My Story

Let me preface this a bit. This story has been percolating for the last five years. It isn't complete nor does it really tell the whole story. It does give a glimpse into how I came to where I am today, and is a product of a training I am doing through Beachbody. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

 

Growing up I was active in dance and swimming. I rode my bike everywhere, skated or walked when the bike wasn’t feasible. I was a healthy kid. Even when puberty hit, and I got these child bearing hips I was still comfortable with who I was. Then something happened in high school. I started to be self conscious of my big butt and breasts. I felt fat. I went through two bouts of borderline anorexia. Lunch would be an apple and a small Pepsi. I wouldn't eat much more. I was depressed, and had suicidal thoughts. The raging migraines didn't help. I kept going through college where I continued to feel more insecure about my body, which wasn't helped by not ever having any dates and the belief that I wasn't attractive to the opposite sex. By the time I hit grad school in 1997, I was over 180 pounds. The year before I had my son I was at an all time high of 225, and finally worried about my weight. That was 2003 when I discovered Jazzercise, and decided to try portioned eating. In that year, I gained some of me back, and lost 25 pounds. The same 25 pounds I gained while pregnant, but because I continued with Jazzercise and my portioned eating (bbq chip craving the exception) a week after giving birth I weighed 9 pounds less than when I got pregnant. It was amazing. 

 

In 2005 when my son was 8 months old, I moved from an area I loved to a new job close to my family. It was a big change, and a stressful one. Four years later, I was depressed, and feeling like I had no worth at all after losing my job. It was compounded over the next year as I applied for jobs in state and out within my field, which all the job aid people told me I needed to do. There was nothing out there for me, and then in the middle of this my friend Sarah started about this awesome thing called Beachbody and an amazing drink called Shakeology. I was still unemployed, drinking soda like it was water, and gaining weight every day. Something struck me though as I continued to follow Sarah, and when she was having her second child I signed up as a coach. I was unemployed for another year, but despite the horribleness of that I know it allowed me to establish the road to a better, healthier me. It hasn't been all rosy. I struggle to stay true to my food choices, and I don't always win the battle. My weight goes up and goes down. I stress eat, and I deal with some chronic health issues that prevent me from exercising on occasion. Yet each day I make a commitment to myself and my son to continuing my fight for a healthier, longer life for both of us.  

 

Summit Day 3

It has been a week since the last day of Summit, and I am still reliving the memories and thinking of all the ways I can put into action the many ideas that were shared. Someone asked me today if I was ready to go back right now. The answer? Heck yeah!!

Workouts, workshops, friendships born and continued, amazing speakers (including our CEO, Carl Daikleer), product releases and previews. Summit had it all and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. In fact, I am working on getting myself together to get the special rate for next year's Summit, which will be in Vegas again. Who is going with me?

This is me at 8:00 a.m. after 90 minutes of working out with several of the celebrity trainers and just shy of 5000 of my fellow coaches. Not a single person needed the EMT's that were there. How awesome is that?! Bonus? I did my first plank push ups. Ten of them. I may not be chest to ground, but I am making progress. Bam!

Showered and ready to head out for the day's activities. I won't tell you that I dozed off during the first session, and that thankfully I only snored once according to my roommate. The second session went much better, and I think will be a great benefit to me as it was on developing confidence.

After the morning sessions, it was time for a little lunch at the Core. I grabbed some of the new vegan chocolate Shakeology made with the Carl Daikeler special recipe (rice milk, pb, banana), and proceeded to wander over to get in line for the signings.

I made sure I was in line to get a chance to talk with Donna Richardson Joyner, creator of Body Gospel. She is such an inspiration to me. I just can't even begin to put it into words.

I got a chance to chat briefly with Darin Olien, co-creator of Shakeology. I had to thank him for the newest vegan formula as it means my Monkey can safely drink Shakeology without it causing him issues. Yay! It was then onto the closing session and dinner.

After dinner, I got dressed up and headed to Celebration, which is just what it sounds like. Celebration is a time to celebrate our coach network, and those who have done amazing things in the past year. As for me? That outfit is a petite large top and a petite xl skirt. That is my celebration right there.

