25
Feb
Why I Participate in the Komen 3-Day for the Cure Breast Cancer Walk
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I am walking in memory of Margaret Kelly (my husband Colm’s mother), Elizabeth “Lilly” Crangle (Colm’s aunt) and Jackie Kelly McCann (Colm’s sister) three wonderful people whose lives were cut short by Breast Cancer. And I am walking for my five daughters in hopes that a cure will be found very soon.

This event isn’t easy, but I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t believe 100% that it was worth every muscle ache and injury (tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, pinched nerve, oodles of blisters), weary nights in a little pink tent (too hot, high “are we going to wake up in Oz?” winds, pouring rain and way too cold—all over a two-night span!) and other interesting experiences that would be considered TMI to share here!

Check out my slideshow from the 2009 Washington DC 3-Day walk here.

Breast Cancer Facts:

  • Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and is the leading cause of death among women worldwide.
  • More than 1.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer globally each year.
  • More than 465,000 die from the disease each year.
  • A woman dies from breast cancer every 68 seconds.
  • Incidence rates are increasing five percent annually in low-resource countries.
  • Susan G. Komen for the Cure partners or funds programs in 50 countries to end suffering from breast cancer.
  • Komen Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker, a Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control for the U.N.’s World Health Organization, is urging global health officials to include cancer in global health agendas.

Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Facts:

  • The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is a 60-mile walk for women and men who want to make a personal difference in the fight to end breast cancer. Participants commit to raise at least $2,300 and spend several months training to prepare for the event. They devote the entire three-day weekend to the cause.
  • Since its inception in 2003, nearly $500 million has been raised through Komen 3-Day for the Cure donations, contributions and sponsorships.
  • 3-Day for the Cure net proceeds help pay for vital global breast cancer research and local community programs supporting education, screening and treatment.
  • Komen for the Cure paid for half a million breast screenings in 2009–part of a nearly $1.5 billion commitment to research, advocacy and community programs since Komen was founded in 1982.
  • 3-Day for the Cure participants walk an average of 20 miles a day during the event. Participants are provided meals, snacks, drinks, shower facilities, tents, safety guidelines and 24-hour medical support–all resources needed for a safe and memorable experience. A crew of volunteers spends the entire weekend with walkers and staff to make the event possible.

The 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Series includes events in:

Arizona (Nov. 12-14)

Atlanta (Oct. 22-24)

Boston (July 23-25)

Chicago (Aug. 6-8)

Cleveland (July 30 – Aug. 1)

Dallas/Fort Worth (Nov. 5-7)

Denver (Aug. 27-29)

Michigan (Aug. 13-15)

Philadelphia (Oct. 15-17)

San Diego (Nov. 19-21)

San Francisco Bay Area (Oct. 1-3)

Seattle (Sept. 24-26)

Tampa Bay (Oct. 29-31)

Twin Cities (Aug. 20-22)

Washington, DC (Oct. 8-10)

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested more than $1.5 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.

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09
Feb
Random questions
admin

Why is it when I’m running late for an important appointment, the car is always on empty?

How come when I have my house neat and clean and my kids are dressed, no one comes over unannounced, but when we are having a “jammie day”, the house is a disaster and there are dirty dishes everywhere, someone decides to stop by spontaneously?

Why is it my daughters can hear me open a wrapper from a Hershey’s Kiss three rooms away, but when they are standing right next to me and I ask them to do something they can’t hear me?

What is it about Facebook that makes people reach out to practically anyone? People that would never speak to you in school are suddenly begging to be your friend and sending you plants and beers? (Don’t get me wrong, I love Facebook! I just think it’s funny-check this out http://tinyurl.com/c35pmh)

Why is it that when you need to get a letter in the mail, the postal carrier delivers early and when you are waiting for something, s/he comes at the end of the day?

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20
Jan
Join me in the fight against breast cancer
admin

As you may know from reading previous posts, I participated in the Washington DC Breast Cancer 3-Day last October. It was an adventure beyond description. I met some amazing friends, saw many wonderful sites in DC and the surrounding area and discovered that when I put my mind to something I can accomplish it, no matter what.

