Working on a New Look

Often we go through phases where we feel the need for a new look. Sometimes we might get a new haircut. Other times a new outfit. Well, today it's my blog that got the new look.

With the help of my HealtheVoices friend, Megan Starshak, I have a new logo for Diabetes Ramblings! Megan and I met during HealtheVoices16 and have developed a friendship from there. She was able to take my thoughts and turn them into a beautiful design that I didn't have the artistic or technical skills to create.

I'm so excited and hope you like what we came up with! (Square image here in this post and a banner at the top of my blog.) Thank you again, Megan, for your help and encouragement!

Loving #dblogcheck

I've loved reading blogs today and checking in with a comment. Unfortunately I haven't gotten to very many due to a hectic schedule today. Maybe we should have a #dblogcheck week?

I'm making this blog post from my phone, so I'm not able to link back to the person who organized this right now. Please search via Google or look on Twitter for the hashtag #dblogcheck.

I plan to read and comment more during the week as I discover some more amazing diabetes blogs!

#MasterLab Recap from Other Bloggers

I've been trying to read as many recaps about the recent MasterLab as I can, but since I can't read them all at once and it's hard to keep track of everyone's entries - I thought I'd make a blog page where I can list them as I find them. I figure others may want to read them, too!

How to organize them? I think I'll just group them randomly but date published. I think pre-MasterLab and then by dates until July 15th (then I'll call them post-MasterLab) will probably work (I reserve the right to tweak this method as I see fit).

So here we go... (Work in progress!)

Pre-MasterLab
Type 2s at #FFL? #MasterLab!
Countdown to #MasterLab at #CWDFFL14
Upcoming Events

MasterLab / #CWDFFL14.

Masterlab: Tides are Rising

On My Way To Diabetes Land - Children With Diabetes Friends For Life 2014!!

July 2, 2014 (Day of MasterLab)

July 3, 2014 (Day after MasterLab)

July 4, 2014
Diabetes Advocates – MasterLab #masterlab #cwdffl14

July 5, 2014
FDA Basics for Diabetes Advocacy

Powerful Lessons from the Diabetes Advocates MasterLab

July 6, 2014
#MasterLab - From Strangers to Friends

July 7, 2014
#MasterLab Wardrobe
I’m out of my box

Unpacking.

 #MasterLab: What I learned, and what I experienced.

July 8, 2014
My #MasterLab Ask
#MasterLab: What I learned, and what I experienced. (part 2)

July 9, 2014
#MasterLab Wordless Wednesday
Suddenly, Bloggers.

Room full of icons.

July 10, 2014
Rolling up my sleeves
Insights from the First-Ever Diabetes Advocacy MasterLab

#MasterLab: Advocacy and Movement.

Free Write: Friends For Life 2014

Friends For Life: #Masterlab

July 11, 2014
#MasterLab and the Green Bracelet

July 12, 2014

July 13, 2014

July 14, 2014
#MasterLab Debrief.

Stop The #Dstigma & Run With The Diabetes Advocacy

And Beyond!
Friends for Life 2014 – Pictures and First Thoughts
My Day at MasterLab (According to Twitter)

A Rose By Any Other Name #dblog

When I started this blog, I wasn't thinking long term. It was on a whim. Someone on the Type 2 message board at the American Diabetes Association website asked who had a blog since Type 2 blogs were so hard to find. I decided right then that I wanted to start a blog of my own.

What to name it though?

Not being a very patient person, I didn't want to wait long enough to come up with a catchy blog title. RFamHere was the user name I had for several websites, so I used it in my blog name. Because I like alliteration and I've been told that I often ramble on and on, RFamHere's Ramblings was born.

However my blog has expanded further than I ever though possible. I've become part of the Diabetes Online Community (DOC), Diabetes Advocates, The Type 2 Experience, and several other diabetes related groups online. I decided to make my blog title reflect the content of my blog.

From here on out, this blog will be called Diabetes Ramblings.

There are two ways to get to this blog now. The original RFamHere's Ramblings url of http://rfamhere.blogspot.com is still active. The new url fro Diabetes Ramblings http://www.diabetesramblings.com will redirect you to this blog.

I am very excited about the name change and the added web link.

Diabetes Blog Week is coming! #DBlogWeek

Well the semester is not officially over. I can put my textbooks away. What great timing! Next week is Diabetes Blog Week! If you'd like to join or find out more information, just click on the picture below:

Please join us! If you don't want to blog, have fun exploring all of the awesome blogs. I'm planning on using this opportunity to kick start my blog writing this summer. I can't wait!

