#HAWMC Last Day!!

Today is the LAST day of our blog challenge!! Thank you to those whom checked us out when they could and for those who stuck around ALL month long! And a special shout out to Thomas Moore who helped me out during the month with his blog contributions! We are honored and humbled by you all!! Remember Blue Heel Society is here for you...no matter the Type!

#HAWMC: Combo post

I'm a slacker...actually, I'm not...I'm just super busy and didn't have the time to blog yesterday. So you get a combo post today!

Day 29: Product Review ~ One thing I love about the Diabetes Online Community is that we are willing to share all our favorite gadgets, diabetes supplies and tricks of the trade. A product that we have used for some time and LOVE is the Accu-Check Fastclix. No need to ever touch or accidentally prick your non diabetic finger ever again!! Instead of an individual lancet there are six lancets in a drum that you never see. You insert the drum into the device and voila...hold the device to your finger, press the button and blood is drawn from your finger. We previously used the Multiclix but Fastclix is quicker and easier. No cocking the device...it's locked and loaded (so to speak). It's a simple device but sometimes simple is good!

Accu-Check Fastclix

Day 30: I Wish I Would Have Known ~ I'm not sure...because anything you would've told me 10 years ago I wouldn't have believed anyway. Our world came crashing down with a Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) with my 4 year old and we didn't have a clue. I've always had the Momma Bear personality but it kicked in big time in 2004. I was able to find support locally thru our JDRF Chapter and a local support group. They were life savers. I had to get involved and feel like I could DO something. Years later I found the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) and again...life saver. To know that I have support a key stroke away, no matter if I am texting a D Mom or messaging them on Facebook, I know they are there for me. I think I had to muddle through a few years and find our new normal to be the Mom I am today. So, in a way, I'm glad I didn't know anything. It made me a fighter. It made me stronger. It made me find my voice and purpose.

#HAWMC Day 27: Bye, bye, bye...

A few years ago we did a Dear Diabetes letter...a chance to tell diabetes what we really think of it. Today, we are to share a letter to the people who have hurt us because they don't understand the daily struggles of living with diabetes. This is our chance to tell them what we really think...believe me, I have no problem telling them right then and there! But for the sake of this post I will act as if I have bottled it up inside.

Dear Hurtful Person,

I would like you to know that some days I envy you. Your lack of diabetes information, insurance worries, prescriptions benefits and hospital visits truly make me jealous. The fact that you can let your child go play for an extended period of time without checking in, letting them go on sleepover after sleepover, vacation with other families and out of state school field trips is something I can do with some trepidation but LOTS of planning.

You see, my daughters have Type 1 diabetes. To look at them you see what I do. Beautiful, blonde, carefree, funny and strong gals but inside their pancreas doesn't work. This means they are required to take insulin to keep them alive. They are attached to an insulin pump...and no, we aren't in the 1990's, kids don't wear pagers (and we've only heard that a million times!!) They need to take their blood sugar every three hours, sometimes more. They are in a constant battle within themselves to keep their blood sugar in their target range of 100-150. Some days this is like balancing those spinning plates on sticks; like you see at the circus; oh!! add going to school, work and playing sports while balancing those spinning plates. Yes, they look fine but inside they are feeling weak, tired, thirsty, hot and overwhelmed. Type 1 diabetics are some of the strongest, bravest people I know. You won't see the tears that are shed when my girls aren't feeling well or they are frustrated because their blood sugars have been riding the roller coaster all day no matter what they do. You will see them smile and carry on.

I understand and appreciate the fact that you know very little about diabetes. At one time I didn't know what it was either. But I ask you to pause before you ask a question, such as, "are they controlled?" "but you're skinny" or "can you eat that?" Instead ask what diabetes is, how it makes them feel, what they are good at, what they struggle with, what their favorite sports team is, their favorite color and their favorite food. My daughters are human. They have thoughts and feelings. They want your compassion NOT your sympathy and they sure don't want your stupidity. If you happen to have a long lost relative that had diabetes, great! But please keep the stories to yourself. Unless you physically live with or have cared for a person with Type 1 don't assume you know everything there is to know about diabetes. Believe me, if you ask caring and thoughtful questions my girls are more than happy to tell you about diabetes. However, if you proceed to tell horrific tales of them being feed too much sugar when they were little you will have a fury unleashed upon you that is just a step below Momma Bear. So consider yourself warned.

