Websites and Blogs

I have been doing a bit of searching on the web the last few days, and have come across a few sites that I really enjoyed. I would like to share these sites with you all.

My fav is......The Mom Blogs.....GREAT SITE www.themomblogs.com This site is for moms that blog, meet new moms, share ideas, chat, play some games. There are alot of great blogs on this site, you have to check it out, there are a few listed on my site in the sidebar.

ThunderFap www.thunderfap.com. This site has things that are free, today I got tampons and deodorant for my daughter. They update the list of their daily free samples.

Coupons www.coupons.com At this site you can print free coupons.

The Womens Nest www.thewomensnest.com another of my favs. Forums, articles, shopping, everything for women. This is a must to check out.

I am not done with my searches as of yet, will be posting more of my finds. Till then I hope you get the chance to look these sites over.

EARLY DETECTION

Early detection is the key. I feel very strongly on this topic.

When I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer last February, the only way it was found was through a mammogram. The tumor was only the size of the tip of a eraser on a pencil. That is pretty small. I was lucky that it was caught so early, it did not spread to my lymph nodes, which was great. So all I had to do was have a lumpectomy and 37 rounds of radiation, and I have to take meds for the next 5 years. I feel I got away very very lucky, and I sure it was because it was found at an early stage.

So please all you women out there, please make sure you get your mammograms done every year. I now have to have it done every 6 months, and that's ok with me.

Please if you are on this site, click on my Breast Cancer Link, to help provide free mammograms to those who are in need.

Thank you.

The End of the Weekend

Well the end of this 3 day weekend is coming to a close. And what a beautiful weekend it was, weather wise.

I spent a good part of it being a taxi cab driver, but with absolutely no pay, (whats up with that) but then again that is really no different then any other day. Just a few more extra trips. With 4 kids you have to expect it, even when 2 of them have cars. But my daughters are smart, they will not drive their brothers places, unless they get gas money. My one daughter, Spooney, will take my car when she has no gas, and that is a big deal, because she absolutely hates driving my mini van, its so uncool.

Its mom, take me here, mom pick me up, mom take me to work, pick me up from work, run to the stores, come back, run again. You would think that gas was free.

Kids have no concept on how much it cost to go places. I have learned to charge them for rides, mow the lawn you get some rides. Weed wack, that is some more rides. Clean, clean clean, there's a few more rides.

Look at that, I get things done, and all I have to do is sit behind the wheel, and walla things are done. Works for me.

Then to top it off I drove my daughter 230 miles to her grandmothers house on LI, so that she could spend the summer here. As I stated in my last blog, she is home from college, and was no way, no how going to stay home in upstate NY for the summer, she neeeeeeds to be here, where there is more going on. I really can't blame her.

I grew up in Queens New York, and always had something to do.

So I will stay here until Wednesday, then head on back home, another 230 miles WAHO!!!!

Home, but not for Long

Well its Friday morning, and I am home, thank you very much.....but not for long, another road trip is coming on Tuesday.

My oldest daughter Meg is on her way home today from college, but she does not intend to stay to long. Tuesday is it, Meg will be heading down to LI for the summer, she wants to be near the city, and all the fun stuff, that we don't have up here in the sticks.


And yes, I will have to accompany her down, for she has never driven down to the Island, and is a bit nervous about doing so. Can't really say I blame her, after my nice trip, make that 2 trips down last week.

I really won't mind the travel if the gas prices would stop going up....its nuts, but out of my control, so no need to bitch about that.

I really am looking forward to my baby coming home, just wish she would stay a bit longer, but she is 20 years old and will do what she wants to do.

My poor mother, I hope she can handle this, she is 80 years old, still works 1 day a week. But having to have 2 girls (my niece is living with her too, because her college is close by, and she is taking summer classes) ages 19 and 20. Moms been then, done that. Sorry mom! Told mom, to kick my daughter out and send her sorry ass home to me, if she does not want to follow G'ma's rules.