Turbo Jam & Wellness Update

In the middle of my April workouts, I decided to dedicate April to Turbo Jam, and do a full round. With minimal convincing from my friend/coach Sarah, I decided to dive in at the Advanced level since I had incorporated it into my workout routines for a full month. And why not right?! :)

Post Cardio Party 5/28/11

I started the month at 205 and with some significant losses in inches from my thighs and arms. I was very excited by the inch and a half off of each thigh since I hadn't seen a real change in a month or two in actual numbers. My clothes were fitting differently, and that was great! The lack of change on the scale and the tape measure were bothering me.

I am working day by day to overcome my dependence on the scale and tape measure. I am now forcing my OCD self to measure once a month, and weigh once a week. In addition, I am trying not to allow myself to worry if I gain two pounds, because I KNOW that I am getting lean and trim. The proof is in the clothing. Did I tell you that I bought an Easter dress in a 16 and had to return it less than a month later for a 14?! Yep! I know things are happening!

Despite 7 months of getting progressively more aggressive in my intensity levels, I started Turbo Jam at the very, very low impact level. By this fourth week, I was reaching lower, and doing a wide variety of the higher impact moves. Tonight I even attempted to jump rope, and was reminded why I don't by the soreness in my chest. I will be going back to side to side hop/shakes.

My Abs (gah!) 5/28/11

Did you notice I didn't post a weight or inches lost update? There wasn't a change, and I am okay with that. :)

Awesomeday: May 26th edition

I am beginning to live for Awesomeday. It really makes me think about what is going on in my life, and how to change my way of thinking. I hope that you are taking the time to savor the small moments in your life. Take joy in each day and be well!!



1. Sunshine and coffee! Yay for no rain!

2. Shakeology scoops that create the perfect amount of oats for the Monkey and I to share. (5 with a bit left over for the Goober Girl).

3. My very first Beachbody paycheck!

4. The Goober Girl taking a long nap and a light lunch. The long nap is an anomaly, and she ended up sleeping for just over 2 hours. It was nice!

5. Submitted my new Shakeology recipe to the Shakeology Shake-Off Recipe Challenge.

6. Playing puzzles with the Goober Girl.

7. The Monkey's math placement for next years curriculum (My Father's World). He did so well that my mom has printed out the next two tests for him to try out. Don't want to make it to easy for him. And hey look! He inherited the math nerd gene.

8. Drinking my new Shakeology on the way to the Monkey's social playgroup.

9. The taco salad I had for dinner. Such a simple meal, but oh so tasty. We should have this more often.

10.Getting my workout on. Last night was Turbo Sculpt and Ab Jam from Turbo Jam. I was sore in my mid-section, but it feels great to get moving each day.

11. I actually saw my toes tonight while doing squats. (Note: This is a first for me. I am very excited!!)

12. My family, friends and fellow team members. You all inspire me daily! Thank you so much for being a part of our lives!

Monkey and I at the Day Out with Thomas

Awesomeday: May 11th & 18th editions

I missed last week somehow in my overviews of Awesomeday. So you are going to get both today, because something supremely awesome happened last week. What is Awesomeday you ask? Other people call it Wednesday. My friend, Sarah at Uberlibrariana, renamed it Awesomeday. A day to take the time to see the positive in everything, and to take joy in even the smallest of things.

May 11, 2011

1. Oatmeal with brown sugar and macadamia butter. Even more awesome that I am sharing it with my monkey!
2. COFFEE!! Can't be said enough!
3. Meeting other bloggers through blog hops and happenstance!
4. Getting a new coat of paint on my toes and putting some on the Goober girl!
5. Scoring a ticket to the Beachbody Coach Summit and having an AWESOME family who is making this happen for me.
6. Chocolate-Peanut butter-Banana Shakeology for dinner, which is totally portable to T-ball games!


