If you have ever been affected by cancer, please read this post.

This is Meri. 

For all intents and purposes, Meri is a stranger to me. We have emailed twice, but I have never met her. I have never seen her face to face. I have never hugged her or even shaken her hand. 

 

However, because of her blog, Meri also feels like a close friend. I know her personal thoughts, I know her struggles and I feel her pain everyday. Just maybe not on the same scale. Probably like you out there, across borders and time zones, reading this right now, may feel close to my family and I. 

 

Meri writes a blog called Our Diabetic Life. She has four children, three of whom have Type 1 diabetes. Meri has a very full plate. But, God must really trust Meri because Meri's husband, Ryan, has cancer. Again. 

 Metastasized melanoma, to be exact. He had it a couple of years back and they did surgery and chemotherapy. It was a long haul and they thought it was over. But a few days ago they found out it is back in the form of six brain tumors and multiple tumors in his lungs and abdomen. He began whole brain radiation yesterday.

 

I can't even imagine. My heart breaks for Ryan, Meri and their four perfect children! I wanted to help Meri but didn't quite know how.  So, I am forwarding Meri's prayer request onto you. She has asked that everyone prays for him over the next couple of months. They have set aside this Sunday for fasting and prayer in their family. I will attach the link to her posting here so you can read the whole story.

 

www.ourdiabeticlife.com.

Having just watched my sister power through breast cancer over the last nine months, I can only pray that Ryan will come out of this as strongly as she has! 

 

Thanks to each and every one of you for helping my "friend" Meri and her family.

God Bless You Meri, the boys and especially, Ryan. 

If you or someone you love have a mole "that bugs you", please go have it checked out. You are too important in your life.

Thanks to Ryan, I made my appt yesterday. 

Www.melanoma.org

Tooth Fairy!

Two of Rooco's teeth have been loose for four weeks. We have been waiting patiently, but they haven't budged. Finally, on Sunday, they seemed ready! Both teeth on the bottom were equally wiggly. My hubby told me that they were only held on now by the skin that surrounds them. Gross! It still puzzles me why my dentist husband loves his job so much! 

So we prepared.

I had the boys make tooth fairy pillows. Yes. Eventually, they got bored, so I finished them. 

I ordered two sets of coins from the TV that were gold and depicted each of the first twenty U.S. presidents. Each tooth lost by Rocco and Zeke will represent one president! A cheap way to avoid the toy store and a little bit of a keepsake too! 

So yesterday the big moment arrived! Daddy came home with all of the proper dental tools and numbing agents. He told Rocco to lay down on the kitchen table (nice...) and got him a pillow for his head. He put the numbing jelly on the site. Once the jelly made the area numb, he told Rocco to close his eyes. Then he gave him an injection of more numbing medication. Rocco never felt a thing and didn't even know he got a shot. Zeke was nervously playing Angry Birds and putting his hands over his ears as he saw the injection. So, it really is a matter of time before Rocco finds out too. 

Then this happened. If you are squeamish don't watch this video...

Wow! Are you as surprised as I was? That was fast, painless and a little anti-climatic, I must say. Just the way it should be! 

It is a testament to my husband who is an awesome dentist and my brave little trusting boy. Just another reason why he is the toughest kid alive!

All set! 

Time for bed.

The boys were so excited now! The fun part was the tooth fairy! 

Rocco put his teeth in a little tooth box that daddy brought home. 

So cute! He now lisps a little when he says a word with an S! 

Then he went in the bathroom with Zeke to check out his new look.

click to see the video

Fast forward to morning.

When I woke up at 6:30, the boys were already up and Zeke reported he had read (& gave details on) 135 pages of a Magic Tree House book! Gosh! How long had they been up? Since they can't tell time yet, they had no idea.

Rocco said he woke up first and then woke up Zeke when he found his coin! 

Coin? Only one? Crap!

So, when the tooth fairy came last night and got so excited to sprinkle fairy dust, "she" forgot there were  actually two teeth.  So in the morning "she" scrambled upstairs and planted the second president coin on the floor. Excitedly called the boys upstairs and said, "Look! The the second coin must have fallen out over night!" Rocco was super excited to now have two coins that he bought it. Phew! Close one. 

Today, Rocco will be enjoying a tooth themed lunch featuring a hard-boiled egg, peanut butter and jelly and apple sauce. All soft stuff.  Actually, it was almond butter and sugar-free jelly. Shhhh! Don't tell Rocco about Jif peanut butter - too many carbs for his Type 1 diabetes! 

Mission accomplished! Now it's Zeke's turn. I will keep you posted.

I found this pucture on the internet, so if you bake and don't have a child with diabetes or allergies, try these! They look awesome! 

losing it!

 

The other day, the kids were home all day because there was no school. Rocco was doing his math homework and Zeke was playing with a new Ninjago Lego set. I was, of course, cleaning something. As I buzzed around bending over, picking things up off the floor, folding or washing something, I kept hearing the same thing over and over.

 

"Mom! Look at me!"

"Mom! Look at the golden weapon Kai has!"

"Mom! I got all ten answers right!"

 

So I spent the first hour of our day stopping whatever I was doing and walking over to look at their "amazing" achievements.

 

By the next hour, I was truly glazed over. I couldn't muster up the same enthusiasm I had the previous hour, but I tried.

"Oh wow honey, that's wonderful... "

"Yes, Zeke, Kai does have a cool sword".

"Uh huh, yup, that's awesome!"

 

By the next hour, they were driving me up the wall. They kept it up with the "Mom! Look’s!", over and over. Finally, I lost it. I yelled, "Yes! You two are amazing! Yes you two have a ton of wonderful things you’re doing! Yes, you are the smartest human beings on the face of the planet!"  Man! That felt good. I was not proud of myself as I saw them deflate, but for God's sake, enough!

 

Of course, they disappeared into the playroom, fearing my wrath. The silence after you lose it is both welcoming and deafening. The first few minutes are wonderful!  You say to yourself, "Ahhhh, that's better. Now, what was I doing?"

 

But in the next ten minutes after that, you can't get the image of their slumped bodies out of your mind. You feel terrible. You start to admonish yourself.  "Why can't I just hold it together long enough to distract them with something else?  Why did I have to yell? It's not their fault. They just were proud of themselves and needed to share it with someone."

 

Ugh! Parenthood is hard.

 

Thankfully though, most times kids are like dogs, living in the moment and forgetting or forgiving recent blowups.  I felt so bad that I went in the playroom and said, "Guys, I'm sorry, but sometimes I get too many thoughts in my head and it is hard to keep looking at everything. But you guys ARE doing great stuff and I love you both!"

 

Zeke said to me, “Yeah mom, I understand. I feel that same way in gym sometimes!"

 

I felt better, and I promised myself that it will be a long time before I lose it again. So, by dinner time, when the “Mom! Look’s!" started again, my fuse was a little longer.

 

So, how do you handle the stress of kids when they get to the hyped-up, annoying stage? How do you keep from losing it?