Just kick me already. I know you wanna

From Rodney Atkins song - If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)

Well you know those times
When you feel like there's a sign there on your back
Say's I don't mind if ya kick me
Seems like everybody has
Things go from bad to worse
You'd think they can't get worse than that
And then they do

If you're going through hell
Keep on going, Don't slow down
If you're scared, don't show it
You might get out
Before the devil even knows you're there

This song was on the radio yesterday and I felt like hey....they're playing my song .
I'm trying damn hard to move fast and get outta hell before someone else kicks me in the ass. Yesterday, I didn't move fast enough.

With Emily loosing her glasses a few weeks ago, I had to call and make an appointment to have her eyes checked and new glasses ordered. I just couldn't put it off any longer. Well, since Al & I received 'friendly reminders' in the mail at the end of the year that 'it had been awhile' (2004 to be exact) since we'd had our eyes check I figured might as well make appointments for everyone. Yesterday Emily, Al and I went for our appointments. Good news - Al and I are still just as eye-glass dependant as always but don't need any changes to our prescriptions. Score! His glasses are still in good shape and I managed to get replacement frames for my beloved yet discontinued frames last year when I broke them so we were good to go.

Emily's tests showed that in fact her eyes are improving a bit and her new prescription will actually be a little weaker than her old one so it's not like I'm buying the exact same thing that we'd lost so again - not a bad thing. She's kind of in that inbetween stage - doesn't fit kids sized frames but adult ones are still a bit big on her face so it took some work (although not as much as it did 2yrs ago) to find frames that looked good on her. I actually cringed when I saw the ones she fell in love with but in all honesty they are cute and funky and suit her face shape so perfectly. I can't even being to describe them so a picture will be necessary when she gets them.....and I'm hoping we eventually find her old ones (in one piece) and I can just get new lenses put in them so she'll have a not-so-funky pair as a spare. I also cringed at the amount of money these little beauties are going to cost me. $204 buckeroos. Ouch. We still have insurance for a little while longer so at least I'll get a good portion of that back but still we have to dish out the money first and then submit the bill to the insurance company. Won't be able to do that till next week so my poor girl is suffering with sore eyes for a little longer than she should have to. I feel like a bad mom for that!

So with that sting fresh in my mind I am then presented with the bill for the cost of the eye exams for Al and I. HUH? Dang am I an idiot. Never once did I think there was a charge for this. In my mind Manitoba Health still covered eye exams every 2 years and on this I was sadly mistaken (it was changed in 1996....i know because i've been looking for this information all day because it was bugging me. apparently i paid for eye exams in '04 and just forgot. doh!) They only cover exams for children under 19 and people over 65 - of which Al and I are neither. So I maintain my composure at the charge of $65 EACH and quickly walk across the street to the bank where I am forced to borrow money from my son's bank account. And again I feel like a bad mom! I return to the office and pay the bill, still maintaining my composure, then walk out to the van where I sit and have a really good cry.

I'm feeling *Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!* for my extremely poor timing of an extremely un-necessary expense.

In 2 weeks I take the other 3 kids in for their appointment and I'm happy to report they are all still in that under 19 age bracket so at least I won't have to pay for them. Now, these 3 are not previously diagnosed as being optically challenged (if you don't count the elder boys' issues with the colours of the crayons in the box) but with my luck, the kick me sign will still be taped to my back and one or more of the little darlings will require glasses. Oh I hope not!