Last but not least, be kind and compassionate. If there is one good thing about diabetes it's that it has taught all of us to be compassionate to others. We understand the invisible illness. We understand pain and suffering. We see the smiles with the sad eyes. We get it. All we ask is that you do the same. Sometimes all we need is an ear to bend, or a hug, a smile or someone to say, "what can I do for you". Don't be so quick to judge someone. Just because they don't look ill doesn't mean they aren't fighting a war inside.

Sincerely,

the Mom of a T1D

photo credits: Google Images

WEGO blog challenge Day 26 'Make it a Great Day' #HAWMC

Make it a Great Day

Today we are asked to "Come up with 5 tips for changing your frame of mind when you’re having a bad day!".

Here are a couple examples:


1. Remember tomorrow is a new day. 

2. Don't struggle with things you cannot change. 

3. Change the way you think to provide for a better today.

4.  Keep the drama down.

5.  Walk away from a difficult situation, and come back to it with a clearer mind.

Now go out and make it a GREAT day...

Day 25 #HAWMC: WORD CLOUD!

Day 24 #HAWMC: Fitness Friday

How do I maintain a healthy lifestyle? What is my favorite exercise? How do I manage fitness with a chronic illness?


I have shared before that I enjoy running. I am currently training for a big marathon here in Cincinnati, Ohio; it's the Flying Pig. I am running the half marathon which is 13.1 miles. I have run the half twice before but this year I have committed to train with a running group. I didn't think I would like it but it has turned out to be fun running with others. Plus I have had a run scheduled every Tuesday evening and Saturday morning since January no matter the weather conditions. My hubby has our one car garage (sometimes much to my dismay) set up as a gym with flat/incline benches, weights, roman chair, straight bars and punching bags. I like to join him out there for strength training but don't get out there as often as I would like. I also like to take walks with my son to the local library. It's about 4 blocks over and as he said yesterday on our walk, "this gives us good talking time"!. Our family is constantly moving so being active is not only necessary but a way of life for us.

Both of my girls who are Type 1 maintain an active lifestyle through sports, work and school. My 14 year old is in sports year round. In fact, a few years ago she begged me to home school her so she could do sports all day long...that was a big NO!! She has been in competitive sports for a few years now but has chosen to focus on basketball. She endures the extra practices and self motivated work outs while trying to maintain an in range blood sugar (insert cynical laugh...in range?!?...we try!!). It's hard. She has the delayed lows six hours later on top of possible lows during practice and games. We are trying all types of different variables to keep her in range and on the court as much as possible. She has always been one of my on the go kids. She has to be active...constantly.

My 20 year old played sports up through high school. She is now in college, working, interning and helping a teen T1D with her diabetes support group. She was diagnosed just after she graduated high school but she finds that even walking around the mall shopping can make her blood sugar drop. She works retail so often times if they are super busy or she is running from the front of the store to the back of the store she will have a low blood sugar.

It's a fine balance and I have found that even though both my girls have T1D it is a completely different beast in both of them. The bottom line is that they both enjoy doing things and having highs/lows may side line them for the moment; it doesn't stop them from doing what they love.

My T1D girls at Diabetes Camp! 

Day 22 #HAWMC: Hobbies

Today I am to share my favorite hobbies. If you’ve been reading my posts since the beginning of the month then you know that I’ve talked about running, painting, coloring and now that I think about it…writing. While I’ve mentioned these activities as stress relievers they are my hobbies too. I don’t nearly have the time to do all of them but I do enjoy them when I get the chance to participate. I like being creative. It allows me to submerge myself in the craft and not worry about doctor appointments, insurance bills, emails, pharmacy concerns or chronic illness. Pounding pavement helps me work out any stress and let’s face it…it’s good for me too.  What kind of hobbies do you like to do?

Day 18 #HAWMC: Summer is Coming

What 3 things do I look forward to the most in the summer?

1. NO homeowork
2. Corn on the Cob
3. Bonfires

I do love a schedule and the schedule goes out the door as soon as school is over. This also means some funky blood sugar readings but we take it all in stride. This summer will be exciting as my 14 year old is graduating from middle school and starting high school. She is excited as she is attending a school that only one other person from her class will be as well. She is breaking free and spreading her wings!

What do you look forward to doing in the summer?

Thank you Google images for the Summer clipart! 

Day 16 #HAWMC: Life Goal

What's one thing that your 10 year old self though you would do? Can I still do it? How would you approach it to make it happen?