7. My Monkey!

8. Team Infinity Beachbody Coaches weekly calls.
9. Sarah and Jennifer spreading the Team Awesome love around. You all made my day. MWAH!!!
10. A third cup of coffee to go with my first research assignment as an intern. I am excited!
11. Bedtime! Or at least I know it will be when I get there.


May 18, 2011

1. Seems redundant, but COFFEE!!!
2. Re-reading the Monkey's proverbs from Tuesday's historical book club. (Note: They read Ben and Me)

• If you can't stand the heat, swim
• Better to be safe than in trudll [trouble]
• A penny saved is 1 cent
• Better late than not going
• Strike while the parent isn't looking
• Children should be seen and not hert [hurt]

3. We were going north on the interstate and noticed a motorcade going south. Turns out it was the President on the way to speak at the Coast Guard Academy. How very, very cool!
4. Shakeology lunch with a dipped nutter butter 100 calorie bar chaser. I LOVE Shakeology!
5. Turbo Jam, specifically Turbo Sculpt today.
6. Getting a new swimsuit for my trip to L.A. Even more awesome? Getting it for 50% off rather than the 30% it really was. Thank you to the Target associate who put about 10 of those suits in the wrong place.
7. Being just 16 days away from the Komen Walk for the Cure.
8. Team Infinity Beachbody Coaches weekly call. So much amazing knowledge and experience.
9. Team Awesome! Sarah, Jennifer and the rest of the gang. Rocking May, people! DFTBA!
10. Sleep and a busy Thursday ahead. Awesomeday has drawn to a close for me. Hope yours was filled with awesomeness.

Wordless Wednesday: Mother's Day

See more Wordless Wednesday posts at....

Awesomeday: May 4th edition

Do you remember that Wednesday is now Awesomeday? A time to reflect and take joy in the little things in life? Turn potential negatives into positives? There were a couple of things that I didn't share on this past Awesomeday, but they made it even more awesome. I am riding a high around here even though I am still looking for a way to make ends meet. There is naught but positive and joy!

1. Awesomeday!! I really do get a kick out of thinking about and sharing the small things.
2. Scones and the Gluten Free Ratio Rally!
3. A full belly from oatmeal and the 2nd cup of coffee. (Yes, I have gone back to drinking the entire pot. Sigh.)
4. Intergalactic Star Wars status day. "Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future."--Yoda (This seems to be particularly meaningful for me right now.)
5. Making a feathered headband with Boo, my nephew, for his display/report on North Dakota for the Geography Fair.6. Completeing Cardio party from Turbo Jam early enough in the day so I had time to fit in the 20 minute workout as well. Whoo hoo, I am all caught up through day 5!
7. A clean bathroom. There aren't enough positive things I can say about this!
8. Bloggers Bake for Hope! Go and bid on baked goods to support breast cancer research. Hurry though! Bidding ends today!
9. Red Velvet Cake ice cream (Ben & Jerry's) and blog hopping on the Gluten Free Ratio Rally hosted by Celiac Teen.
10. Bedtime and looking forward to the Geography Fair. (Note: The Fair was fun! One hundred home school people eating, conversing, and learning about various cultures and parts of the world. Other than the Monkey and Boo's displays, I loved the one on fruit salad showing where all the different fruits come from in the world!)

Awesomeday Revisited

What is Awesomday you ask? It was begun by my friend, Sarah, over at Uberlibrariana, as a new way to look at Wednesday. I am not sure what the impetus for it was, but for me it has become a way to reflect on the small things in life. You know those things that you might overlook normally o that may seem like negatives on the outside. It is all about the positives. When I remember (ha!), I will try and re-cap my list over here. So this is yesterday's list!
Things that are Awesome: April 27th edition

#1: Being reminded by Sarah of Uberlibrariana that today is Awesomeday! Won't you join us?

#2? Cinnabon bread toasted with a bit of butter and coffee with Almond Joy creamer. heaven!

#3 Goober girl's nap time, which equals a 30 minute walk with Leslie for me!

#4: Early pick-ups! (I babysit an 18 month old affectionately known as the goober girl) Going to finish my salad and run a couple of errands!

