Unexceptional

Even before Patrick became a subject for whispered medical consultation I had lobbied to forego the big kid-filled birthday party this year. He was supposed to be at invention camp last week (missed the whole thing, poor pumpkin) so I suggested we have our good friends over for cake and pizza after camp on the actual day and then he could pick a friend to do something Fun (waterpark, amusement park, Science museum, whatever he wanted) that weekend. He decided that he wanted to go ride roller coasters at the mall of America and we realized that doing so on a Monday was infinitely smarter than on a Saturday; so Steve took the day off today and that is what they did.

The cake turned out well - provided you define "well" as "that which made Patrick happy" - largely because I let him do most of it himself. I made the cake and cut off the rubbery edges (Steve looked at me like I was either brilliant or insane - "you can, just, cheat... like that? make it look all even with a knife rather than bake skills?") and I made the buttercream and then I handed Patrick the food coloring. The yellow looked like the yolk of a hard-boiled egg and the purple reminded me of a guest bedroom in our old house and Patrick said that they were both perfect. Then he and I used the decorating bag together and looped and swirled our way through Happy Birthday Patrick. Then we transformed a few accidental blobs into a 7 and an exclamation point. Then we made the 7 into a 7th because I brushed my elbow against the cake right there. Art is change.

Patrick is feeling better and I have that blinky disoriented sense I get when I see a matinée. You know? When you walk out into the sunshine and you have a hard time finding your bearings. In retrospect it is obvious that Patrick was sick for weeks and weeks and weeks. All of these little pieces that I noticed in passing (like the fact that for two months I could never seem to brush his teeth enough to get them clean? that would be because his entire head had become the Tokyo of bacteria) all fit neatly together now to form a picture of The Dawning of a Serious Bacterial Infection. For once, though, I am not beating myself up about the oh! I should have done! We kept bringing him in; they kept checking him. What else can you do?

This is just idle gossip from the lab but in case you feel like playing Infectious Disease Specialist at home when we saw our pediatrician on Friday he gave me some of the numbers that influenced their decision to admit him. Patrick's white blood cell count was 18000, his sed rate was 72 and his c reactive protein (aka CRP to everyone but me since I could not for the life of me remember the letters in order and kept babbling to my brother about CPR; much to his confusion) was a whopping 150. None of these things meant anything to me but the doctor said the CRP was the highest he had ever seen in clinic and that Patrick must have felt like hell no matter how FINE and GREAT he kept insisting he was.

If nothing else I have concluded that Patrick is never to be trusted again when it comes to how he is feeling and for the next two months or so I plan on personally examining his tonsils at every opportunity with a miner's helmet and a crowbar if needed.

Caroline, speaking of our walking wounded, is suffering from some kind of post traumatic stress disorder when it comes to people and her face. I took her to get her bangs trimmed again and this time rather than admire herself and flip through a copy of Glamor she opened her mouth like a gigantic "O"and SCREAMED. Clearly she has yet to forget the stitches. And, before I forget, a few people in the comments (notably Cris. hi Cris!) educated me about young children and sedation. Apparently it can be done orally with a quick wear-off and a pleasant goofiness. Versed, I think it was called.  So, you know, if it helps you and I hope it does.

Edward has eczema on his eyelids and legs and he is cutting two more teeth. Although technically neither ailment falls particularly high on the family's trauma scoreboard for the month of June they are his and he is making the most of them. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make the eyelids feel better, although cortisone has almost cleared up the stuff on his legs. I trimmed his nails as short as possible to try to help with the King Lear look he is sporting but obviously it is uncomfortable and like Barbara Fritchie, Edward likes to scratch when he is itchy. Any thoughts on the eyelid eczema would be appreciated. We are seeing the pediatrician tomorrow (it's their eighteen month well child check, although the doctor asked me to bring Patrick along too - no appointment needed for him; just to check him over before our vacation) but ya'll always have such clever ideas about such things.

Hey, this has nothing to do with anything but I might as well ask: how much do you pay for your electricity every month, on average? I have been fighting with the electric company for months now but they keep baffling me with their rotating calendar and fluctuating kilowatt pricing and I don't know what else. They claimed our meter was broken so they came out and replaced it in February and the next month billed us $900. NINE hundred dollars for the month, which (considering the fact that we have gas heat and cannot be seen from fucking space) seemed a little outrageous to me. They said that this included underbilling from the previous four months but I went through every electric bill we have had for five years and pointed out that even so it represented a hundred percent increase over the same rough time period from previous years. They said don't be silly. They said that cannot be right. They said well maybe but you know prices have gone up. They said they had something boiling over on the stove and they would have to get back to me later. Steve and I have been virtuous about turning off every light in the house that is not in use. We do not use the central air conditioning. We unplugged the hot tub for the season. And still our last electric bill was over $300. I think we are being robbed at bulb point but I would love to get a global comparison, the better to ginger up my dander for my next call to corporate.

