thespicelands.com

Mike and I are leaving in five minutes for the hospital for my laparoscopic cystectomy. Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers. It shouldn’t be a big deal. We’ll update everyone when we get back.

Update #1 5:00 PM: I’m home! I’m sore, but otherwise, I’m fine. I’m in pain when I’m not medicated, but I have lots of fun drugs to help me with that. Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts!

Update #2 Nov. 18th: Got confirmation last week that the tumor was benign. Yay.

Das pumpkin.

Los pumkinas.

I have been having some abdominal pain for a few weeks. Since I just stopped using my hormonal birth control in favor of a nonhormonal type which does not prevent ovarian cysts and I have a history of ovarian cysts, I figured my cysts must be back. When the pain got worse than I’d experienced from cysts before, I called my gynecologist and made an appointment. Today at that appointment, she did an ultrasound on my ovaries and found what she is pretty sure is a dermoid cyst, or ovarian teratoma. An ovarian teratoma is a tumor made from various types of body tissues, which can include skin, organ tissue, hair, neural tissue, bone tissue, and teeth, that grows inside an ovary. Most ovarian teratomas are noncancerous (benign) and can be removed very easily with laparoscopic surgery. She told me there is a small chance that this is a normal ovarian cyst with solid tissue inside that will be absorbed naturally by my body, but she’s pretty sure it’s a teratoma and that it will need to be removed. There is a small chance (1-2%) that it is malignant, but it is usually very easy to remove all of a teratoma since these types of tumors tend to form inside nicely secluded, sealed membranes. I have a second ultrasound scheduled for a month from now. If the mass is still there, she will schedule me for surgery sometime in December.

Please pray first and foremost that God’s will be done in this situation. Secondly, pray that this is indeed a benign tumor that can be removed easily.

Tru and Heidi had adorable matching Halloween outfits on yesterday that they received from Papa and Nana. I had to get a few pictures, including these:

We got Tru’s school pictures back today, and they are so cute! If anybody wants any, let me know what sizes and how many. Note that the lightish discoloration that starts above her left eye (your left) and extends rightward into the background is not in the picture, it’s on my scanner.

Update: Remember to let me know if you want any pictures! I’ve only gotten one order so far.

Who out there shops at Publix grocery stores or CVS Pharmacy? Would you be willing to let me send you a Publix or CVS card that is linked to Tru’s uPromise account so that you can save money on things you buy and earn cash back for Tru at the same time? Bonus: Since you’ll get it from me, it won’t have your contact information linked to it, so you won’t get any extra junk mail!

I have recently started using uPromise to save money. uPromise is a company that collaborates with retail and online stores in order to help consumers save money for college. For every dollar we spend at a participating uPromise store with the credit card we have linked to our uPromise account, we receive some percentage back into Tru’s uPromise savings account. We can invest that money and then use it to pay for Tru’s college. For instance, she receives 1% cash back on all purchases made at Walmart.com. Newegg.com, from whom we’ve been buying our electronics for years, also provides 1% cash back. Target.com provides 2%. Some stores provide up to 30% cash back, and some contribute a dollar amount when you sign up for an account there.

uPromise also has a way for friends and family to contribute to our account. You just sign up, link your credit cards to your uPromise account, and any uPromise earnings you receive will automatically be allocated toward Tru’s college fund. You would not be revealing your credit card information to anyone except uPromise, and you would never have anything charged to your credit card from uPromise. All they do is deposit money into Tru’s account based on where you shop. You can also shop online as our guest without linking your credit card to uPromise. This only works for online purchases, though.

We would really appreciate it if all our friends and family would sign up and help us save money for Tru’s college. In the least, you could keep shopping like normal and earn money on whatever you already happen to buy that qualifies.

Create a uPromise account. If you would like to create a uPromise account, let me know. I will send you an invitation from uPromise that will allow our accounts to be linked. Then, just keep shopping like normal.

