Ravynfaire

Well, guys just to give you an update - my family life is going so much better. Finances are almost all caught up. Car is fixed. My oldest daughter is auditioning for America's Got Talent for singing!! We are all excited for her about that. My youngest daughter, we found out can break dance!! Life is good right now. I don't have much time to blog tonight but I wanted to post an update.

Watch out for new posts shortly because I will be starting some new things in my life. I plan on joining the Stone Soup Challenge. My girls and I will using a portion of our profits from Etsy to donate to local charities such as schools, clubs, the library and our military. So watch out for posts on that.

I will be posting about our adventures on eating healthy on $8 a day for the entire family. And the best part - watch out for monthly give-a-ways!!

So, those are the changes for now. Have a great night!

Okay, so the time has come to sell my soul to the highest bidder to raise money to fix my car. Here is a list of what is wrong with the car that I just bought 6 months ago. Oh and just so you know I start my second job Monday and working hard at selling my scrapbook items.

1. Driver side window fell into the door paneling after motor broke - possibly broke window as well. Cost to repair $500 for motor & $400 for window.

2. Ignition - it locked up on me tonight - granted my be my fault since i was in a rush to see Devyn in her first music recital - but it is also a known mechanical defect with Ford Focus - cost unknown but based on research $500 to $700 - but if I got the cost right on the part it could be around $250

3. Brakes - dealer already checked these out and was told by the service manager that my brakes are great its the rotors that are not put on right - so either I get used to the sound or replace the brakes. They are driving me crazy!!

4. Muffler - so when the dealer looked at my brakes they knocked the muffler lose but since it is not under warranty my cost to repair. Cost around $500 due to welding.

5. Battery - well I just replaced this one today at the cost of $124 and at the moment I am afraid that I am going to have to replace it again since my clock in my car will not shut off since my ignition is locked!! Yeah me.

6. Inside paneling on driver side - so the week after I got my car (2003 ford focus from Power Toyota of Irvine) the passenger side visor fell on my friend. We also found a plastic screw that we could not figure out where it went. Well, recently I learned - it went to the panel that covered the wiring on my driver side door. So that fell off as well and I can't replace it because it does not want to go back into place because another part of the paneling is not properly in its place.

7. Windshield has a crack in - small and not doing anything but will need to be replaced in time. I can deal with that for awhile.

8. Tinting is coming off and causes some minor distraction while driving at night - I can deal with that for a little while too.


So far that is all that is wrong with my car. Unfortunately, I have no credit cards, no one to my knowledge that can help me raise money since my mom is broke as well and I truly hate asking for help (Darn stubbornness), no savings, no 401k and I am still trying to figure out how to come up with rent money for November.

So, at this point I am selling my soul - so to speak - to the highest bidder that can help me, a single mom of two amazing girls, raise money to make sure that I have a car that can get them to school and me to work (which I may only have until December since they are laying people off).

Scared - YES!!! Freaking out - YES!!! Crying - YES!!!! Will it get better - it has to!!!!!

Thanks for listening to this frightened little girl as she spills her guts and raw with everyone just because I need help. I said, I need help!!!

Here is the most recent information



-----Original Message-----
From: julia.m.goodman On Behalf Of Julia M Goodman
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:20 PM
To: Santiago, Megan
Subject: Re: Megan Santiago: Follow-up on Your MomsRising Healthcare Comment

Hi Megan,

We're planning on posting the blog below as your entry. Can you look it over and let me know if it looks ok. Also, please feel free to edit.

Did you find another photo you'd like me to use? The photos of your girls are great, but a little hard to see as the blogger photo is pretty small. If you happen to have a close up, that would be ideal.

Thanks again Megan!

Julia


Megan, Tustin

I moved back to Tustin, CA in December 2006 after leaving a man who had been abusive and a marriage that was falling apart. While I was looking for work, we were on Medi-Cal but I did not want to stay on for long because I felt others needed it more than me.

In February 2007, I got a job through a temp agency and I looked for medical insurance. I made $62 above the max to qualify for Healthy Families and I did not qualify any more for Medi-Cal. At first, my temp agency did not offer medical insurance, but then I qualified half way through the year but it was about $600 a month. I was already using my 401K money to help pay my bills – there was no way I could afford medical through my employer. I looked into other plans such as Blue Cross, but for two kids there was no way I could afford to pay the costs to get insurance on my own. I prayed nightly so that we would not get really sick.

Finally, in December of 2007 I was hired on at the company I had been temping with (after 10 months) and started us on the healthy path. But the damage of 2007 has hit us hard.

Because we had no dental insurance for so long both of my girls' teeth went bad. In 2007, my oldest daughter's teeth started to hurt a lot but there was no thing I could do. To repair the damage, she's needed two root canals. I can't afford some of the other treatment for her and her sister because the costs (even with insurance) are too high.

Not having health insurance also affected my daughter's education. My oldest has been diagnosed with ADD, ODD and she has a lisp. She has a tough time in school and the school has put her into special programs now. The school even tried to help us get help for medical insurance so we could get her on medicine. They have noticed that with her medication, her behavior at school is like night and day. My oldest daughter is finally on her much needed medication but at a cost – she may be held back a grade because she is not where she needs to be.

As a single mom, my duties are to my children. I am the one who is taking care of them. I try to provide the best I can for my girls. I have chosen to struggle where I am so my girls can attend some of the best schools in the state so they can be where they need to be to survive. Insurance is important to families like me because it takes one less source of stress out of our lives. It makes us feel like we are going to be okay and not have to think about what bill we won't be able to pay because we had to see the doctor today.

Please stop and take a look around and really listen to those of us who are just barely getting by. We are the ones that want our children to have their needs met and struggle because we are damned if we do and damned if we don't. Please stop and listen to our children who don't see the struggle we go through because we are strong women, but who suffer because they lack the proper education, the proper medical insurance, and the proper dental insurance. They are still great kids because they never truly understand that they are lacking because, as strong mothers, we cry when they are asleep. No mother should suffer the heartache of watching her child in pain and not being able to seek medical care. Especially in this economic downturn, our leaders must prioritize the health of our children.