Is that it? Let's see, Patrick better and seven; the starting point for Caroline's metamorphosis into Cousin It noted; Edward itches, damn it; electric company steals from hard-working family because they can... yep, I think that covers it.

[Except: we are going on vacation on Saturday and I am so excited I can hardly wait. Not the 5:30 am departure part; or the traveling with not one but two 18 month olds; or the fact that we can no longer fit into a modest rented compact but need to reserve some sort of circus caravan... but everything else. Very excited.]

PS From today:

   

Between Edward dressing her and Patrick's affection for decorating her with bows, Caroline is going to start to feel like her brothers' own personal Cabbage Patch Kid.

Comments

[Rett]

South Texas...AC running day and night set at 78...has been over 102 everyday for the past week (got to love the 105 yesterday, and it is 96 right now at 9pm)...June was $112, and it is our HIGHEST month of the year (for the past 3 years). Oh, my 4 year old cannot reach the bathroom light so it is on all day and most of the night.

My DH had eczema on his eyelids that he rubbed and scratched into blephritis (sp) (an infection of the eyelids/lashes). Antibiotic ointment cleared up the infection and eczema...it was prescription and cost a small fortune.

[Andi]

We're about 3000 sf in the Boston area with bills in the $150-200 range, inching up toward $300 in the summer months when we have A/C running. We had a huge bill on our weekend place in the country one time, where the bill is usually well under $100, and it turned out to be some kind of a short circuit that was sucking power at an amazing rate. The electric company figured it out, fixed it, and credited us. I was stunned that they did this without a fight.

Good luck to you, and have a great vacation.

I would also like to know, from the people with the teeny-tiny electric bills of less than $20 per month, how do you do this? The last time I saw an electric bill that low was in my college apartment 25 years ago.

[Cris]

Wow - my name in a post. I can't tell if I feel very geekily flattered or embarrassed about being so pushy about the Versed. But five surgeries in and you find yourself doing whatever you can to make things better, wherever you can.

Poor Caroline - she has our sympathy. Its amazing what they remember, sometimes. On Sunday someone playfully put a sticker on the back of Camden's hand and then looked at me in bewilderment when he freaked out. "Well, he's had a lot of IVs and to him this means another one is on the way." These little kids ain't dumb.

Best of luck with the electric company. We had a friend who went through a year of misery while trapped in a three way argument trying to convince them and his landlord that his apartment shouldn't be saddled with the bill for all of the electricity used in the common areas of the building, including the laundry room and the 24/7 security lights in the parking lot. A year. You have all my sympathy!

[Elsie]

in Western New York 150 year old house maybe 2000 square feet? 4 fulltimers $62 was my highest bill in 2009 so far. I had no idea that was "good". (we use natural gas for stove and hot water)

[Alexicographer]

Hmmm. According to this table, on average Minnesotans (you) and North Carolinians (me) pay nearly the same per KWH for our electricity, on average -- http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html. And just so you know, living in an older, though smallish (1600 sq ft) home, we use between 600 and 2000 KWH per month (varying quite substantially depending on the weather; ironically, it costs us more to heat than to cool, even given the climate -- ancient electric furnace...) and pay $118 per month (that's fixed and adjusts each year, so no, or at least fewer, surprises).

Oh, and we are completely electric. Well, except for the wood stove, which we do use extensively but do not get billed for in the way one does for water, gas, or electric.

Oh, and I'm glad Patrick's situation is getting the medical attention it deserves (not quite sure if the problem's been uncovered/solved yet?).

[Lindsey]

OH MY GOD, eyelid eczema, it makes me nuts.
I use emu oil, just a tiny bit. It's not cheap, but it's wonderful stuff.

[winecat]

I think you are being seriously ripped off. Ask for an energy audit to see if there is something leaking, but wow out here in sunny ca (on the average the bill over the year plan) we pay $80. That includes 4 ceiling fans, tv, computer all almost always on, the fridge, dishwasher and spare freezer. Not to mention all the lights my beloved leaves on. I trail around the house after him turning them on.

