When you lose your Mom to breast cancer

I was 24 in February 1998, on February 2nd (yes Ground Hog Day) when my Mom lost her battle with breast cancer.

She had battled breast cancer for 11 yrs.  I was in grade 8 when she was first diagnosed.  She was 41 years old.

When I turned 41, I had a bucketlist (Click here bucketlist).  The list was simple but it was created just in case I ended up being diagnosed  like my Mom. I don't live my life based on this list today but I do make choices because of breast cancer.


It is why I workout 
It is why I watch what I eat
It is why i take particular vitamins
It is why I think a lot about what I feed my kids
It is why I use deodorant instead of antiperspirant 
It is why go for a mammogram every year
It is why I walk/run in CIBC's Run For A Cure

So if I ever did get diagnosed I can say I have tried everything and anything to prevent it.

Please support me in my efforts to raise funds for CIBC Run For The Cure.
Donate here

http://cibcrunforthecure.supportcbcf.com/goto/robynsmith

P!NKALIOUS!

So there is this whole series of -ALIOUS books by Victoria Kann. The first one is  Pinkalious 

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/pinkalicious/9780060776398-item.html?mkwid=s_dt&pcrid=197537908517&pkw&pmt=b&s_campaign=goo-DSA+Books+Best+Sellers&gclid=Cj0KEQjw7pHLBRDqs-X8hZ3Mgp0BEiQAXIo9riztj1pT4kGrmwq3pf5AZr9hCOf6KDgkKz365mx7zQMaApi_8P8HAQ

Then there is Purplalious, Goldalious, Aqualious etc...

Well, one of the lines in Pinkalious is "you get what you get and you don't get upset"

I use this line all the time when I am teaching, usually when I am handing out a variety of items and I don't need to hear  "I want pink" or "I want blue" or "I want the green dinosaur with the red polka dots", you get the picture.

Well on Sunday night, I went to Bluesfest with this Lady:

And we saw P!nk!

It was a high energy show that did not disappoint.  It did not matter that I could only see her mainly on the big screens, or that there were pushy people weaving their way within the packed crowd or that we had kooky screamers behind us...

Or that it POURED rain for probably 15 minutes in the middle of the show!

I have listened to her music so long I was able to sing a long to every song, she played my strength song: TRY, she continued singing in the rain...Mirka and I didn't bring any rain gear but ended up under other peoples' umbrellas (but still got kinda soaked, water ran off other umbrellas drenching us, but it did not matter! ). The rain did not last and right before it started there was a huge blast of lightening behind the stage, that it looked like P!nk had planned it as part of the show.

We sang, we danced and had fun

We got what we got and we did not get upset:)

http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-reviews/bluesfest-review-pnk-dazzles-crowd-with-superhero-act

***Anyone going to Bluesfest in the future, I highly recommend parking at Tunney's Pasture and walking. It is a wee bit of a walk...but you need to walk!

What's wrong with pink?

Recently I read Erica Phillips'  article in Canadian Running, "The Tyranny Of Pink" July/August 2016 issue. In it she complained about all the pink runners.  The photo accompanying the article shows several ladies running in pink tanks and Ts.  I just got my first pair of pink runners. I admit I tend to choose black runners with bright accents. So options other than pink are available.

I don't mind all the pink. To me pink represents support for the fight against breast cancer. I know not all pink wear is created for that purpose.

Maybe they need to make more pink items for men...