Living In America ..You say Goodbye, I say Hello, ...

[kickassangel]

New Thread.

nanjo, hi. i grew up in kent, but loads of my family are from hastings area & my sister lives in crowborough, so sussex is kind of 'home' for me too!

i loved my trip back home & got very homesick, but then loved getting back here too! very odd, isn't it. cant imagine what it's like packing up to 'go home' - you know you won't be coming back again.

earlybird, yep, sb has returned to the UK FOREVER!! i'm sure she'll be happier there, but still a big change for her.

Hi kissangel! Lovely to 'meet' you. I grew up in Battle, near Hastings! I still have lots of family in Hastings (my Dad was born there) and in St. Leonards and Brighton... as well as my Dad and StepMum in Suffolk. Last time I was 'home' was 4 years ago and we had a fantastic time. My DH couldn't believe how easily I was able to find my way around ... walked to my old house and primary school in Battle without any hesitation at all. I attended Battle & Langton Primary, and then Bexhill Grammar from age 11 to 15. We're planning on a trip to the UK next year to celebrate my Dad's 80th birthday. I was the same as you; strangely paradoxical as it still felt like home, and yet I love it here in Canada, too. Where abouts are you living in the US?

I'm in Michigan, near Ann Arbor & enjoying the sunny weather.

My aunt works in battle abbey. i have to say, battle has to be the least imaginative name for a town!

They're both gone, earlybird, but both of them are bound by the "Hotel California" rule of this thread in that they are allowed to check out of the country, but not leave the thread.

Hi nanajo. Welcome.

Dooneygirl is trying hard not to kill someone today. That is what I'd like to write on my Facebook status, but the person who I am trying not to kill would be able to read it, and figure it out.

Good day to you all!!!! It is a beautiful, warm, sunny day here with the slightest of breezes.

Oh Dooney, sorry you are feeling muderous!

i like the 'hotel california' rule, a good idea.

why do you feel murderous? go on, spill. my life is very quiet (but fun) atm, with my biggest dilemma being WHICH BBQ to go to at the weekend!

Dooney - thanks for update/explanation. And please do tell us what is wrong - this is a good place to vent.

Good day all around here. DD is a member of a summer swim squad. Her team had their final competition today, and won the division title. DD did well too - she's improved tremendously since the season began, and won her age group for 25M breastroke. She's chuffed with herself, and we've just come back from having a congratulatory frozen yoghurt.

Earlybird, how lovely

Nice decision to have to make, Kickass!

I went to mums and tots group. It's all a bit strange.

is it just strange cos you're the new girl in town? i'm a bit thrown by the fact that uk schools are only just breaking up, whereas we're half way through the summer here.
do you have somewhere 'properr' to live, or are you squatting?

hope it's all working out for you. i realise that although you're 'home' again, it will be like starting out new. good luck with it all!

I found out yesterday that when DH signed us up for insurance the last time (the company totally redid the insurance options, so everyone had to switch) that somehow it never occurred to him to put the kids on, so he and I are the only insured ones in the family. And since it was his fault for never getting them on there in the first place, he won't be able to put them on until open enrollment comes around in January.

I'm squatting, Kickass

Dooney, I think I am being a bit slow but why do the children need to be insured? Are you talking about life insurance? Or Health? Lack of health insurance could be bad although in Illinois the state funded All Kids is far better than many basic policies.

I'm talking about health insurance.

Are you telling me that MrDooney forgot his own children?

No, I'm not telling you he forgot his own children, just forgot to add them to the insurance. I'm struggling to understand that whole concept myself, because I cannot wrap my head around how that happens. I think he thought that the insurance people had God-like powers of knowing it all, I guess.

OMG!!!! He did that thing of just assuming that kids were free, didn't he? like they are on buses etc. Complete & utter idiot, with potential very expensive results!!

At least you're 6 months through, not just a few weeks. i know what it's like, we had to wait for certain 'anniversaries' for some of the benefits from dh's work. then one of them won't let us join cos we haven't been in the US long enough. you'd think it'd be like when you forget car ins & can just back pay, specially as they know they don't have claims to cover.

how far can you stretch the guilt? will he cook dinner for the next week, month, year, lifetime?

dh once forgot to collect dd from nursery when i had an after school thing. he KNEW he owed me bigtime, and i was hoping to 'cash in' the guilt trip on a day to myself soemwhere. then i forgot he needed my car (bigger) to collect some furniture, causing him major hassle, and 'blew' the debt. c'est la vie. we all mess up sometime.

have to say though, he FORGOT his own children! or at least, is monumentally crap at paperwork.

No, he's great at paperwork, just incredibly stupid when it comes to insurance. They make him sign up at work, and I hate it, because I know how thoroughly useless he is when it comes to things involving doctors and insurance.

