I find that the people in charge of health care tend to base their opinions on the bottom line.   In the case of mammograms I had the opposite experience when my file was transfer to a new OBGYN.  I was 40 at the time and going in for my yearly exam with the new doctor and an open mind.  As I filled in the various paperwork and waited my turn, the receptionist/sterilizer/nurse ushered me to a small room with an antiquated machine, she indicated I was getting a mammogram. Without much thought or preparation, I did my first exam.  The following year, with some reservations because I was unable to find a new OBGYN, I attended my annual appointment.  

No sooner did I sit down did the receptionist/sterilizer/nurse indicated that I was up next for a mammogram.  My old OBGYN suggested a mammogram at 40 and one every other year, so I mentioned this and indicated it was not two years so no I did not want a mammogram this visit.  She attempted to reason with me with fright and insistence.  It was at this time my gut said run and run fast.  As she stopped badgering me she relented the old woman next to me.  While she went into another room to sterilize some equipment I mentioned to the lady to make her own decisions and not let the pushy reception force her into a mammogram.  The old lady mentioned she got her mammogram at a local clinic.  

While not all doctors are profit motivated.  My current OBGYN  is great and recommends the test every two years and I am comfortable with that.   So, I am in disagreement when our health is based on cost and profit driven.  That’s not health care but a corner store approach to a very personal and important issue.  There needs to be a balance in health care where we have choices in our own health with the guidance of care motivated health professionals.  

I support a small women’s shelter each year with clothing donations and food drives.  Because it’s small, it tends to get lost amongst some of the larger ones in the city. So yes, I find that my contributions and those of others really do get to the women and children it’s intended for.  

 I do find it difficult to support larger more mainstream charities because such a small amount of your dollar actually goes to the intended.   Go Eco/Local to see the results you want.  Have a great day. 

Read this earlier today and choked up.  My son was mistakenly put on a bus in Kindergarten when I was at work, normally he went to school daycare after school.  The first time quick thinking and a gracious friend got him off the bus until my husband picked him up.  About a month later, it happen again while I was at work and thankfully my friend was at the bus stop and took him home.  It was the scariest 30 minutes.  

This time I spoke tearfully to the principal and explained that under no circumstances would this happen again and threatened with a lawsuit.  It worked, extra diligence was paid to my son and the rest of the year went fine.   

 For parents of missing children, my hearts and prayers go out to you.  I hope you are blessed with the safe return of your child.    

I could say the bravest thing in my life was interning as a river raft guide on a class 4 in the spring when there was still snow.  Looking back on it I think stupidity and carelessness had more to do with it.    

So the bravest thing I ever did was speaking up for myself with overbearing family and holding my ground.   Unlike the river guiding, my family is a constant presence in my life.  LOL  

Around the age of six or seven, I noticed they way people treated my mom and her children.  It was not related to color but with the stigma of large families.  Nine is our number.  

Very early on I remember my keen sense of reading people.  I noted it in their facial expressions, body gestures.  I could tell when people were sincere or not.  When they pretended to be nice but really weren’t.  It’s funny, you know a class division exists but at that young age sum it up to real or fake.  Since then I mastered skill of reading people, sometimes to well.

I am like my mom in more ways than I ever imagined. Because I lost her in my early twenties, my awareness of her is more than the average person.  So, I am a woman who craves her mothers habits and traits if even to just hold on to her memory.   

Some of the things I share of of my late mom are: my looks, my tardiness, hair and eye color and my sweet tooth.   

I completed the Tour de L’Ile, a 76 km cycle tour in Montreal, with my husband in the first trimester of pregnancy.  We trained for a few months prior and in the middle of the race I lost him in the midst of thousands of cyclists to no avail.  As I crossed the finish line he was there with a big smile and a warm hug.  It was a great accomplishment for me physically and personally.  

No.  Absolutely not.  Many of us believe that it could, many believe it does but in the end moey does not buy happiness.  Happiness is a state of mind and true happiness comes from within not from a dollar bill.  

It figures I learned this the hard way.  At the end of the day all that really matters is I am happy with me.  

Have a wonderful day.    

My husband lost his job too about six years ago and since works on contract freeing his time at home for month long periods or more.  Yes, his presence throws a monkey wrench into our schedules, especially the children.

Don’t get me wrong, my husband is great with the kids and their sports handling that end.  When I work late he takes care of the boys and gets them ready for bed.  

But but having him around a lot is very challenging at times.  Initially, I dreamed of walking in the door to home cooked meals, a clean home and laundered clothes.  I think it happened once.  Your points are interesting and applicable in a much simpler approach.  I look at the task at hand and evaluate the urgency and then go accordingly.   

Since life is interesting and changes all the time I try to adapt quickly to the situation at hand.  Being the bread winner of the family at times is difficult but I am rewarded coming home to my family.    

I think you can die of a broken heart because of all the physiological doings in your body as you suffer heart break.   Just the stress is bad for your health so imagine how many other things occur and put a strain on your system.

A broken heart hurts like hell and takes time to heal, from experience.  I think the optimal point is how well we recover from it contributes to our health.  

Some things are better left unsaid.  Boy is that true in cases of personal things.  Being somewhat of a private person, I tend to be selective in discussing my health, my career and even my marriage.   Sure, there are things I discuss with my doctor and not my BFF. There are things I discuss with my BFF and not my sister which is a great dynamic.  

But when it comes to my health, it is better to proactive and in charge.   So, what I keep from my friend about my health I do not from my doctor.