#5: my business/blog page, Brooke's All Things B, is growing.

#6: exchanging my size 16 Easter dress for the 14 because the top was to big just a month after buying it. :)

#7: the portability of Shakeology, and the drink itself. what a great afternoon snack.

#8: the monkey finding my missing Italian link charm braclet in a most unlikely place. (shoved down under the back seat in the car)

#9: the monkey's playgroup artwork and the 100% he got on today's spelling test!

#10: Can I say Team Infinity Beachbody Coaches and our weekly calls? I ♥ you guys!

#11: Doing the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure with my mom and sister in just over a month. (If you would like to sponsor us, please go here!)

#12: Bedtime! (even though it is hours after I wanted it to be)

Why don't you join us next week for Awesomeday on Facebook or Twitter?

Wordless Wednesday: Miserable Monkey

On Blog Hops and Birthdays

I am participating in a blog hop sponsored by Kari at Shining2Save. Go check out the great list over on her site and click on the icon below to visit my Facebook page!

My birthday was last week. I am now 38. This is the year of my 20 year high school reunion. I am feeling old. :P On a lighter note, my birthday day was great. The monkey sang to me over the phone. It made me weep. Sweet tears, but tears none-the-less. The day after my sister, some friends, and I went to see Rascal Flatts. It was in a word, AWESOME!!!!



This past Sunday my mother and aunt made my favorite meal of turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, hot pineapple salad, and pineapple cake. I got presents that I then used that afternoon with the monkey and boo (Just Dance 2). It was all lovely and made turning older just a bit easier.

Finally February Fitness

The first week of this month, I started a post on my fitness goals for February, and a follow up on where I ended January. Then things kind of went to hell in a hand-basket to put it mildly. My aunt, the monkey's mimi, went into the hospital on the 1st for an infection in her knee. She was released this past Wednesday, and is doing very well. While she was there we had yet another snow storm, which caused school to be cancelled for a couple of days as we couldn't get to my mom's house. In the midst of it all, I discovered that my three new medications were what was causing me to feel so exhausted at the end of the day that I could barely lift my arms let alone complete any sort of work out that wasn't going straight to bed. Then last Thursday I was struck by my first bout of food poisoning. Stellar month? You betcha! (if you missed it, that last bit was laced with just the eensy-est of sarcasm.)

my small collection :)

My original plan was to alternate videos from my small collection with workouts from my Body Gospel program. At this point, I am still trying to figure out how to alter my schedule to fit workouts in to my day since I can't do them at 9 p.m. anymore. So I have been doing some dancing with the Michael Jackson Experience on the Wii, some basic Wii exercise, Walk Away the Pounds with Leslie Sansone, and today I did my first Body Gospel workout. I think that the track might be coming back around to me. After a conversation with a friend, I am even considering a round of P90X with her as an accountability buddy. Combined with my more regular intake of chocolate Shakeology, I really am feeling loads better.

what I am doing now alternate days

Now for the update. I know this is what you were waiting for.

Goal: Workout everyday with the Wii
Result: Completed 27 of 31 workouts
-Feeling pretty good about that still. This is the longest streak I have been able to keep up, and it was fun to do my step routines while watching most of season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. :)

I have some updates to my weight loss journey as well. This is since my last measurements on December 1, 2010.

• Waist: 2.5 inches (total: 8.5 inches since August 2010)
• Hips: 1.5 inches (total: 3 inches)
• Weight: 24 pounds!!!!!! (as of 2/13/2011)
• Size: down 2 full sizes
  

Me! Down 20 pounds and 2 sizes!! :)

30 Days in Review

For the month of November, my friend Sarah over at Uberlibrariana issued a challenge for 30 days of awesome. I took her up on it, and set some goals of my own.

