Feeling Thankful Today

I know it is day 4 of the Diabetes Blog Week and I will get to my fantasy device post soon - I promise.

But first....

I have been crazy busy for the past 3 weeks trying to pull my house together and get it "show" ready so it can be put on the market. Not an easy feat for a uberdisorganized gal.

When we sold our last home my kids were 4 & 2 and my third was due to arrive in about 6 weeks. Our house was 1700sqft with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and no extra rooms. It took me a month to organize, clear out, clean and touch up our home to make it market ready.

Our current home is 3600sqft 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, office, game room, and formal dining room. My kids are now 12, 10 and 8 and have all the junk that goes with spoiled kids those ages. My kids are also attending school and it is the end of the year and everyone is demanding my time and energy. Not even mentioning the diabetes crud (well I mentioned it but I'm not going to highlight all the time, energy, and clutter it takes up). Also - hubby isn't here - he is already in CA working so I am flying solo. - Oh and I am supposed to be house hunting online as well as finding, scanning and faxing or emailing documents hubby needs to purchase a new home.

I am NOT whining. I know we are blessed and this is a great adventure for us. The hard work is worth the new experiences we will enjoy. It is just all time consuming and I have found little time for myself these last few weeks - including time to browse twitter and blogs. I even missed DSMA live cant last night - still sad about that.

So this morning while drinking my 5th cup of coffee (don't judge - recent studies show people who drink coffee live longer) I browsed twitter and caught up on some of my favorite blogs as well as a few new ones thanks to the Diabetes Blog Week List. It felt good to be among so many that I feel connected to even if Ive never interacted with them.  While browsing twitter I began thinking about  my first days on twitter. I was a newbie - virgin tweeter if you will. But I didn't feel new for long. There were a handful (really more like an armful) of folks who welcomed me and made me feel like part of something great.

So this morning I want to thank those individuals who followed me before they really knew me - and continue to follow me despite that they now know me.

• Kerri @sixuntilme - you are a blog goddess and all around fabulous person. You inspire, educated, entertain and support like no other.
• Cherise @sweetercherise & @diabetessocialmed - you keep us in line, keep us united and keep us real - it helps that you are funny as all hell and offer endless encouragement.
• Kelly @kellyrawlings - your support and advocacy are wonderful and you sent me my favorite mug - ;)
• Marie @cellobard - there are not enough kind words in the English language for me to describe how much I care for you and your wonderful music - a few would be: brave, honest, kind, loving, inspiring, friend, and true. 
• Lea @luvleamum - first Dmama that I found and found me back on twitter - you make me smile 
• Tim @bleedingfinger - Ddad - you are just awesome
• Penny @p_spore - you love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups as much as me - that's enough to make me like you lots - helps that you make me giggle too
• Shannon @Shanmarengo - you are an amazing mom, friend, pwd, and fellow Texan - I am grateful for all your support and blog comments
• Brian @bosh - you make me lol and you are the ultimate draw something Picasso (sorry I haven't played in so long)
• Jeff @betespora - you always find time to comment on my tweets and your encouragement as a pwd to me (a mom of cwd) makes me feel like I am doing something right
• Sara @saraknic - you make me laugh 

There are many many many more fantastically wonderful amazing pwd and parents of cwd that I follow & follow me back who provide me with hours of entertainment on twitter and in their blogs. My list could continue for pages if I listed everyone and how you all make my life more enjoyable and simply better. 

Thank you DOC - all of you. 

Always Room for Improvement

Today's Diabetes Blog Week prompt: We probably all have one thing we could try to do better. Why not make today the day we start working on it. No judgments, no scolding, just sharing one small thing we can improve so the DOC can cheer us on!

