Summer Break Has Arrived!

Jun 5, 2013 by Alyssa

At long last, summer break has arrived in my household.  No more mornings of battling to get the kids out of bed or yelling to get them out of the house on time.  The homework is done, the projects are complete and the school year is officially over.

To make my days even brighter, I FINALLY got my car back after I was hit by a motorhome that ran a red light.  It only took a little over 9 weeks for the repairs to be done on the brand new front end (that’s a freakin story in itself), but it’s done and that’s all that matters.

So it’s Monday morning, the kids are all sleeping in (I myself slept an extra 45 minutes), made myself a protein shake, took the dogs for a walk and I’m all ready to go to the gym.  Mom’s perfect morning is under way.  I jump into my car, all excited to drive my own vehicle again, turn the key over and… NOTHING.  The damn battery is dead.

Talk about draining the life right out of you!

I put my hands over my face and leaned forward so I could just start crying.   That doesn’t even go right,  I land on the horn and just continue to let it blow.  The next thing I know one of my sons is outside banging on the window thinking that I passed out or had a heart attack.

Relieved that I was ok, he opened the door and I stepped out.  He saw how upset I was and asked, “Mom, do you need a shoulder to cry on?”

I sure hope summer vacation goes better than Monday morning did!

MommyWarriors.com

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Mom, I Forgot My Shoes!

Jun 6, 2013 by Alyssa

My two oldest play volleyball for a club that’s about 35 minutes away, that’s without taking LA traffic into consideration.  The other day we were heading down to practice and the three of us were just chatting away, having a good ole time.  We had about another ten minutes on the highway and we would be there.

Out of the blue, my son puts his hands on his head and yells, “OHHH MYY GODDD!”

When I questioned what was the matter, he put his head in his lap and said, “I forgot my shoes!”

I then yell, “You forgot your shoes, are you for real?” Initially I thought he was kidding but, he had that look of despair on his face so I quickly knew all he had were the slides on his feet.

My daughter then offered up for him to try her shoes on.  That would work since she didn’t start practice until he was done.  As she unzipped her backpack, another loud, “OH MY GOD” came from the back seat.  Not only had she forgotten her shoes too but her knee pads and ankle braces as well.

Had I not been driving in the left lane on a four lane highway, I probably would have strangled them both but instead, it was super mom to the rescue.  I knew there was a Marshalls store at the next exit where I could probably find him a pair of shoes at a reasonable price.  I quickly darted across the highway (safely of course) and just made it to the exit.  I dropped him off right in front of the store and he ran to see what he could find.  In the mean time. I told my daughter to call my husband to tackle my her shoeless issue.  I told her it was as simple as having dad grab her stuff and meet up with one of her teammates before they headed to practice.  After a few minutes of getting the whole “responsibility” lecture from dad, she convinced him to make the trip to meet her teammate and hand over the goods.

And wouldn’t you know it, both of them tried to blame their forgotten shoes on mom.

- My son argued he forgot his bag with his shoes because I asked him to come in the house to grab two plates of dinner so they could eat in the car.  On the way out of the house, he walked right past his bag.  NOT MOM’s FAULT!

- My daughter tried to say that since I put her shoes, knee pads and ankle braces outside a few days earlier to “air out”, her stuff wasn’t in her bag.  BUT, I had told her about 10 minutes earlier that her stuff was outside. NOT MOM’s FAULT!

Good try but I would have to agree with your dad on that ‘responsibility‘ word!

MommyWarriors.com

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Dear Drama

Jun 9, 2013 by Nicole

Dear Drama,

After years of having you in my life, I have decided to break up with you.   Though we’ve had some good times and some good laughs I just don’t need you in my life anymore.  In fact, I think you hold me back.  But please, please, please don’t take this personally.  I know you’re just being who you are, so I hope you understand that I need to be who I am.  Someone who just doesn’t love Drama.

I’ll admit, there was a time when I was drawn to you.  You can be very exciting and seductive.  But I finally realized that I always walk away disappointed.  I don’t feel as fulfilled when you’re around.  I need something in my life that brings out the best in me, not the worst.

More importantly, I’m afraid that if I continue my relationship with you that my daughter will only become infatuated with your daughter, Girl Drama.  No offense, but I’ve seen how destructive your daughter can be to young girls.  My daughter is only 9 years old and has managed to stay away from Girl Drama, but as she gets older the pressure to hang with your daughter will get more intense.  It is my responsibility as her mom to equip her in the best ways possible to stay away from bad influences.  And I’ve decided that one of the best things I can do is to completely eliminate you and your whole family from our lives, instead strengthening my family’s relationship with Kindness and Understanding.   You see, right now my daughter is “best friends” with their daughter, Pure Joy, and I really want to preserve that friendship.  They are so good for each other!

So let’s do each other a favor and find someone else who appreciates us for who we are.  And you will find someone, trust me.  You’re very appealing to a lot of people.  This I know for sure.  I see how everyone looks at you.   Just do the world a favor.  Please don’t rebound back to Stress.  You know how bad Stress and Drama are together.  And whatever you do, don’t do another one-night stand with Insecurity, either.  You’d just be using her.  Lastly, don’t get involved with one of my friends just to make me jealous and lure me back in.   It’s not going to work.

I sincerely wish you the best.  Maybe some day we can be in the same room without me feeling so compelled to bring you home with me.  But for now, please keep your distance.

Thank you for understanding,

Me

www.mommywarriors.com

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Breast Cancer Gene: Should You be Tested?

In the fight against breast cancer, there's a new tool that can help with early detection: genetic testing. 

Along with annual mammograms and monthly breast self-exams, women who are at high risk for breast cancer may be advised by their physician to consider genetic testing for the two breast cancer genes, BRCA1 or BRCA2. 

Here are some red flags that could indicate you should consider getting tested:

- Two first-degree relatives with breast cancer, one of whom was diagnosed when they were 50 or younger

- A first degree relative with cancer in both breasts

- A family history of ovarian cancer

- A male relative with breast cancer

- Women with Ashkenzai (Eastern European) Jewish heritage.

Mutations in breast and ovarian cancer genes are accountable for 5 to 10% of all breast cancer developments, and one in seven ovarian cancer cases.

After testing positive for the mutations, some women go so far as to have preventative mastectomies, hysterectomies, and taking anti-cancer drugs to prevent ever developing cancer.

For more information, talk with your healthcare provider about the BRCA gene test. 

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Why are More Teens Abusing ADHD Drugs?

According to the New York Times, pressure over grades and college admission has escalated to the point that many students are using prescription stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin to help them study.

Around 40 students, school officials and parents agreed to be interviewed for an article about the abuse of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications to help them concentrate and fare better on tests and gain entrance to top colleges.

[Read "Stress Doesn't Mean Success: Are Kids Overloading On AP Classes?"]

The medicine - which has been described as " a staple in some college and graduate school circles" - is now apparently "routine in many academically competitive high schools, where teenagers say they get them from friends, buy them from student dealers or fake symptoms to their parents and doctors to get prescriptions."

But the stimulants can be addictive and can have harmful side effects ranging from depression, mood swings, heart irregularities and acute exhaustion to psychosis during withdrawal.

[Read "The Truth About Medications for ADHD Children"]

A Manhattan therapist warned: “Children have prefrontal cortexes that are not fully developed, and we’re changing the chemistry of the brain . . . It’s one thing if you have a real deficiency - the medicine is really important to those people - but not if your deficiency is not getting into Brown."

Do you know any teenagers who have taken prescription drugs to concentrate?

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