Student Insurance

One of the hardest things about looking for new employment is the worry about health insurance.  I probably shouldn't admit this, but one of the reasons I have hesitated in the past about testing my blood sugar is because I worry that I will be diagnosed with Type II diabetes and it will become a pre-existing condition.  (I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy, and Type II runs in the family.  Thankfully, I am still diabetes-free.) I find it interesting (not really interesting -- more like frightening) that most insurance companies exclude pre-existing conditions if you haven't had insurance for 60 days, and most companies require a 90 day waiting period before providing health insurance.

My oldest has asthma, and that has also played into our considerations when my husband has found himself looking for a new job. I have done a bit of insurance shopping, and am always amazed at the high cost of insurance, and saddened by how much more it costs and how much less it offers these days.  When my husband and I owned our company a little over a decade ago, we had excellent insurance as a small business and the cost wasn't exorbitant.

When my husband is job-hunting, one of the things I have looked into is insurance just for the kids, so we don't lose coverage for them. Mom Select contacted me and asked if I would write about United Healthcare's student option (full disclosure: I was compensated for this post, but it is written solely by me, about my experience.)

Their K12 Student Insurance option was one that I had looked into at the beginning of the school year.  Even though my children are home schooled, they do attend a homeschool enrichment program one day/week through the public school system, so they are considered students in the public school system. It is an illness and accident insurance program (vs. an accident only plan) and offers major medical insurance for $588 / year per student. Parents can enroll anytime during the school year, and pay either $98 every 2 months, or the full cost for 12 months.  It covers children from the age of 5 to 18, which means I couldn't get coverage for Lydia under this plan.

All of the plan details can be found at their website: K12 Student Insurance.  If your children are not insured, this is a viable plan to ensure that any large medical expenses would be covered -- because we all know that kids will be kids and trips to the hospital are bound to happen.

My experience with United Health Care in the past has been excellent, and they offered the best health insurance plan we've had since moving to Arizona.  (And, it feels like we've had them all in the last 10 yerars!)


Since I would prefer to have coverage for my entire family, I would seek out a family plan that would cover all 3 of my children as well as my husband and myself.  It wouldn't be cost-efficient for me to have a family plan for 3 of us, and then separate plans for Colin & Nate, but if all 3 of my kids were school-age, I would seriously consider it to avoid gaps in their insurance coverage.

Tell Me Thursday - Siblings

This sweet picture is from last March, but it's one of my favorites.  My three love to spend time together, and they all look out for each other.  It's something that we try to foster as parents, but I know that siblings don't always get along.  My children prefer to spend time with each other over time away from each other -- and I hope as they grow they continue to stay close.

Did you play Wordless Wednesday?  Then head on over to Tell Me Thursday and tell your story!

Wendy's High School Heisman Program & Giveaway!

I think I've mentioned before that my favorite fast food treat is a Wendy's Frosty. I have always liked the causes that Wendy's as a company has supported as well, so I was happy when Mom Central and Wendy's asked if I would blog about the Wendy's High School Heisman Program.

Since 1994, the WHSH program has recognized "the nation’s most esteemed high school senior men and women for excellence in academics, athletics, and community/school leadership."  (From their website)

If you know of a high school senior who works hard at academics (has at least a B average), plays one of 27 nationally accredited sports and is active in their community, please encourage them to apply for this program!  Applications are due by October 1, 2009 at 5PM (CST).

Wendy's gift cards ranging from $5 to $50 will be sent to the first 41,100 applicants, and every applicant will be able to download a certificate.  The field is narrowed down little by little, until the finalists visit New York City & ESPN2 in December. For information about every level of awards, please visit the official WHSH website.

To help spread the word even further, Mom Central and Wendy's sent me a $20 Wendy's gift card to give away to one of my readers!  You can earn one entry for completing each of the following (so 4 possible entries - each with a separate comment)

• Leave a comment telling me what sport you played in high school, or what sport your kids play, and if you know of a high school senior who will be applying.
  
• Follow me on Twitter (AZMelly) & tweet a link to this blog post.
• Write about this entry on your blog and link back to this post.
• Share a link to this post on your Facebook Wall.

I'll leave comments open until October 1, 2009 and choose a winner on October 2, 2009 via random.org.  I will email the winner on October 2 and they will have 48 hours to send me their mailing address.