Wow...I can't remember what I did last week let alone what I did when I was 10 but if memory serves me than I would've been in 4th grade. I LOVED 4th grade and my teacher, Mrs. Soldo. She didn't have any of her own kids and yet treated us all as if we were her own. She loved each of us. I was really into rainbows. I had the rainbow comforter and pillow sham for my room...I had the rainbow 3/4 length shirt that I would wear to the skating rink...I drew rainbows everywhere. They made me happy. My teacher had given me a folder that was like a color page filled with rainbows. She knew each of us just like that. It was then that I wanted to be a teacher. However, as I grew up and the years went by; what I wanted to do changed over and over again. But when you think about it, I am a teacher. I teach my kids. I teach administrators. I teach people about diabetes. So while it wasn't my chosen path I ended up teaching anyway!

Thank you Google Images for the rainbow! 

Day 13 and 14: The Perfect Comeback and "I feel best when..." #HAWMC

Sorry about a double post today. I was in Columbus, Ohio with Jackson last night and today storming the Capital advocating for hemophilia with the Ohio Bleeding Disorder Council. It was a jammed packed evening and day that was wonderful but I'll save that for another post.

Day 13: The Perfect Comeback: I have many comebacks...what can I tell you; I am a smart ass. Sometimes the comebacks actually come out of mouth and other times I'm left speechless and the comeback comes out hours later and I kick myself for not having been witty enough at the time to spew it out. One happened not that long ago. We live in a quaint Village in a home that was built in the late 1880's; wood siding, metal roof, wrap around porch...I just love it. In 2005 we decided that we needed to paint our house. I wanted bold colors because...really?! Why not?! My hubby, gawd love him, thought he could power wash the old paint off in a weekend and paint the following week. I knew better. Imagine his surprise when the high pressure hose was NOT taking off the paint. So we scrapped...and scrapped...and scrapped some more. The weekend we started this project was the first week of June and hotter than hell. Not two days into this project our then 4 year old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Talk about a life changing whirl wind time. That was also 5 days in the hospital learning how to keep our daughter alive. We muddled through that summer and the following summer and got the house about 85-90% done. Life got crazy. Jackson was born and when he entered Pre-School we also refinanced our house. One of the conditions was to finish the 10-15% of painting that we didn't get done. No problem. I could do that while Jackson was at school. Well, little did I know how much our lack of painting the one side of our detached garage angered our neighbor. One of the days I was finishing up the painting he comes out and says, "well, it's about time you finished this side of the garage!" To which I looked right at him and said, "well, the year we started painting our daughter was diagnosed with Type 1, later our son was born with a bleeding disorder and our eldest daughter was diagnosed Type 1. So excuse me if I was busy keeping my kids alive with their chronic illness instead of painting the garage!" Needless to say he fumbled with some incoherent words and walked away.

Day 14: "I feel best when..." when I come up with timely, witty comebacks!! Ha!! No, really, I feel best when my kids are happy, I have a refrigerator full of food (and medicine!!) and my biggest supporter, my hubby, by my side. Sappy? Yes...but it's true!

I thought I had a picture of the front of our house...but this is the side...you get the idea!

Day 10 #HAWMC: Comfort Food

Comfort food...I LOVE me some mashed potatoes!! It took me a while to perfect my potatoes but it was worth the lumpy wait. They are the ultimate in fluffiness and taste. I try not to make them too often as I tend to have them as my main course instead of a side dish.

I also LOVE to bake. Many times I will bake something and not eat any of it. It's just the act of making something for someone that makes me happy. I remember when I was dating my hubby and this new cake mix had just come out. I was dying to try it. So I ended up making it when I got off work one night and drove it to his house 35 minutes away at 10pm to share it with him and his roommate.

I enjoy trying new recipes and cooking. There is something satisfying in creating a meal and having it come out great and it also gives us memories of dinners that maybe didn't turn out that great. I wish I had more time to craft our dinners but let's face it...many nights I'm lucky to get something cooked in time for my family to eat before we are out the door for sports, school events or meetings. In fact my eldest  daughter just asked me to teach her how to cook. I decided that she could plan a menu for one night. Let me know what I need to buy at the grocery and she can own the meal. This should be interesting!! I guess that cooking reminds me of family as we are usually able to gather together at night and enjoy as a family. Sharing our days, our hopes, goals, laughter gathered around a table of love.

Thanks to Google images for this cute diner clip art! 

