You may call it controversial, you may say it's not necessary. I say, it's my future. 

My grandmother passed away from ovarian cancer when I was just a baby. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when Addison was just a baby. 

Because of my mom's family history (that included aunts as well), it was suggested that she proceed with genetic testing to find out if she was a BRCA 1 or 2 carrier. BRCA 1 and 2 are the gene mutations that greatly increase one's risk for breast, ovarian, prostate, or pancreatic cancer. 

It's rare for someone to carry one of these mutations....about every 1 in 400 people has one mutation or the other. It's extremely rare to carry both mutations. My mom is one of those rare people with both. 

This morning, I sat in a genetic counseling meeting with Brian and my sister and her husband. I brought our notes from 6 years ago when we originally met with the genetic team to discuss our options as a family when it was discovered that mom carried both BRCA 1 and 2. 

What did it mean? 

It meant our chances of being carriers would be greatly increased. At the time, I was 24 with one baby. My mind wondered if I should be tested, but my heart wasn't ready. Back then, there wasn't anything in place to protect a mutated gene carrier from being dropped from insurance. It seemed it would be scary to know if I did have the mutation. What if we could never get covered? What if we were discriminated against because of BRCA 1 or 2? 

But years have passed, and there are three babies now, and there is protection against mutated gene carriers called GINA (the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act) that would prevent any insurance company from dropping us or not picking us up due to the knowledge of a mutated gene. And unfortunately the way genetics works is that if I carry one or both genes, there is a chance that my children do as well. And that is something I want to know. 

So today, we gave a blood sample, and they sent it off to be tested exactly like mom's was, and in a couple weeks, we'll know. 

Then the question becomes.....then what? What if I carry one or both genes? I don't know. I'm not there yet, so I don't know. 

I will know that my risk is increased. I will know that I'll need a proactive plan moving forward. Carrying BRCA 1 or 2 does not mean that I will get cancer. It simply means that my chances will be greatly increased for breast and ovarian cancer. It will mean regular 6 month screening at a minimum. 

There are other approaches too. Having your ovaries removed before the age of 40 reduces your risk of breast cancer by 50%. That could be a very real option and recommendation if I carry one or both genes. Mastectomies are regularly performed on women who carry BRCA 1 or 2 as well. Having both breasts removed reduces the risk of breast cancer by 90%.  

I don't know what I'll do with the information that comes. But I know that I will have options and lots of them. That's the most important thing to understand. If you are in a similar situation, know that you have options. Not everyone will agree on what you should do and how you should proceed, and that's okay. But know that you do have options.

At the end of the day, as I process our decision "to know," I know that it's not about fear. I don't want to know because I'm afraid. I want to know because I'm not afraid at all. 

Modern medicine has given me the opportunity to understand what killed my grammy and her sisters, and it's given me the chance to stand tall and fight back. 

Knowledge is incredibly powerful. Knowing the truth about my body and what I'm made of, will allow me to fight stronger and braver. It will allow me to be proactive and do what's best for my family. 

I don't know how the test will come back. I don't feel one way or the other. Whatever it is, I know that it wasn't a mistake. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't an oversight. 

I was created by the Creator of the Universe. He knit me together. Nothing went awry. There was no misstep. Mutated gene or not, I am exactly the way that He created me to be, and that is all the assurance I need. 

The 1st day of School

It's official. We have tried every kind of school there is. Private school, public school, home school, Christian school. We should win some kind of "try every possibility" award. 

Last year, we made the decision to take Addison out of public school and homeschool her for 1st grade. It was the right decision for her for that year. And it was a joy. We loved having her home and loved teaching her. 

But as the end of the year approached, we started discussing this school year. Would we homeschool both of them? A kindergartener and a 2nd grader with a 2-year-old in tow and a foster baby and a business to run? Can we do that? Do we want to do that? Is that what's best for everyone? 

After much prayer and discussion and more prayer, we decided that homeschool wouldn't be the best option for this year. We started touring private schools late last Spring. 

We found a couple schools that we loved. We knew we wanted a Christian curriculum and a high level of parental involvement.  Of course, there are waiting lists and applications and all that goes along with private school, but we did it.

