Risky Boobness

I have high-risk breasts.

No, there will not be photos posted here.

Perv.

My mother had breast cancer almost five years ago, her mother died from breast cancer, my sister had precancerous breast lesions and I’ve got at least two cases of female organ cancer on my paternal side.

Bummer.

But the good news is I think my lifestyle – healthy diet, lots of activity and trying to keep stress low – helps.

I also firmly (pun?!) believe that breastfeeding helps reduce breast cancer risk and the studies show that each year of breastfeeding lowers your breast cancer risk. I’ve been breastfeeding for almost six straight years (three kids, but not all at once!), so I’m hoping that’s cut my odds to nothing.

Anyway, I took the L-man with me today to the Revlon High Risk Breast Center. More unschooling activities! You have to be special to go there and I’m special. They examined my breasts, said there was nothing to worry about, but then upped my visits from twice a year to three times a year and threw in an MRI in addition to my mammograms.

Even though there’s nothing, it is a bit freaky that they think my risk is so high. Oh well.

The L-man was hilarious, interviewing me about my life between clinicians. "So, tell me, have you ever broken anything? Was there blood? Did you cry?"

I can hardly believe he was 2 just two months ago.

Before we left, I had a client call for that CME poster I’m writing. Usually I take Miss M when I’m working, since at five years, she can keep herself occupied if I have a call, etc. But L-man was so excited to join me today that he completely freaked out and started kicking the door when I was on my call. It was very loud. I had to run to the bathroom.

If I had a dollar for every call I’ve done in that bathroom. I swear.

Anyway, after my breast cancer evaluation, I found out I got the editor gig (remote, of course!) at FiercePharma and then the L-man and I had lunch with the brain surgeon’s sister. The brain surgeon wasn’t there today. He was down at the county hospital doing – you guessed it – brain surgery to cover for a colleague who had a baby today.

This particular brain surgeon and his wife couldn’t be nicer and we are so happy for them.

We are also happy that we are now not the ONLY couple in the neurosurgery residency program with kids. Seriously. All this time, it’s just been me and the brain surgeon with the kiddies.

Today was also a miracle day. I’ll tell you about this particular miracle.

The L-man crashed on the way back from the hospital. I carried him up the stairs, through the gate, into the house and laid him on the bed AND HE STAYED ASLEEP. I noted that BooBoo was also asleep.

For other mothers of three, I'm not lying. The aforementioned and what follows are absolutely true.

I took Miss M to her afternoon class.

Would they both be sleeping when I returned?

That NEVER happens. It's impossible.

But they were! They slept for almost 2 hours.

And Carmen helped hang up the laundry today.

Bless her! Oh holy day!

I’m really weird about hanging the clothes in outfits, so I cringed at what was on a few hangers, but beggers can’t be choosers and I’m focusing on the gratitude!

Two hours of naptime. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I should've watched the evil television or read a book, but I didn't. I'm just stupid.

After the little ones woke, I took them to pick up Miss M and we went to the park. We stayed about an hour and then I hit the wall of exhaustion, so I packed them up and we went home.

Then we did our bedtime routine:

1. Dinner (I try to clean kitchen as I go)
2. Baths (I try to clean bathroom while they're in the tub)
3. Pajamas
4. Brush teeth
5. Brush hair
6. Floss
7. Read stories
8. Lights out
9. “Dark stories”

I also like to pick out their clothes the night before, but I’ve been forgetting to do that a lot lately. I does help the mornings go more smoothly.

If I was really on my game, I’d pack tomorrow’s lunches since it’s home school park day.

I'd also pick out my clothes.

I'm not on my game.

I also was accepted to write for Demand Studios today. But they pay crap. Truly crap. I didn’t know this when I sent them my info or I wouldn’t have bothered.

Then I wrote a couple of super easy articles for them based on stuff already in my head, so it's fine. I want to do some consumer writing in certain areas where I’ve been mostly in the trade press or not at all, and this is a surefire way to get clips. It certainly isn't a way to get money. I earned more babysitting when I was 12.

But, it was pretty easy. My articles will be up on eHow, which by the looks of some of the site's content and writing quality, I'll likely rename, "eHow embarassing." That's why they hire professional writers on the side, I guess.

Toodles!