To My Children

Don't let anyone tell you that you don't matter. God made you the way you are. "You are meant to be!" Meant to be the way you are. No one can change that. No one should change that.

God made you special, and He loves you very much! And so do I!

Portrait Post (#A4Amonth)

Today's Advocating for Another blog carnival prompt: Write a descriptive portrait of your community. Share qualities that make them, them – and include an image! (A photo or creative work of them!)

My community would be the DOC, diabetes online community. Although there are other diabetes groups, the DOC is the one I feel closest to than all the others.

The DOC contains patients, parents, spouses, children, caregivers, physicians, educators, and those that are seeking out information.

Sometimes we debate, maybe even argue. I try to stay out of discussions that involve which type is harder, whether each type should have their own name, or whether or not Type 2s "deserve" their diagnosis.

However when it comes right down to it, the DOC consists of a fun, loving, accepting, caring group of people from all over the world that have one goal - a cure for diabetes!

Nervous Beginning, Wonderful Support

Today is the beginning of my journey into graduate school.  I have received my first two assignments.  Thankfully I'm almost done with the first one already.

Although I know my family is very supportive, sometimes it helps to know there are others cheering me on as well.

Yesterday I was having some quiet time, trying to calm my nervousness. When I looked down, I saw the bracelets on my left wrist.

Red: ADA, White: You Can Do This Project, Silver: Diabetes, Blue: Living Vertical

It's like my left wrist was a DOC bulletin board, reminding me of all the people out there rooting for me. Not just encouraging me in my diabetes management, but life in general. Ever since I decided to apply for graduate school, I have received so much encouragement from people I have never met, brought together by diabetes.

Thank you to my family and my "family" in the DOC! I love you all!!!

Get a clue

 

Do you ever want to give someone the board game "Clue" and tell them, "Get a clue!"?

Yeah, me too.

That is all...

Vacation from Diabetes?

Recently, my husband and I took a small vacation for our 20th anniversary. The children were well taken care of, in the care of hubby's mom and sister. We had decided we didn't want anything fancy, just time to relax and enjoy each other's company. A state park with private cabins and a cute restaurant was our destination. A perfect place to get away from everything for a few days. 

However there was one thing we couldn't escape. Diabetes.

About an hour after we left home, I realized there was one thing I forgot to bring. More test strips. There were only a couple left with my meter. Did we want to add another two hours to our travel time or keep driving? Since I'm diet and exercise controlled, not needing to worry about insulin doses, we decided to keep driving toward our destination.  If I felt I needed a meter, we'd stop by a local drugstore and pick up their store brand model.

We had a wonderful time. We hiked trails, took naps, ate delicious food, read books outside, and forgot about everything else.  Well, just about everything.  Diabetes, the uninvited guest, was still present.

With my hubby's help, I was able to keep track of how I was doing by how I felt and how I acted.  If I got that sick feeling in my stomach shortly after eating, I knew my glucose levels were high and we'd go for a walk. While in the middle of a trail, I started feeling that my legs weren't moving when I told them to, we stopped for some M&Ms. 

Although diabetes can be a pain at times, I proved to myself once again that it doesn't have to stop me from doing the things I love.  With a little creativity and planning ahead, I was able to enjoy our anniversary get-away without any complications.

Lessons from a Lizard

Sometimes there are obstacles you can't see.  That doesn't mean you should just give up. Keep digging and eventually you will be rewarded. (Anoles got some crickets right after this video.)

So Busy

Saying life as a mom of five is busy... well, that would be an understatement. Summer doesn't seem to slow things down much. Summer camps, mission trip, swimming lessons, part time job, craft business, driver's ed hours, etc. On top of that I'm looking into starting graduate school this fall. How do I find time for *me*?

It's not always easy. I've learned to love the term "pockets of time." As I type, hubby and #4 are in the kitchen making dinner. I'm letting them have the time together while I sneak into my room, using the Blogger app on my phone. It's not the easiest way to type, but it's peaceful.

Finding time here and there for reading or blogging has gotten easier as the kids have gotten older. From my lack of recent blog posts, I guess I've done more reading than blogging. Blame my new Kindle Fire for the renewed reading addiction.

I still need to work on finding time for exercise. Yard work, housework, and running kids around have been most of my "exercise". I did mow the front yard this week. It's a job I rarely do, but I wanted some exercise and it sounded good at the time. Unfortunately we're now experiencing a heat wave which limits my time outside. Going to the Y is difficult with the kids' schedules. Ok, I am realizing that I'm good at excuses.

Is there anyone out there who would like to join me, taking advantage of those pockets of time, and stepping up the exercise routine or even starting one? Comment below. All comments need approval, so let me know if you want your comment to remain private.