I am sure there will be no problem, G'ma loves having the girls around, I just hope she has not bitten off more then she can chew. They really are good girls, but they don't always think.

I will pray for you G'ma you are the best.

My Friend > My Enemy

As you can see I have added a link on my site here, for breast cancer. Please if you are here, would you please click on the button. Thank you!!!

The reason for my adding the Breast Cancer Link is because I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in Feb. 07. I have been cancer free for a year now. Waho.

I will tell you one thing and that is for 2 fairly small words, they are really some big ass kicking words. You hear them, and then everything goes black, you hear nothing else. The doctor could finish with you have also won a million bucks, but you won't hear that. But you then get back into focus at some point, and then its the tears, and then its ok I can do this, and I will do this, and I will win.

Well this blog is more or less not going to be about my Breast Cancer, its about my BEST FRIEND, and how she was there for me.

When I found out about those 2 nasty words, I call Suzanne, and like the trooper she is, told me everything will be fine, and proceeded to give me the name of a doctor to go and see. Mind you I am 200 miles away, but if she told me this is the guy to see, dam right I was going to make the trip down.

Well let me tell you, I am so very very grateful to her for that, the doctor was fabulous. I am still coming down to see him every 3 to 6 months, and that fine by me.

Well anyway, I came down a few days prior to my surgery. Suzanne took me shopping and just hung out with me, trying to keep my mind off of things. My husband was with me, but I needed her at the time. Spent the night before the surgery with her, not really doing anything, not even really talking, but that was ok. It was knowing she was there for me.

Anyway after the surgery was done, I was home at my moms house, when she became ill. Well so much for resting up afterwards, I think I got an hour in, when I had to take my mom to the emergency room. Suzanne is a nurse at the hospital, and when I went to her floor, she just looked at me and said, "what are you doing here, you just had surgery." Well I told her the story, and she came down to the emergency room with me, told me to go home and she would look after my mom. Needless to say, she did, and did look after her for the next few days, because I had to get back home (200 miles away) to my own family.

I am very happy and grateful to have a friend like that, who is always there when you need them. I am truly blessed.

I think everyone should have a friend like that.

Because I am not, no way going to share mine. SORRY

Manhattan

Well its Sunday evening, I am down on Long Island again for the 2nd time this week. I came down on Friday evening, so that my daughter could go into the city to take her placement exams at FIT (Fashion Institute) where she will be attending in the fall.

I presently live 200 miles northwest of the city, in a small town in upstate New York, for the past 10 years.

I grew up in Queens and worked in the city for 10 years. So none of this is new to me.

I learned on Saturday, when I had to go into the city to pick up my daughter, that I have not lost my edge. That is my edge for driving in Manhattan. I still got It, and the It is the attitude you need to be able to drive down there. I was still able to compete with the best of them.

Between the taxi's honking their horns at you and cutting you off, there are those real nice folk, who will not by any means let you into a lane, because they are in such a rush to get know where. Yes I was yelling at people, (but no one heard me accept for my mother and my niece, who were in the car) the hands were also flying around. One guy even gave me the finger, go figure.

I have to admit after living upstate, I really can not stand to drive down in the city, it is just to frustrating to do.

Don't get me wrong, I love the city, and am a little bit jealous that my daughter will be living there for the next 4 years.

But when I go to visit her, I think I will take public transportation.

My Friend Eileen

Its Tuesday night at about 11:00 pm. I am pretty wiped out, I spent a good part of my day sitting in traffic, on a normal day I would have made the trip in about 3 hours, but today it took me 5 hours. I was down on Long Island today to be there for my friend Eileen.

Eileen's mother passed away on Friday May 9th, and the funeral was today Tuesday May 13th.

I have been friends with Eileen since we were about 12 years old. There is not a thing I would not do for her, or she for me. Eileen is what you would call a true and loyal friend. Eileen's mother, I am sure is very proud of the way her daughter turned out. Eileen's mother has done a wonderful job in raising her daughters, considering the fact that she was diagnosed with Parkinson's when Eileen was about 4 years old, and was fighting a losing battle. Eileen is a loving, caring, and thoughtful person, and is always there for her friends, and family.