Today is #dblogcheck day!

Check out some diabetes blogs today!  Maybe find some you haven't read.  Revisit those you haven't read in a while.  Of course check out your favorite diabetes blogs!

Follow the hashtag #dblogcheck on Twitter and check out where this idea started at: A Consequence of Hypoglycemia “I Think We Need A Check In Day“  Thanks, Chris!!!

I have to finish the final project for my grad summer class today, but I'll try to sneak in a few comments here and there.  This is exciting!  Chris put it nicely as he said, "#dblogcheck is not about pageviews, it's about building a stronger community through interaction."

Sharing Resources (#HAWMC)

Today's WEGO prompt: Create a "care page" - a list of your best resources that someone who is newly diagnosed could go to when starting to advocate for themselves or a loved one.  Remember to include sites that lead to successful self advocacy! 

Below are a list of links I've found. I know some may no longer be active, but their information may be valuable.  If you find any links that no longer work, please let me know. I didn't have time to check them all.

Type 2 Blogs:
Tales of Rachel
Sweet Success
Type 2 Diabetes - A Personal Journey
Living with Diabetes
My Fall From Grace
Wildly Fluctuating
Type 2 Blog
Sugar Free Musings.
Very Old, Very Healthy Diabetic

Type 1 Blogs (because we all learn from each other):
Six Until Me. (the blog that inspired me to blog)
The B.A.D. Blog (Ninjabetic)
Scott's Diabetes
Singlewhitediabetic's Blog
My Diary as the Mom of a Diabetic Princess

Other links of interest:
ADA Adult Type 2 message board
You Did NOT Eat Your Way to Diabetes!
Restaurant Nutrition Facts

I hope to add to this list soon!  If you have any links you'd like me to add, let me know!

My Very Lonely Blog

Yes, I have neglected my blog lately. It really bothers me, because I do enjoy blogging. However, my outside life has taken away a lot of the free time I used to spend writing. Now most of my computer time is spent with my online graduate course or decompressing on Facebook or Pinterest. Oh, yes, I've gotten sucked in to Pinterest!

This week is Thanksgiving. My oldest, a sophomore at the university, has the week off. My other children only have school two days this week. I am really looking forward to some extra time with my husband and children. Even though I will have a project to work on for school, I will be home most of the week. My substitute teaching job follows the same schedule as my children.

Maybe during this time off (after I finish my homework), I can work on pre-writing some blog posts. In the mean time, I'm thinking of my blessings and all I have to be thankful for this year. It's been a tough year with all the business, but I am thankful nonetheless. My family is, of course, my biggest blessing.

Find A Friend (#dblog week)

This week I am participating in Diabetes Blog Week, aka D-Blog week. I will be joining tons of other diabetes bloggers this week, blogging about... well diabetes, of course!

Today's D-Blog Week prompt: It seems the most popular thing about Diabetes Blog Week is that it helps us find blogs we weren’t reading yet and connect with some new blog friends.  With that in mind, let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by making some new connections.  Think about the d-blogs you read that you think we may not know about and introduce us to one that you love!!  Let’s all find a new friend today!

Well, as I'm sure others have said, there are just so many awesome diabetes blogs out there. Some are well known, while others may not be. When I started my diabetes blog, I found several Type 1 blogs written by PWDs and parents of CWDs. However, it was hard to find blogs written by PWDs with Type 2. Luckily this didn't discourage me from writing a blog. On the contrary! It actually encouraged me. If I was looking for other Type 2s, maybe there were others with the same pursuit. By writing my own blog, I was actually hoping to connect with other Type 2s.

One blog I have found is Kate's Sweet Success. Now I have to admit that I don't read her blog as often as I'd like, but I do find it comforting read from the blog of another person with similar issues. She doesn't fall into society's stereotype of what a Type 2 should look like. To me, Kate looks young and physically fit. Yes, I realize that I don't know her all that well, but just her profile picture is comforting to me - knowing that someone else out there gets it.

I'm looking forward to reading some of the blogs participating in D-Blog week. I know I'll discover many more treasures like Kate!

WEGO's Health Activist Writer's Month is Over (#HAWMC)

Thank you all for following along during WEGO's Health Activist Writer's Month challenge. It's been a lot of fun. I've been able to think about diabetes in a new way, stretch myself as a blogger, and discover some really amazing blogs.

I hope to keep up on the writing and expanding on the creativity.

