Who do you call when your Best Friend has cancer?

I find myself making more lists than usual these days and that's hard because I LOVE my lists. One set for me, one set for my best friend.

Who do you call when your best friend is diagnosed with cancer?

Julie is absolutely astounding. She is the most patient and kind teacher I know yet as she has always taught in the inner city she has a "take no crap" attitude that let's students and parents know not to mess with all 5'4" of her.  She is a single mom of three children and has been since she announced she was pregnant with their third child and her husband promptly walked out. They are amazing children and it is all because of her.  Her daughter who is 18 has physical and developmental delays and has spent a better part of her life in Children's Hospital - over 60 surgeries in her lifetime.  All of this, Julie has handled, on her own.

But you don't handle cancer all on your own. It doesn't work that way and we all know it.  Because at this point it has touched all of our lives. We all know someone who has had surgery, radiation, chemo, or hospice. I wish it wasn't this way.

After I won the Cancer Lottery someone asked me to write something about my experience and present it to a group.  I couldn't bring myself to do it. I felt like a cheater using the words Cancer survivor to make others happy when what I really felt like phony.  I had one surgery, got new boobs, and I was done. There was nothing to survive - no gut wrenching, energy sucking, hair losing, body poisoning chemo and radiation.

If cancer is a race - I ran the sprint and won. And when my friend called to say they think I have cancer I fell to my knees and begged God to please - let it be a sprint! Because who else do you call when your best friend has cancer?

This Week's Menu - Check this out!

I finally got my son to help out with the presentation - I hope you like it. All two of you.
(thanks Mom - thanks sis)

The rest of you click the damn thing already! Sorry, I mean go ahead, you'll like it.

Menu January 31st

This weeks Menu

Menu for January 25th

This week's Menu

With the kids off school I had an extra day to think - kind of.  Each one is having a friend over today. I did get the grocery but lunch is not fancy for friends, they get Mac and Cheese out of a box and salami.  The fanciest it gets will be cut up apples and carrots.

Menu week of January 17th

This weeks Menu - late because I'm not cooking

Just trying to keep up with my New Year Plan!
Enjoy a whole lotta nothing from me this week....

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H7lSkKbyOY12l4FZJNDvgLsmunOqPJM6_L-fV0lOTw0/edit?usp=sharing

Here we go again

Another Fourth Grader - Another sex talk. Lord Help me.

Here we go again. Sex has become a big topic in our house - as once again we have a 9 year-old boy. It's funny though how differently my son's have approached this topic.  You may recall me reenactment of the sex talk with my oldest son - that went so well!

Since school started my 9 year-old has complained almost weekly that some of his friends talk about girlfriends and kissing.  They chase the girls around the playground telling them someone is going to kiss them and he is totally annoyed by these antics. The other day I find myself in the car with my nine-year-old and short 5 minute car ride but the question...."Mom was is sex?"

Lord Help Me! Screams the voice in my head.OK. Simple question simple answer. 5 minutes. Don't get flustered, don't over do it. K.I.S.S.S. (Keep it short, sweet, simple) But hurry up you just wasted two minutes talking to yourself in your head with that stupid look on your face the kid looks worried.

"Is it a bad thing?" Great! Now I have him thinking he can't ask me questions about sex because I clam up like Dad's wallet.

"No, sex is not a bad thing. It is not appropriate for a 9 year-old's to talk about with each other so I am glad that you asked me. Sex is what a man and a woman do to make a baby. But not all the time, If two grown up's are in love they may have sex without wanting to make a baby."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH - that's the screaming going on in my head as my mouth just keeps talking. SSSSSSHHHHHHUUUUUTTTT  UUUUUPPPPP NOW!

"But it all comes from the primitive caveman part of your brain - the part that tells your penis to stand up at attention sometimes."

{Insert heavy sigh here} "Mom, my peepee has never shot up when I see a pretty girl - stop telling that story ok! That did not happen to me in Pre-school I made it up."

{FYI - yes he did tell me that in Pre-school}

"Ok. I'm sorry I don't want to embarrass you."

"Well, this is embarrassing, I ask a simple question and your going on and on and I'm not even sure what you are talking about now."

So much for short and sweet. Great, sex talk number two going down in flames.

"I'm just so tired of all the kids talking about sex at school."

"Who's talking about sex?"

"Everyone Mom! Well, mostly Joey talks a lot about kissing, and girlfriends. But there are First graders and even Kindergartners on the bus talking about their girlfriends and who they want to kiss. It's like a virus has invaded our school - and it's love!"

It's official. I have screwed up number two son by taking on the sex talk because I actually thought
What is Sex? meant what is sex. When will I ever learn?!