{Weekend Post} Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Today's post is about something very close to my heart. 

About 20 years ago, my maternal grandmother had a melanoma on her leg that she let go and did not have checked. She thought it was just a mole. After finally going to the doctor, she found it was malignant. The doctor suggested she have her lymph nodes removed. Years later, she still feels the results of this each day. With no lymph nodes in her legs, combined with her poor circulation, walking, getting dressed, and just general household tasks are painful for her and cause her legs to swell up. She also has trouble finding shoes to fit. Lately she's been dying for a pair of cowboy boots but can't find any to fit around the swelling in her leg.

My Uncle Larry had a melanoma on his arm and let it go too long without seeing a skin doctor. When he finally visited the doctor, the PA didn't cut the mole correctly when trying to collect it for a biopsy and the cancerous cells flooded his blood stream. 

He passed away in February of 2004. 

May is Skin Cancer Awareness month. 

About two million people each year are diagnosed with sin cancer. 

It is the most common form of cancer in the United States, effecting one in five Americans. 

I think that this is a result of two things: Misinformation & obsession with tanning/being tan.

To address the issue of misinformation about skin cancer, lets talk facts:

• Over the past three decades, more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined. 
• Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer; an estimated 2.8 million are diagnosed annually in the US. BCCs are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring.
• Melanomas are less common than BCCs but usually fatal.
• One person dies of melanoma every hour. 
• Risk for melanoma is doubled with five or more sunburns.
• One or more blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence more than double a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life.
• Just one indoor tanning session increases users’ chances of developing melanoma by 20 percent.
• While melanoma is uncommon in African Americans, Latinos, and Asians, it is frequently fatal for these populations.

Skin cancer can affect anyone. 

It doesn't matter if you're a ginger like me, and get sunburned really easily, or if you have very dark skin and never get sunburned. Skin cancer doesn't care it you're young or old, rich or poor, Caucasian or African American, etc.

Even celebrities can be affected. Hugh Jackman just had a BCC removed for the second time. He posted this photo to his Instagram, along with this plea to his followers "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! WEAR SUNSCREEN!" Even a band-aid can't bring down that gorgeous face. He's a total, skin cancer activist BABE who adores his wife more than any thing on the planet. Okay...gushing done.

Now to address the obsession side of this...

Be forewarned, the rest of this post is mostly my opinion. I hope it doesn't offend, but it is my opinion. You don't have to listen, or take this advice with anything more than a grain of salt. You do whatever works for your life. I do some not-so-healthy things too {kripsy kreme doughnuts, not working out, drinking alcohol, etc.}
 

I used to hate my fair skin. I was always picked on for being so pale. I lived on a island for six years of my life, where laying out on the beach with friends was just what you did. I would, of course go and lay out, and burn to a crisp every time. When high school rolled around, not only were my friends laying out on the beach, but they began going to tanning beds. Thank goodness peer pressure never grabbed hold of me and I never went to a tanning bed. But I still wanted to be tan. I was obsessed with it. I envied people who were naturally dark or who could actually build a tan. I was either white or red. 

I'm really happy to see our society beginning to accept all shades of beauty. I do remember the tanning obsession with my friends, but I also remember seeing it in all of the beauty magazines and I remember the golden skin all of the celebrities. 

I've since learned to love my fair skin and freckles. But I'm still obsessed with bronzed skin. My fiance has the most perfect cappuccino skin. It only takes a few minutes in the sun for him to have a tan line. He never gets sunburned. I'm literally fuming with jealousy just thinking about it. I guess the best I can hope for it that my children will have perfect golden skin and I can just live vicariously through them. 

If I could go back, I would have been so much more careful with my skin. I would have lathered up with every beach trip. But unfortunately, there is no going back. We can only move forward...

Protect Yourself!

To quote a favorite blogger of mine, Esthetician Babe, "skin cancer is largely a lifestyle disease". You can do something to decrease your chances of getting skin cancer.