Like so many of the wonderfully terrific blogs I have read today I too have a loooooonnnnnnggggg list of things I could improve on. Trying to find just one would be too difficult so I cheated. I have TWO kids with Diabetes so that means I get TWO things that I need to improve on. ; P

First my dear Sweetstuff - I meant to ask her what she needed to improve on but she is an emotional mess lately and I was afraid to ask the simple question "Hey baby - what would you say is the one thing that you could improve on regarding your diabetes?"
I was afraid because knowing her like I know myself in the state that she is currently in she would get defensive, take it as an attack, argue that she is trying her best, etc etc - she would likely add something about the two pimples she has, the fact that her bangs do this odd flippy thing and her bff is being a total butt. (I love my daughter I love my daughter - it's only the hormones it's only the hormones)

So I avoided asking her and instead thought of all the things she does great - checks bs often, doses insulin in a timely manner, recognizes symptoms of lows or highs, advocates, educates, changes pump sites, changes her lancet every morning, carries fast acting carbs, and tests before physical activities.
With all this stuff she does so right I was having a difficult time thinking of the one thing she could do better. Then I realized the one thing she could do better is something she currently doesn't do at all - log BS and Doses. She did it while she was on her pump hiatus but then stopped as soon as she put back on Alice (her pump -  because diabetes is a rabbit hole and because the magic liquid inside it makes her get smaller (lower) after eating cookies which make her get bigger (higher) - Have I said how much I love my daughter and her inner nerd).

Thus the one thing I feel Sweetstuff could do better is begin logging again - yes it is a total pain in the arse but hand written logs do more for her and I than downloading her pump each week (haven't downloaded in over a month). Logs keep us vigilant. They help keep us accountable.
I might suggest this advice to her tomorrow if her pimples have cleared up and she is having a good hair day.




Now for Sugarboy -

While my dear boy can be very independent I am still very much involved with his care. I include carb notes with his lunch, I fill the insulin cartridges, I do most the infusion set placements, I count his carbs at meals that do not come pre-packaged. I sometimes even check his blood sugars when he is awake. He is more than capable - but how can I resist this cute face when he asks me to check for him. Overall he does very well with most diabetes care that I give him and I continuously give him additional control as he requests it.
The thing that Sugarboy could improve on (and me too) is reducing the amount of processed sugar that he consumes (not being used to treat a low bs).
He is an 8 year old by with a sweet tooth. He is always asking for ice cream, M&Ms, Laffy Taffy and lollipops. I'm a sucker too and if his blood sugars are decent I allow him to have the treats. I guess one could say I practice what I preach. I am always educating the general public that a person with Type 1 diabetes can eat everything a person without diabetes can eat. The part I forget when I am at home confronted by a small dimpled child with eyes as bright as the sea is that just because they CAN eat it doesn't mean they SHOULD eat it. It is a fact that the less carbs (especially the fast acting carbs found in processed sugars) a person with diabetes consumes the better - not to say a person with diabetes should go carb free - I think that is unrealistic for small kiddos especially. I do think reducing carb intake can truly improve blood glucose control and make managing diabetes a tad bit easier  - well until PMS, or Job Change, or it starts raining, or there is traffic, or or or or or.....

So to recap - encourage hormonal pre-teen to start logging again (carefully) and discourage Sugarboy from eating too many processed sugars.
This will be a piece of cake (if the cake has to be weighed, ingredients determined, multiple math problems solved, and then more calculations to be completed to determine the correct dose of insulin is required at bedtime after a day of swimming, hiking, and soccer) - like I said easy peasy.

Wordless Wednesday

(sort of - if you haven't figured it out yet I'm not a wordless kinda gal)

The owner of the Greater Austin Area Wendy's has Type 1 diabetes. His own son was dxd a few years ago. He has been supporting the JDRF for I don't know how long with these awesome coupon books. The coupon book has 4 coupons each good for a small frosty. The cost of the coupon book is $1 and all proceeds go to the JDRF mission to find a cure for diabetes.

Back in 2009 (before the adorable young man seen above was dxd) my own little Sugarboy was on the cover of the coupon book. I can't find the cover that we saved but I do have one of the window decals

The most frequent question I get during this time of year (while I am plastering Facebook with reminders for people to go purchase a coupon book) is "Why would they give frostys to help cure diabetes, that doesn't make sense." To which I reply "People with Type 1 diabetes can eat everything you can eat they just have to check their blood sugar and take insulin for it." 

Wish all the Wendy's across the nation would participate.

One Great Thing

Today's DBlog Week prompt asks us to give ourselves some much deserved credit by identifying just one diabetes thing we do spectacularly.