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Wendy’s and received a gift certificate to giveaway and to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Beautiful Rosaries, and a Good Cause

Ruth, a Catholic homeschooling mom I know online, has a business making rosaries.  During the months of September and October, proceeds from the sale of her rosaries is going to the Bryce Mitchell Memorial Fund.  Bryce is the son of another Catholic homeschooling mom, and his sweet life was cut short after only a few months.

I ordered this rosary from Ruth and it arrived today.  The picture does not show you how smooth the stones are, or the heft of this rosary.  I like the way it feels in my hands very much -- and I'm so picky about the rosaries I like to use that I was a bit worried about ordering online. I had nothing to worry about!

I especially liked the fittings that surround the Our Father beads, as I often say the rosary in the dark and need to feel the change from the Hail Mary beads to the Our Father beads.

If you're in the market for a new rosary, please head over and look at the beautiful rosaries she has created.  I know you will be pleased!

As an aside, the rosary is placed upon a prayer shawl that a very sweet woman made for me years ago. It was a precious gift to receive from someone I met only online, and I cherish it.

Wordless Wednesday - Siblings

Play along at Wordless Wednesday, and come back tomorrow for Tell Me Thursday!

Update in Bullets

• We're getting into a groove with homeschooling. The change in curriculum threw us all for a loop, but we're settling in and finding our way.  Nate is doing extremely well with the online portion -- in no small part because 98% of it is read aloud to him. The writing portion is more of a struggle.  Colin is working hard, but there are many multiple choice tests and he's not a very good test taker apparently.  I'm not really surprised, as I've always taught to knowledge in the past -- and not to a test format -- so it's new territory for him.  We've talked about test taking strategies and he's improving.  He's retaining the knowledge, he just struggled with the multiple choice format. 
• Last week, we took a day off and spent it at a local resort.  They have multiple pools and a waterslide and were offering day rates.  We had the pools pretty much to ourselves, since it was a Thursday during the school year and the weather couldn't have been nicer. The special included a suite and a private poolside cabana, so it was no problem getting Lydia her afternoon nap.  It was nice to spend the day, but then come home and sleep in our own beds. 
• I can't believe we only have 2 weeks left of baseball!  The season went by quickly (as it always does) and I am still impressed at the level of play both boys displayed this year.  Part of it is age, part of it is experience, and a big chunk of gratitude goes to the coaches this year for helping them improve dramatically.  This is the first year Colin has enjoyed it in the last few years -- and he is really excited about playing.  I never thought I'd sign him up for Little League, but it looks like spring ball is in our future.
• Lydia recently convinced her aunt to buy her the chair pictured above.  She saw it at Ross and declared it her "perfect, purple chair that is in my house." And, so, now it is in our house.
• Religious education classes started yesterday.  Nate will make his First Communion in the spring, and I'm not exactly sure what Colin is learning this year in class.  We always supplement at home with lessons, so I look at it more as a community-building activity and social outlet.
• Bo went away last weekend to help a friend install air conditioning.  He took the boys with him, and I confess that Lydia and I had a lovely weekend on our own.  Bo is going away again this weekend, but between baseball and religious ed, the boys will have to stay home this time.  I really enjoyed the quiet of just the two of us and will encourage more weekends away in the future.

Tell Me Thursday - Graphic Recorder

I have actually taught classes about taking minutes, and have talked about graphic reporters, but have never had the fun of watching one at work!  When I was in Minneapolis last week for General Mills' Table Talk, they brought in an extremely talented woman, Julie Primozich, to take notes of our meeting. She listened carefully, then created art from the things she heard everyone say. The picture on my post yesterday was her in action -- here's a shot of one of her finished works of the day:

 

Watching her work made me think about the different careers available. Julie captured our whirlwind day in a creative, but thorough way, and seemed to have a great time while doing it! While I work as a freelance writer and software instructor, she's traveling all over the country recording minutes for corporations and organizations. (Which isn't actually her full-time job -- she runs a creative talent agency that helps match up creative people with marketing people.) One mom I met on this trip is a researcher for a major university, while another is a classically trained opera singer! 

The moms on this trip all had blogging in common, but it was in no way the only way that we shared our talents. Some worked in social media for companies, some were homeschoolers, some were moms with a passion for saving money and sharing their knowledge. It was gratifying to see all the ways these women incorporated motherhood into their lives, and how while it definitely defines them to a point -- it is not the only definition. It goes back to my recent post about the seasons of life, in that life constantly changes and evolves and it's best to be an active participant in those changes.

