OHIP vs NHS

And the NHS wins hands down.  I wish I had realised how great it was when I could actually use it.  The things we take for granted!

Let me provide you with a little background..... Back in February I got sick.  It was just a bad cold, but inevitably Sofia caught it just as I was improving.  Unfortunately for her, she got it bad and I decided that, after 2 nights of fever and a very listless baby, that I had to take her to see someone.  Now, we don't have a family doctor yet, so it had to be the nearest walk-in clinic.  Luckily we had gotten the kids' and Nick's OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) just the day before or it would have cost us $275 + doctor's fee just to even be seen.  Anyway, once she was seen by the doctor, it quickly became clear that she was a lot more sick than I had anticipated, and we were sent down to the Emergency room to have her put on a nebuliser.  By this point she was so hysterical at the sight of anyone in a blue uniform (after being subjected to two nasal swabs which go far further up the nose than you can imagine possible without encountering brain, and lots of ear and throat checking) to cut a very long story short, after a chest x-ray and two sessions on the oxygen, we were told that she had an infection in her left lung and an ear infection.  Armed with a prescription for antibiotics, an inhaler and an aero chamber, we left the hospital a little after 6 - after having been there since just after 10:30am.  I was exhausted and quite drained, and if it weren't for my new (canadian) BFF Namugenyi, I think I would have collapsed in a puddle.  Allow me to digress from the OHIP saga a moment,  you see, Nam saved the day in so many ways.  First off, she was the one who whisked me and Sofia off in a cab to the Kids clinic at St Joseph's Hospital, she then bought me some food whilst I went down to Emergency.  My phone died and I was unable to contact anyone - or even Nick to let him know what was happening and that he needed to pick the kids up from school.  Nam went all PI and googled Nick's work and eventually got through to him for me.  She then came through to Emergency and sat with me and refused to leave us until Nick arrived.  And all the time she had her little baby Eli with her too.

Jasmine comforts a poorly Sofia

a much better Sofia sharing her antibiotics with Baby - so kind

Her friend Eli

Back to OHIP.  It does not cover prescriptions - even for children.  Neither does it subsidise them.  So you pay full whack - cost of meds, dispensing fee, mark up and tax.  We are lucky in that we are covered on an extended insurance plan through Nick's job, that pays 100% of prescription charges (though you pay a flat fee of $5 per item).  If we didn't have this, the bill for the 3 items would have been approx $90.  All the same meds that I have had before for Ben and Jasmine and have never given a second thought to cost because they were FREE.  I could have flown home cheaper and had the treatment for free if we didn't have our coverage.  I still am uncovered, but will be sorting that out asap, lest I fall ill/get run over/have a nervous breakdown.....

Oh, and OHIP doesn't cover any dental (not even for minors), nor Optical (yup you guessed it, not even for kids).  it doesn't cover birth control (and again, you pay full whack), Ambulance Services. Yup, you must pay $45 for the ambulance that takes you to hospital. There are other things not covered too.  So people of the UK, never again complain about the health care system.  You are privileged!  And in that vein, I will leave you with a link to sign a petition to SAVE THE NHS.  Do not stand by and let it become like OHIP or even worse, like the USA

Flashback: Leaving England

This photo was taken just a couple of weeks before we left England for Canada

My little comedienne

This girl is just too funny.....

not. amused.

not a fan of the zoo smells...

she has a shoe habit. already

I love this selection of pictures because they really showcase her character.  She is a ball of energy this one.  And it never ceases to amaze me how much she understands, mimics and interacts with us all.

Another year, another decade

So, I'm 30.  Somehow it went and crept up on me.  One minute I am 21 and looking forward to birth of my first child, then BAM! I'm 30.  With said child now a lanky boy who walks to school by himself, a  girl of 7 (going 17) and an 18 month old who has discovered the art of the tantrum.  Where did this last decade go?

All that being said, I am really excited about what the next ten years will bring.  They sure have a lot of living up to do, because when I look back over the last decade (with its ups and downs), I know that I would do it all again with pleasure.