During closing ceremonies, the walkers who are breast cancer survivors walk onto the platform. And even though everyone is sore and exhausted and really rather not bend down to untie their laces, everyone takes off a sweaty shoe, holding it over their head as a toast. Doing this shows the survivors that the group walked these 60 miles for them. And they walked so that some day there will be a world without breast cancer.

Although I wasn’t able to complete the entire 60 miles because of a pinched nerve in my foot, I walked nearly 21 miles on Friday, 10 miles on Saturday and the full 18 miles on Sunday. The last two miles I kept the mantra “Margaret, Jackie, Lilly” (my husband’s mother, sister and aunt, all died/suffered from breast cancer) going through my head with each step to keep me going. But when we entered Closing Ceremonies I forgot all about the blisters on my toes, my unbelievably sore feet and felt powerful feelings of relief, sadness and elation; relief that the hard part was over, sadness that the walk had come to the end and elation that I accomplished something most people wouldn’t even attempt to do. “You are walking 60 miles in 3 days?!? You’re crazy!”

And yes, I’m doing it again! In spite of the fact this year I know what I’m getting myself into. I signed up for the 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure held in Dallas, November 5-7. And I managed to convince my amazing friend Amy, who lives in San Antonio, to walk with me. (We are team “walksoflife” http://www.the3day.org/goto/walksoflife_dallas if anyone else out there would like to join us.) This event isn’t easy, but I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t believe 100% that it was worth every muscle ache and injury (tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, pinched nerve, oodles of blisters), weary nights in a little pink tent (too hot, high “are we going to wake up in Oz?” winds, pouring rain and way too cold—all over a two-night span!) and other interesting experiences that would be considered TMI to share here!

Yes, that says Mobile Shower. Not my first choice, but after a long day of walking it was heaven!

Okay now to the hard part. I need your help. I am planning on surpassing the $3,300 that you donated so generously last time around to help end breast cancer. And to kick off my fundraising I have a contest. Everyone that donates $50 or more to my walk will be entered to win a brand new 8 GB iPod Nano. You have to donate by March 31st, 2009 and I will announce the winner on April Fool’s Day. Tell your friends!

Just go to this link http://www.the3day.org/goto/k8thegreat_2010 to visit my personal fundraising Web page and make a donation.

If you have any questions or want to hear more about what I’m doing, send me a message. I love talking about the event. k8thegreat@thekellys.me

Thanks for all of your support. I’m incredibly lucky to have people like you in my life!

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19
Jan
31 Days of Self Care: Day 9
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Well, as much as I would love to say I’ve been religious about taking time for myself, I can’t.

Life happens…you kind of have to roll with it and do your best. This has been a particularly hard weekend for me to follow any kind of self care regimen. I have a good excuse though. All five of my girls are sick with the stomach flu. Thankfully they have been doing it in stages so I haven’t had more than two puking at the same time. I guess that is a small gift. I’ll try to remember that the next time I have to clean up when someone didn’t quite make it to the bathroom or garbage can fast enough.

But when I look back on this week, I did an okay job of fitting in some me time. A lot better than a normal week. My friend Marianna and I walked twice. We did 4 miles on Tuesday and 6 miles on Saturday.

Friday night I stayed up way too late and finished reading The Lovely Bones. It was so good I just couldn’t put it down. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie. I just hope they do the book justice. Most likely I will have to wait for it to come out on DVD, but maybe I can sneak away one afternoon and check it out.

Oh and I got to “sleep in” until 9:30 Saturday morning. That was a nice treat.

Because of other priorities Marianna and I didn’t meet up until after 4 and ended up walking in the Stamford Mall. I made the colossal mistake of skipping lunch before I got there, so all those food court smells were killing me! Popcorn from the movie theater, soft pretzels, chocolates from Godiva…how can a girl resist? But I’m happy to report I made it out of the mall without giving in.

