Seven sweet, simple words were hurled at me last night by my oldest child, Joey -- the boy who makes me as crazy as he does happy.

Joey, six, was all snuggled in bed, cozy with his soft blankets, squishy pillows, and three favorite stuffed puppies. I gave him my usual speech -- Sweet dreams. I love you. Now don't get out of bed -- and then made my usual trek to another room for some me-time. My trip was stopped short, though, because a strong urge inspired me to reverse my steps and return to Joey.

"What are you doing, mommy?" Joey asked as I walked back into the room.

"I thought I'd come rest with you for a little bit," I told him. "Is that OK?" I asked, knowing full well any excuse to avoid sleep is just fine with him

Joey sat straight up, pure joy coloring his tired face. I took this to mean he welcomed my return. And so I crawled into bed and hugged Joey tight. And that's when he spoke the seven words that caused tears to pour from my eyes -- the kind of tears that spill out when the human body can no longer harness its emotion.

The words:

"Mommy, I love you so, so much."

Ever since Joey blessed me with these words, I can't seem to get one thought out of my head.

The thought:

God, I hope I survive cancer long enough to hold this boy in my arms until he is all grown up, until he is wrapping his arms around his own loving child.

I really hope this is not too much to ask.

Preggers n' Proud, a hip sexy fashion company started by a mommy-to-be who wanted to celebrate her pregnant belly with trendy maternity slogan tees, has designed the Loving My Buddha Belly pink tank top to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Part of the profits from the sale of each tee will go to the foundation.

According to the company, the Loving My Buddha Belly soft pink tank top reminds pregnant women to embrace their blossoming belly, and will stand as a reminder going forward to empower each other to have regular mammograms, as well as perform self exams.

A socially conscious company, Preggers n' Proud takes advantage of the celebrity gift giving of merchandise to garner a type of advertising most companies could not afford to pay in dollars -- but for every celebrity that receives one of their tees, they donate five to a pregnancy care facility located in Santa Barbara, California area called Life Network. Very cool.

I look at it this way. You are going to spend your money somewhere, why not do it with a company that gives back. Preggers n' Proud tees have appeared on VH1's Hot Mama show, The Today Show and TLC's Baby Story. Check them out, it's for a good cause.

If I could go back in time, I would not repeat my journey with breast cancer. I would choose a different path -- one free of disease and treatment and the fear that comes with it all. I would choose the route where my children would never hear me say, "mommy has cancer." The route where there would be less worry about dying, less worry about how my kids would do without me, less worry about how all my loose ends would be tied up without me here to tie them. I would choose another direction in a heartbeat. But there are some things I do treasure about my trip down breast cancer lane -- some things I do not wish to give back, even if given the chance to choose a different path. They are the hidden treasures I discovered along the way, in the midst of a harrowing, sometimes horrendous battle. There are many treasures that have come my way -- and I'm sure there are more to come. Here are seven of my valuable finds.

I first discovered Outta Body Mommy Deborah when we were both blogging in the AOL Journals community. I was in the middle of redecorating our home and she was in the middle of building a brand new home. Deborah had posted so you want to build a new home? some of the tips I learned when building a house, and before I got to tip twenty I was reduced into tears of laughter. Here was a woman who understood the intricacies and monumental frustration of remodeling/building a dream home and could take it all, wrap it up in a blog post, and make it all seem easier to handle. She has a way of taking the daily -- the mundane -- the foibles of being imperfectly human living in an imperfect world -- and transform life with her unique perspective into something you can laugh at, understand and finally accept. You claim and wholly own the frayed and tattered edges of how things really are as opposed to how you wish or imagine. When Outta Body Mommy moved to Blogger, I followed the thirty-something mother of three as she enrolled as a full-time college student.

Deborah and her blog have moved again, settling in over at Meredith Vieira's Club Mom, where she has been hired to blog her effort to quit smoking. She knows it's bad for her health and sets a bad example for her children. But in the usual Outta Body Mommy blog style, she is tackling smoking with the same personal voice in writing she has applied to every other aspect of her life. It won't be politically correct, it won't be sugar-coated, she won't write to gain the approval of anyone, and as a result, it will be real. Outta Body Mommy Deborah begins with meet me in the garage.

Before I even get started, here is a sampling of the news headlines that are appearing in relation to a study indicating mothers who work outside the home are in better health than stay-at-home mothers. Working mothers less likely to become obese -- Working moms healthier than full-time homemakers -- Mothers who work enjoy better health -- Working Moms -- Healthier and thinner.

According to researchers who analyzed data from a study that tracked the health of women born in 1946 -- women who were employed outside the home were less likely than stay-at-home mothers and single mothers to report poor health or to be obese in middle age. Obesity is a known lifestyle factor contributing to a greater risk for a number of cancers. However, Dr Anne McMunn, of the University College in London, takes obesity into a debatable realm when she states that it has been known for some time that women who combine employment with motherhood and partnership have better health.