So, how did I celebrate?  We went as a family to stay in the most beautiful, luxurious log cabin ever, up in the Laurentian Mountains of southern Quebec.  On my actual birthday I was surprised in bed with a breakfast of smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, fresh bread and fresh coffee mmm, mmm,  mmmmmm.  Well, I say surprised, but I did put my order in.  The surprise was that it was ready before I even woke up (as opposed to me hanging on in bed until I get up out of sheer hunger and frustration to find out what's going on and where the hell my breakfast is).  After breakfast I got to stay in the huge four poster bed all by myself and read with not an ounce of guilt.  Or thoughts of washing up, cleaning, sorting out the kids infiltrating my mind and ruining the peace.  Then we went to some stables nearby, and me and the kids went on a horse ride through the hills.  Lucky me, I got the horse that decided to bolt just minutes after I mounted it.  I spent the first 20 minutes of the ride with a rising sense of panic I as kept having to slow my horse down and prevent it from headbutting Ben's horse just in front.  Just as my horse calmed down, and me too with it, the horse behind (ridden by one of the stable hands) starts acting up.  It was like having a bucking bronco behind me.  So I spent the rest of the ride looking nervously over my shoulder in case the horse scared my horse or charged us all.  Somehow despite all this, I managed to take in the breathtaking scenery all around.  It really was idyllic.  I got a little chuckle at Ben riding his horse like a sack of potatoes - a horse which kept stopping to munch on the vegetation all around.

The next day I visited a nordic spa where I got to lounge outside in the forest in hot pools, followed by taking plunges in ice-water pools, sit in an aromatherapy steam room, relax near the waterfalls around a fire on a lounger, under the trees in a hammock.  Zzzzzzz, I feel sleepy just remembering it all.  I then had a wonderful aromatherapy massage followed by more steam room and relaxing.  Bliss.  I couldn't have asked for a better way to welcome in my 30's.

Letting go

Today I experienced, for the first time, what it means to let go as a mum.  Benjamin and Jasmine walked to school together alone (oxymoron?).  Without me I mean. On one hand, given that when I was younger this was no big deal, it seems such a small thing.  But on the other hand, in today's age where the term 'helicopter parent' has come into common usage, it is a big thing.  For me it feels like the end of an era.  I feel nostalgic for the times that are gone.  That my babies don't need me so much anymore.  They have taken their first fledgling steps at independence, and they are only going to take more.  Yes, this is our role as parents.  To prepare our kids for life, to be responsible adults and learn to trust their own judgments and instincts.  So, despite feeling a little nervous and anxious right now, I know it is time and it is right.  "It's only a five minute walk", "lot's of other parents and children will be walking the exact same route", "the roads they have to cross are really quiet", "we've been over the two rules - watch the roads, watch each other"......... these are the thoughts flitting through my mind.  It's 9:05 and they should be in class right now.  Their teachers have agreed that if they aren't in registration that they'll call me immediately.  So just a few more minutes. If I hear nothing I can let out the breath I've been holding.......

Whooooo lives in a pineapple under the sea...?

SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!!!!

My kids' favourite cartoon.  All 3 of them.  Ben and Jas have pretty much watched every episode ever made, including the movie at least 5 times - 2 of those in one day.  They love it so much, that it is no wonder that one of Sofia's first words (besides mama, mum, mi(lk) and dad) is 'bom bob'.  Whatever she is doing, she will stop instantly the minute she hears the theme tune and squeal with delight.  And when asked 'who lives in a pineapple under the sea?' sheexcitedly responds 'Bom Bob!'.  She sometimes even adds a 'Ba Ba' (Square pants).  It's so adorable.

watching some 'Bom Bob'

Well hello there

Ok, so, scrap that previous post.  I am back.  Much to Nick's disgust I might say..... he can't believe that I caved in and paid Google for the extra storage space so I could continue to use blogger.  I just couldn't get used to Wordpress.  I have been blogging with google for about 6 years now and I get how it works.  I like the template options (being too lazy busy to work out how to design my own), I like the ways you can customise your templates.  I didn't like the lack of design options (free ones at least) with WordPress.  So I am officially back.  And you can now look forward to catching up with where we are at.  Instead of overwhelming you with a huge back log of posts though, I will blog the last few months in a series of 'Flashback' posts.  That way I can keep up with all that is going on right now too.