It's too quiet here

This week my kids went back to school.  After a summer with five kids at home, having them all at school is almost frighteningly quiet. Parents will know that when you have children and it suddenly gets quiet, that's when it's time to worry.  Yes, it's that kind of feeling.  It's hard for me to get motivated to work on housework when I have an eery feeling that something is wrong, even though I logically know they are all safe in their classrooms.

This morning, after taking the kids to school and the hubby to work, I came home and ate breakfast.  Unfortunately the breakfast I chose had too many carbs to allow me to sit at the computer this morning.  So I grabbed my cell phone, identification, keys, and meter out of my purse, and started for a walk. 

Is this the part where I admit that I also grabbed some change so I could stop for a Diet Coke along the way?  Ok, confession time: I grabbed $2 worth of quarters out of my change jar knowing I'd probably stop at a small restaurant just under a mile from my house.  I figured it was a great place to get a drink and check my glucose levels to see if I was going too low.  I also grabbed my debit card in case I was going too low and needed some carbs.  Thankfully I only needed the drink.  (Yes, I know that water would have been a *much* better choice, but I needed that carrot to motivate me today. I'll go get a glass of water right now... Ok, I have water now.  Yes, I'll actually drink it, too!)

Of course now it's almost time to have lunch with hubby and I haven't gotten any housework done.  There are projects I'd like to do before I start getting called to substitute teach.  Once I start getting sub calls, chaos happens, though I can't wait to start getting those calls. 

This afternoon, I think my "before the kids come home" are:

• dishes
• pick up the living room
• fold/put away my laundry
• watch a tv show from the DVR without interuption

I guess by writing it down, I am now accountable to that list.  Hmmm... let's see what happens!

Life beyond diabetes

I was just chatting with another PWD (person with diabetes) online.  We talked about our diagnosis.  We talked about the different types of diabetes.  We both agreed that regardless of what type of diabetes you have, it just plain sucks.  Then I paused for a moment.  Was diabetes all we had in common?

We both agreed with a quote from one of our favorite diabetes bloggers, Kerri.  "Diabetes doesn't define me, but it helps explain me."  Unfortunately she had to go, but before we ended our chat we both agreed that next time we'd chat about something non-diabetes related. 

So if diabetes doesn't define me, what does?  Who am I outside of diabetes? Well, I'm a wife and the mother of five.  I'm a substitute teacher.  I love children and I love playing in our church's handbell choir.  I enjoy walks when it's not too hot or too cold.  I don't like to drive, but I do taxi the family around a lot.  I have two dogs, a cat, a lizard (anole), and a tree frog.  Hopefully I'll get the fish tanks ready for some new fish soon.  If I had it my way, I'd also have chickens. 

My dreams (besides a cure for diabetes) include being able to travel some place other than North America. I would love to visit Germany and Switzerland.  Actually Australia would be a wonderful place to visit, too.  I would love to see various animals in their native environment - like a koala!  I would like to teach full-time in my own classroom.  I dream someday of grandchildren, being able to spend time with them whenever I can.  Seeing them participate in various activities and events.  Seeing them graduate and get married.

Does diabetes influence who I am and my dreams?  More than I'd like.  It's an uninvited intruder into my life.  However, it has also been the bridge that has allowed me to meet a lot of wonderful people that I might not have ever met if it wasn't for diabetes.

After the dentist vlog (funny!)

I took this video yesterday after getting home from the dentist.  Since my filling fell out a month ago, the dentist went ahead and cleaned out the tooth and put in a temporary medicated filling.  I found my speech so funny with a numb face, I couldn't help by share it!

Going to the dentist

Why is it that as a parent I make sure my kids go to the dentist religiously twice a year plus any other follow-up appointments they may need, but I haven't been to the dentist since.... hmm.... When was the last time I went to the dentist??? 

Ok, I'm not quite being the "model diabetic" here, am I?  I want to set a good example for my children, but sometimes life gets in the way.  It's sometimes hard for me to take time and money away from the family to do something for myself.  At one point my hair was half way down my back because I had a hard time justifying the cost of getting a haircut.  The dentist has become a somewhat easy to ignore "luxury" up until recently.

At the end of June, I started getting a toothache that caused me to purchase a topical pain reliever.  But early July, I lost a filling and another tooth was also hurting.  Thankfully (?) these two teeth are on the same side of my mouth, so if I'm careful and eat on the opposite side I am fairly pain-free.  Unfortunately, last week a piece of breading from my lunch snuck over to the other side and jabbed right inside the hole in my tooth!  OUCH!  Right after lunch, I was calling around to find a dentist.

My previous dentist, who I really liked though some of his office staff were tolerable, has moved out of the area.  I am now going to try out a new dentist.  I have met him before, when my oldest was young.  At the time, I liked the dentist and his staff but the atmosphere (general dentist) just didn't mesh with my child.  Shortly after our attempted visit, we found a dentist that caters to the younger crowd (kids only) that my children enjoy.

I'm nervous about going to the dentist.  I've always had some anxiety.  While typing this, I have probably misspelled dentist about 75% of the time.  Does that say anything?  Today's appointment is more of a consultation.  I'm assuming I'll have some xrays taken and a treatment plan discussed.  I'm hoping this is the first step of reinforcing to myself that I'm not being selfish by taking care of myself.  Remember the talk before take-off on an airplane?  Parents, please put on your oxygen mask before putting one on your child.  I need to remind myself that I can't take care of my family if I don't take care of myself first.

Stay tuned for an update of today's appointment...

Wordless Wednesday - What I wear on my wrist