January 2015 - Forever In Mom Genes

When Your Mammogram Is Abnormal

Jan 31 2015

I’m not one to think the worst or to worry to excess. Oh wait, yes I am. So the call that my recent mammogram was abnormal really scared me. My doctor made the call herself to assure me that this kind of thing is very common. A shadow, an obstructed or blurred view, anything out of the norm, and they follow up. Caution is a good thing. I know this, but the timing couldn’t have been worse—just two days after our family lost a very special person to breast cancer. I tried not to worry myself sick and for the most part, I did okay. There’s a lot to be said for deep breathing and positive thoughts and losing yourself in tedious tasks. My aunt, even when facing the most stressful and scary circumstance imaginable, always tried to live in the moment. She taught me (and so many others) lessons about being positive and present before “mindfulness” became a buzzword. My appointment was scheduled for the day of my aunt’s Celebration of Life. Oddly ironic and terribly sad. Thankfully I was able to get on a cancellation list and got an appointment a week earlier. I teared up as the[…]

Jan 28 2015

One of the benefits of having a blog is being able to vent. I try not to hit “publish” on topics that are negative or mean spirited or just plain whiney. There’s already enough of that noise out there, I don’t want to add to it. So if you’re reading this, it would seem I found a nugget of positivity or a learning moment somewhere in here. Plus, how cute is this turtle picture? I just want to reach out and stroke him and say, “It’s okay scared turtle. Everything will be alright.” But then I remember…salmonella. So perhaps just soothing words of encouragement from a distance. Turtles may appear passive and even apathetic, but you should see them when they’re feeling amorous. The day we took the kids to “Reptilia” we got an eyeful. I tried to tell the kids that the turtles were just playing. True, if by “playing” we mean #turtleporn. I feel like a turtle some days. Not in a “Come back to my shell and party!” kind of way, but in a “retreat into my shell and hide” way. I’m not confrontational at all. I live in fear of hurting people’s feelings. I’ll often apologize[…]

Jan 26 2015

If you’ve ever spilled red wine on your lap (or heaven forbid, somebody else’s) you know how alarming it is. Know what else is alarming? When you cross your legs and knock over an end table, causing a glass of merlot to splash down onto your friend’s new cream carpet. It’s been over fifteen years and she’s still mad at me. Red wine spills are pretty scary, unless you know the “stain solution.” Watch this short video and I’ll share some stain removal hacks for dirty girls. Dirty like, avocado squashed into your pants or mustard on your collar… ahem. I’ll also reveal a dirty little secret I’ve been keeping for over a decade… For more information about OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover, Canada’s #1 trusted stain fighter inside and out, please visit www.oxiclean.ca or visit their Facebook Page. Find it nationally at Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart. This post was brought to you by OxiClean, however images and opinions are my own.

Jan 23 2015

I’m not calling my friends soft but, they are. Not in a doughy “Gym? What gym?” kind of way. But in a gentle, comforting, curl up in their bosom and nestle, kind of way. Not that I curl up in their bosoms. There is absolutely no bosom nestling going on. Except for that one time at that Christmas party and it was completely innocent. Life is stressful these days. Like REALLY stressful. I have no idea why, it just is. Maybe it’s because a lot of serious stuff goes on “mid life.” Good god, we’re middle aged. I’m just going to go ahead and glaze over that statement. The pace seems to have picked up. There’s always somewhere I need to be and something I’m scrambling to catch up on. I don’t get to see my friends as much as I’d like. Mostly it’s a quickie phone call here, a funny text there. Like I said, we mid-lifers have commitments and responsibilities out the whazoo. However… If I should need a friend, I have only to reach out with a faint whimper, and as if by bat echolocation or some kind of emotional ESP, they are there—with wine and wisdom and[…]

Jan 22 2015

Conversations like these with my eight-year-old special girl make me want to scoop her up in my arms and then storm down to the playground, finger wagging, to kick some rude kid butt. Me: How was school today? Avery: Good. I made you a card. I did my letters. Me: Who did you play with at recess? Avery: Katie and Susanna. But Katie say, “Go play with your own friends.” Me: What?! Avery: She say to me, “Go away.” Me: Silence. Stewing. Blood pressure rising. Me: So what did you do? Avery: I want to play with Susanna, but Katie say, “Play with your own friends.” Me: So who did you play with? Avery: I just walked around by myself. Avery adores Katie (not her real name). We’ve had her over to our house a lot. But things have changed. Katie who was new to the school last year and didn’t speak English, has friends now—friends she’s not willing to share. This isn’t a post about “mean girls.” It’s old news that kids can be little a-holes. It’s also a fact that kids who are different are often excluded. Different is not “cool” in elementary school. No, this isn’t anything[…]

Archive - January 2015

When Your Mammogram Is Abnormal

Beware The Snapping Turtle

Red Wine and Grody Grout: Coming Clean About Getting Dirty

A Soft Place To Land—A Story About Friendship

When Your Child Is Shunned