Pink Door House

"These are Third Grade monkey bars." Quinn had climbed the three-step ladder and stretched her arms to demonstrate the bars were just beyond her reach. The sun was bright, the afternoon was mild, and when I fetched the girls from kindergarten, we peeled sweaters and walked to the playground instead of the car. They were showing off their new favorite skills and pass times. Quinn...climbing. London...evading spider webs. (As a side note, one of these apples fell closer to the

These days, the Pink Door House is brimming with All The Questions... Mommy, what do porcupines eat? How many stomachs do cows have? Then why do people only have one stomach? Why do people sleep in pajamas instead of their clothes? Do leopards jump? Do tigers swim? What do milk and juice taste like if you mix them together? Mommy, why do you wear makeup? Oh boy. No amount of PBS Kids' programming is going to answer that last one. Tonight, on the eve of Kindergarten, I showere

Four days to Forget Cancer. A year ago, I wrote those words in this post about a long weekend spent at Priest Lake. It's still true. It's still my place. This July, Mom and Dad rented a house on the beach for a full week... Perfection. Our own little spot to master sand castle engineering. Clear, shallow waters for hours of splashing. My mom's collection of no less than 37 floaties. (My personal favorite: an oversized tube with a mesh bottom so I could sit in the cool lake wa

Instead of my usual two hour drive east, I'm receiving chemo in the local hospital today. The one where I gave birth to Eli three years ago. In many ways, it all began in this building. The sounds from those memories are out of harmony with the IV drip. Memories of the first time I cried through breastfeeding my newborn son, just three floors above where I'm sitting through treatment. I often wonder whether the threads of his story will ever become untangled from those of my

"Umm...why is there a dent in my arm?" We were both brushing our teeth. Getting ready to face the day. Preschool drop-off. Milk run. Mediating decisions like Octonauts versus My Little Pony. We live large. The fleshy part of my arm, just below my elbow, was firmer than usual and sporting a welt about the size of my thumb. Another reminder that complications after cancer treatment don't evaporate after ringing that graduation bell. They just....change. Don't get

Wine. Dice. And....Lash Booster? You can never predict which way the conversation will flow on Ladies' Night. This was our most recent. And why wouldn't it be? A miracle treatment for naturally fuller, longer eye lashes? Because...eye lashes!! I couldn't help but think, My lashes have never really been the same since I lost them during chemo. But I didn't say it out loud. It didn't quite seem to fit the festive mood. Instead, I laughed in the right places. Asked questions. Sm

As moms, we are biologically programmed to put everyone else first. Going for days without make-up (or a shower, for that matter!). Sleep deprivation. Lunching on cold crusts of grilled cheese sandwiches.... As cancer patients, we are told, you have One Job. Get better. Focus on yourself. On making it through treatment, recovering, staying alive, moving forward.... For seventeen months, I have been both. And let me tell you, we're not talking yin and yang here. I consider mys