And then I promptly drove to Taco Bell and ordered a Cheesy Gordita Crunch. lol I NEVER eat there, but had this sudden craving. Just that morning I was telling Amy how when pregnant with my youngest, I had to worst cravings for those tacos. I probably could have eaten two or three of them in a sitting, but because I had gestational diabetes I couldn’t eat them at all (they have too many carbs). Once in a while I would cheat, usually right after a dr’s apt I’d stop and pick up one. But I knew that wasn’t good for the baby so didn’t do it very often. Anyhow suddenly I just had to have one. And in about eight bites I wiped out two hours of walking. But I did enjoy it. I guess that’s what matters. [And NO I'm not pregnant :-p]

So two out of the past four days I carved out a small bit of me time. And today I got to go to the grocery store; all by myself! You may laugh, but if you have ever tried to go grocery shopping with even one child you know why I was so thrilled. It’s pretty sad when the highlight of your day is running errands. Ah but that is the live of a mommy. Especially one with a large family to feed.

Anyhow, I hear the call of a miserable child. Returning to mommy duties. Stay well. Say a prayer for me…I would really like to avoid getting this stomach bug. Being sick is not the kind of self care “me time” I’m looking for. ;-)

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10
Jan
31 Days of Self Care
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@Amybleser, a good friend and fellow virtual assistant came across a brilliant blog and project that she convinced me to be a part of, although that wasn’t hard. It’s a great idea!!

The 31 Days of Self Care is a simple concept; women need to take care of themselves in order to properly take care of their family. Very much like the instructions you are given before a flight…if the oxygen masks deploy you should put on your mask before you help your loved ones.

This project was soooo created with me in mind. The last time I took some “me” time that lasted more than a quick trip to the grocery store or pharmacy, I had to walk 60 miles (in 3 days) and sleep in a tent. It took me weeks to recover!

So I am following Amy’s lead and I declare Monday, January 11th the beginning of my 31 Days of Self Care. Each day I will do something just for me, whether it is reading a book for an hour, soaking in a long hot bath, or taking a walk without feeling guilty that I’m leaving the kids with my husband.

To get me started here is a list of things that I used to enjoy, before I had five kids and started my own business:

Read…although the past few weeks I’ve take a bit more time for this (usually between 11 pm and midnight when I am trying to get my 2 YO to bed, you can watch Yo Gabba Gabba only so many times before you mind wants to explode).

Exercise…I signed up for the 2010 Komen for the Cure 3 day so I need to keep on training. I have planned out a schedule to walk 3 nights a week with Marianna a teammate from my firest walk this past October.

Go to a movie…now I think I have mentioned before that I haven’t been to a movie in a theater since Johnny Depp’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (yes people, that was back in 2005!!)

Knit…Every winter I seem to take up knitting. I find it very relaxing and I was actually getting pretty good at it too. This year I’ve just been too busy with everything else to do it.

Cross Stitch…ditto, I have a gorgeous project that I have been working on since I was pregnant with Kyla in 1999.

Go on a date with my husband…granted this isn’t a “me” task, but Colm and I go out about once a YEAR (our anniversary) and it would be so nice to do something fun together that doesn’t involve five kids and pizza or the circus.

Have a girls night out…I would love to go out with my friends to this great little Mexican place we discovered and have a real margarita, some good food and fun grown-up conversation.

Go into the City…I haven’t been into NYC in years, it’s silly to live so close and never take a train in for the day

Get a facial and a pedicure…‘nuff said

That’s a pretty good start. Want to join me, find out more here. (sorry this has ended)

Check back and see how I’m doing. I’ll keep you posted.

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15
Feb
Chaos and Craziness
admin

I love having a large family, most of the time. I enjoy the chaos and the craziness of my kids. But there are times when I just need a break. Like after this weekend, for example.

Saturday, I woke up after only four and a half hours of sleep (and four little feet in my back), gave my daughters their traditional Webkinz Valentine’s Day gift and headed to the kitchen for a strong cup of Irish tea. I sat down at my computer to read my email and skim the newspaper and just as I was about to take my first sip I hear “MOM, SHE HOGGING THE COMPUTER!”

After explaining to my 4 and 6 YOs about patience and setting the timer on my iPhone for 15 minutes, I sat back down to my now cold tea. Got up, went into the kitchen to nuke my tea and as I passed my 18 MO she started to scream. I’m sure she was saying in her baby talk “How dare you walk past me and don’t pick me up for my morning snuggles”. Well, it was probably a bit more colorful than that, she has quite the temper.