[leafy]

found a tiny bit of olive oil to be soothing for my son's eczema, but he didn't have it on his eyelids. can wholeheartly recommend frozen grapes for teething toddlers (quartered if need be - cut up then freeze). also something like this: http://tinyurl.com/mflxk8 is extremely handy for throat spelunking (if URL doesn't work, it's a dentek light up dental mirror, cheap & incredibly bright, that I picked up at Target). had sky high water bills after they replaced the meter and even though they insisted that the new meter couldn't be at fault, my engineer husband proved it was. so the new electricity meter might be the culprit.

[Leta]

My first baby had eczema on back of her knees for years and in the crook of her elbows. I know its already been mentioned, but I swear by Aquaphor and the Aveeno anti-itch cream (which is called "bug medicine" in our house). I continued to put Aquaphor on the backs of her knees and her tushie after every bath long after it was cleared up, mostly as a precautionary because I didn't want it to come back. She would scratch her legs until they bled. It always got worse in the summer.

As for the electric, wowsers. I think ours is really high, but not that high! We live in southern Indiana. We have a 1200 sf house with a partially finished basement. For gas & electric combined currently paying $300 a month on the budget bill system (pay the same each month no matter what actual bill is) but we have completely crappy windows, electric dryer, 2 fridges and run a/c 24/7 all summer.

[NGS]

2 bedroom apartment in Minneapolis with 2 adults living in it - our bill is about $40-45 a month. I don't think home ownership is in our future with electric bills like that!!

We don't have central air, we unplug everything at night except the fridge and an oscillating fan in our bedroom (seriously - even the surge protectors). We (my husband) are nuts.

[Lynnette]

For the poll: We just built a 2900 sq ft all-electric, "green" certified home with finished basement, and we have almost steadily had electric bills in the $100 - $160 range for 8 months. Our builder sucked, so this surprised me. Granted we have solar hot water (electric back-up), but I don't skimp on AC or heat, either, keep both at about 71-72 degrees. We have 95% CFL lighting, too. We live in the midwest, there is a big arch here.

[katie]

yikes. even in the middle of a DC summer with my texas-born husband (where you aren't allowed to not have the AC run 24/7) cranking the air down to 68, we are still only in the $250 range at most. $300 for where you live sounds outrageous!!

glad all are feeling better...i'm a little sad there was no picture of what sounds like a gorgeous cake!!

[liz s]

I have a 3100 sq ft house and we pay at most 120.00 for electric. Usually about 75-80. We do have a gas dryer and a swamp cooler (I know those of you in humid regions are wondering what that is) My husband and kids don't know how to turn off appliances so we aren't conserving energy.

My husband's grandma was getting bills like that and it turned out she had a leak in her hot water heater.

[Erica]

1k square foot first-floor apartment with leaky windows and electric everything - $40 (summer) to $150-$200 (cold cold winter in Cleveland on the lake). You're getting screwed.

Photos of Patrick's technicolor birthday cake, please? I'm so glad he's better!

[Kate]

I live in a small town in NC. I have a 2 br, 2 bath trailer, gas heat, electric everything else. Over the winter our electric bill was around $75. This month it jumped up to $125 due to the constant air conditioner usage.

[Amy]

So glad Patrick is better.
I'm a scientist and a sucker for data so here goes mine:

- 2600 sq ft house
- Gas heat and hot water heater, electric everything else
- Recently remodeled from ground up so all efficient appliances, we too try to conserve
- Electric bill between $50 and $100/month

Best of vacations to you - you deserve a BREAK!

[Christine K]

I have to respond! This is just frightening to read. Last month, the electric company came out and replaced our meter (claiming that they were having to estimate because the fence is locked). And the next bill was... wait for it..... $900! Because they had undercharged us the previous four months! And then this month, it was $300. I feel like I'm part of some internet money-stealing scam being perpetuated by the electric company. Eerily similar!
(We are just outside Atlanta and the $300 didn't shock me too much in light of the oppressive heat/humidity last month and my husband's unwillingness to tweak the AC just a little less cold.)

[Felicity]

Hi, Im so glad your children are getting better. I feel so much for you, you must have had some very frightening times these past few weeks.

Im in Australia and we get quarterly bills here. (Every three months.) Ours are always higher than our friends bills, we dont have gas and have to use our dryer alot because we live in a damp little gully! Our bills are usually around $550 per quarterly in the Summer months, and up to $800 per quarterly in the Winter months.

