Susan: Take it from me and get tough with those stupid doctors/collection agencies. On top of that, go to the credit bureaus and if they have reported it as a slow debt or whatever, lodge a dispute in each of the files. I would also, write, not call whomever has the medical debt now and tell them your financial circumstances are such that you can only pay, say $15 a month. Tell them NOT to contact you at home, only by mail and that if they fight you, you will declare bankruptcy and they will get maybe 10 cents on the dollar tops if they even get anything. Creditors of any kind have gotten nasty with people who pay and those that don't and lump them all into one bundle. YOU have the rights, believe it or not and they have very few. You can legally tell them how they can contact you and they cannot contact you any other way. Jack and I are digging out of debts from 15 years ago still and I lowered the boom on them all and refused to let them bully me. I told them they can only contact me by phone, I dispute ANYTHING I disagree with on my credit reports, I am the one that sets up the payment plan and refuse to discuss anything else. Let them snow you with mail, it is just a threat and they can't do much about it as long as you pay something on you bill. Good luck with it all sweety. We are here for you and I hope your hubby gets to feeling lots better real soon!

Faye

TUESDAY: Today is Target Tuesday and our target this week is sugar. Try and limit your white sugar as much as you can. It DOES cause you to crave food. A little snack here or there, piece of birthday cake or whatever is ok, but the more sugar you eat, the more you want to eat.

POINTS:

Faye
Julie

Have a great day ladies. I have to light the candles, Jack fixed himself a piece of sausage and the smell is all over the house! UGH!

Faye

4 points for me yesterday, ladies! It was day one of phase one of South Beach, which is really the way I need to eat all the time. I know it, I just hate it! I love sugar and bread but it doesn't love me!!!!

So it's veggies and lean protein for 2 weeks, then I can add back in some fruit and the occasional wrap. I'm not thrilled, I'm not psyched, I'm not even super motivated...but I can't let myself keep backsliding. This is the only WOE that works for me and for DH.

I skated and got some strength training in. I'm stressing about my show coming up in a few weeks, but I decided I'd rather detox now and feel really good then. It didn't make sense to put it off just cuz I'm stressed--I mean, when am I ever NOT stressed???

Susan, I hope everything smooths out for you and your hubbie. Dealing with money people is never fun. Just be strong and you'll get through it.

I hope everyone else has a great day! I've got writing and sewing to do today...

TTFN,
Julie

The good news is my husband is coming home today. The bad news is we have to have $19,000 in medical bills that aren't covered by insurance before he can get the Medicaid Spend Down account again. That means we'll have medical bills we have to pay that total our whole yearly income this year. Well, I'll just keep sending payments to everyone. He needs to have home health care twice a day to change his dressings and I'm going to call the visiting nurse today and see if they will at least help with that. He wants to come home so badly and that's where I want him.

May be AWOL for a few days until I get our routine going again.

Susan

ATTENTION LADIES: When you peek in here to post, I want this to remind you to say a small prayer for Susan's husband that not only does he get to come home, but that their medical bills will be taken care of. God can provide here and he will if we ask him to so it is up to us to band together and get the prayers flowing. If you have others in your family who are prayer warriors, or are part of a prayer group, get them in on this too! Let's get him home and get the burden of these bills off her!

Faye

WEDNESDAY: Today is Wednesday's Woes and if you have some kind of problem you need help with, today is the day to complain about it!

POINTS:

Faye

My woe today is our scales are kooked up and I am not going to spend the money on new ones for awhile so I can't weigh myself. Which is not a totally bad thing for now. I am not sure how accurate mine are for my weight anyway at this point.

Susan: I have many prayer circles and groups that have included you and your husband so I am SURE things are going to turn around for you guys and start looking up.

I need some sleep as I have had two bad nights of it and am kind of pooped so I am posting, doing my morning chores, and flopping back into bed for a couple hours. I will talk to you all later.

FYI: I will gone from Saturday until sometime on Tuesday and not have a computer accessable so you guys are going to have to hold down the fort for me!

Faye

My woe today is I finally got a 4 point day, and no "bravo" from Faye

Yesterday was another 4 pointer for me. I feel fine, which is weird...usually during a sugar detox I feel like crap! I guess I just don't have time to feel bad.

So today is day 3. So far, so good.

Lee--Feel like dragging the family to VT for the weekend? We'll all be at Panteria, if you're up for the trip. We miss you guys.

Susan, you and hubbie are in my prayers as well.

Hope everyone is doing well!
Julie

Julie, Julie, Julie! If you look at my Tuesday post above your post of the 4pter you will see I put it in with mine for that day! I didn't forget you, but just in case anyone missed it:

POINTS:

JULIE: for two straight days! WTG Julie! (have I redeemed myself??? )

Gotta get upstairs and get my bathrooms cleaned and the upstairs dusting done. I have weights to do today. I walked over to the pool at 5 AM in my jammies and it looks beautiful. Still has the warning sign that you can't go in, but I will surely be ready when they take it down.

