Temptation and Frustration

My mantra when dealing with diabetes is "Moderation not deprivation." I use this often, especially when someone tells me I can't eat something because I have diabetes.

I do know there are things I "can't" have because I admit that I have trouble with moderation. Girl Scout cookies are toward the top of this list. Those tempting foods that are just too good to have in moderation. 

Recently our town had their yearly festival that most towns have. The carnival and the crafters. The performers and the food. Oh the food! 

My two favorite fair items would probably be a lemon shake-up and a funnel cake. Oh wait! The yumminess of the fried Snickers! Ok, three favorite things. Thankfully the lemon shake-up vendor (a local barbershop group) will make their with Splenda or without sugar if you ask. Yes, it's not as sweet, but it has a lot less carbs that way. However, I have yet to find a low-carb funnel cake or fried Snickers. Well you can have it without the powdered sugar, but how many carbs are still left?

There was that temptation. Oh the atmosphere just calls you to those food vendor stands with their yummy goodness. Yes, I admit I gave in. I ordered myself a fried Snickers, hold the powdered sugar please. I didn't order myself a funnel cake, though I did get two for my kids to share. More temptation: They didn't eat it all. Yes, I had some, reminding myself that I didn't have a whole one.

Yes, I dealt with some frustration with myself. But then I thought about it. Moderation not deprivation. Our town festival is only once a year. I had a very low carb lunch. I was walking around quite a bit, burning off many of those carbs. I decided I was more frustrated with the disease than my choices. It's frustrating that those of us living with diabetes even need to make these choices.

Reminding myself that I can balance temptation and frustration with moderation and goals is what keeps me going.

Educational Update

Last year I completed a Masters of Science in Education with an emphasis on Reading. In other words, I got a masters in reading. It was a big accomplishment as a mom of five working full time. I'm usually not one to brag about my accomplishments, though I did share my feelings on this blog. That was a year ago and I'm still proud of my degree.

Well today came the cherry on top. In order to received a state endorsement as a Reading Specialist, not only did I need to complete the masters program but also two years of full-time teaching. Since I started the program while working as a substitute teacher and finished it during my first year of teaching, I had to wait an additional year in order to meet the years of teaching requirement. Last month I finished my second year of teaching. Yesterday I went to the university and turned in my paperwork. Today I got an email from them saying they entered the information on the state's website, and all I had left to do was go online and pay the fee.

After doing just that, I sat and stared at "Reading Specialist" that was now included in my list of endorsements. My hubby came by and I said, "Look! I'm officially a Reading Specialist!" with tears streaming down my face.

There were so many times I wanted to give up. More times than I'd like to admit. I'm thankful for my husband, my children, my classmates, professors, friends, coworkers, and even sometimes strangers for encouraging me on my journey. It wasn't easy, but it was definitely worth it!

Oops - Missed #dblog Week!

This year's Diabetes Blog Week came at a really busy time for me. It was the last week of school for me and my first graders. Six and seven year olds are very busy, especially when we're at the end of a school year. I feel bad that I missed posting during the official week (May 16-20), so I'm planning to use the next few days to post my own belated #dblog week posts. Look out for them really soon!

BELATED EDITION