In Australia its the water that has become very expensive, and we now pay $290 odd per month towards our water bill.

Your electricity bill does seem exorbitant.

[Jackie]

We pay one bill a month, and that covers, gas, electricity, waste removal, and water & sewage. And it costs roughly $220 up to $260 a month, depending on the time of year. And we have a hot tub (plugged in and turned on year round) and central air conditioning (which we use). But we are vigilate about turinng off lights, and keeping said air at a regular temperature, rather then a freezing cold one.

I live in Canada, (Medicine Hat, Alberta if you wanna get specific). (also, that would be $220 CANADIAN dollars, just so there is no confusion)

[mdmdt]

$900?! We're in Oregon and we admittedly don't have a big house but at the height of winter we never paid more than ~$250. This time a year we're at around $110.

[Amanda]

OMG! We live in Southern California and I keep run our AC all the time, and we average $150 a month (more in spring/summer).

Of course, we just have a one-story 1200 sq foot house, so for another data point: My in-laws live farther inland (read: HOTHOTHOTville), are energy-INefficient (they leave the TV ON when they go to bed-- in their living room AND bedroom), and prefer their 3000 sq foot house to be 71 degrees year-round. They average $250 a month.

You are being robbed! That's just ridiculous. I'll never complain about SoCal Edison rates again.

So glad Patrick is feeling better. I'm jealous of the cake decorating-- no one ever ate the cakes I decorated with my mom, because they turned out THAT ugly. Who would have thought you could make chocolate cake unappetizing to a group of 8 year-olds?

[Carla Hinkle]

We live in Southern California and for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1300 sf house with gas heat and gas water heater, and no AC, we pay $200 per month. My dad in Sacramento where it is regularly over 100 degrees in the summer actually hit $900 one July, which led him to get solar panels on his roof. Though looking at what the rest of the country pays, either we in CA are getting royally ripped off or the rest of you are paying way too little.

And um, you still brush his teeth???

[Diane]

You mentioned brushing Patrick's teeth which reminded me that you need to replace his toothbrush after he's been diagnosed with strep and starts antibiotics. Toothbrushes are great at harboring germs!

[peeks]

no cake pic?

[Christa]

It may not be eczema ....I get very sore and flaky eyelids from time to time. Try dipping a cotton bud in diluted Johnsons baby shampoo and gently sweeping it over his eyelids. It always works to clear it up for me....literally overnight. No nasty chemicals involved either.

[Kimmyann]

Summer electric bill runs in the 200 dollar range..where as the Gas in the winter runs around 400.
When you go on vacation unplug everything except the fridge and water heater. Even things like clocks, DVD players use electricity when not using them.

[jac]

I misread, and thought you were sending Patrick to Intervention Camp.
Just for the record, he would be awesome at that.

[kathleen999]

I'm glad Patrick is so much better. What an amazing story. He must have an incredibly high pain threshold to be that sick and keep insisting he is well.

The electricity in our NYC apartment runs between 300-400 in the summer. Granted, we have to run the AC every moment of every day, but this is not a big space. Last year it even felt hot in here...I weatherstripped the doors and made ugly tube things to lay over the cracks underneath the front and kitchen doors (yes, our old apartment has a kitchen door, one presumes so the maid can bring the groceries in. Oh, also a button in the dining area so madam can summon said maid during meals). We have steam heat/hot water and a gas stove. Only electric is the lights and the AC and the computers which I need to start turning off at night (computers, not lights, I already do those).

You can get something at the hardware store which lets you go around your house and measure how much electricity each item plugged in is using up. Apparently identifying the electricity-sucking offenders can save you a lot of money. I think I will try this. You also might be able to find alternative energy suppliers which are cheaper. I need to do that too!

[Dara]

Good to hear Patrick is feeling batter..

My son gets a small patch of eczema on his right cheek and leg and I've found the brand, "Gentle Naturals baby eczema cream" works great. A light washing with baby shampoo could help too. I've also found that limiting his citrus intake helps. He mostly reacts to strawberries and oranges, his faves unfortunately.

Have fun on your vaca!!

[Jenn]

Our house is 1100 sq. ft., two adults, no kids, 5 computers (blush), central air, gas heat, water heater and stove, electric dryer...average is about $65/month. It could be better, but it could also be worse. :)

I hope you have a fabulous vacation!

