YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MOM WHEN...

1. You pull the entire blue trash bin next to your SUV to clean it out.
2. Your teen-aged son, says -- "MOM!! Do you know where the potato chip bag I keep under my bed went?" (the day after you dug out his room -- only one week after the maids were here -- because your husbands says you only need them every other week.)
3. You think your 10 year old is a genius because he spends 3 hours creating "projects" out of aluminum foil.

Hi Friends!

I'll keep working on the list. These all happened just today. I am really feeling very good. Today I went down on my steroids to 4mg daily. I used to be at 60 mg. daily plus 3,000 IV monthly treatments. So, that is awesome. I am back to exercising and full of energy. I think I may be coming to terms with my lupus. At least, I'm starting to feel like me again. Like tonight, I am going to put the little boys to bed and then go grocery shopping. It's been a really long time since I've done that. The big kids will watch them. I've bribed them with a PPV movie. ($2 for Scooby Doo -- not a bad deal for me!) Bill has his Men's Group on Wednesday nights.

I'm enjoying homeschooling and spending time with my family again. And I've even been able to stop my sleeping pill at night since the taper down of Prednisone. That helps a lot. I needed to sleep, but it made me really groggy still in the morning.

Today California was sunny again, and Judi and I sneaked in a 2 mile walk. I wore sunscreen, but I'd still be in trouble with Dr. Cohen! There is a great park here in town (Lincoln) with a 1/3 mile track that circles a park. So, the kids play and ride bikes while we walk Judi's dogs around the track. Bingo, unfortunately, is old and even when he was young -- was never walking material!

Bill got another promotion at work, and he is now in charge of the entire lab. I'm proud of him even though it will undoubtedly mean more work in the short-term while he sets it all up. The overtime could be nice, however, and is needed right now for his high-maintenance health-care wife! I think that may be why God has me feeling better and skipping chemo this month.

Well, must go and put the boys to bed. I don't want to be at Ralph's too late tonight!

Much Love,
Michele