Faye

Julie- Actually, we just got back from doing AE War practice at Cooper's Lake (the kids were mad that they had to leave!) And we've got Barony Wars (Dave's the current champ), a squire circuit event, and another war practice (They are asking Dave and me for melee advice HA HA HA!!- AE is not a melee kingdom!)

We were going to be at War of the Roses, but we're so pooped out. I love it. Everything is so close and we can event like we did when we were still single. Still arguing about who watches the kids while the other person fights, though.

Susan- Nothing is more intimidating to some stupid phone jockey (been there- once as the phone jockey and now as the caller) than a Conference Call!! Just get Medicare/aid on the line and say "Hold on, I'm pulling in the person from the hospital insurance dept." They'll seriously be thinking "Oh crap! I got some kind of super-executive type on the line! Now what do I do?!"

I can guarantee that they'll have things straightened out in no time. Do it as many times as necessary (Two or three at the very most). Make sure that you have your serious "I'm not taking any crap" voice. If you sound "poor me" they'll brush you off.


Amanda- AWESOME! You're really really on fire with your program! Seems like we only hear "4 points" or "I worked out like crazy" out of you! You're def giving me a little moral boost.

cw- I like to complain too. (Ha ha! Just ask Julie! She finally told me to shut up for doing it last time I was there! *giggle*)

Well, the baby (14 mos) has been intro'd to the little potty. She's completely enchanted (with a potty, go figure). She wants to be just like the two older girls and she gets angry with me when I put it away.

My idea is to take it away while it's still fun. She has the right idea, though. She sits down and goes pee. But she doesn't sit when she pees. She sits doewn, jumps up and then pees while looking at the potty. So I'm grateful that we have hardwood floors instead of carpet this time around..

Love ya ladies. Sorry if I'm not around so much. We're right in the middle of our camping/fighting season.

-Lee Ann

Hello gals,

I am still doing well - no more weight lost yet, but I know it is going to come off soon. The funny thing is that I was so worried that the first week back OP was going to be **** - and it really wasn't at all! I think the most important thing when getting back OP is to be prepared - know what you are going to be eating and have lots of healthy choices in stock - it's really helped me.

SUSAN - Hearing about your situation just makes me thank God for our NHS - I think all healthcare should be free! Faye is right - they can't take what you haven't got. I have been in a tonne of debt since I lost my job due to ill health - I contacted a debt advisor who contacted all my creditors and made arrangements for £1 a month, which were all accepted. For 18 months before seeing this debt advisor, I kept borrowing and borrowing more to try to keep on top of things, which actually made it worse. The debt advisor really helped me and it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I'd definately advise getting a third party to advocate a sensible payment arrangement on your behalf - when I've contacted creditors myself they've not accepted my low offers and have tried to bully me into paying more, but when the debt advisor contacts them they ALL accepted £1 a month. As always, you are in my prayers. GOOD NEWS about him coming home - home comforts and TLC will really get him on the mend.

JULIE - You are doing really well - now lets both keep it that way!

LEE - You are my kind of mum! I plan to potty train my kids young too - my sister left it until her little boy was 3 years old which I thought was really late. I'd want to get out of changing nappies as soon as possible!

FAYE - Hope your allergies are giving you a break now!

CARRI - Haven't heard from you in a while - hope you're ok!

CW - Hi!

Love Amanda x

THURSDAY: Today is Time for Us Thursday so take some time out today just for you and give yourself a break.

I hope everyone has a great day today!

Faye

Okay Faye, you're forgiven Of course, I was only teasing you anyway

2 points yesterday. Stayed OP, but didn't have time to exercise and didn't drink enough water. So NOW the headache is here. Wonder if it has anything to do with the exercise and water?

I dreamed last night about a never ending bag of Oreos, and I just kept eating and eating and they tasted sooooo goooood! And birthday cake and ice cream. I woke up like "Oh CRAP! I'm not supposed to be eating sugar!!!" Even after I realized it was a dream, I still felt guilty. What's up with that?

Way to go, Amanda--stick with that OP stuff, you can do it! You're my hero after all.

Faye, hope your allergies are better soon.

Hi to everyone else! Have to get the whole fam packed up for a tournament this weekend. It will probably take all day.

Cheers!
Julie

POINTS:

JULIE (JUST IN CASE! )
Faye

Amanda- Well we're not really expecting much to come of it. They do it all in their own time, not on our schedules. But our thought was along the lines of "We're spending $100/month on wipes and another $100/month on diapers? Potty training is GOOD!"

Julie- Have a great time!! Tell me all about it when you get back. I miss you guys too.

-Lee Ann
OP and remembering my water! 3 pts for the last two days.

NO TOPIC TODAY!

POINTS:

LeeAnn

All the Americans have a super holiday weekend, I will try and get in here on Tuesday if we get back early. Amanda, you have a nice weekend!

Faye