30 Day Shakeology Challenge: I tried this in September and ended up going about 6 weeks before finishing my first bag. I came closer this month. I did 22 of the 30 days with a Shakeology beverage. The days that I didn't were generally either a Sunday (dinner with the family) or a special day (read a really long day where I was to tired to do much more than fall in bed or say Thanksgiving!). I tend to use my Shakeology as a dessert or late evening munchies cure. (Don't know what Shakeology is? Check it out here! Then ask me some questions.) I did, however, get a little further on my wellness journey. I think I have a good chance of hitting my pre-pregnancy weight again by my birthday in February.

• Lost 3 pounds, bringing my total to 15 since the end of August
• Lost a 1/2 inch off my waist, bringing the total there to 6 inches
  
• Lost a 1/2 inch off my hips, bringing the total there to 1 1/2 inches
  

Fitness: My goal with fitness was to do some sort of aerobic activity and work out on the Wii Fit doing a routine of my choosing every day. I only made the Wii Fit for 12 days, and missed 8 days of workout. For 6 of those 8 days, I made up the planned exercise on other days. I am counting the aerobic aspect a win for this month, and the Wii Fit a good start. Sometimes it is hard to figure out where to put all the different workouts when running hither and yon or so as not to disturb the younglings while they sleep. I am still working through this, and don"t know what I will do when I actually am working again.

All in all I think that I did the very best that I can while listening to my body. I think that is probably key to my wellness at this point, because that is what I am aiming for-my personal wellness. It is for me and for the monkey. I want to be a good example, and participate fully in his life.

Inked

So after ten years of thinking on it, and two years after finding what I wanted I finally took the plunge and got inked. Arrived about ten minutes early for my appointment at the Spirit Gallery, filled out the paperwork while my artist got everything set up, and then went in to contort myself for the process that ended up taking about 30 minutes. May I say that it hurt? Goodness the outlining bit seemed to take ages, and felt like someone digging into the skin. Oh, wait they were! The shading part was a lot less painful. Would I do it again? You betcha, but not anytime soon.

Now for your viewing pleasure, some photos of the momentous event.

Conference Attendance February 2008

Let me start with I regret any and all librarian-ese written here. I am using this venue as a way of gathering my thoughts for a mini-report. I have endeavored to shed light for non-library and non-cataloger folk.


Thursday, February 21, 2008

11:00-12:30: Bibliographic Control Committee (BCC-business meeting)

12:30-2:00: Music Vocabularies and Subject Access (Subject Access Subcommittee)

• The Library of Congress is moving forward on the form-genre project with music headings being a pilot subject area.
  
• The development of an Ethnographic Thesaurus through a Mellon Foundation Grant. The beta version is available at http://www.etproject.org
• Presentation concerned primarily with social networking and social tagging
  

2:30-3:30: Teaching Music Bibliography

• Scholarly editions backbone of the collection
• RISM (International Inventory of Musical Sources)
  
• Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
  

3:30-4:30: Technical Services Round table

• Encoding level 3 records: Encouraged to enrich these records.
  

7:00-8:00: New England Chapter meeting

• Not much of a meeting, but a heck of a good time
  

8:00-9:00: Concert-Rum Soaked Crooks and Friends

• Unfortunately, I had to leave early for the drive home. At least I got to hear a bit, including the winning lyrics (here) of the Sea Shanty contest.
  

Saturday, February 23, 2008

9:00-10:00: BCC News Hour: Breaking news and reports in music cataloging

• Authorities: Can now use the musical sharp symbol rather than the pound sign in records
• Authorities & Descriptive are reviewing and commenting on RDA (Resource Description and Access-the new cataloging code)
• MARC (MAchine-Readable Cataloging): Currently a proposal to make the 44o field obsolete (this is a series tracing field)
  
• Subject: Discussion of form-genre headings with a potential discussion group being set up ; Under discussion is a SACO-music funnel (Subject Authority Control Program)
• Playaways report: Looking at a best practices document, which is still up for comments. Biggest challenge is determining if it is a recording or an electronic resource.
• Library of Congress Popular Sound Recordings in OCLC (Online Computer Library Center): Put in as encoding level 3 as keeping up with verification of headings was to difficult. Again any library can enrich these records and add headings.
• Early Printed Music Report should be published in 2009

10:15-11:45: RDA: Update, discussion, and implementation

• Online prototype should be available in spring 2008: will be the primary way to access the rules
• Impact on MARC21
  
• Publishers of RDA are in contact with ILS (Integrated Library System) vendors
• Does this include Open Source ILS vendors?
  
