Today, I unfiled. Is that even a word? Well, its a word now! I volunteered today at Arkansas Children's Hospital. They assigned me to a department of the hospital that we have not visited (and hope we never do!). My task was to take a list of names and unfile the charts for those patients because they have not been patients for a while now and need to be archived...or something along those lines anyway. So, see, I wasn't really retrieving files...I was unfiling them!
I was there for several hours. The files are in alpahbetical order by last name. I started with "A"...and made it only to the "Ch's". While I stood there looking at the mass amount of files, it occurred to me that this is only one department...and look at all these kids they have treated. Given, some kids may have only come for a one time consultation and not needed any further care. However, some of those files were super thick and it doesn't take a genius to know that the thicker the filed...well, you get the point. And once again, I found myself caught off guard by the magnitude of impact that this hospital has. Its just freaking astounding and stupifying all at once.
While waiting for my "assignment" to come retrieve me from volunteer services, I joked with them about how we are familiar with cardiology, urology, the ER twice, and several visits to the after hours GPC clinic.
The file room was quiet. It was just me and a temp working in there and the temp was busy listening to his mp3 player while he kept busy. The work I was doing wasn't a fast paced task. Its not meant to be. You don't want to pull/archive the wrong file! I was forced to slow down to a pace that eluded me on most days. I was even able to find a blessing in that...and I am pretty sure that I heard a gasp of relief flow from my brain.
While I was filing, I was reminded of our blessings. I need to count them more often. While at one point life threatening, Kale's heart condition has been treatable. He was only briefly a urology patient. There are so many kids who visit that hospital so frequently that they know the lay of the land there. They are patients in multiple clinics. They know more medical terminology that some first year med students. Once again, God reminded me to count my blessings, reminded me of what is most important, and humbled me all in one moment.
When I left, I thanked them for the opportunity to help. I think it befuddled them a bit.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Nearly getting paid to shop
Lately, I have been hitting some good bargains. This is what a few of my recent receipts looked like:
Target: 4 packs of diapers, 2 Gerber Fruit Twist boxes, 1 package underwear, 1 bag of Cheetos, 2 boxes of Target fruit chews, 3 boxes of something else Target snacks (don't remember), 1 bottle of Euricin lotion, 4 bottles of Dial shower soap, 15 boxes of 30ct Rolaids.
Total before sale prices: $116.33
Total savings: $66.24 (of which $61.55 was saved with coupons!)
Total after sale prices/coupons: $62.50
Kroger: 1 box of Cheerios, 9 bottles (20oz) of Sobe Lifewater, 1 bottle of Nesquik syrup, 1 family size Stouffer's Lasagna.
Value of coupons used: $11.14
Coupons values that doubled: $4.35
Saved due to Kroger sale: $16.80
Total Saved: $32.29 (89% of total price)
Total Spent out of pocket: $4.27
Kroger: 9 bottles of Sobe Lifewater, 1 small package of M&M's
Value of coupons used: $5.79
Coupon values doubled: $4.00
Saved due to Kroger sale: $7.11
Total Savings: 16.90 (104%)
Total Spent: -.61 and then.... .17
Yes, they owed me money. That is why Kale got a small package of M&M's. I had to get to the side of $0 where they were making money. They were baffled at how they owed me money. I knew why, but kept my trap shut because it never works out well when I try to explain it to them. So, instead of working any longer to figure it out, they just pulled .61 out of the drawer and then rang up the M&M's separately...and I had to come up with .17 for the difference. Then Kale and I got out of there lickety split!
Then there was today...where I went to Walgreens (2 separate stores) and bought 12 bottles of Vitamin D gelcaps, 3 bags of Pull-Ups, and 3 packages of Peeps (which I don't even like!). Here is how that worked out for me:
Spent: less than $7 total including tax
Received: $60 in register rewards of which $15 was spent on the Pull-Ups...so I still have $45 in register rewards.
If anyone needs some Vitamin D gelcaps...let me know. I have given away 3 bottles already, but that leaves me with a 3+ year supply.....
Target: 4 packs of diapers, 2 Gerber Fruit Twist boxes, 1 package underwear, 1 bag of Cheetos, 2 boxes of Target fruit chews, 3 boxes of something else Target snacks (don't remember), 1 bottle of Euricin lotion, 4 bottles of Dial shower soap, 15 boxes of 30ct Rolaids.
Total before sale prices: $116.33
Total savings: $66.24 (of which $61.55 was saved with coupons!)
Total after sale prices/coupons: $62.50
Kroger: 1 box of Cheerios, 9 bottles (20oz) of Sobe Lifewater, 1 bottle of Nesquik syrup, 1 family size Stouffer's Lasagna.
Value of coupons used: $11.14
Coupons values that doubled: $4.35
Saved due to Kroger sale: $16.80
Total Saved: $32.29 (89% of total price)
Total Spent out of pocket: $4.27
Kroger: 9 bottles of Sobe Lifewater, 1 small package of M&M's
Value of coupons used: $5.79
Coupon values doubled: $4.00
Saved due to Kroger sale: $7.11
Total Savings: 16.90 (104%)
Total Spent: -.61 and then.... .17
Yes, they owed me money. That is why Kale got a small package of M&M's. I had to get to the side of $0 where they were making money. They were baffled at how they owed me money. I knew why, but kept my trap shut because it never works out well when I try to explain it to them. So, instead of working any longer to figure it out, they just pulled .61 out of the drawer and then rang up the M&M's separately...and I had to come up with .17 for the difference. Then Kale and I got out of there lickety split!