-Wear sunscreen EVERYDAY!...not just when you go to the beach or the pool. Everyday, y'all.  Put some on your face underneath your makeup ladies, and if you're wearing shorts or a short sleeve shirt, put sunscreen on exposed areas. For everyday use, find a good SPF 15 or higher. I like the ones made for babies because they usually contain less harsh chemicals and I have really sensitive skin. Just use it as, or mix it with, your daily lotion. Click here for a list of the brands endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation. 

This 69 year old truck driver is a great example of why one should wear SPF every day. He has severe aging on the side of his face that was exposed to the sun through the window of his delivery truck. The same can happen with your arms.

-Please, I beg of you, don't go to the tanning bed. That's so Jersey Shore 2009. I really hate those things. Studies have shown that they can literally be addictive, and it can weaken your immune system. Your eyes can suffer too, you can contract pink eye from tanning beds, and the UV rays can cause cataracts. Plus think of all the GERMS in those things-can you say staph infection?? Even one visit can increase your chances of getting skin cancer. 
Don't slowly kill yourself in a ultra-violet coffin. Just don't, please. Please. 

There are alternatives to tanning beds and/or laying out. There are plenty of good sunless tanners out there. I love the Jergens Natural Glow. They've recently put one out that also has skin firming elements so it pulls double duty. But there are tons of good brands. St. Tropez is a little higher priced but I've heard great things about it. Also, spray tans have been around long enough that they're really working out the kinks and they're getting really good at making you look natural and not like you rolled in Cheetos dust.

-No gel manicures! I have recently read some research, and confirmed with my dermatologist that gel manicures may give you skin cancer. BUMMER! That was my special bi-monthly treat, especially after I got engaged. But I have since sworn off. Even one time can have the same effects as repeated use. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will probably get one more for my wedding, but then I'll be done forever. One of those little things I really miss but it is not worth jeopardizing my health and my life for pretty nails all the time. For now, I'm trying to enjoy DIY manis as often as I deem necessary. It's easier on my wallet too.

-This summer, while you're on the beach or at the pool, don't let yourself burn. Reapply every time you get in the water and/or every hour or so.  For days like this, where you're in the sun for extended periods of time, use an SPF of 30 or higher. Cover up! I love to wear oxfords at the beach. They're cool and light, so you don't overheat, and super classic. And a big ole hat and big ole sunglasses-Your eyes need protecting too. 

I like to cover up y'all. This is how I beach. Gingers gotta do what gingers gotta do.

Lastly, open your ears and listen really well... 

GO TO THE DERMATOLOGIST. 

My uncle, of whom I spoke earlier, thought dermatologists were quacks. Some of them are. But you need to keep an eye on your skin and you need to see a dermatologist once a year {or more often, if you have a history of skin cancer in your family}. Just like with breast cancer, self-check and pay attention to your body. If you have moles, keep sunscreen on them and watch them for any changes. If you see changes in the mole, go to a doctor. They will know if it needs a biopsy or if it's something to watch, or if there's nothing at all to worry about. Peace of mind is worth the trip.

Tanned skin is beautiful, I will not argue with you about that. But there's nothing sexy about skin cancer. Sun exposure speeds up the aging process. In fact, more than 90% of the visible changes commonly attributed to skin aging are caused by the sun. So if you're using anti-aging creams but not a daily SPF, you're just wasting your time and money {for real, those things are expensive}. 

I haven't always loved my fair skin, but I really do now. My fiance also really loves my fair skin and freckles {which is a big part of why I'm choosing not to tan for my wedding}.
There are even a few celebrities for us pale people to look up to nowadays.

My soul sister, Zooey Deschanel, just owning that gorgeous porcelain skin.

This is yet another opportunity for us to be fantastic beauty role models for the younger women {or even women older than us} in our lives. It's really important, above all, to take care of ourselves. Your body is a temple, and lathering up and making choices to protect your skin, though it may not always be the "in" thing, is one of many ways to cherish it.


 Love the skin you're in. 

Information from this post found on The Skin Cancer Foundation website. 

