too long ago, we were able to get in touch with the first lady again, and she said that she made a mistake calculating our income. She somehow calculated it to be a thousand more a year than what we make. So now she told us that we are approved again but I'm not holding my breath. They haven't asked us to sign a contract or give them a deposit or anything. We have an appointment to look at the inside of one of the units on Thursday. Hopefully, that day we can get an “official” approval. We need to know for sure soon because the apartments come available October 1st, which is now less than a month away... and we will need to notify our current landlord. I'm trying not to get my hopes up because I know how our luck is. And I'm worried about coming up with money for a deposit and first months rent up front. John was supposed to get paid several hundred dollars for a side job that he did with a friend, which was a couple of months ago, and he never got paid for it. We were planning on using that money...

Also, if we get those apartments then we need to find a new home for our cat. The kids are pretty upset about this. I'm not sure what to do with our cat. It's not like it's a cute little kitten. Adult cats are harder to find homes for. The kids are so excited about the possibility of the new apartment though. It's a 3 bedroom, and right now the kids are sharing a room. They are at the age now where it's not working out so well. They argue all the time. I can't wait to separate them! Oh, and these apartments are supposed to have a playground built eventually too.

There are some new things going on for Dakota that he is excited about. He had been invited to participate in the Special Olympics. They are doing it through the elementary school. A few of the special ed teachers at the school have volunteered to start a team. They are going to start off with just doing bowling this year. Dakota will have to stay after school once a week. They will practice bowling in the gym 3 times a month, and they will go to the bowling alley once a month. There will be regional competitions and things like that. I'm so happy that he can participate in something where other kids won't be making fun of him for not being as good at something as others. It will be good for him to spend time with other kids too.

The other thing that Dakota is going to start doing is Cub Scouts. They had someone come talk to his school about joining their pack, and Dakota really wanted to do it. They had a sign-up meeting the other day, so we went to that and got him all signed up. It cost $15 to sign him up, and now we have to buy him a uniform. That's something that I wasn't initially thinking about when we told him he could do it. Sounds like it's going to be around $100 for a shirt, shorts, belt, neckerchief, and patches... Ugh... what have we gotten ourselves into? I'll have to find stuff to sell on the swap&shops. I'll sell the rest of my Precious Moments figurines (so if anyone knows anyone that wants to buy any – let me know). They are just things. I'd rather my son be happy and feel like he's a part of something. We got an email from the leader saying that they need a den leader for the small group of boys that Dakota is going to be with. John contacted them and said that he would do it. Our main concern is that Dakota will be made fun of or bullied because he is different. We're also concerned about Dakota being behind with different tasks. If John becomes the den leader then he will know what needs to be done and can help Dakota keep up. John's such a good dad for agreeing to do that.

Mikayla will be starting dance again this week. Over the summer, she took some tumbling classes. Now, she has chosen to do ballet. Last year she did a ballet/tap combo class, but she had to do a tap dance routine for the recital and she really wanted to do ballet for the recital. This year, they have a one-hour weekly class for ballet only so she is pretty excited. Mikayla also starts soccer this week. I just got the call that her first practice is in 3 days.

I rescheduled my appointment with the Lyme specialist. The appointment was for tomorrow but there was no way I could afford to go yet. Their next opening isn't until March 2014. It's crazy. But the good news is that I found out about a doctor even closer to me (in Kansas City) that treats Lyme AND they take insurance! I don't have an appointment yet though, because I can't get anyone to answer when I call. Hopefully I can get ahold of them this week. And I hope it doesn't take several months before I can get in. The CDC had recently admitted that they have underestimated the number of Lyme disease cases in America. They had previously reported 30,000 cases, but now they are saying it's more like 300,000. I believe it's a lot more than that. A lot of people who get Lyme never see the tick or get a rash. I think that there are a lot of people out there who have it and just don't know it. I know a lot of people that have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and the symptoms are SO similar. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Fibromyalgia was actually Lyme Disease, OR something you contract when you get Lyme. I think everyone with Fibro needs to find a way to get tested. Oh, and the only reason the CDC has admitted their “mistake”, is because they are going to be coming out with a Lyme vaccine. The scare around the country over how common Lyme really is will make people rush out to get the vaccine and the CDC will make all kinds of money over it. BUT I don't recommend getting the vaccine when it comes out. There is no way I would willingly let them inject me with that stuff. I have become really leery of vaccines. I just recommend spraying yourself with insect repellant when you'll be spending time outdoors, and do a full body check afterward. And wear light colored clothes so you can easily spot the ticks. They can be very very small.

This article on Lyme is really interesting:


It mentions that more than one person in the family can have Lyme, but it presents differently. There's a part where it mentions an example of the mom having Fibromyalgia and the child having Autism. That part is kind of eerie for me. Makes me want to have my children tested in case I could have passed on Lyme to my kids. There is proof that mothers can pass on Lyme to their unborn children. There have been stillborn babies that have tested positive for Lyme.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Let me look I may have some scout clothing from when Shawn was in