• Thematic index information will not be considered abbreviations. Opus number is still up for debate. Units of measurement will be abbreviated, but a lot of the current abbreviations are not coming over.
• Slides from this presentation are here.
  

12:00-2:00: Lunch and networking
2:00-4:00: Bibliographic Control Committee (BCC-business meeting)

• Further discussion of the form-genre project with Library of Congress among other things.
  

4:00-6:00: MLA business meeting
7:00-8:00: Cocktail hour with the MLA big band & live auction
8:00-11:00: Banquet

That is it. Doesn't seem like much does it? I will guarantee that my brain was extremely tired at the end of Saturday. Since the conference I have found out that I have been appointed to the Subject Access Subcommittee of the Bibliographic Control Committee. I am very excited about this opportunity to serve my primary professional organization. (Note: I was recently elected Secretary-Treasurer of the New England Chapter of MLA, which means I am serving both nationally and regionally).

Seven sets of eight things

8 things I am passionate about

1. My son
2. Protecting the environment
3. Baking
4. A clean kitchen
5. Voting
6. My family
7. All things Disney
8. Nomenclature/car safety
   

8 things I want to do before I die

1. See my grandchildren
2. Go to all the Disney parks
3. Pay off my student loans
4. Complete my family tree (including research & supporting documents)
5. Visit Europe with my son
6. Own my own home
7. Not live paycheck to paycheck
8. Travel the U.S.A. with my son
   

8 things I say often

1. "Séamus Henry!"
2. "Not in the hallway or kitchen" (in reference to the boy driving his cars on the linoleum)
3. "We do not put anything in the toilet except toilet paper!"
4. "I can't believe this!"
5. "I have the caffeine patch. It's my invention. Each patch is the equivalent of 12 cups of coffee. You can stay up for days with no side effects." (Meet the Robinson's)
6. Eat rocks.
7. Scoochie over
8. I hate football.
   

8 books I have read recently

1. Raising boys without men
2. Raising your spirited child
3. Morning light by Catherine Anderson
4. The wise woman by Philippa Gregory
5. Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
6. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
7. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
8. Several Nora Robert's and Sherilynn Kenyon books
   

8 songs I could listen to over and over again

1. Honestly this should be 8 songs I NEVER want to hear again.
2. Online by Brad Paisley
3. When I get where I am going by Brad Paisley
4. Romeo by Dolly Parton
5. Miss Otis Regrets by Bette Midler
6. Landslide by Dixie Chicks
7. anything John Denver
8. Celtic instrumental music
   

8 things that attract me to my best friends

1. Loyalty
2. Giving heart
3. Consistency
4. Sense of family
5. Intelligence
6. joie de vive
7. sense of humor
8. ?
   

8 people who should totally do this meme

• Honestly don't care if anybody does it. I was just up for a challenge!

In memoriam

Those who know me well are aware of my obsessive-compulsive great love of musicals & music in general. Indeed I even have a degree in that most fascinating area. I thought that I would mourn a couple of people who probably won't get much mention elsewhere as they aren't exactly Pavarotti.

Deborah Kerr

Teresa Brewer

Joey Bishop

You Are It!

I have been tagged at the same time by two different people in my very small network of blogging friends! I will share but won't tag anybody else as well I think we have all been tagged now! :)

My sharing stuff

1. I once built a one-match-roaring-bonfire (as opposed to just regular one-match fires!)
2. I have a collection of over 30 pairs of toe socks with less than 5 duplicate pairs
3. Can wear very few of my buttons because most of them have very sarcastic/rude comments on them
4. Would like to go back to school and get a degree in Bakery & Pastry Arts
5. Been a Girl Scout for over 25 years
6. Ask me about my collection of Christmas socks!
7. more seriously, I worry about the monkey boy and what he might one day do to himself in his never ending quest to explore & investigate everything around him.

