The Beach...

So great! The doctor told me I had to go to the beach everyday, how bad could this be? We lived 15 minutes from the beach in San Diego. So, the very next day - my mom packed us up and took me to the beach. I couldn't wait. I kept thinking - no yucky medicine to swallow, no shots to take - what could be better.

My mom packed lunch, laid out a blanket and I went running for the water - so filled with excitement that we HAD to do this everyday to get better. And then it happened. The salt water hit my skin, my red sore flared up skin. As a seven year old, you've never had this happen before (you know, like the day you shaved your legs and hour before you hit the beach). The pain that soared through my body was horrific. I turned right around running to my mom screaming in agony. She wrapped me up in a beach towel and rocked me. We didn't even stay to have lunch on the beach. I was so sore, so upset. So disappointed. We did this everyday for weeks, until I think my mom couldn't take it anymore. I was so grateful. To this day, I'm not a huge fan of the ocean water.

More tomorrow.

Here's the Scoop...

In 1984, we moved from our awesome house and neighborhood in New Bern, North Carolina to Escondido, California as a result of my father's job. It was a hard move for all of us, but one that we had to do. We'd made a big move just a few years earlier from Long Island, NY to North Carolina and no one liked the idea of doing it again.

I came into the 3rd grade part way through the year as a new student. Not always easy. Then my dad was re-assigned almost immediately to Philadelphia. So, he spent the rest of the nine months we actually lived in California, in an apartment in Philly, while we stayed in California. It was a hard time for our family.

Over Christmas break, I became sick with strep throat. Three weeks later, I broke out into a "rash" all over my body - little red dots, everywhere. The the dots became bigger, and bigger - it was spreading. And in a few short weeks, I was 70% covered with the "rash". I wasn't allowed to go to school (for fear that whatever it was that I had could be contagious), so for weeks I stayed home and my brother would bring my schoolwork home for me. After antibiotics and blood tests from our family doctor with no answers, he sent me to the Dermatology Department at Scripps Clinic - a well known hospital in the area.

As I remember, the hospital was enormous. The lobby ceiling seemed to never end. I went to the reception desk and without either my mother/I saying a word, the lady said, "You must be Stephanie". I thought that was so cool that she knew who I was (my mother was so kind and never said of course, that my appearance was so unusual, someone probably warned her). I was met by a dermatologist - I couldn't tell you what he looked like, but I'll never forget what he said. "I have good news and bad news, what do you want first?" We picked the good news.
"The good news is that you get to go to the beach every day". Sweet, I thought - that IS good news. "The bad news is that you have Psoriasis".

I remember my mom and I feeling relieved that at least we knew what it was. We finally had some answers. And a doctor that seemed to know how to "fix" it. As we came to find out later - there is no cure for psoriasis... but a myriad of treatments to try and hope for the best.

More tomorrow...

Psoriasis...

Psoriasis, pronounced (sore-EYE-ah-sis) is a noncontagious lifelong skin disease. It appears as raised, red patches or lesions covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells, called scale. No one knows exactly what causes psoriasis, but is believed to have a genetic component. Most researchers agree that the immune system is somehow mistakenly triggered, which speeds up the growth cycle of skin cells. A normal skin cell matures and falls off of the body's surface in 28 to 30 days. But a psoriatic skin cell takes only 3 to 4 days to mature and move to the surface. Instead of falling off/shedding the cells pile up and form lesions.

There is no cure for psoriasis. There are many different types of topical and systemic treatments to help clear psoriasis for periods of time. Seven and a half million Americans are said to have psoriasis. And I'm one of them.

More on this tomorrow...

Happy Belated Birthday Pumpkin Pie...

Pumpkin Pie turned three years old last Friday. I think I'm still in shock really. Didn't I just have her? I feel like I'm still getting used to having three children, is it really possible that she's been on the earth for three years?!?

