OMGosh, it's been a LONG time since I've updated the blog. There's been tons happening and I just haven't been quite able to keep up with it all AND blog at the same time.

ABOUT THE BIG NEWS!!!

So, if you haven't heard through FaceBook or from a friend or relative yet, Jason and I are expecting another baby sometime at the end of August. YEAH!!! Baby's are fun! The second time around things have been different though. For instance, Jason and I don't feel the need for him to come to EVERY appointment like he did last time, we don't really need to purchase anything big since we have it all from when Abby was little (although a 2 kid stroller would be nice), which brings me to the next difference that Jason was SUPER bummed to find out that on the second kid you don't have a baby shower, there will be no upgrade in the houseing situation due to the economy etc, and THIS time around the experiences are remembering what it was like to be pregnant last time. Recently I've done a lot of ... "oh yeah, I forgot that's what happens when you're pregnant."

BUT there are a few new things that go along with baby number 2. First of all, I feel more prepared in the fact that I know exactly what I DON'T want to do as far as having the baby goes. We're actually planning on going to Waconia for the birth because the birthing center out there is just like a medical hotel. I know, Waconia ... seems far away, right. Yes, you are correct, it's in the middle of no where but, if you come and visit me at the hospital out there, you'll know exactly why we're willing to drive that far for comfort, espeically if I have another C-section and I have to be hospitalized for a long period of time. Second of all, we have a different dynamic of having a child already that needs to be preped about the upcoming new arrival. Abby knows she's going to be a big sister but, it really took some convincing. For a few weeks, we tried to tell her but she didn't believe Jason or me. She's also convinced it's going to be a girl so if it comes out a boy, I hope she's not to disoppointed. :)

ABOUT ACCEL AND BE WELL!

To make matters more intense, recently my business partner has had to go into the hospital for pregnancy related issues as well. She's actually several months ahead of me in her pregnancy and went to the hospital with some issues Thursday night through Sunday. She now has to be on bedrest for a week and that means that I am now taking on all her patients as well as managing my own patients. At this point, I only work 3 days a week MWF and Desiree works T,Th,F and it works out really well for us because we don't have to both be at the clinic all the time, plus I get 2 days a week with Abby which makes me feel not as guilty as a mom for sending her to daycare. But, with all the recent events, Abby is going to go back to daycare full time and I'll be running the show for a while.

It's kind of a bummer, but ... at the same time, this is exactly why we decided to partner. We knew we wanted to be partners with someone who'd be able to step in for us when these situations happen so we can have a family life as well as be working professionals.

TO SAY THE LEAST I'VE BEEN A LITTLE STRESSED

With the baby scenario and the business scenario, it's kind of an understatement of the kind of stress I've been under and THUS ... we haven't blogged recently. But, as I go through these challenges, I hope to take things in stride and I'll keep you updated about the new challenges I encounter.

Thanks for reading.
~Mama Beal

Results

The food challenge was definitely a challenge. Here's the results.

We did not eat out for a total of 12 days. (oye) Honestly, I'm actually really proud of us for doing it for 12 days. We didn't do it the full 21 days but the 12 days was hard enough. Here was the breaking point.

It was a hard day of work for both Jason and I. I treated 6 patients that day and virtually received no money for treating them that day. Jason had come home from work after having an entire day full of meetings and not getting much of his regular work done from the day. It's no excuse but ... the days had definitely drained us. The last thing either of us wanted to do was cook. So we broke and went to Culver's for supper. (Double oye).

Oh well. All in all, we noticed a change in the amount of money we spent and we know we want to try to do it again. We'll just have to have a different game plan for those days that are really hard.

We'll keep you posted on this.

As for other things going on, recently I've started to receive checks in the mail from insurance patients. SWEET!!! I can't tell you how exciting it was to get the first check in the mail. Unfortunately it's for work that I've done 2-3 months ago. Jeez. I can't start to emphasize how ridiculous health care is from my perspective. Over the past 6 months, we've been either profiting (a little) or breaking even so any additional income is just a bonus!

That's all for now.

Mama Beal

21 day FOOD CHALLENGE

I heard, somewhere, that in order to break a habit, you have to change the pattern of the habit 21 times consecutively. Has anyone else heard this? The other day, I was thinking about saving money and bad habits that we have and about living within your means and cutting the things that we don't need in life. Thus, one of the main things that our family has cut down on is eating out. BUT, we still eat out on the weekends. We have been really good about not eating out during the week but once the weekend rolls around, we run right out to Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili's, Noodles, etc.

Eating out is not something that we NEED to do, it's something that we WANT to do. It's also something that costs us more money than if we ate at home. We always tend to over-indulge and eat more calories than if we ate at home. It's also a REALLY BAD HABIT. Therefore, on Monday, our family started a 21 day food challenge to break this bad habit. We are challenging ourselves to not eat out AT ALL for 21 straight days. This includes our bad habit weekends. The rules are, we can not eat anything that comes from any restaurant or restaurant like store.

Now, one of the reasons we eat out on the weekends is because we use it as a social tool. The 2 main reasons we eat out on the weekends are; to hang out with friends or because we're bored (I'll admit reason #2 and then reiterate that this is the worst reason to eat out but it's true). Because we use it as a social tool, we've decided we can GO to restaurants with friends but we just can't eat there. (I know, you're thinking "good luck with that!")

