I'm a mom too!

New Year Resoulutions....the reason I make them is because there is no other good thing to do in January. That being said I haven't made any since  2013  and I miss them. I'd rather call it new habit January though and try to focus on one main one. This year's main habit it good for my pocketbook but not so good for many of you. My new habit is not going to any direct sales parties, especially for me. An exception will be Lularoe for my kids.  They need some leggings but I need nothing. So sorry DS friends. I have to do this for me. We are saving for Florida 18, Branson 18, and New York 19. Plus you were all right, High School IS expensive. Also can I please go to the doctor less. I DO want to celebrate that I had a healthy year and did NOT max out my out of pocket insurance!! (for the first time in 4 years). I only had ONE MRI, and THREE mole removals (2 expensive ones). Good vibes for no mole removals in 2018 along with a good MRI.  Oct. 2018! Also if we could ...

I have 2 sayings my friends have heard me say many times 1. Never say never and 2. Pick your Poison (carefully, LOL) So we are trying something new that I said I would never do. Traveling out of town to a dance studio J chose. She is ready for the challenge and I’m ready to support her. Where she leads, we will follow. She is ready, we are ready to support her.   Most extracurriculars are expensive and intense. Gone are the days of $30 6 week programs. Extracurriculars are often an entire year commitment. Gone are the days of trying everything. Everyone wants their activity to be your #1. Music, dance or sports, pick your poison. It’s all expensive. Pick two poisons, multiple it by number of kids, go crazy, see you in the asylum. :)   Anyhow, we have no idea if this is her right fit or how this is going to go but are excited to find out! Photo credit goes to the internet My 2 cents on when to quit/change, when to push and when to leave alone. Quit-if...

Reading a skin pathology report. In my search to find the answers to these questions I have noticed that it is VERY hard to find the answer the answers in layman's terms so I am going to take a stab at it. Disclaimer--I am not a doctor. I'm just a patient that has had 24 skin biopsies (give or take a few). I've been very confused in the past.  What is the difference between benign, dysplastic/atypical, and melanoma? Benign=not cancerous/malignant Dysplastic/atypical=in between benign and cancer Melanoma=cancer Are their different kinds/stages of dysplastic nevus?  Yes there are many kinds (I have no idea how many kinds but your path report should show you) and stages (for lack of any better way to describe this). This is how I see severity in my brain.  Benign-you are GOOD! Mildly dysplastic (you will see the words mild atypia or mild somewhere) -ALMOST BENIGN Moderately dysplastic (look for the word moderate)- SMACK DAB IN BETWEEN benign and canc...

In November they took me off of Keppra to see how I would do.....(I didn't like taking it , I felt very groggy and fatigued). I knew the risk of going off was to risk having another partial seizure. I was an optimist thinking it wouldn't happen to me. Well today I found out the risk, took an ambulance ride and figured how to miss a half day of work. For anybody worried about me, I'm fine. It was an adventure. I will visit with my neurosurgeon Wednesday and life goes on. ~Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. ~Thanks so much to the Rescue squad, the office staff, and all my friends at Deerfield that I give heart attacks to. Empathy is a killer sometimes. ~Business as usual people. What time is this snow gonna start? I did get that tattoo though! 

7 month update, GAME CHANGER! No more Keppra (anti-seizure med)!! What an evil, evil drug. Many of you know that I have been complaining about fatigue and when it was getting worse, not better I worried and it messed with my mind. Am I sick? What is going on? Why can't I shake this?? I also was not able to contribute to cooking, cleaning and laundry after work. What a burden for Ryan. It was a horrible feeling so I consulted my neurosurgeon and he gave me permission to we an off Keppra. That was good news that I was doing well and I had nothing to lose in doing so. Very good news since I swear my MRI scans are written in Greek and I feel like they are talking behind my back about my brain, meaning I have no idea what is going on in my head other than my tumor is gone. So, today I went to the Y and pushed it a little bit, even ran (which I never thought I would do again!). 45 minutes later I could've kept going. On my journey I have been constantly adjusting to my new normal,...

 It is no accident that I'm doing so well. I logged many hours, reprogramming my brain with speech therapy, reading (including reading aloud), lumosity, brain baseline, and playing memory with my girls. Candy crush and conversations on facebook didn't hurt either. wink emoticon  And due to my job I have to read aloud, speak, speak clearly, and force my brain to explain. You may not notice but I have to concentrate on this every.single.day Disclaimer: When you do come across my typos, please ignore. I'm still a work in progress. Find out more about neuroplasticity here.

Dear Andrea,  From one Warrior Mama to another. I do not know what kind of cancer you are fighting or what your treatment plan is but you are amazing!!  Your energy! I'm jealous of.  You made my 13 year old's birthday amazing and I will never forget.  All 13 year old Swifties should get this chance but let me tell you why an angel spoke to my Morgan, through you, in Omaha on Oct. 9.   And Taylor,  I know what is like to have your mom, your rock, diagnosed with cancer.  I was 22 when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought, she won, she remained cancer free for 15 years. Then in Nov. 2014 she was diagnosed with lung cancer.  It was NOT related to the breast cancer it was a new tumor.  She has been fighting ever since, just finished chemo and we are waiting for the results of her PET scan. I remember Morgan telling me about your Tumbler announcement about your mom, we thought of Grandma (mom), we cried, we comforted eac...