Our sweet Pumpkin Pie keeps us hopping. She's smart, and funny (makes me proud) and far more opinionated than the others. She's sharpening us, making us revisit our parenting techniques. She's challenging and adorable... makes me crack up in laughter when she says things like, "Dirty Mouth, Clean it with Armpits" (instead of Clean it with Orbitz". And she makes me scream with she says things like, "No!!!!!!!!" "No!!!!!!!!" "No!!!!!!"

I can't seem to get enough kisses and hugs from this sweet little girl. I suppose it maybe be because she gives them out so seldomly - but I treasure it when I get them without asking.

Happy Birthday Pumpkin Pie. I love you.

p.s. - Here is her scripture for the year, "Oh God, Our God, how majestic is your name in all the Earth." Psalm 8:9

No Tolerance For Profanity...

Check out this article at MSNBC.com about a nun/principal who has a no tolerance policy at her middle school for profanity. I know several of you will appreciate this article. My favorite part of the article is the very last sentence - it gives me great hope that I'm not the only person out there who won't allow the words "stupid" or "boring" come out of their mouths without punishment.

Can I get an Amen???

Elf Yourself...

You want to watch something really funny? Here's what our MHS boys show us and rope us into doing... enjoy.

Elf Yourself

What Were We Thinking...

Well, I have to say, shopping at midnight at the outlets, didn't really appeal to me. But my dear friend, Like I Was Saying, decided she had to do it - just once. And so we did. After what we had heard from other shoppers - that it would be packed early, we took off for the outlet at 10pm. I called Like I Was Saying at 9:30 just to make sure she was still up for it - darn, she still is.

We definitely got there early. But lines were already forming. There was a line at the Coach Store an hour before they opened. Their line became outrageous - so much so that we had to go over and check it out - they must be having some amazing door prize - like giving away a free Coach Keychain or something. So, we ask the true Coach junkie - the lady at the front of the line. Her reply to why there is such a line: "I don't know - I think they might be giving an extra 10% off at the register." Wow... an entire 10 percent. Quick let's get in line! (hoping you can hear the sarcasm).

Lines were everywhere: Coach, Children's Place, Aeropostale. The sales must be incredible, right? Wrong. They were just like they are any other day when you head to the outlets. We were so unimpressed. Besides scoring a few stocking stuffers from Claire's - we came out close to empty handed. Ok, we also bought a mini whisk, a timer and a cupcake holder. Riveting, I know.

My biggest shock of the night - didn't come from the great deals. People brought their children.
That's right - children. Newborns, two year olds, six year olds, ten year olds... walking comatose in their pj's clutching their teddy bears while their ridiculous parents shopped at two in the morning for 10 percent off!!! That's my new pet peave of the week. I don't mind if you want to torture yourself and shop in the middle of the night - but there is absolutely no deal big enough to drag your precious sleeping children out of bed! If the deal is that great - get a babysitter!!!

Anyway... something about the 2:30 a.m. mark made my friend and I completely lost all rationale - and decided that it was only an hour and a half until JCPenney's opened up. That's right - JC Penney's at 4 a.m. The lines again began forming early - we decided that was just really stupid, and would wait in the car. JC Penney's is the only place that actually GAVE something to us lunatics who thought 4 a.m. was a reasonable hour to shop for Christmas. A mini snowglobe.

We scored some drapes for my living room at 65% off and she scored some pj's for the little one and a few gifts for her middle child, Brown Sugar.

Then something happened at 5 a.m. - our looniness (is this a word?) turned to hysterics when we thought it was a fantastic idea to "swing by" Toys R Us on our way home. Just so you know - there is no such thing as "swing by Toys R Us" on Black Friday. These Mommies and Daddies are crazy! We both found one thing - but once we saw the outrageous lines - bagged the deal and came home. We made it home at 6am. Whew.

So thank you my dear friend for an adventure. I've checked it off my list - and will NEVER. DO. IT. AGAIN.