[Katie]

You are being robbed!
We have gas hot water tank and heat (but electric blower). The dryer and stove are electric. Our city is part of an electric co op but water, sewer, electric together last month was $128 and that was high for us. We have a 1800 sq ft house and 2 adults and 3 kids.

[Kim]

Glad to hear Patrick is on the mend. Our house is 940 square feet. We have gas heat and hot water. The electric bill averages about $115 May-August when we run the central air and $70 the rest of the year. Hope that helps. Utility companies in our area allow you to choose who you want your gas and electric supplied from. That seems to help a bit. Hope that helps.

[carosgram]

My electric bill averages $100 per month. I leave my porch light and back yard flood lights on 24/7. My bedroom light is on 24/7 and my tv all night. I heat with gas and use gas to cook with. I can't believe your monthly bill. Good luck on straightening it out.

[Discopitbull]

1600 square foot old "federal farm house" style 1800's home, 3 men, 3 dogs and me and we're running $200 a month for electrical and water and I think it's highway robbery. I remember not too many years ago bills of $35 to $75 a month. :(

Glad, so very glad, to hear that everyone appears to be on the mend! Enjoy the vacation!!!

[sheilah]

That does sound awfully high for an electric bill. I think the highest bill we ever had (for a 3698 sq ft house in Idaho) was something like $300 (also gas heat; gas stove).

Love that last pic of Edward & Caroline. OH, the cuteness!!! clunk!! *falls over*

[jen]

Ok, first, happy vacation! After all that has been going on, you deserve it.

Regarding the electricity thing, it seems like you are paying too much. I live in KC and we have natural gas for many things (heat, water heater, dryer) but electricity for ac, lights, etc. We always either have the heat on or the ac running and sometimes even have both in the same day, mostly because I like to keep the house shut for pollen reasons (both the dog and I have allergies). That being said, our electricity and gas bills typically flip flop depending on the season. Electricity gets really low during the winter, around $30, but the gas compensates and spikes to $200 at the highest I've ever seen it. We live in a 1960's 1600 sq ranch with original windows, so likely half of it is going outside and I don't it is comparable to your house in any way but, I would say the max we ever pay for BOTH is $250. It is unreasonable that you would have a $300 bill for one when not running the AC.

Eczema. My husband was just diagnosed with it so I haven't had much time to experiment for him but I am pretty sure his is due to laundry detergent. Right now we are using Charlie's Soap but it is still flaring. It seemed to be best when we were using Wintree that we got at Costco but then ours isn't carrying that anymore so I'm not sure what I'll do. I really don't want to go back to Tide but I might just to experiment. He also gets eczema near his eyelashes and naturally cannot put anything there. From my experience with cortizones and the like, I would recommend going to a dermatologist. I went to a PA once and she gave me something to put on this little spot on my face and it created another problem, which when I finally went to the derm and told her what I was doing she actually became angry and said what I was using should only be used on really thick skin such as your foot.

[Crystal]

Holy inflammation, Batman.

Glad everyone is mending, and you have a vacation waiting in the wings. Long overdue!

I forgot to mention aside from the Versed, there is EMLA. Unfortunately lots of idiot doctors who don't know how to read directions claim it doesn't work. There is a protocol for a reason.

Having had it used correctly and incorrectly on my kiddos, I can assure you it does work, when done correctly. It's typically used on intact skin (before, since the whole point of EMLA is it won't be intact after!) but some newer studies are showing safety and great efficacy for superficial injury repairs. If they need additional local anesthetic (which by the time they've done EMLA and Versed should be unlikely) they won't even know there's a needle, either syringe or cat gut (okay, not really!).

Here's hoping you never need know the above.

[michelmom]

Glad Patrick is feeling better! Your electric company is screwing you for sure. We're in TX - the AC runs nonstop these days (average temp 100+!) plus pool pumps run 6-8 hours/day, and we've not yet had an electric bill over $500, knock on wood.

[Diane]

try a dab of vasaline/petroleum jelly on the eyelids.It will not sting or inflame his eyes if a little makes its way into his eyes, and won't sting irritated skin.

Can't help you on the electricity.

Have a great trip!

[Christiana]

We have (I'm sure) a significantly smaller house than you (just by your descriptions) and we run our central AC from March to November (we're in FL. My husband and daughter sweat at room temperature) and we never pay more than $125 per month on electric. My husband works in the billing industry. Ask how they measure... in actual usage, averages, etc. Also, make sure that the previous meter and the current meter measure in the same numbers. Ie. the previous one measured in 1000 units per (I don't remember what the units are called) and this one measures in 100 units per and so OF COURSE you're going to have more clicks, but not really more units - see? My husband has that issue when people replace the meters all the time. That's something that should be checked.