Follow @SkinCancerOrg on Twitter

Follow Friday!

Happy Friday people who only work weekdays! 

Friday is simultaneously the best and worst day in Pre-K. It's great because its a fun day, we sometimes have two recesses, and we pretty much let the kids dictate what we do for the day. It can be the worst day of the week though, because the kids know they're about to have two whole days of momma and daddy time. Either way, a Friday where I don't have to work my second job all weekend is a great day to me. 

The Teacher Appreciation Week treats just keep on coming! Yesterday, I was given a flower vase with flowers in it for my desk, with a note that says "Thanks for helping me BLOOM this year". How precious! The school gave us a gift card to Chick-fil-a and PTO gave us a tumbler with our initials on it. It really is the little things sometimes. 

Just knowing that your school and the parents of your students appreciate how hard we work with the children each day really means the world to me.

 I have also really been enjoying the warm {okay...let's call it what it is..HOT} weather this week. We've been going outside in the mornings, so that our poor kiddos won't completely fry outside. I'm really excited for the busy summer ahead. 

Anyway, I want to use this post and nifty alliteration as a way to suggest to you a few of my favorite accounts on my two preferred social media sites: Twitter & Instagram. 

 @joshgroban

Josh Groban is by far the best, and most underrated celebrity twitter account. He is hysterical. 

One of my favorite tweets of his reads: 

"Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it. Let's do it, let's jump of plannnnnts". {insert my snorting laughter here}

Honorable Mention

@ReactKardashian - a hilarious parody account of ridiculous Kardashian moments & faces, applied to real life situations. 

viewfromthetopp - photos from the same angle everytime, looking down at the subject's feet. Very cool. 

thiswildidea - this photographer takes pictures of his beautiful hound in all sorts of precarious situations. 

and if you're looking for a daily dash of BAT CRAP CRAZY...

jamesfrancotv - join me in watching this celebrity slowly soil his reputation of being a well educated, diverse actor and watch him descend in to the world of hot mess train wrecks. Seriously...WHAT is he doing?! I have a theory that he is trolling the world as some sort of research for a thesis or doctorate or something. 

So there are some favorites for now. I follow a ton of people on each of these platforms, so I'm sure there will be more in the future. Perhaps some about blogs I love or something fun like that. Anyhow, this is somewhat of a lazy post on my part but I'm keeping up with this so help me! Have a sunny weekend, dahlings! 

12 Personal Questions {tag}

Today at school has been an ordinary day. Oh, who am I kidding? NO day is Pre-k is an ordinary day. But it hasn't necessarily been a day of funnies from my kids, nor has it been a day that I have tons of thoughts and ideas swimming around in my noggin'. So I decided to find a little question tag floating around the internet and do that! Here we go! 

1. What do you order at Starbucks?

Recently, I am HOOKED on the Valencia Orange Refresher. Its got a kick of caffeine and they put a fresh orange slice in the cup. Just heaven in a green straw. Not super healthy, but nothing at Starbucks truly is. 

2. What's one thing in your closet you can't live without?

Old Navy V-neck tees. I love the comfort of these tops and they go with just about anything. I wear my black one to job#2 {Victoria's Secret} with a blazer. I wear the colorful ones to work with a skirt or jeans. They're super soft and quite affordable. 

3. What's one thing that most people don't know about you?

I'm pretty much an open book, so if there's something to know about me, most people know it. This is always the hardest question for me to answer. 

4. What's one thing you want to do before you die?

Be a mother. I've felt a calling to motherhood since I was very young. I wouldn't feel complete without children in my life, especially children of my own. Right now, it's nice to have 22 munchkins that I send home at the end of the day but I know in five years or so, I'm going to want my own, 24/7 munchkins :)

5. What's one food you can't live without?

I cannot live without meat. Maybe one day, I'll be able to but I just love meat, y'all. Chicken, steak, BBQ, pork, etc. I've had my bouts with vegetarianism and it just didn't work for me. That's why I'm currently loving this Low-Carb Diet. All the meat I can eat--ZERO CARBS! Wahoo!