Shop online as our guest. Use this link to shop online through uPromise. Cash back from purchases made through this part of the uPromise website will automatically be deposited in Tru’s college fund. Please bookmark this link so that you can use it anytime you purchase anything through one of these stores!

Here is a complete list of retailers who participate in uPromise. Here are some common examples:

1-800-FLOWERS.COM® 12%
Ace Hardware 3%
Aeropostale.com 2%
American Eagle Outfitters 2%
Ann Taylor 5% $
Ann Taylor LOFT 5%
audible.com $12 per registration
Avon.com 6%
Banana Republic 2%
Barnes & Noble.com 7%
Bass Pro Shops 4%
bedbathandbeyond.com 2%
BestBuy.com 3%
Blockbuster $12 per subscription
Borders.com 6%
Bose 4%
Brookstone 5%
Buy.com 1%
CB2 2% (this is a Crate and Barrel store)
ChampionUSA.com 4%
Charlotte Russe 4%
Chico’s 4%
Circuit City 3%
Clinique 5%
Comp USA 3%
Cooking.com 6%
CVS.com 5%
Danskin 3%
Dell Home Systems 4%
Dick’s Sporting Goods 6%
Dillard’s 2%
DSW 3%
eBay.com 2%
Expedia.com 1%
Fashion Bug 3%
Florist.com 10%
FlowerStore.com 15%
Foot Locker 4%
Fossil 10%
gap.com 5%
Ghirardelli Chocolate 4%
GiftCertificates.com 3%
GNC.com 9%
Hancock Fabrics 6%
homedepot.com 3%
Hotwire 1%
iRobot.com 6%
iTunes.com 2%
J.Crew 1%
JCPenney.com 3%
Justice 3%
Kmart.com 4%
Kohl’s 3%
L.L.Bean 2%
Lane Bryant 3%
Limited Too 3%
Macys.com 5%
Marriott 2%
McDonald’s 5%
Musician’s Friend 6%
National Geographic 6%
Netflix $12 per membership
New Balance 5%
New York and Company 4%
newegg.com 1%
OfficeDepot.com 2%
OfficeMax.com 2%
oldnavy.com 5%
Omaha Steaks 10%
Oriental Trading Company 5%
Overstock.com 3%
PETCO 7%
PetSmart.com 5%
Pottery Barn Teen 4%
PotteryBarn.com 4%
potterybarnkids.com 4%
Proactiv Solution 13%
RadioShack 2%
RalphLauren.com 5%
Sam’s Club 1%
Sears.com 4%
Shutterfly.com 8%
Simply Audiobooks 34%
SIRIUS Satellite Radio 6%
SKECHERS 3%
Sports Authority 4%
Staples.com 1%
StarbucksStore.com 7%
Target.com 2%
The Body Shop 6%
The Children’s Place 4%
The Limited 2%
The North Face 5%
TiVo $15 per subscription
Travelocity.com 1%
TurboTax 6%
VictoriasSecret.com 2%
Walgreens 4%
Walmart.com 1%
wet seal 4%
Williams-Sonoma 4%
Zales 4%

Order form for Tru’s fundraiser has to be in by Friday! If anybody wants anything, let me know by emailing me at erin@thespicelands.com or order online at Charleston Wraps. Remember to enter student code 456372 after you place the order, or neither Tru nor Tru’s school will get credit for your purchase. Thanks!

I left the house yesterday to take the kids to school. When I arrived back home 45 minutes later, our Robomow was gone from the spot in the front yard in which it had previously been! I looked everywhere for it, including down the street, in the gutter, and in the drainage ditch that it gets stuck in occasionally. It was nowhere. It had obviously been stolen. I called the police and filled out a police report. I couldn’t find the serial number, but I printed off the Amazon.com page on the Robomow RM400 which showed the model number, price, and a picture of the mower. He told me it had probably been kids pulling a prank, and I was inclined to agree. Some kids who used to live in the neighborhood stole our DVD player a couple of years ago and stole $80 worth of diapers out of our neighbor’s trunk. We assumed they returned them to Walmart for cash.