He didn't think they were free, he just figured that somehow the insurance magically knew about them. I found out that my children have apparently never had dental coverage their entire lives, because it never occurred to him to put them on there, either. (Ok, I've never taken them to a dentist, but Caitlin freaks out at Dr. offices, and we have a friend who is a dentist, so he's checked their teeth several times in the comfort of his own home as an "unofficial" checkup, so it isn't like they haven't had anything.) I had a dentist appointment scheduled for all of us tomorrow, but have canceled for both of them.

Honestly, I'm so mad/worried/shocked, I don't even care about how to milk the guilt. And I'm not above using guilt to my advantage, I promise. I've gone from not being able to speak out of utter shock, to not being able to speak because I was so angry, to sending the kids outside so I could yell and swear at him, to telling him multiple ways how stupid I think he is. Sometimes I can't even look at him. I'm not a total non-swearer, but if I do, it usually makes people stop because they know I'm mad, and he said he's heard me swear more in one day then in the entire 14 years we've known each other.

oh Dooney, you bet he won't forget next year.

How stupid & ashamed is he feeling!! It is awful that he did such a stupid thing, but is more a crime of neglect than a wilfull infringement. Kind of shows how much he just assumes that the kids are included, without having to say anything (trying desperately to find a bright side to this)
My nieghbours here don't have any medical anyway. He's a builder & can't afford it as he's self employed. They do have coever if one of them gets something life-threatening, but there's a $2k 'deductible'. Other than that, they just pay to see a doc, and only go if truly necessary.

Is there any chance of getting your own cover, at an affordable rate, ie something to cover any emergencies, like broken bones? Then cancel it once they're back on work scheme?

He would, of course, have to spend the equivalent amount of money on 'make-up' presents for you. (Actually, it's the kids, not you, he's wronged, but I feel your pain)

sb how is life in the UK? we want updates.

Dooney I am sure MrDooney is upset about it too. In the grand scheme of things, it probably won't be a big deal - in all likelihood, there will be no major illnesses or accidents. Fingers crossed. But, still...

Kickass, it's ok here. It has rained every day (I was sure my American friends were wrong when they said it rains all the time in the UK but it seems that they were right) I seem to be unable to afford anywhere to live but other than that it's good. We have:
fed the ducks countless times
booked times to visit decent state-funded nurseries
walked to the greengrocers, post office, library etc
arranged to see friends and my dad over the coming weeks
played in the garden every day
Dinner has been to the Wacky Warehouse and is begging to go back. I forgot to tell friend that we were veggie so he came back happily munching on a Pepperami. Oops.

and eaten:
bangers and mash
baked beans
tea
toast with marmalade
too much chocolate
hula hoops
good yet affordable cheese
Penguins

However, I miss Chicago and my friends. I wonder how mananny is.

Mr. Dooney is very upset. I'm sure some day I will be able to appreciate that fact.

Yes, there are temporary plans out there. Whomping expensive. I don't know if I should just get a major disaster type one, which is much cheaper, or a normal one, since Oct-Dec is prime ER visiting season for us. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for Colin and his croup.

Sounds like other than the rain, you've been having a lot of fun. I know that I am very about the good, affordable cheese part.

I have swine flu

I got it 5 days after being back in the country and combining that with the constant rain I am SOOOOOOOOOO ready to book a flight back to Boston!!!!!! It's lovely to see my family again but the last week I have been coughing and hacking away, high fevers, sooooo tired.... and the bloody GP wouldn't give me Tamiflu as I had been ill for 2 days before calling and so it wouldn't have really helped. Now I'm doing much better but I do have an awful cough that is driving me mad.

Yeah. So, welcome home and all that. I'm just hoping the sun will come out at least once before I start my new job in 3 weeks.

Oh mananny. I have been terrified of DS getting swine flu. I sort of think it is inevitable. So sorry you are ill. Please get better very soon. xxx

Everyone I've met since getting back has either had what they thought was swine flu in the last 6 weeks, or currently has it at the moment. It's quite scary how many people are coughing and spluttering away. TBH I'm glad I got it now and can build up some kind of immunity, as they are saying a new wave will be hitting this autumn. Of course there's a lot of scare-mongering going on but really so many people are ill!!!!

How are you and Dinner settling back into life in rainy old Blighty?

I passed my driving test this morning! yeah!

so glad to have got that done.

sorry to hear you're ill, mananny. it does sound like loads of people are getting cough/cold/flu stuff in the UK.

I haven't heard anything about Swine Flu lately on the news, just Mumsnet. Sorry you are one of the people who got it, mananny.

Congratulations on the newly licensed driver!!!

Congrats, Kickass.

My sister got sent home from work today with a cold and sore throat. She is never ill enough to be sent home...