Mommin' It Up since 2004!
Last week, Jenny and I were invited to a blogger night at Chi-nnatis Pizza – authentic Chicago-style pizza in Cincinnati. Brilliant!
It was sooooooooo good… I wish I had some right now.
We had a fantastic time trying out all their food and hanging out with our bloggy friends… but really, the pictures (and the tweets), say it all.
Check it out! (For maximum yumminess, click on the triangle “play” button below, and then hover over the word “more” and choose “full screen.”)
Well hopefully you know where they are… but do you know how they are?
I haven’t talked about ovaries for a while (remember that time I skyped with Kelly Ripa?), but since September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, it’s high time I did.
In addition to it being September, this post is also timely because I just had my yearly blood test and ovary ultrasound… and since Dr. Oz got a colonoscopy on his show and Bob & Tom do their prostate exams on the air, I figured I might as well document my check up with a vlog!
Just kidding! I would not subject you to that. But I did have those tests run last week, and everything checked out just fine. Woohoo!
So, back to the subject at hand – Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. If you’ve hung around this blog for a while, you’ve heard this all before, but here’s a refresher…
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women. It’s often called the “silent killer” because the symptoms are often vague and by the time it’s diagnosed, it’s often in an advanced stage. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer, but there are tests that can detect it when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms. The most effective way women can protect themselves against ovarian cancer is to learn the signs and symptoms – the OCRF website is a wealth of information, and I encourage you all to go there and learn more, but here are the basics:
Signs & Symptoms
• Bloating
• Pelvic and/or abdominal pain
• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
• Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
Risk Factors
• Increasing age, with highest occurrence in women over 50
• Family or personal history of ovarian, breast, endometrial, or colon cancer
• Uninterrupted ovulation (having no pregnancies, infertility, low parity)
• Presence of gene mutations, especially BRCA 1 or BRCA 2
Prevention & Risk Reduction
• Use of oral contraceptives for more than five years can reduce your risk by approximately 50%
• Multiple pregnancies, having first full-term pregnancy before the age of 25
• Breastfeeding
Since the first time I posted about ovarian cancer, I’ve been floored by the amount of awareness I’ve seen spread through blogs and social media. The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation and their partners (like Electrolux, L’Oreal, and Seventh Generation) have been doing an amazing job of getting the word out about this terrible disease.
There’s even an app for that – Previvors is a free iPhone app that has a simple 7 question quiz to help you determine your level of risk.
But like I’ve said before… it is so, so important that we all know our bodies and listen to them. Familiarize yourselves with the signs & symptoms above, and check out the picture below that simplifies it.
Let’s BEAT ovarian cancer.
–The End.
Today’s post is by our friend Celia, who blogs at DealsForDayton.com. You should check it out! Among lots of other stuff, they have a comprehensive list of kids-eat-free deals that I love! Which, now that I read on, is kind of the point of this post. *ahem* Without further ado… we give you Celia!
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I love my birthday. I love cake, ice cream, gifts, and being the center of attention! But, my entire life, I’ve HATED my birth date. My birthday is smack-dab in the middle January. I seriously think it is the worst day of the year.
January is the coldest month of the year, when no one wants to go outside (even to a birthday party!). It is right after Christmas, when everyone realizes they over-spent on the holidays, so they skimp on birthday gifts. It snows a lot, which generates snow emergencies, frantic runs to the grocery store, icy roads, car accidents… you get the point. Seriously, January 13th is THE SUCKIEST day of the year! Who would want to celebrate with me on a day like that?! (Not to mention if it falls on a Friday…)
What’s a party-lovin’ girl to do? Well, this year I decided to change my birthday. It is now on April 13th. I acknowledge that my legal date of birth is January 13th, but I just refuse to celebrate it until April. Can you blame me?
My favorite part of my birthday is getting FREE stuff! Tons of restaurants and even a store or two help you celebrate your birthday with a FREE GIFT!!
Now, you can always go to a restaurant and HOPE that they might give you something for your special day, but you might strike out, and no one likes to hear, “no,” (especially on her birthday!). In order to avoid such situations, you can search around online and try to fine the sites that offer aforementioned “birthday goodies” or you can find a site that has already done the leg work for you!
If you live in the Dayton, Ohio area there is a site for you! (Although even if you don’t live in Dayton, there are lots of places that are national on the list) You can register away to get lots o’ free food and even retail coupons for your special day! (YAY!) While you’re there, you can also check out our Kids Eat Free list. If you combine the two, you got a cheap birthday celebration for the whole family! WAHOO!
So, have I inspired anyone else to change your birthday? What do you look forward to on your special day? (And leave the wrinkles out of this discussion!)
Also, now that everyone knows my birthday, I have high expectations for next year, what are you planning to get me? (My birthday list is close to Jenny’s, only add in a Shark vac n’ steam!) Thank you in advance.
Celia