I do well with BS checks (including the ones in the wee hours of the night/morning).
I do well with carb counting (mostly).
I do well with noticing symptoms before my kids feel them enough to claim them.
I do well with identifying trends and adjusting basals and ratios when needed.
I do well at helping my kids build independence.

What I do best is educating others.
I don't take offense when someone suggests that there is a cure if only I would give my kids more cinnamon. I don't get annoyed when the 1001 person asks me if my kids will grow out of it. I don't become defensive when someone suggests I should not have spoon fed my kids sugar as infants. I try not to get angry when someone suggests that "at least it's only diabetes." I don't become too frustrated when someone suggests that my kids simply stop eating all carbohydrates and should defiantly avoid processed sugars.

Instead I educate.

No - cinnamon, tree bark, vitamin D, and magic fairy farts will not cure my kids. A cure will come from hard working individuals and organizations raising money and using the funds to do research.

No - my kids will not grow out of diabetes. Their pancreata no longer have the ability to produce insulin and the cells do not regenerate so until there is a cure my kids will continue to have diabetes.

No - My kids did not develop diabetes because I fed them too much sugar earlier in their lives. Diabetes is an autoimmune disease that just happens. Scientists are not entirely sure why it happens but there are indications that it is part genetic and part environmental. Scientists believe a person has to be predisposed to developing diabetes but also that a catalyst is required to set in motion a chain of events that will result in the destruction of the insulin producing islet cells in the pancreas.

Yes - I know there are worse things in this world than developing diabetes but unless you or your child is suffering from a 'worse' less manageable or even terminal illness you have not earned the right to suggest that it is 'only' diabetes. When my kids were diagnosed they were both assigned hospital rooms in the same ward as kids with cancer. I shared coffee with some of the parents of the children with cancer. Some of the parents knew they might not take their child home. I knew I would - yes I know there are worse things than diabetes. That doesn't mean diabetes is easy and certainly doesn't mean that I don't fight for my children's lives everyday.

Yes - if my kids stopped eating all carbs and limited their entire diet they could live insulin free - for about a year - maybe two. That was the life expectancy of a person diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes before 1922 (the year in which the first human received insulin).

I admit I used to get a little peeved when an uneducated person asked the above questions or made suggestions that would result in the death of my children. The thing is, it isn't the general populations fault that they are uneducated. I didn't know diddly about diabetes when Sugarboy was diagnosed. I likely thought the same things before I got a crash course in Type 1 diabetes at the hospital.

Anger and frustration will not encourage the general population to become educated and support research that will cure diabetes. A kind explanation will.

You're Gonna Give Me Your Leg?

Sweetstuff has had some really cruddy numbers the last few days. Pump is working fine - it's her brain that is malfunctioning. In the last 72 hours Sweetstuff has forgotten to bolus for a meal 3 times resulting in numbers in the "Hi" range. She forgot twice to put her pump back on after a shower resulting in numbers in the 400's.

Tonight at bedtime she was 403 - which resulted in a WTH (heck - she was kind enough to use the G rating) comment. (This was one of the times she had forgotten to put her pump back on after a shower 2 hours earlier).

At this point she said "I'm just so overwhelmed lately"

I told her that it is a stressful time for our family with the impending move to a new state. I reminded her that it is the end of the school year and she has had some fairly large projects to work on and also that her big solo at the choir concert is tomorrow. It's a lot to handle for a 12 year old.

She replied  "If I am making this many mistakes now how will I manage when I move out, go to college, get a job, and have kids?"

I told her about so many of my DOC (diabetes online community) friends that are living well with Diabetes - most have full-time jobs, are parents, successfully navigated college and have no complications.

She replied again "But what if I keep making mistakes - and my leg falls off"

I told her first that everyone forgets things, mistakes can be fixed, that the fact that she cares enough to correct her mistakes means she is doing things right. I also told her that her leg wouldn't fall off - it would have to be removed. (I said the last part with a sarcastic smile of course) Then I added "and I will always be around."

To which she replied "You would give me your leg?" (also with a sarcastic smile)

I love my sweetstuff - she will be just fine.