[LeftLeaningLady]

NW Florida, heatwave going on down here, we were hitting triple digits for several days and the heat index was triple digits for over a week. Electric bill, with the central air and the pool pump (although not as often as we should) $275. BUT that was with the nice window man installing new windows so some of the AC was escaping.

[Jujube]

Our highest electric bill ever was this past February at $176 (I was HORRIFIED). Average is $140. This is a significant increase from previous years, but the cost of everything has gone up. Five people live in our 2500+ square-foot-home. Three of them are children who are not very careful about turning off things. I have an electric dryer and do a LOT of laundry. I work from home and there are never fewer than two computers running all day and half into the night. Oh! And I DEFINITELY use the air conditioner (we also live in Minnesota). In case you’re making local comparisons, we have East Central Energy. It certainly would appear that your electric company is overcharging you…good luck with getting that resolved. :-)

[Sheila Z]

A neighbor had astronomical electric bills for several months. Then her driveway caught on fire right underneath her car. Luckily she was home and able to move the car. Turns out that years ago before she had purchased the house someone had torn down an old shed, then put in a circular drive over the site. Seems they just cut the wire that brought electricity out to the shed and buried it. Only problem was the other end of the wire was still connected into the circuit box in the house. I think you can see where this is going. I would guess at the time they turned the circuit off. But years later someone inadvertently flipped the switch and instant leakage underground, until the driveway burst into flames.

Are you sure there isn't some strange leak somewhere? My house never uses more than a $100 to $200 in electricity in any month. The high end was when all 5 kids were teens and still lived at home (long showers!). Your bill says there is something terribly wrong. Or their rates are illegal.

[ksmaybe]

So glad that Patrick is better! Way to ring in the 7!

As for eczema...yes, love cetaphil (I prefer the cream myself, but whatever). I also use the cleanser for bathing my munchkin, followed by cream for particularly bad bouts. However...I battle eyelid eczema myself and well, it's tough. I have 2 levels of steroids that I am permitted to use intermittently. That said, steroids thin already delicate eyelid skin and can contribute to/cause glaucoma when used on the eyelids. In short, my derm hates to give it to me, but relents because mine is so relentless. I did try a course of treatment with ProTopic (an immune suppressant ointment) between pregnancies (obviously not during) and that worked as well and bypasses the steroid issues. Don't know that either steroids or protopic are pediatric options though. So, you know, check with the real MDs :)

[Jujube]

Sorry to hog the comments with another post, but I just wanted to say that Suzi's post back up there a ways is not only hilarious, but spot-on. She's definitely got your back.

[mommo4.5]

So glad that Patrick is better, and wishing you all a super vacation. Will look forward to hearing about it, in your inimitable style.

I HAD been hoping for a picture of the cake. I did have fun picturing it in my mind. What a great mother-son project.

[Krys72599]

Don't have my electric bills handy but we have a five bedroom home in NJ (read COLD and HOT, depending on the season), and a gas furnace, dryer and hot water heater, but still - $900 sounds outrageous! My bill has NEVER gone above $425. Ever. Not once. Ever.
I think your electric company has really taken advantage of you and never even kissed you first!
Have a great vacation, unplug and turn off everything before you leave, and PLEASE post a picture of the yellow and purple cake!

[Laurie]

We live in Tennessee and our electric bill was 288.00 this month. This is with central air, gas heat, electric everything in between, and following behind three kids to shut off lights and t.v.
If the meter was broken it was their fault and not yours. The meter belongs to the electric company. They had ample time to realize something was wrong with it and change it over, so to come back and probate your current bills is just unethical in my opinion. I would also suggest that you deal with whoever is in charge in person.

[SalGal]

Add me to the "Yes, you are getting screwed" camp. I live in a Kansas City suburb in an average sized 2 story 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house with gas furnace and water heater, electric everything else. Someone is always at our house so we run the heat or AC more or less constantly (except for those glorious 10-12 days each spring and fall). "On" season is max $185 for gas and $225 electric.

[Becky]

I live in a suburb of St. Paul, probably not too far from you - might even be the same electric company. Our electric bill for a 2400 sq ft house (no central air, gas furnace, electric dryer) is $60 a month. You are seriously being messed with. I would call back and insist on speaking with a supervisor!