And we found a little gem....only 5 minutes from our house with Christ at the center of it all, and I'm happy. 

But even today, I cried and doubted because that's what I do as a momma. I want so badly to make the right choices for them....to do what's best for their little hearts and souls. I want them to grow and prosper and be leaders and be kind and give love to the world. I want them to love learning and love Christ. 

So here we are. At the beginning of another school year, trying something new again. Maybe we've got it right this time. I hope so. I won't pretend I have this all figured out, but I will fight for the best education for my children....that's ultimately one of my most important jobs as a parent. 

Even though the day started a little rough for Luke, as you can tell....

he came home happy and joyful and thrilled to be in kindergarten. 

And I knew this one would love school. She was practically begging for it. The classes are small so there is only 1 girl in her class {who told Addison that she had been praying for the Lord to bring a girl to her class!} and 4 boys. And she's in heaven. 

Here we go.....this year is going to be a whole new adventure. 

More Planning tools and tips

Since we've been talking planners around here lately, I thought it would be helpful to show you a few of the other tools we use to maintain our sanity around here. 

In case you missed yesterday's post, I'm giving away 2 free planners. Check it out here.

Sunday is usually the day that I figure out exactly how the coming week will function. I've found that as a wife, a mom, and a small business owner, this is absolutely vital to my ability to function from day to day. 

Here's a snapshot of my dining room table today while everyone rested. 

So a few things, you can see my Driven Dreamer weekly spread there in the bottom middle. 

At the top right and bottom right are a monthly meal planner and a grocery list from Jones Design Company. There is a great paper works section on her site that reads: 

A monthly collection of stylish designs to help keep you organized. Choose from the digital (print on your own) version or the print + digital version (a set of prints will be mailed to you). 

I'm a huge fan. Go ahead...go check it out.

In the center of the picture above are: to the right...is our jumbo monthly calendar from Erin Condren and to the left is our Weekly Schedule Pad from Erin Condren. The jumbo monthly calendar hangs on our fridge and has everything that has to do with our family schedule. The weekly pad hangs in our kitchen as well and is more detailed and includes dinner plans for the week as well. It's a quick at a glance look for everyone to see what's going on at a glance. 

 Any whoo.....I thought you like to see that there's lots of crazy planning that takes place at my house. 

What about you? Do you have any great products that I don't know about yet? What works to help you keep your family organized? 

Planners, Planners, and More Planners

If you're new to the blog, I should warn you that I'm a bit of a crazy person when it comes to planners and agendas. I don't know if we should call it a condition, but it might be something close to that.

I wanted to tell you about this awesome new planner that I found that I fell in love with called the Driven Dreamer, but she went and sold out all the planners she had printed.  But you can go ahead and go follow An Organized Girl on Facebook and check out her website......

The Driven Dreamer planner has my favorite layout right now. It features a weekly layout with to dos under everyday. But it definitely has a couple flaws. The paper is thinner than I would prefer for a planner, but it suffices, and there aren't tabs, which I understand are expensive to include.

I also had a little sweep with A Passion Planner. Also a fan, but still not my all time favorite. I do love the weekly layout though and all the extra space on and before the monthly spread.

You can check out a Passion Planner here.

I may have also just ordered a Kate Spade agenda from Amazon because it was so pretty (didn't I warn you that I have a problem). It's also a weekly layout, but it doesn't have an hourly time log which I love to keep track of appointments and even to block out a specific amount of time to do something.

And to top it all off, today, I ordered the 2015 Day Designer and Day Designer Mini from Whitney English. The Day Designer is also not my favorite because it's a daily layout. I love the space of it, I just don't like being able to see my entire week at a glance. I like to highlight things when they the get done. On a weekly layout, I don't have to re-write things every time they don't get done. If it doesn't happen on Monday, I can still see it on Tuesday when I've got a weekly layout.

But I functioned with a Day Designer for half the year. And really, it's the prettiest thing on the market when it comes to planners. How can you resist?

So there you have it. My favorites right now. I should also mention Erin Condren's Life Planner since I'm a semi-fan. It almost works for me. I just personally don't like the weekly layout without time slots, but it works so well for so many people. And it's durable and so so cute!