Anyhow, I’d had enough of her baby blackmail from Friday night (see earlier post) so I asked my 10 YO to pick up the baby for a little while so I could drink my tea. After getting everyone fed and properly dressed I hopped into the shower and got ready for my day.

My husband was a dear and took care of the kids so that I could run some errands. I spent the afternoon making my 10th trip (this week) to the drugstore, filling up the gas tank on my husband’s car (that mysteriously always seems to be on empty when I drive it) and shopping at the grocery store, laughing at the men picking up their last minute supermarket roses and boxes of candy for their sweethearts.

I wondered what little treat my husband had for me at home. I should have known. Nothing. He was the best gift-giver before we were married. Surprising me with perfume, spa certificates, roses for no reason and once for my birthday, he carried a gorgeous cake his chef had made for me all over Manhattan and on the train home to Stamford without incident. But after nearly 13 years of marriage, now the only time I get a gift from my husband is when I buy it for myself.

This time I gave him plenty of notice and a I set the bar very low. All I wanted was a card. He could have made it for all I cared, I just wanted some effort. And he wondered why I was in such a bad mood when I got home. Okay, he cleaned the house for me, and I really appreciated that but all I wanted was a card! Anyhow I digress.

After dinner, dishes, jammies and another round of trying to put the baby to bed I finally get to sleep around 12 AM. And like all weekends the girls wake up at the crack of dawn (but when they have to get up for school they sleep in until I physically remove them from their beds). I put a pillow over my head and tried to stay in bed as long as possible, but by 9 am there was no sleeping through the noise.

I got up, made my customary cup of tea and sat down to check my email. That is when I saw the calendar reminder pop up and I realized only I had 45 minutes to get dressed and take my 6 YO to a birthday party across town and we still had to stop and pick up a present. Who has a birthday party at 10 am on a Sunday?

I ran around like a crazy person throwing on clothes and trying to comb my 6 YOs hair while simultaneously brushing my teeth. I’m thankful no one lost an eye. Anyhow I grab my 6 YO and run to the car, pull out of the drive and get halfway to the store before I noticed I’d left my tea sitting on the counter after taking 30 precious seconds to pour it into a to-go cup.

We arrived at the store, ran in, grabbed a gift bag, a Polly Pocket play set and a Lil’kinz and high tailed it out of there. I get several blocks up the road before I remembered I’d forgotten the birthday card. As I looked down to see how much time I had to make it to the party, the permission slip caught my eye and I realized I was heading to the wrong facility. Of course I had just passed the correct turn off, but because I was on a divided street and I had drive four blocks out of my way to turn around.

We managed to make it to the party only five minutes late. I dropped my 6 YO off and headed home passing a bagel place on the way. I made a quick u-turn and $15, 13 bagels, 2 tubs of cream cheese and one small chai latte later I smiled. I finally get to enjoy my tea in peace and quiet.

Can I stay in the car all day?

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15
Feb
I’m Not Supernanny!
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After trying to put my sleeping 18 MO down for the third time Friday night, I’d finally had it. She needed to learn how to fall asleep on her own. Being a breast fed baby, she’d always fallen asleep in my arms, even after I weaned her. She would take her little hand and stick it inside my shirt and rub my shoulder and chest until she fell asleep; then it was hit or miss whether she stayed asleep when I put her down in her crib.

Well I decided that was it, she was going to fall asleep in her crib on her own if it took all night. So I slipped into her room and carefully placed my nearly asleep daughter into her crib, then sat down in the rocking chair six inches away. Less than three seconds went by before she started to scream. Now, I don’t mean the cute little baby cries you hear on TV. I’m talking Janet Leigh, Psycho caliber screams. She screamed so loudly my 10 YO came downstairs with tears in her eyes and asked if she could pick up the baby and rock her to sleep. I sent my 10 YO back to her room with some ear muffs and tissues and sat back down in the rocking chair.

Every few minutes I would try to rub the baby’s back or lay her down, but she would scream even louder, hitting me or pushing me away. I turned on some soft music (not that she could hear it with all the screaming going on), I tried a night light, no night light, hall light on, hall light off, I even dragged out one of her old baby toys that clips onto the crib and plays music with a little light show. One hour later she was still screaming and my ears hurt.