Diabetes isn't going away any time soon....

and neither am I!

Writing with Style (#HAWMC)

Today's WEGO prompt: What’s your writing style? Do words just flow from your mind to your fingertips? Do you like handwriting first? Do you plan your posts? Title first or last? Where do you write best?

My typical writing style is to think of a topic and just ramble, hence my blog's title, RFamHere's Ramblings. Sometimes I write by hand first, taking advantage of down time when I may have paper and pen but no computer. Rarely do I plan ahead. Quite often I will start with a title, changing it only if my ramblings make it irrelevant. There isn't really a place I write best, rather a time. When all is quiet. When the kids are in bed or playing outside. When chaos is at a low and peace is present.  Of course I don't always find myself in an ideal blogging environment, but I do my best with what I have.

Search Terms?

Just for fun, I decided to see what the last 100 searches were that lead people to my blog. Considering this is primarily a diabetes-related blog, many of these search terms I found hilarious.


03:38:59 PM November 23 2011 to 01:47:12 PM January 1 2012

9 Visits - brownie cheesecake
4 Visits - brownie cheesecake recipe
4 Visits - ok smile
2 Visits - candy corn
2 Visits - chocolate brownie cheesecake
2 Visits - chocolate brownie cheesecake recipe
2 Visits - dental goodie bags
2 Visits - diabetes expo freestyle lite
1 Visit - 30 days of thankful
1 Visit - BROWNIE – CHEESECAKE
1 Visit - church bell choir
1 Visit - corn chips bother my stomach
1 Visit - corn chips hurt my stomach
1 Visit - french fries and head aches
1 Visit - headaches and french fries
1 Visit - i am engrossed in a book
1 Visit - I CAN DO THIS
1 Visit - medicated filling fall out
1 Visit - site:.blogspot.com/2011 "post a comment" type 2 diabetes (This search resulted in a spam comment which was deleted)
1 Visit - smile fight feel
1 Visit - someone smiling and putting their thumb up
1 Visit - sugar induced mood swings
1 Visit - thumbs ok
1 Visit - thumbs up nutrition happy
1 Visit - thumbs up smile
1 Visit - what's it like to have diabetes

Image above found here.

Pseudo vlog

A vlog is a video blog.  Recently, Ginger, a person with Type 1 diabetes tried to explain the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 with this vlog.



There was a lot of feedback on her Facebook page from several people, especially people with Type 2 diabetes.  She then posted a reply.



In her reply, she asked for people with Type 2 diabetes to share their feelings and experience.  Since I'm not yet ready to make my name and face known in the blogging world, I came up with what I feel is an acceptable alternative.  This video takes bits and pieces of various conversations I have had since being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes almost three years ago.

Time to ramble

One of my biggest frustrations about being an atypical Type 2 is trying to find other Type 2s like me.  If I find someone my age who has diabetes, they're typically Type 1.  Yes, I love talking to Type 1s.  We honestly do have a lot in common about our diseases.  We all have to watch our carb intake (not calories).  We all have similar fears about eyesight and toes.  However, it's not totally the same.  Type 1s deal with injections or pumps on a daily basis.  Not all Type 2s deal with insulin or even oral medications. 

As I search diabetes blogs for someone "like me," I find pages upon pages of blogs from Type 1s or the parents of Type 1s.  When I do find a blog of a Type 2, often times it's someone who falls in the stereotype or a person who is needing insulin.  I know there are plenty of young, atypical Type 2s out there, but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I still love reading blogs of Type 1s like Kerri at Six Until Me.  Kerri has been my inspiration and motivation to really work on this blog that still needs so much work.  So many times I nod understanding what she is going through, especially during her pregnancy last year.  Although I dealt with gestational diabetes during my pregnancies and not Type 1, Kerri and I did have some similar issues and concerns.  Yes, my last child was born over six years ago and her daughter just last year, but I felt a bond with her as I read her posts.  I still do.  Yet, something for me is lacking.

Missing is that bond with other Type 2s.  People trying to manage their glucose levels with diet and exercise alone.  People who are not the norm.  Honestly, I should be used to being "different" by now.  Afterall, being the mom of five isn't exactly common place these days.  Perhaps I need to keep looking for the commonalities I have with the other people with diabetes I meet, regardless of the type or treatment method, instead of getting down about our differences.  No, it's not impossible to find someone "just like me," but there are so many awesome people who are close enough.  So many people that are so awesome that I shouldn't push aside.