6. What's one quote that you live your life by?

"You are fearfully & wonderfully made" - Psalm 139:14

My momma has repeated this verse to my sister and me our whole lives. If there is a big test, or prom, or a job interview, momma would tell us this to get our confidence up. Its a really cool verse-the idea that we weren't an accident. We were made, created by the Creator. And not only that, but our Creator made us wonderful, he made us great. When you're reminded of that, it's hard to feel down on yourself. 

Another one that has been with me lately, something I struggle with daily is "talk to people like you love them". So often, I shoot off at the mouth or have trouble regulating my emotions and it results in snippy comments or overreacting. When I repeat this phrase as a mantra, it reminds me to not just speak to others respectfully, but as if I love them, which very often, I do love them! 

7. What's your number 1 song on your iPod/iTunes?  

I'm strictly listening to NPR and cds these days. I'm really digging Lady Gaga's ARTPOP album, especially since I went to her concert this weekend. 

8. What kind of style would you describe yourself as having?

Casual and reflects how I feel that day. 

9. Favourite number? 

multiples of five

10. Two hobbies?

Mom and I are T.V. junkies. 

I also love yoga. I do a few poses before bed and try to do a few each morning when I wake up.

 

11. Two pet peeves?

I have more than two, that's for sure. But if I have to choose two--

Grammatical Errors {I think I was a newspaper editor in a former life}

and people who drag their feet when they walk. That is the biggest display of laziness to me. 

12. Your guilty pleasure?

Sweets and reality television

Right now, I'm watching 

Dancing With The Stars! 

Yes, I know, your mom and grandmother love that show. 

Free as my Hair

In the past year, I have become rather "beauty product obsessed", especially hair products. I've been building this list for a bit and I thought it would be fun to finally finish the post and share it with you all. I am not under any sort of sponsorship from any of these products. These are hair products I really use and really love...in real life! I do plan to do a makeup and body post, since I have a few of those I really want to brag about!

Here a six of my everyday, must-have hair products.


Hair

Organix Shampoo & Conditioner: You can buy this at your local drug store. It is sulfate free and all of the scents smell completely heavenly. Right now, I'm using The Keratin Oil line {split ends will be the death of me} and I'm also a fan of the Coconut Milk--it's a trip to the tropics with every shampoo. I've also used the Moroccan Argan Oil line before and it's really great if you have dry or damaged hair that you are looking to repair.

Not Your Mother's Miss Freeze Freezing Hair Spray: I love this brand. All of their stuff smells great and they're so reasonably priced. But, they are hard to find. If you have an Ulta near you, they sell it and I think Walgreens but not CVS. It's tricky to track down but it's great. This hair spray is not for someone who likes to run their fingers through their hair.
Also love their Beach Babe texturizing sea salt spray, and their Clean Freak dry shampoo is in my top five favorite list of dry shampoos.

Goody Start, Style, Finish-Tease & Lift Volume Combo Pack: This is the best thing ever. Two combs-one regular one and one teaser comb. I think this was maybe $5..and it was the best $5 I've ever spent. It makes teasing your hair for lift and volume super easy to do...and I LOVE that big southern hair look that is so easy to achieve with this set. I use the teaser comb for lift at the crown of my head, and the regular comb is perfect for parting my hair and combing my bangs.

Conair Instant Heat 1" Curling Iron: Oh heat is so bad for your hair. But I have thick, coarse, wavy hair so I have no choice. I try to balance this abuse out by washing my hair only once or twice a week, using sulfate free shampoo & conditioner. I have also only colored my hair one time in the past two years. In full disclosure, I will probably color it once more before my wedding.
Anyway...a bit of a tangent there...this curling iron is amazing. I think I bought this bad boy about three years ago and it has been holding on and going strong since then. I paid less than $20 for it and have MORE than gotten my money worth. I recently took off the clip, just to give the curls a more natural look but I may buy another just to have one with a clamp.