Finally, after I was just about to give in, she slowly began to quiet down. She sat on the crib mattress and stared at the lights from the baby toy. Her cries tapered off into one of those pitiful, hiccup-type breathy cries and her head started to sway back and forth like a drunk just before he passes out. I held my breath and eureka! she was asleep, sitting up in her crib. I debated what to do; I can’t leave her like that, she will wake up with a sore neck and plank marks on her face. So I very gently laid her down and OMG you’d thought I had dropped her 10 feet. The earsplitting screams continued.

By this time I’d had enough of her baby blackmail and I became even more determined to get her to go to bed on her own. Hey, if Supernanny can do it with all of those misbehaved children on her show in just a few short hours, how hard can it be? I searched under the bathroom sink for some ear plugs left over from my last business trip (two years ago) and armed myself with a People magazine and an Itty Bitty Book Light.

Her piercing screams sliced right through my ear plugs and this time she was just as determined to get me to lift her up out of that damn crib as I was to get her to fall asleep. It was the battle of the wills and 50 minutes later, the baby won. I was no match for her super powerful lungs and pitiful little tear stained face. I picked her up and sat down on the couch to watch the end of Letterman. Within seconds she was sound asleep and snoring just like her daddy. I waited another few minutes just to be sure she was out for the count and then carefully placed her into her crib, covered with her quilt and tiptoed out of her room, closing the door behind me.

Yeah, I’m not Supernanny, so what; Supernanny can suck it.

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08
Feb
You Gotta Love the Weekend
admin

Why is it that I have to drag my kids out of bed Monday through Friday mornings, but come Saturday and Sunday they are up at the crack of dawn? The two days of the week that I can actually sleep in (to 8 or 9 if I’m lucky, woo-hoo!) and they have to get up at 6.

To top it all off, it isn’t like one of the five will get up and quietly go downstairs to watch TV or play on the computer, noooooo! Daughter #1 has to wake up someone else to keep her company and then the others hear all the commotion and get up as well. Within minutes it’s pandemonium and as loud as a gymnasium full of gradeschoolers.

Now, I do have a fabulous husband that takes pity on me occasionally and lets me sleep. Once I actually woke up at 10! That was heaven. But most of the time I have to drag my sorry butt out of bed and referee the bunch and make sure that everyone eats something healthy for breakfast.

One morning my husband and I were particularly tired after being up with the baby most of the night, so we just let the older four girls fend for themselves. When I checked on them, they were playing quietly on the computer and watching SpongeBob Squarepants so I figured they would be okay for a little while–our oldest is 10 going on 30 and acts like a little mommy, so she could keep an eye on everyone.

After about 45 minutes it was way too quiet in the house. I got up to check on the kids and walked into the dinning room to see all four girls seated at the table, quietly eating chips and dip, chocolate frosting and ice cream for breakfast. I walked into the kitchen and nearly broke my ankle when I slipped on an economy size jar of sprinkles that had been spilled all over the floor. After a bit more investigating I found they had also gone through a whole loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter! That was the end of the free-for-all!

Needless to say, we don’t allow them to stay up on their own anymore. I know down the road I may long for the times when the girls were home and up early to watch cartoons on a Saturday morning, but right now I’d be happy with just one day were all five girls would take pity on their old mommy and sleep in.

Now I’m off for a nap…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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11
Jan
I need a Mommy Free Day
admin

No, I don’t need a day away from my mom (on the contrary, I could use a visit right now). I need a day away from my kids.

Don’t get me wrong I LOVE my children. Some days it is just hard to cope with 5 kids underfoot. And it is twice as hard because I work out of my home so I am here 24/7– apart from the occasional trip to the grocery store or Walgreens. I couldn’t tell you the last time I went to see a movie in a theater…I actually think it was Willy Wonka (the one with Johnny Depp). And my husband and I go out to dinner exactly once a year for our anniversary (if we’re lucky).

To understand what it is like here, picture this…the average family has 2.5 children so double that, triple the noise level and throw in a too small house filled with the clutter of seven(teen) people. If I’m not tripping over a child or a toy I’m stepping on the dogs half-chewed bones (yes, we have two dogs, Jack, a yellow lab and Bella, a mutt, plus two giant tropical fish, Timmy Turner, a 16 inch Pacu and Oscar the Grouch, a 10 inch Oscar). There is barely a minute of the day when someone isn’t crying, yelling, laughing too loudly or watching TV with the volume up too high.

