Put off Procrastination!

I have been soooo productive lately! My MIL came by when I wasn't home and didn't know she was coming (otherwise I would have been prepared) and apparently was not too impressed with my/our housekeeping. Not that she was wrong. But add that to my imminent surgery (6 days and counting!) and I've been...I don't know, nesting?

Saturday Zane was not home, since he was busy getting his D level coaching license. So I spent about three hours cleaning the kitchen. Sadly, this was not the deep clean it needs, but the de-cluttering of flat surfaces that it also needed. Yesterday it was the TV room, since we're getting a new couch and strangers will be bringing it into our now more minimalist room. Today: the king of all junk areas, the back entryway. It collects coats and shoes, of course, but also papers of all types, a thank you plaque from 2011 (!) that I've been after Zane to take to the office for (2014-2011 =...) 3 years, assorted other papers, loose change, scissors, and I don't know what all. But now it's clean! Hooray! I rock!

In other news, Sabrina has been taking skiing lessons. Last time she had a male instructor, and apparently he told her to stop crying and stop falling down. Well, it needed to be said! I guess it worked, too. Today was her last lesson, and she had a different instructor, but I guess she did some really hard terrain. The daycare instructor that takes the kids up said they really pushed her and she really responded. Sabrina was very excited to tell me that she didn't cry at all. But she fell down a lot. One thing at a time, I suppose.

Daylight Saving Time Sucks and Other Adventures in Mommyhood

I've heard, and have no reason to disbelieve, that while the ages of 2 and 3 are pretty good, 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 are not good. Sasha is 3 years, 5 months, and 28 days. Close enough. He's been screaming, hitting, fighting, and, oh yeah, doesn't want to go to bed when it's still light out. Or anytime in the next two hours.

Of course, the next minute he is saying, "Mommy, I love you THIIIIISSSS much" as he stands on tippy toes and stretches his little arms as high as they can reach. It's a good thing he has these moments, or he might be left for the wolves.

On another note, I'd forgotten how much Raiden used to like socks. Today he demanded one as I was doing laundry. "Sock! Sock!" Then he snuggled one for ten minutes. Fortunately, this one was clean. That was not always the case in the past.

Blessings

I was thinking today about all the blessings I've received related to cancer. This is in no way meant to be a comprehensive list, but here we go.
1. As I've mentioned before, a couple of months before I was diagnosed, Zane asked me to get a job. This I did. The job had benefits.
2. My doctor, without question, recommended surgery before chemo. After surgery it was discovered that my massive tumor was mostly what they call DCIS, which isn't as concerning as the stuff that's out of the ducts. If I'd had chemo first, the tumor wouldn't have shrunk much, which would have been stressful.
3. After my mastectomy and well into my chemo, a new drug called pertuzamab/Perjeta was approved for pre-surgery cancer and metastatic cancer. I don't have either of those, but my insurance company approved it anyway.
4. My doctor's PA said one of her other patients had a huge tumor that, after chemo including Perjeta, had no tumor. She said I was the first person she thought of. If I'd had chemo first, Perjeta may not have been available, since it wasn't approved until November 2013. Surgery first worked out on all levels for me.
5. I've found out how wonderful my ward is. They are so kind, giving, considerate, all sorts of wonderful things.

Not a comprehensive list, but things I've been grateful for lately. Thank you, Lord.

Reading

When I went to kindergarten, I could read. According to Mom, I was reading in July before kindergarten. That makes me...quick calculation here...5 3/4.

Sabrina could not read the July before kindergarten. That was when she was (no calculation needed here) 5 0/4.

At the end of April, Sabrina will be 5 3/4. Yesterday, she read almost all of Go Dog Go to me. She needed some help and had simply memorized some words, but it's so fun to see her really figuring out the reading thing. She has a little ground to make up because she's so young, but she's going to be fine. Great, even.

Now I need to go and read a book. Maybe Green Eggs and Ham.

Yay! Hodgkin's Lymphoma!

My cousin has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This is bad news, obviously, but considering what it COULD be, we're all celebrating. That sounds so silly.

In honor of all those I love with cancer (a disturbingly large number), here is some advice for chemo.
1. Have treats. You deserve them.
2. If you want someone with you, let people know and get what you need.
3. If you don't want people with you, remember this cancer is about you. Not them. I wanted Zane home with the kids. I would be gone from home for six hours sometimes, and who were the kids going to be with? Either I'd have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for babysitting, or I'd have to be obligated to someone. I'd rather they bring me dinner.
4. Take stuff to do that you really want to do. TV shows on DVD, movies, books, whatever. You will be there a while, so don't just plan on playing on your phone.
5. Take your phone charger.
6. Take anti-nausea meds as soon as you get home, or earlier. There's no prize for getting sick or holding off.
7. Anti-nausea meds cause constipation. Take Miralax or Senna or something else. You have been warned.
8. If your anti-nausea meds don't work, THERE ARE OTHERS. GET THEM.
9. Ativan is great.
10. Enjoy the quiet time you have in the infusion room, or the time to visit with people you love. Other than the fact that you're getting chemo, it's great!

In Which I Am Pissed At Cancer

I'm almost done with treatment. In my self-centered mind, that means everyone, everywhere, for all time, should be done with cancer. Or at least, I should be done with cancer. The thing about having loved ones, though, is that no matter my health, I am always at risk. And add family history to that, and...well, cancer is around.

My fabulous cousin was just diagnosed with cancer. Rather, she was not diagnosed. They know she has cancer, but it's presenting weird, so they don't know what type yet. It's weird to pray that someone has lymphoma, but that's the best option right now. Rather, asthma is the best option, but it looks like cancer of some type is the diagnosis.

Less personal but still sucky is that a bus driver was also diagnosed with breast cancer this week. I mean, I heard about it this week. It's been a swell week.

So, I'm soliciting prayers. They work. If you're not already praying for my cousin and the Weber School District bus driver, would you? Your prayers have gotten me through my cancer treatment, teaching during chemotherapy, and (hopefully) to health. If such be with us, what can be against us?

I only have one more question.

Is it sacrilegious to pray to kick cancer's ass?

Synecdoche

I love the Olympics. I'll watch stuff I'd never watch any other time. Heck, I'll even watch curling. The Olympics were on when I was nursing all three of my kids, so this is my first Olympics in recent history that I don't have a newborn. I'm sitting here right now with just grownups as I watch the very boring (except once every four years) slope-style snowboarding.

Also, I'm an English nerd. So, I can't help but think of synecdoche when I think of the Olympics. This is a figure of speech where the whole is substituted for the part, like "The US won a gold medal in skiing" rather than "Bode Miller won a gold medal in skiing." What can I say, I'm a nerd. Shut up. That's why you love me.