Then there was today...where I went to Walgreens (2 separate stores) and bought 12 bottles of Vitamin D gelcaps, 3 bags of Pull-Ups, and 3 packages of Peeps (which I don't even like!). Here is how that worked out for me:
Spent: less than $7 total including tax
Received: $60 in register rewards of which $15 was spent on the Pull-Ups...so I still have $45 in register rewards.
If anyone needs some Vitamin D gelcaps...let me know. I have given away 3 bottles already, but that leaves me with a 3+ year supply.....
Not much lately
I haven't posted much lately. Not because there hasn't been stuff to post. There are always cute pictures or stories from Kale. There is always a story or two about how I drive my husband insane (and not in a good way). There is always something.
Yet, lately, I have been going so fast that I don't slow down enough to let it all out. Thus, there is a circus of stuff going around like a merry go round in my head. There are so many "have I done that?" and "is this taken care of?" and "what deadline is next?"....so I never seem to have, correction: make, time to just blog the fun stuff lately. Hopefully, that will soon change.
Between work deadlines, vacation planning, work travel planning, and all the craziness that my brother has going on this summer....my poor head.
I took some time this past week and weekend to just enjoy my son. Well, more than usual. I enjoy him every day. Some days, he doesn't enjoy me so much. You know, on those days when I ask him to obey, tell him something he doesn't like, don't let him play in the water hose because its too cold out, etc. Yeah, on those days, he hates me...at least for a few minutes anyway. Back to this past weekend. He and I enjoyed a few days last week with an absentee daddy because he was working out of town. One afternoon, I did what he will soon not let me do with him: I took him to Target, Kroger, and then to Moe's. See, he was EXCITED to go to those stores. Target has toys. Kroger has carts with cars to drive. So, yes, he was excited to go shopping with mommy. Moe's was pretty much empty and we enjoyed a quiet dinner with common 2 year old conversation...which is pretty much about whatever happens to catch his attention at the moment. Saturday brought a trip out that included a garage sale, haircut, lunch, and Kroger (he wanted to ride in the cart). We had a good day. It was relaxing. My little boy is just big enough to enjoy time with mommy without being so big that he rolls his eyes at the idea of spending time with mommy. Ahhhhh...I know these moments are fleeting.
I know this is probably just rambling and such...but see, this is my mind these days. Moving, jumping, jerking from one thing to the next. A much needed vacation is coming. I won't say when, because the entire internet does not need to know when we will be on vacation. But, don't worry. When we return from vacation, things will only get more hectic. Slovakia, a wedding, and the arrival of my brother's child awaits on the other side of vacation. AND, if God answers a prayer the way we hope, then there is the possibility that it will get even more hectic somewhere in the middle of all of that.
I am pretty sure that my sanity is long gone! Check back this fall to see if it has returned!
Yet, lately, I have been going so fast that I don't slow down enough to let it all out. Thus, there is a circus of stuff going around like a merry go round in my head. There are so many "have I done that?" and "is this taken care of?" and "what deadline is next?"....so I never seem to have, correction: make, time to just blog the fun stuff lately. Hopefully, that will soon change.
Between work deadlines, vacation planning, work travel planning, and all the craziness that my brother has going on this summer....my poor head.
I took some time this past week and weekend to just enjoy my son. Well, more than usual. I enjoy him every day. Some days, he doesn't enjoy me so much. You know, on those days when I ask him to obey, tell him something he doesn't like, don't let him play in the water hose because its too cold out, etc. Yeah, on those days, he hates me...at least for a few minutes anyway. Back to this past weekend. He and I enjoyed a few days last week with an absentee daddy because he was working out of town. One afternoon, I did what he will soon not let me do with him: I took him to Target, Kroger, and then to Moe's. See, he was EXCITED to go to those stores. Target has toys. Kroger has carts with cars to drive. So, yes, he was excited to go shopping with mommy. Moe's was pretty much empty and we enjoyed a quiet dinner with common 2 year old conversation...which is pretty much about whatever happens to catch his attention at the moment. Saturday brought a trip out that included a garage sale, haircut, lunch, and Kroger (he wanted to ride in the cart). We had a good day. It was relaxing. My little boy is just big enough to enjoy time with mommy without being so big that he rolls his eyes at the idea of spending time with mommy. Ahhhhh...I know these moments are fleeting.
I know this is probably just rambling and such...but see, this is my mind these days. Moving, jumping, jerking from one thing to the next. A much needed vacation is coming. I won't say when, because the entire internet does not need to know when we will be on vacation. But, don't worry. When we return from vacation, things will only get more hectic. Slovakia, a wedding, and the arrival of my brother's child awaits on the other side of vacation. AND, if God answers a prayer the way we hope, then there is the possibility that it will get even more hectic somewhere in the middle of all of that.
I am pretty sure that my sanity is long gone! Check back this fall to see if it has returned!
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