Even when my three oldest are in school and my 4YO is in preschool (for a whopping 2 1/2 hours each day) I still can’t get any peace. Because my 17MO is a clinger. She wants to be held constantly and if she can’t be held she has to be under my desk playing and trying to turn off my computer. If I dare put her down or remove her from under my desk you’d think I beat her with a stick. She screams louder than anyone I’ve ever met (“Nothing wrong with her lungs” my pediatrician remarked when she gave DD her flu shot).

The only time I find peace is when all the kids are asleep in bed. I can actually hear myself think. With five kids, all on different schedules, most of my quiet time happens after 11 PM. This doesn’t leave me much “Me Time” let alone time for sleep.

Last night’s scenario (a typical night is for me)…my 17MO decided she didn’t want to go to sleep. Finally at 11 I dropped her in my husband’s lap (he was watching a movie and I only slept for 4 hours the night before) and went to bed. She fell asleep almost immediately, of course, and he put her down in her crib. I was just beginning to drift off when she started screaming. My DH picked her up and held her for a few minutes then brought her in to me. “Can you hold her for a minute?” I ended up falling asleep with her in my arms. Oh, and did I mention that my 6YO was also sleeping in my bed. I had to separate her from the pack because she kept waking up the other kids. Around 2 AM my husband came to bed, we shifted all the kids over and I fell back asleep. That was until my 4YO came down crying she had a nightmare. So at 3:30 I had 3 pairs of feet stuck in my back–even a king size bed isn’t big enough for two adults and three children. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep and I had to get up early this morning to work.

To top it off, for some reason my kids decided today that they didn’t have to listen to me. At. All. I asked my oldest to run downstairs and put away her laundry. She walked right past me like I didn’t exist and went outside to play in the fresh snow. I asked my 8YO to unload the dishwasher. When I walked back into the kitchen a few minutes later, the dishwasher was still full of clean dishes and DD is nowhere to be found. My 6YO spilled Legos all over the floor and refused to pick them up and my 4YO yelled at me because I forgot to buy pickles at the store. They are all mad at me because I took away the Wii until they clean up their rooms. Yet not motivated enough to actually pick up all the discarded garbage on their floor. I asked them all to clear their lunch plates from the table and three hours later the table is still full of dirty dishes.

It sounds like the kids are already having a mommy-free day! Someone just forgot to tell me ;-)

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09
Jan
Join me in the fight against breast cancer
admin

Please visit my site to follow my progress and donate to the cause! www.the3day.org/goto/k8thegreat_2010 (the 2009 version has been disabled) to view the slideshow from the walk go here.

Please support me as I take an amazing journey in the fight against breast cancer! The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and National Philanthropic Trust, funding important breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment.

I am walking in memory of Margaret Kelly (my husband Colm’s mother), Elizabeth “Lilly” Crangle (Colm’s aunt) and Jackie Kelly McCann (Colm’s sister) three wonderful people whose lives were cut short by Breast Cancer.

Our story:

Colm and I found out this past summer that his sister Jackie was a carrier of a BRCA2 gene (she passed away in February 2008 at the age of 42). What does this mean to us? Colm has a 50% chance of also carrying this gene and if he does, the girls all have a 50% chance of carrying the gene. God forbid they do carry it, they have a 45-85% risk of breast cancer and an 11-23% risk of ovarian cancer.

Having five daughters this is extremely terrifying for us*. So much so that I decided to participate in the Breast Cancer 3-Day.

Walks are scheduled in several cities throughout the year. I have chosen to participate in the Washington DC walk to be held October 9-11, 2009. This gives me just under a year to train and raise the minimum donation of $2,300 to walk. I have already raised $2,200, only $800 until I reach my goal. I would appreciate your help.

*We were very fortunate to found out in October that Colm does not carry the BRCA2 gene!

Go to www.the3day.org/goto/k8thegreat_2010 (the 2009 version has been removed) to read my 3-day blog. Thanks :-)

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