There you have it. Seven random facts about me!

Uncertainty

I just took this from my friend at the crib. She in turn had taken it from WhyMommy's blog. My charity of choice has been the pink ribbon. It came home to me again when my aunt was diagnosed this year, and when a little while later I read of WhyMommy in bon's blog. It hurts to know that so many of us do what we are told are the right, preventative things, and yet they still aren't enough. I concur with bon. read. spread the word.

*************************************************************************************

We hear a lot about breast cancer these days. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and there are millions living with it in the U.S. today alone. But did you know that there is more than one type of breast cancer?

I didn’t. I thought that breast cancer was all the same. I figured that if I did my monthly breast self-exams, and found no lump, I’d be fine.

Oops. It turns out that you don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Six weeks ago, I went to my OB/GYN because my breast felt funny. It was red, hot, inflamed, and the skin looked…funny. But there was no lump, so I wasn’t worried. I should have been. After a round of antibiotics didn’t clear up the inflammation, my doctor sent me to a breast specialist and did a skin punch biopsy. That test showed that I have inflammatory breast cancer, a very aggressive cancer that can be deadly.

Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as mastitis because many doctors have never seen it before and consider it rare. “Rare” or not, there are over 100,000 women in the U.S. with this cancer right now; only half will survive five years. Please call your OB/GYN if you experience several of the following symptoms in your breast, or any unusual changes: redness, rapid increase in size of one breast, persistent itching of breast or nipple, thickening of breast tissue, stabbing pain, soreness, swelling under the arm, dimpling or ridging (for example, when you take your bra off, the bra marks stay – for a while), flattening or retracting of the nipple, or a texture that looks or feels like an orange (called peau d’orange). Ask if your GYN is familiar with inflammatory breast cancer, and tell her that you’re concerned and want to come in to rule it out.

There is more than one kind of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer out there, and early detection is critical. It’s not usually detected by mammogram. It does not usually present with a lump. It may be overlooked with all of the changes that our breasts undergo during the years when we’re pregnant and/or nursing our little ones. It’s important not to miss this one.

Inflammatory breast cancer is detected by women and their doctors who notice a change in one of their breasts. If you notice a change, call your doctor today. Tell her about it. Tell her that you have a friend with this disease, and it’s trying to kill her. Now you know what I wish I had known before six weeks ago.

You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.

P.S. Feel free to steal this post too. I’d be happy for anyone in the blogosphere to take it and put it on their site, no questions asked. Dress it up, dress it down, let it run around the place barefoot. I don’t care. But I want the word to get out. I don’t want another young mom — or old man — or anyone in between — to have to stare at this thing on their chest and wonder, is it mastitis? Is it a rash? Am I overreacting? This cancer moves FAST, and early detection and treatment is critical for survival.

HP Countdown

I really wish I was going to be standing in line to get my book shortly after midnight. I want to go to one of those parties. In fact where my youngest sister works is hosting a release party. Buy your book at the game, stay & spend money after the game, and get your book at 12:01 a.m. Since she is working this event, I will be caring for two not yet three year old's. This means that I will not be going anywhere until mid-morning on Saturday after supervising breakfast & putting on of clothing. We will then be making the trek to the mall to pick up my pre-ordered copy of the final (is it?) installment. I really can't wait to pick it up, bring it home & stare at it until said sister gets an evening off & I can devote some time to it. Do you think the boys would notice if I disappeared into the bathroom for a few hours?!

Hey Fred!

I am writing this post to honor the anniversary of the Fred's. Who are the Fred's? They are a bunch of amazing women from all over the world who share a passion for nomenclature and dark chocolate (or any chocolate at all!) We formed a group based on these loves two years ago on babycenter to discuss names & our lives. Being namers by nature, we decided that we couldn't just chat, but that we needed a name. Fred was born. Now two years later, I truly can't imagine my life without them even though we have never met in real life. I thank each and every one of you for touching my life & my minor obsession with names.

Go Team Margaret!!