Day 6 #HAWMC: World Health Day

Today is World Health Day and I am to share with you how diet and nutrition changed after diagnosis. When my middle daughter was 4 years old and we were in the hospital learning how to care for her new diagnosis of T1D we were given the option of bolusing before or after meals. Thinking about her being 4 and a somewhat picky eater I opted for the bolusing after meals. I never wanted food to be a fight meaning I didn't want to have to force her to finish her meal because I had just bolused for the full meal nor did I want to give her smarties or some fast acting carbs instead of her eating her healthy meal. Bottom line I didn't want food to control us. Almost 10 years later she will only bolus before meals if she knows she will eat all of her meal and it ends up being about 1-2 meals a day that she knows she will finish. The others she will bolus immediately after she is done eating. I know it isn't the best as the insulin is behind in working but it works for her. Also, I have never restricted food. She can eat whatever she wants. Both of my T1D girls can. When my middle daughter was younger I may have delayed when she could have a treat but she always was able to get it. So what do I mean by delay? Let's say her blood glucose had been on the higher side throughout the day and we've been pumping insulin in her and have switched out her pump site but for whatever reason her BG wasn't cooperating I would push the water and carb free snacks (if she was hungry) to get her BG down but then when she was in range she was allowed to have her treat. As she has gotten older she makes these choices by herself. She realizes how she feels like total crap when her BG is higher and having a 1/2 cup of ice cream isn't make her feel any better until she is in a good range. My thought is I never wanted her to feel ashamed of eating or sneak food because I restricted it. She's educated enough by living with diabetes for almost 10 years that she knows what to eat and when to delay a higher carb treat. So in our house our kids can have their cake and eat it too with a nice bolus...we call that #bolusworthy. I usually have a nice selection of fruits, veggies and proteins in the house...although not at the moment...I need to go to the grocery! My kids are also very active and exercise is important to them....even if it's just walking around college campus...my kids are always moving. It takes a good balance of nutrition and exercise to help achieve good BG numbers, HOWEVER, you all know that sometimes it just doesn't matter and you will still have funky numbers. But eating right and exercising never hurt anyone!! I am by no means a doctor or dietitian but it works for our family...do what's best for yours!

Day 5 #HAWMC: Breaking News

Day 5 #HAWMC: Breaking News

Happy Easter everyone!! Today's challenge is just that...a challenge. I have to share with you my greatest accomplishments in the last 5 years. Meaning I have to brag on myself for this post; which is sooo NOT me! My positive attitude with a realistic approach is something that I can brag on though. I'm not rainbows, sunshine and pots of gold everyday or any day for that matter as I feel that is just annoyingly gross; at least to me. What I am, is upbeat and a take it all in stride type of gal. I live by the "it could always be worse" which helps me get through the rough patches and makes me grateful for the craziness in my life. I often get asked "how I do it all" and honestly I'm not entirely sure. I kick in to beast mode and just do what needs to be done without a second thought. I also have a great support team that is there for me if I need them. I could share personal accomplishments but really, they are shared accomplishments; be it shared with my hubby, kids, family or community. So, I'll end here...enjoy your Easter!! I'm about to go enjoy some great family time at the Cincinnati Zoo!

Day 4 #HAWMC: Creature of Habit

We are all creatures of habit both good and bad. This year I'm running the Flying Pig in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is a full and half marathon on Sunday, May 3rd. They also have 5K, 10K, kids run and dog runs the day before. It is the BEST event I've ever participated in over the years. This year I've committed to run the half marathon. I've been training since January 3rd when it was -13 degrees! I have run the half a few times and last year I ran the 10K with my hubby and I've always trained along the way. However, I've joined a running group and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not but now I can't imagine NOT joining...I really enjoy it. They have the routes all mapped out so I don't  have to even think about how many miles I'm going and what that translates into when running around my house. I meet new people; which I love! It's just a great group of people! So every Tuesday night and Saturday morning (at the crack of dawn...mind you) I drive about 35 minutes to the running store and go pound pavement.

I didn't always like running...in fact I would cuss while running...I hated it!! But then my eldest daughter started running cross country when she was in middle school and I really didn't want her running her off days by herself. So I ran with her and my cussing had to stop!! Cross country was short lived (thankfully) so I stopped running. Over the years I dabbled with the treadmills but it still wasn't my favorite thing to do. The year my hubby turned 40 was his bucket list year. Being the competitive person that I am I decided to join his bucket list adventures. That's where running came back into my life and I found it actually enjoyable. It became my stress reliever. Oh, yes. The bucket list...let's just say while we both competed in the Warrior Dash and had a blast I ran my first half marathon solo...and I never let him forget it!! :)

Running has become my habit. Sure it's great for me and healthy but I do it more for my mental health. Dealing with the daily stresses of my kids chronic illnesses, insurance, medical bills, Doctor appointments, working, living life...you get the picture...I need an outlet to get this built up stuff out. Pounding pavement works for me. What's your habit?