Not Your Mother's Lock Luster Argan Oil Treatment: When I get out of the shower, before blow drying, I rarely put any product in my hair at that point. Sometimes I'll use this light oil, just when I feel my hair is a little dry, or if I know I will have to wash it sooner than usual. A tip to making your hair last through a few days without washes is minimal product {for me anyway}. I just use dry shampoo. I will use hair spray when curling but only on the day of curling.


And my prize winning hog...

Lush Cosmetics No Drought Dry Shampoo: If you don't trust my judgement {I am new at this beauty review party}, then check out this dry shampoo which made a 9 out of 10 score on the LuLuLemon Blog. I've tried lots of Dry Shampoos because when you have as much hair, in length and thickness, as I do, blow drying your hair is a grossly underestimated form of torture. This is my favorite. I was hesitant to buy it, but I'm glad I did. I purchased the 13 oz bottle Labor Day weekend and it literally looks as if I have never used it...BUT I HAVE! In fact, I use it a few times a week. Because it is a powder, a little bit goes a long way. And it smells like citrus heaven.

Well there you have it, ladies & gents! My six most beloved hair products. Like I said, I will follow this post up with a makeup review list and a body product review list. I will also probably throw in a Favorite Products: Lush edition sometime soon.

And to quote my Momma Monster...

Hello Old Friends

Hello Old Friends! 

After a rather lengthy hiatus, I am ready to get back into the blogosphere. 

I know...I know...I've said this several times before. But I really am. 

Lately, I have felt a deep need within me to write. And to be creative in some way. 

My creativity has really fallen to the wayside lately. Of course, my job as a Pre-K teacher keeps me somewhat creative but I have just felt a need to get out LOTS of my thoughts and creativity in the past few months. It's been bottle up and it's about to come bursting out!

But for this post, I'll need to get you all caught up :)

So first things first, my other blog, Pre-K in the GA, is WAY behind. And by way behind, I mean a year. I didn't keep up with it and I really regret that because this year's class has been a DOOZIE. They're all wild as a March hare. Since I could never catch up and haven't been diligent about writing all the happenings and sayings down, I will just mix them in with this blog, until the end of the month, and for August and September, which will be my last two months of teaching Pre-K in the GA, since I will be moving to Kansas in October. I hope to be able to get a job working with children when I move, but the job market is rough so of course I'll be happy with any job for which I am qualified. 

Oh...why am I moving you ask? Well I would be happy to tell you! I'M GETTING MARRIED! Check out our website :)

Wedding planning with B and my family has been so much fun. No drama, no stress. Just enjoying letting the planner in me take over. 

This weekend, my mother, my sister, and I went to Fort Lauderdale to see the magnificent Lady Gaga open her artRAVE: the ARTPOP ball tour. It was incredible, a huge party and we had such a blast together. We even squeezed in a bit of beach time. 

This week is Teacher's Appreciation Week AND Mother's Day, so my mom will be receiving a double dose of lovin'. And I'm pretty lucky...I've gotten some goodies from my classroom kids too! A cookie for making them a "smart cookie", a pack of notecards as just a "note" to say thank you, a swiss roll, and some beautiful artwork. But probably my most treasured gift is a card, made by one of my children in Speech. It was really simple, just a little bit colored in, and there was a note where she told the Speech teacher what to write. It read: 

Miss Bishop, 

Thank you for letting me go outside. I love to hug you. Thank you for letting my paint flowers. You can come to my house. You are beautiful. I love you.

When I read this on the playground, I began to tear up. Lately, I've felt so self-conscious. The new found confidence of having clear{er} skin has been counteracted by how cruddy the rest of my body has been feeling. I haven't been listening to what my body is telling me, I've been slacking on eating healthy and exercising, so I've gained some weight back. 
But it is so wonderful to know that my little people don't see any of that. Kids have a real knack for seeing beauty on the inside, because you love them, hug them, invest in them. 

Kids are just awesome. 

"While we try to teach children all about life, 

children teach us what life is all about" -Angela Schwindt