I've been meaning to tell a lot of my friends about some news but somehow it is never the right situation to bring a serious subject up! Sometimes typing is the only way to tell people information that has a lot of details. So here goes - several months ago, I was seeing an esthetician in a dermatologists office for some laser skin treatments when what I thought was a pimple popped up on my left cheek and did not go away. I asked my esthetician about this bump and she had a dermatologist look at it who told me to make an appointment if it hadn't gone away in a month. So, to make a long story short that "pimple" was actually squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer. Of course, I immediately had it removed. Now, please don't panic because squamous cell rarely spreads like Melanoma does so this is not a life-threatening situation. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer, with over 250,000 new cases per year estimated in the United States. Squamous cell is a form of skin cancer usually caused by repeated exposure to the sun. Here is a link where you can read more information on squamous cell and the other forms of skin cancer. http://www.skincancer.org/squamous/index.php
After the initial shock of hearing 'cancer!' wore off, I am doing fine. In addition to having the bump removed, my dermatologist prescribed a topical chemotherapy (Aldara) that will attack any pre cancerous cells on my face. My reaction to this is quite mild which is a good indicator that I did not have much. I have some spots which I am covering up (as best I can) but this is mild comparing it to pictures that I've seen on the Internet! I will also be using Retin-A (commonly used for wrinkles and acne) when this is completed and will be looking in to other preventative measures. I will also be seeing my dermatologist frequently for checks for suspicious spots and will be doing checks of my own every month.
And of course, I will not be going for a tan in the summer. Luckily, we live in a age where spray tanning is available because who likes to be pale all summer? I'm going to avoid the sun as best as I can, especially at midday when the rays are the strongest. However, being a SAHM of three young kids I will be out during those hours from time to time. I've purchased some wide brimmed hats, some clothing with spf in the fibers and last but certainly not least, lots of sunscreen! My dermatologist says that with all of these preventative measures by the time I am her age (50's) I will be ahead of the game and I agree!
The reason for sending out this message is twofold. The first is to update everyone. Please don't hesitate to ask questions or talk to me about it. I am completely open to talking about it. The second reason is to pass along the very important message of seeing a dermatologist for any changes to your skin. My bump was small and did not look like any of the pictures of skin cancer that I have seen on the Internet. I have to thank God that I was going to a dermatologist office to begin with and pat myself of the back for getting my butt in the office pretty quickly!
Another important message is to keep sunscreen on yourself and your children. As adults, we pay for all of the sun damage done when we were children.


I'll see you all this summer, with my floppy hat sitting in the shade!

The food police
Okay, I admit it. I am the Food Police. I am a very picky shopper. I won't buy anything with artificial colors, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup or trans fats in it. I try to stay away from pesticides or anything that is not all natural as much as I can. My kids generally don't eat "fruit" snacks, Lucky Charms or colored Goldfish (though the regular ones are a staple in our house).

This rigid philosophy always goes out the window when I have one of my older children with me. (My one year old does not count as she doesn't know all of the temptations of a grocery store yet). Just yesterday I set off to Marsh with my baby and my 4 year old with me. My 4 year old likes to walk and push a kid cart. We were doing just fine until we passed those summer frozen Popsicles that they stick right in the center of the aisle. "Mom can we have these?" I hear from behind me and knowing exactly what he was talking about. I turn around to the cutest face and smile in the world. "Okay," I sigh and keep on walking, silently cursing out those food companies that don't care about anything but a profit.

You get the idea. And so on and so forth, although I did manage to say a firm no to the donuts! By the end of the shopping trip we have Cheetos - and not the Natural kind that I usually buy, though I did manage to convince him to buy baked. Cheetos contain artificial colors and not only are those bad for you, but that orange stuff gets on their hands, clothes and always ends up somewhere in your house. We also purchased some kind of scooby graham snacks (trans fats & high fructose corn syrup) and Gatorades (artificial colors & HFCS).

The lesson here is DON'T TAKE YOUR CHILDREN TO THE STORE WITH YOU! If you can help it, that is. I generally don't, between weekends and preschool, but sometimes it happens. If that stuff is not in our house then they (or I) don't eat as much of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to eat some of those darn good Cheetos!

I've forgotten it all

I recently made a trip to my doctor for a very serious disease. I have been suffering from this for about 7 years. Coincidentally, it began right about the time I became pregnant with my first child. I knew that as soon as I had my diagnosis that I immediately had to share it with my fellow moms. No one should suffer. There is no known cure. This is scary stuff. Let me tell you all about it.
Here were my symptoms: It all began when I was pregnant. I was craving my nightly mint chocolate chip ice cream when I went to the freezer to get it out. It wasn't there. I kept checking everywhere in my kitchen. I finally found my melted quart of ice cream in the cabinet. I pointed my swollen finger at my husband. How could he misplace my favorite stuff? He looked at me like I was crazy and at that point I knew. I had placed my beloved mint chocolate chip away in the cabinet instead of the freezer. I was quite literally losing my mind.
It all went downhill from there. After my son was born I forgot everything. I forgot where I put my keys, when I showered last and when it came time to find my car in the parking lot let's just say that I walked off ten pounds of that baby weight! At this point, after having three bundles of joy, I can't even remember what I did yesterday. I've been known to get in my van and begin driving and five minutes into my trip realize that I have no idea where I am going. After several years of this behavior I knew that I needed to see a professional.
My diagnosis – MOMNESIA! My doctor told me that Momnesia is the mental fuzziness and memory lapses that set in shortly after childbirth. I could give more details on her boring diagnosis or I could tell you in a way that only a mom can understand. Our children are stealing our brains! You see, with each and every child that we have, a little more of our brain goes with them. They are making us forget everything that does not include them. Apparently, it is natures way of making sure that our children are our first priority.
It is also known to get worse with every child. I have three children so if I see you on the street and forget your name please forgive me. Those moms with four or five children can be forgiven for everything from forgetting to show up for your wedding (yes, even if they are your bridesmaid) to forgetting what happened five minutes ago.
The treatment – Every mom has a system that they try to work for them. Some like to tie a string around their finger. This only works if you remember what the string is for! Some place post its all over their house. This is great if those little brain stealers don't rip them off the wall. Some invest in a big “Mom” calender with columns for every member of their household. These can be confusing to even look at. While all of this can help, our brains will never be the same.
Yes I said never. My doctor informed me that Momnesia never really goes away. So, even if your children are in your teens you're likely to forget what month it is.
I am so saddened by all of this so I am going to deal with this information in the best way that I can. And that is to forget about it! Forget about what – you ask? Boy, that was easy.