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