Since this is a planner post, you better believe I have a planner to give away....two actually! I have 2 Driven Dreamers from An Organized Girl to give away! {Please excuse the unedited, late night photo below). 

All you have to do is comment below, follow along, and I'll pick a winner using random.org next Sunday, August 24th. They're sold out and the only place you can get one is right here! Good luck!

To Yearn for Routine

Every year about this time, I get anxious and ready for the school-year-routine while at the same time wishing summer would last forever.

It's a restless tension that settles deep in my soul. Both sides battling to win it all......never ending carefree summer days vs. the security and routine of the school year.

Our summer consisted of many a late summer night spent chasing fireflies where our neatly mowed grass meets the tree line and the fireflies are easiest to catch simply because there are so many of them.

But summer is hard sometimes. When you work from home, part of you wants to not work all summer long and spend every day at the pool  or on lunch play-dates at chick-fil-a. Both are perfect summer pastimes if you ask me.

But our summer also involves a team that we love dearly that we need to set goals with and encourage and support. There are trips to be had and conversions to attend. And all those things are simply glorious.

In the same breath that I call summer glorious, my mind races to jeans and crisp Fall mornings, visits to the pumpkin patch, and pumpkin spice lattes.....pots of chili simmering all day and fires in the fireplace.

I hate to wish away a season, but I'm ready to say that I'm nearly ready for those cool mornings and the need to wear boots most days of the week.

Schools coming y'all. And so is Fall. Are you ready?

Jewelry for Hope

I have the coolest friends. One of my sweet friends who sells Stella and Dot was introduced to our Hope Link families at our Christmas in July fundraiser. She fell in love and wanted to do something to help, so she offered to donate her personal commission from a trunk show to Hope Link OKC. 

So last night, we had a great time trying on jewelry and eating Velata chocolate (of course!) We even broke out our Christmas lists and started checking off boxes. So today, I'm doing something I very rarely do, I'm encouraging you to go shop for something I don't sell. But it's for a wonderful cause! 

If you want to shop for a cause, or if you just need a good excuse to buy a couple beautiful things, head on over to Sara's online shop and shop away.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces. 

Nancy Studs-Peach

Renegade Cluster Bracelet 

Interlock Cross Necklace

Trinity Pendant Gold

On the Mark Necklace

New Engravable Necklaces

Happy shopping! 

 Mission Statement

Connecting mothers who have children with rare or undiagnosed disorders while providing encouragement, hope, and support through fellowship and prayer.

Purpose

• Provide an opportunity for moms with similar circumstances to network

• Give moms the opportunity to share their stories with an audience who can appreciate and identify with the challenges they face.

• Provide a positive environment where moms can receive encouragement and fellowship.

• Share information, resources, and experience that may be beneficial to others.

• Provide prayer support for one another as we navigate the unique obstacles that come with the unknown and uncertainty of rare and undiagnosed conditions.

Last Chance....First Glance

To say I'm excited about our new Scentsy and Velata catalogs is the understatement of the year. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas morning, except it won't be Christmas morning, it'll be September 1st. It's basically the same thing. 

I'm crazy over our September warmer of the month. It's nostalgically perfect. 

I'm also the most excited I have ever been about Velata and our upcoming catalog. As I type this, my mind is reeling with ideas to implement to help get families around the table this Fall. 

My mind is running a hundred miles a minute. The ideas and the things I want to do are begging to be put on paper. (I'm also thinking about how my friend called me out for a Velata ice bucket challenge which means I have to pour a bucket of ice over myself tomorrow and donate $10 to our local food bank). That'll be fun. 

But, back to the new catalogs. I'm thrilled and excited and can't wait for our new catalogs to launch, so I'm hosting a Last Chance, First Glance party. Stop by, Book your Fall Party, Shop at 10% off, and sample all our new Fall scents and products. (oh and don't forget about all our specials!) It's the best of both worlds...Spring and Fall all rolled into one night. Laid back and fun. 

It's going to be one great party. Hopefully you'll join us, or host your own! The most important thing is that you keep it simple and focus on connecting with your customers, friends, and family.