While at General Mills, we also had the good fortune of meeting Suzy Goodsell, the archives manager for General Mills.  She is in charge of the history of the company -- including the largest cookbook archive! I found it fascinating to learn how they are carefully preserving the histories of all the companies that have been rolled into General Mills and are sharing that information with consumers.  So, even though Pillsbury was a competitor for many years, now that they are joined with General Mills, their long history is being preserved.

We also met Jackie, the Consumer Insights Manager, whose career has been full of learning what consumers really do in their homes --- to the point where in the past she interviewed them in their home, going about their daily lives to truly learn how they shopped and prepared meals.  Today, she is still learning about consumers and how they use products.  And, she recently started blogging herself!

There are so many interesting opportunities out there, if you only take the time to look, listen and learn. During my brief stay at General Mills, I really thought about all the different career possibilities that exist right now -- and I wonder what will be available as my kids grow!

Did you play Wordless Wednesday?  Then head on over to Tell Me Thursday and tell your story!

Wordless Wednesday - Graphic Recorder

Play along at Wordless Wednesday.  Thanks to Tell Me Thursday, you can come back tomorrow and learn the story behind this picture!

Green Giant Vegetables & What I Learned

It may seem odd, but I think my favorite session during my recent visit to General Mills for Table Talk was the session by Green Giant.  Two people talked to us from the Green Giant division -- Steve works with frozen food and Alex works with canned food.

I pulled these cans out of my pantry to show that we really do eat Green Giant vegetables!  I didn't pull out the ones from the freezer, but there are a few bags there as well.   Lydia and I shared a Healthy Steamer bag of rice & vegetables last night for dinner when the boys were gone. She gobbled it up - even the red peppers!

Steve, from frozen food, made us all laugh when he shared that he had a kid's palette, and really didn't even like vegetables until he started working in this division!

I was amazed (and pleased!) to learn that they use holistic pest management, and have even gotten to the point where they use NO pest control on their peas! I had just assumed that any large company would use chemical pest control and the only way to avoid it would be to grow my own vegetables, or buy only locally grown produce from farmers I knew. 

Since the original company's founding in 1903, they have always been interested in sustainability and holistic approaches to farming and harvesting. The Green Giant mission is: Valley Freshness & Valley Stewardship, integrated seamlessly.  Their core values are: value, nutrition and taste -- and I feel they are doing a great job incorporating those values in their products.

I was thoroughly impressed with the attention and science that goes into seeds, germinating and planting. The company is committed to sustainability practices in Minnesota, and everywhere they harvest plants.

I also learned that their 15.1 oz cans and their 11 oz cans of niblet corn have EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF CORN! The difference is that the smaller can is vacuum packed and has 75% less water. The cans are smaller, which require less material, and less shipping costs.  Plus, the corn is a bit crisper because it hasn't been sitting in water.

Did you know that fresh green beans lose 50% of their Vitamin C within a week?  When green beans are harvested at Green Giant farms, they are processed within 8 hours, which locks in all the vitamins! You'll see some commercials in the next few weeks about that fact, but I thought I'd share it here.  I always knew that frozen and canned foods had higher nutritional values in the winter, but I didn't realize how quickly the nutrients drained out of vegetables.

We were able to sample some of the new blends, and all were delicious. They have a peas & corn with butter basil sauce coming out soon, and also added some new Immunity blends. We tried one with cranberries that was yummy.

 
The one thing I wish is that they had more frozen choices in larger bags. Most of the bags are 2-3 servings, which means I need to purchase 2-3 bags to feed my family.  One of the responses I heard about that was the smaller bags allowed families to offer different vegetables, but at our table, I like to encourage everyone to share the same food.  I don't want to get into the habit of making special or separate meals. 

I do think their single serve options are wonderful for those who live alone (like my sister) and as a snack for kids (and even adults!)  In fact, they recently partnered with Weight Watchers and the single servings will soon show that they are either 0 or 1 point on the Weight Watchers system.

One thing that shined through, no matter who was giving the presentation, was that everyone believed in the mission and goals of General Mills and truly appeared to love their jobs. If I wasn't so committed to Arizona summers, I may consider moving and trying to work there! 

Giveaway Link

Joann, of 10 Kids and a Dog, is running a fun giveaway on her site right now for a Kimochi Feelings toy. They look so cute, and her 3yo has been having fun playing with theirs.

If you don't already read over there, you should!  Joann blogs about all the wonderful things she does in her home, and I'm always inspired (and a bit in awe) of her amazing Tot School for her youngest kids.  And she has the cutest header right now at the top of her blog!  You must go take a look ;)