But, that's exactly my point. It wouldn't be a "Challenge" if it wasn't somewhat difficult.

Today is day 3 of our 21 day challenge and I would like to extend the challenge to everyone reading this post. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain; less calories consumed, weight lost, money saved, a habit broken ... Could you do it? I dare you. ;)

Dr. Seuss Art

My best girl friend from graduate school is going to have a baby in 10 weeks and for her baby shower I wanted to do something special for her so, I found out what her and her husbands favorite books were when they were kids and one of them was "Green Eggs & Ham" ... Sam I am ...

This picture was a little more challenging than the last one I did. Painting is not only relaxing for me but it's therapeutic. If anyone ever wants me to paint them something, you'd be doing me a favor. :) Just let me know, I'd be happy to do it.

10 years of Lady Du-Lax

Last weekend, I went up to Duluth for a Lacrosse Alumni banquet and I thought I'd share the highlights.

Before we left, I was SO excited because these banquets are Bi-Annual (every other year) and the last time I went, Abby was about 4 months old so last time I played in the game, pulled a muscle and went straight to bed after the banquet and missed all the fun. But, mind you, that was the only time I was actually getting any sleep at that point so I was greatful to get a full night sleep then. NOW, Abby is 2 and I was SO PUMPED to see all the girls that I spent so many games, bus trips, sweat, blood and tears with.

We left for Duluth Friday evening and we stayed in Park point. For those of you not familiar with Duluth, Park Point is literally on the other side of the lift bridge. So we could hear the lift bridge horn and see the huge boats pulling into the harbor. (Amazing, I forget how much I really miss the lake until I see it again coming down from the top of the hill on interstate 35). When we got settled in, we met with some other people and were up/awake until 3 a.m. (I can't remember the last time I was awake for that long.)

The next morning, we had our Alumni Game and I'm going to toot my own horn, we won our game 5-4 and I scored 2 goals. (yep, I still got it. :)) I'm not as fast as I used to be but I can still keep up with those young-in's.

We then had the Banquet that evening and it was a great time to reminisce with all the girls I haven't seen in the last few years. The ABSOLUTE BEST part was seeing the core group of girls that I really bonded with. (Again, we were up till 3 a.m. oye).

Jen, my best Girlfriend from WI! I miss her so much when she's not here.

Crazy Girls in a clown car. (Left to right: Meghan, Julie, Ashlee)

At the Banquet, aren't we pur-dy, we polish up nicely. (Ashlee, Tessa, Julie, Meghan, Jen, Lisa)

The Whole Crew, Old balls and New Balls. (And a random girl taking the picture.)

This is a Tribute ... to the best team in the world.

Goodbye Duluth and Lake Superior, until next time.

I Betchya' Didn't Know!

I betchya' didn't know that I paint. I enjoy painting on occasion. It helps me think but be relaxed while I'm thinking. Recently, I found some cheap canvases at Micheal's and decided I was going to paint a picture from one of Abby's favorite books. The book is a Doctor Seuss book called There's a Wocket in my Pocket. This particular picture is of a Zamp in a Lamp. Hope you like it! If anyone out there wants me to paint them something, let me know, I'm always looking for more stuff to paint.

I'll post the original out of the book soon, I'd do it now but it's in Abby's room and she's sleeping.

Food for Though about Owning Your Own Business

Being a small business owner has been quite the interesting experience. I have learned more about the world in these last 4 months than I have learned in the last 4 years. Here are some things that I've experienced and learned.

If any of you have gotten married, you know that when you walk into a bakery to look at a cake or if you walk into a flower shop to pick out your flowers, and you tell them you're engaged, the price skyrockets for that cake or flowers. Well, the same happens if you are a small business. Our phone bill is through Qwest and the advertisements on TV make claims that you can get a small business package for $99 per month. Seems like a good deal so Qwest is who we went through. 2 months later, the we got our bill in the mail and it was $700!!! My jaw hit the floor when I saw this bill. I knew it was going to be one of our bigger expenses but $700??? Needless to say, we got it worked out but it took several weeks for ust to find someone that wasn't trying to screw us over for our loan money. Lesson #1, do NOT use Qwest as your phone company and do NOT tell other bigger companies you are a small business. Not only did this happen with Qwest but other companies wanted our money as well such as Yellowpages.com, Startribune, etc. We are now a target because we have loan money just BURNING a hole in our pockets.

Because we are a new small business, our lovely friends at Qwest then sold our phone number to credit card companies so at least 4 times a day we get phone calls from people wanting to sell us a credit card or a credit card processer. We already HAVE a credit card processor and we don't NEED a credit card. One day a credit card processor solicitor called and I proceeded to tell her we were already the proud owners of a CC machine. Her next line was, "okay well, please don't tell me you got the CC processor through the bank, they just can't be trusted." Dumbfounded, I could barely grasp the words to say to her, "and I'm supposed to trust YOU?! I don't even KNOW you!" ... click. Lesson #2, don't trust anyone.

Lastly, I've learned that EVERYONE in business has an alterior motive. This is the most difficult aspect of my job. Because I am in healthcare, I try my best to trust the people I talk to and care for them. Two personal aspects that other business personel push aside to make a quick buck. Lesson #3, always ask yourself, what does this person have to gain from what I can give them and will it TRULY help me in the end.

That's all for today, just some food for though on this rainy afternoon.
Dr. Julie