Day 3 #HAWMC: Good Samaritan

Random acts of kindness...who doesn't love them? Especially if you're in the line at Starbucks and someone pays for your coffee ahead of you!! But in the diabetes world it can be life changing. I have had two D mom's at two different times help us out. Both of my girls are on Medtronic pumps but my middle daughter is on the CGM as well. When MySentry came out it was all the rage and totally out of our budget. When you have two T1D kids and a hemophiliac son non-essential diabetes supplies are just that...non-essential. A year went by and I had a friend whose daughter hated her CGM and was taking a break. She offered to let me borrow her MySentry. I LOVED it!! Being able to see my daughter's blood sugar at home and not nag her was life changing! I was able to move the baby monitor out of her bedroom as it was no longer needed to hear the beeps of the CGM. She felt free! It was awesome! We were fortunate enough to use it for quite a while before my friend needed it back again for her daughter. We were sad to see it go but man, we loved it while we had it. Then about a year ago another friend messaged me that her daughter had changed pumps and CGM's and asked if we wanted the MySentry will some additional diabetes supplies. Uh...YES, PLEASE!! We were back in business! MySentry plugged in; baby monitor out of the room. It was such a blessing! The pure wonderment of not having one but two friends at different times offer us the use of their MySentry without a single hesitation and with no strings attached. I am humbled to know these ladies. In their honor I have paid it forward tenfold. I am happy to help with extra diabetes supplies whenever I can. I know how precious these supplies are and how costly they can be. So thank you to my two beautifully selfless D mom's and thank you, readers, if you are ever able to pay it forward.

Day 2 #HAWMC: Key to Happiness

Today I am to share with you what I think the Key to Happiness is...I think we all have the answer to that one and yet it's different for everyone. For me, my key to happiness is my family. They are the reason I get up in the morning, why I go to bed tired, why I stay up late, why I make their breakfast/lunch/dinner, why I go to the grocery, why I love fiercely, why I advocate, why I cry and why I laugh. You get the idea...they are my everything. When I think back about my most favorite and happiest memories they all involve my family. They are my biggest supporters (even when I ask them to do crazy stuff!!).

My Key to Happiness...My Family!

So I encourage you to find your Key to Happiness...maybe it's a spa day, coffee with friends, a night out, exercise, writing in a journal...whatever it is...GO find it!! 

Wordless Wednesday! #HAWMC Day 1 of 30!

Wearing Blue for diabetes awareness!! I advocate for both my girls: Nora age 14 (dx'd at 4) and Evy age 20 (dx'd at 18). #HAWMC

Day 30 of 30!!! RECAP!!! We did it!! #HAWMC

Wow!! I (we) did it! (Sorry...I'm double posting for Blue Heel Society AND Captain Jackson's Hemophilia Adventure)  I always enjoy participating in WEGO Health's: Health Activist Writer's Monthly Challenge. The prompts get me to think outside of what I might normally post...which is good and sometimes funny! This month I started out blogging in Florida with our FIRST family vacation since having Jackson, our hemophiliac son, who is five years old and our second T1D diagnosis. Talk about independence!! It felt great knowing we could infuse our son ourselves and take care of our girls. Packing for three kids with chronic illnesses is so nerve wracking! But I got it all packed! Then I nearly ended the month in Texas while attending a Hemophilia convention. So in 30 days I've managed to blog in 3 different states...pretty good for a family who hasn't gone anywhere in years! I hope you have enjoyed following our blog posts everyday and THANK YOU to those who did!! I am humbled by your support. I will tell you this now...I'm taking a break from blogging...just a little one (for those of you that know me; you know it will only be a day or two!!)

To sum up my #HAWMC experience in one word:

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Day 26: Free Pain Pass #HAWMC

If you could use a pain free pass when would you...

There are a couple of times I would want a pain free pass for my girls and their diabetes care. 

1. The yearly blood draw. They HATE that and I hate it for them. My poor Nora will have tears streaming down her face during the Endo visit right up until they draw the blood. 

2. Ketones and High blood sugar. I don't know if this actually causes them pain...I know they feel like crap. It wears them out. And they can do nothing...well, they feel like doing nothing until blood sugars are in range. Even then they aren't themselves. I hate those days when diabetes "wins". My girls are so upbeat and active and those days, thankfully are few, are days that just suck. 

These are the days I wish for a pain free pass. 

Wordless Wednesday Day 24 #HAWMC

Today's challenge was to create a Pinterest Board for your health condition and pin three items.

You can check out our Diabetes Board HERE.

Enjoy!