Last night, Tru, Heidi, and I went for a walk and noticed our neighbor and his two sons outside in their yard. I asked them if they’d seen anything and told them what had happened. Tony hadn’t seen anything, but his son had. Apparently, as he was leaving yesterday morning for school, he’d seen the yard trash truck come by and pick up our lawnmower with its big claw! I called the City of Madison Public Works this morning and spoke with two different people. One lady talked to the driver that worked our neighborhood and confirmed that he did pick up the mower. She insisted that the driver was supposed to pick up anything that is near the curb. However, their Trash Collection Guidelines and Information pamphlet that they distribute says, “WE ARE NOT ALLOWED to pick up PAINT, OIL, BATTERIES, GAS AND GAS TANKS (or anything considered to be hazardous materials) TELEVISIONS, COMPUTERS, MICROWAVES…” Our Robomow contained a battery and a computer, and that list sounds an awful lot like they will not pick up most large electronics. She said the driver said that he thought it was a broken regular lawnmower, since it had no handle. This confuses me, too, because that list above also contains oil, gas, and gas tanks, and a regular lawnmower contains all three. She also said at one point in the conversation, “We wouldn’t have picked it up unless it was by the curb by the trash.” It may have been near the edge of our yard, but it was far around on our side yard and not anywhere near our trash.

I got a bit snippy with the rude lady, because she kept trying to justify the driver’s actions and wouldn’t even attempt to help me. She transferred me to a man. He told me that they would look for the lawnmower. I can’t imagine that it has not already been destroyed with the rest of yesterday’s trash, though. I hope that it hasn’t been for their sake, because they will be replacing it if it is gone. Grrr.

Update #1 (9/23): I got a call from them at about 10:45. I called them back at 12:30 and a new lady told me that the Robomow has already been destroyed. She recommended that we file a claim against the city’s insurance policy to be reimbursed. Hopefully that will work and we will be able to get another one.

Poor, sweet Rob. We hardly knew ye. :’(

Update #2 (9/24): I filed a claim for reimbursement. Now the fun part begins–fighting with the insurance company!

Update #3 (10/05): Well, that was easy! The city’s claims adjuster just called and agreed with me that the city was liable. She is going to mail me a release and a check!

Update #4 (10/28): Got the check today. Yay! We will invest it until springtime and get a new Robomow then.

Tru has really taken to school. She’s been absent a few times for doctor appointments, illness, and vacation, and every time she does, the teacher sends her work for the day home as homework. Tru loves it! She finishes it all in one sitting and then asks for more homework. She has learned lots of new songs, including “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”, “The B-I-B-L-E”, “Noah Built a Great Big Ark”, “Father Abraham”, and others; learned the Pledge of Allegiance; and learned various behavior related rhymes and methods. She now raises her hand even at home to get our attention. She is a Five Star Listener: “Eyes are watching, ears are listening, lips are closed, hands are still, and feet are quiet.”

At her school, parents drive up under a covered drive, and teachers put the kids in the car. Today, when I drove up to pick up Tru, Tru’s teacher, Mrs. Faulkner, practically ran up to my car, Tru in tow, beaming. She said, “Did you know that Tru can read already!?” Of course, I did know that, but I’m glad the teacher noticed, too! The rest of the class is still learning letters. They’ve done A, E, I, O, U, S, and T so far. They’ve also learned numbers 1-10. Tru knows how to read and write small words, and she can add and subtract numbers under 10. Mrs. Faulkner was very surprised and proud to learn that.

Here is the most recent example of her writing. Here, she’s written Tru, Zoe (a classmate), Mama, Daddy, Heidi all by herself with no help from me, even on spelling. Click on the image to view it full size. She’s such a smart little girl!