Tomorrow she will sing "A World of My Own" from Alice In Wonderland

She has also decided that from henceforth her pump shall be called Alice 

You've Got A Friend In Blogs

I am participating (well I'm going to attempt to participate) in the 3rd annual Diabetes Blog Week

Today's prompt was to find a friend - in other words find a blog that I haven't read before or have maybe read occasionally but want to read more frequently.

There are countless dblogs (well maybe not countless like Real numbers which are uncountable - learned that recently {sort of I still had to check if the uncountable numbers were real or natural} from a friend that makes my brain hurt with all her math jargon - what can I say I'm a sucker for nerd awesomeness).
Sorry - digressed -
My point is though that I could likely spend every hour of everyday for an entire month and not find, let alone read all the dblogs available on the net. Luckily a wonderful list has been compiled for me (yup it was made just for me - well also the other hundred or so people participating in this years Annual Diabetes Blog week THE list.
While pursuing the list I saw many of my favorite blogs as well as some that I forgot I liked because I am not an organized person and I don't remember to bookmark them or better yet add a link to the blog(s) on my blog so I can find it easily and others can too. (I also have a hard time with run on sentences and too many parenthesis - admitting it is the first step to recovery) Thus - in addition to attempting to write each day of dblog week I will also be updating my blogroll on my blog. If you find my silly little corner here on the net and you have an awesome blog that I haven't included in my blogroll please shoot me an email or send me a tweet so I can add you. On twitter I am momof2t1s - keeping it simple.

On to my post:
I just found Jen with BHS - thank you List. I've read Sarah's blog before and enjoyed it each time but always forgot to bookmark. Alexis is a favorite of mine. Amber is a new one for me but I think we are going to be great friends - the other Amber I know seems to like me a bit.


 Jen From Blue Heel Society I love this particular post - Don't Quit - wish I had a cool teacher like Jen had.

Sarah/@SmartDpants I love this post by Sarah because she clearly feels my pain in regards to #5 - how difficult could it be to allow the meter to have the same information as the pump.

Alexis Nicole Chronicles of D-Boy and Ribbon I love this post because Alexis understand all that it means to be a mom to cwd - of course she is stressed and tired and angry but with all that she is able to keep humor center stage.

Amber Cliff Notes I clicked on this blog from THE List because I like the name Amber (a lot) and I knew the moment I started reading I was going to like both Amber and her blog. The pics are great and I can't wait to check out the FB page. Turns out I was already following dear Amber on Twitter but I don't recall ever visiting her blog - that doesn't mean I hadn't - it means I was either drinking heavily at the time or sleep deprived or distracted by unicorns dancing in my office - since I rarely drink I'd go with sleep deprivation which may or may not have included dancing unicorns.

I could spend hours clicking on blogs and reading my night away but I have pillows and bedding to stuff into vacuum bags so I can watch them squish down - I get a real kick out of suffocating my pillows - irony? (I still don't know how to properly use that word - darn you Alanis!)

Because I love Emma Bombeck

A couple hours ago I posted a piece written by Emma Bombeck. I've been a fan of her writing for a long time and am thankful she shared so much with the world before her passing.

I received an email a bit ago after a reader visited the post. The reader was a bit upset that Emma suggested that God made those sorts of decisions. I don't believe that is truly the point to Emma's story. I believe the point of her story was to acknowledge all the strengths that are most commonly found in a mother of children with diabetes. Whether the mother possessed the strengths prior to having a child with diabetes or if she developed them as a result of having a child with diabetes is not relevant. What is relevant is that a mother of children with diabetes is strong, patient, selfish, intelligent, confidant, humble, kind, loving, independent and fun. (Yes I know Emma didn't mention all of those but they are implied)

If you haven't read the How God Selects of Mother of A Child With Diabetes please see the post before this one.

Because Emma was so awesome - Some of my favorite Emma Bombeck Quotes:

"The grass is always greener over the septic tank"
"Laughter rises out of tragedy, when you need it the most, and rewards you for your courage."
"When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say 'I used everything you gave me'"
"When humor goes, there goes civilization"
"If you can laugh at it, you can live with it"