We have had alot of fun together in the years that we have known each other. We have been there for each other when times got tuff, and we have been then for each other when times where great. I don't think she has every forgotten to send me a birthday, or anniversary card to me or my husband. I am proud to call her my friend, and I hope to be her friend until the end. Eileen, I love you. You are truly a friend in every sense of the word. And needless to say EVERYONE LOVES EILEEN.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

I would like to wish all the mothers out there a very very Happy Mother's Day. Here is a little something from me to you:

God's Masterpiece

Is MotherGod took the fragrance of a flower...
The majesty of a tree...
The gentleness of morning dew...
The calm of a quiet sea...
The beauty of the twilight hour...
The soul of a starry night...
The laughter of a rippling brook...
The grace of a bird in flight...
Then God fashioned from these thingsA creation like no other,And when his masterpiece was throughHe called it simply - Mother.-
Herbert Farnham

I recieved this in an email from a friend, and wanted to pass it along to all those great women out there who's name is mom.

Its been 6 weeks

Well its been six weeks since I had my hysterectomy. I am still home from work. Will be going back to the doctors on the 12th. Feeling great, except for the hot flashes and night sweats, that keep me up most of the night. What I would give to just sleep through the night, just once. Unfortunately, I can't take any hormone replacements, due to the fact that I had Breast Cancer last year and am taking tamoxifen. Oh well, guess I have to just grin and bear it.

Well since I have been home, I decided to create a website, and that is pretty much what I have been doing, and having fun with it I might add.

The website is called Two & Two = Nine, and the address is tipsandtells.googlepages.com. The reasoning behind the title, is that the site is being created by my best friend of 37 years and myself. Between the two of us we have 9 children. The site is about tips and ideas that we have used to get by, we also have some cute stories about how funny kids can be. We do encourage our readers to email us with anything that they would like o add to the site. You can even shop Amazon on the site.

Well I should be going back to work on the 20th, but now my husband wants me to stay home and continue with the website. I am not to sure at this point what I want to do. It would be kinda nice not to go back to the job, its only part time, but the hours can be crazy. Some days I go to work at 3 or 4 am. Sometimes its nights, it is different from day to day. I am an auditor, and I go to different stores and do the inventory. I would not miss the hours, that's for sure.

Well time will tell, and I will let you know the outcome, will she or won't she that's the question of the day.

Have a great day.

CSE MEETINGS

Well this morning I went to my son's CSE Meeting (Committee on Special Education), this was my 13th CSE Meeting. My son is now 16 years old and a 10th grader, and has had a IEP (Individual Education Program) since he was 2 1/2.

The meeting went well, some things have changed for the better. His learning abilities have improved, he now only needs help in his writing skills, and will only need to go to the resource room 1x in a 6 day cycle. He will also be going to a course in Auto CAD this fall for 2 years. They send them out to Boces for the morning where they can learn something usable, and then come back to school in the afternoon for their core classes. When he is finished with high school he will be certified in Auto Cad and will be able to work at it while attending college.

My son has been in the system as I said since he was 2 1/2, and it works, but as a parent you must be involved. As a parent you have alot of control over his/her IEP. There is alot some schools do not inform you of, what you can have as far as help. They also have to follow the IEP, that is Federal Law. There are plenty of websites out there, that you can access for help. I have been doing this for 14 years, and have learned alot. But when I first started I did not have the access of the Internet for help.

I have spent many a times fighting for things that my son needed, and yes I did get them, you pretty much need to stay on top of things. I even went as far as stating to the head person of the CSE that I was going to sue the school district, if my son did not get the resources he needed, and guess what, within 2 weeks it was done.

Push, Push Push, you are your child's only advocate, and if you don't do it, no one will.

The pay off is worth the effort.

You can read more on my son and also my girlfriends daughter in Learning Disabilities at our website, that has a link to this blog.