Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my dads 75th Birthday. I don't think he would mind me sharing his age with the world. At 75 he is more active than me!

My dad provided such a wonderful, caring, secure and loving childhood for me and my brothers. We all were definately a family unit. He was my inspiration for how I wanted my own family to be one day.

He put up with me through my horrible teenage years (and when I say they were horrible, I am not exaggerating in the least). He taught me how to drive, he helped me with the first car I purchased, he helped me move out and move back a couple times, he walked me down the isle when I got married. He was at the hospital when all 3 of my kids were born. He is always there for a shoulder to cry on and to offer support. He is my rock. I appreciate him every single day.

He is the best Dad anyone could ask for. And he's the best Grandpa I could have hoped for for my kids. He loves them with all his heart. He is also there for them for everything and enjoys every single minute with them. He spoils them in ways I can't and I let him. That is what makes him happy and when he is happy, I am happy.

My brother and I are having a birthday party for him on Sunday. I can't wait to celebrate and tell him again how much he means to me and give him the best birthday ever.

I'm so ready!

The countdown until Summer break has begun. 10 1/2 school days left. And I am SOOOO ready! This morning was a perfect example of how done we are with the school year routine. No one (including me) wanted to get out of bed. There was very little conversation. We each did our thing and headed on our way.

Nights have been tricky also. Who wants to go to bed when it's still light out? Not my kids. We've been sneaking a couple extra minutes in every evening. I'm looking forward to not having to stress about it and knowing they can sleep in the next morning.

A break from packing lunches is on the top of my "Woo Hoo for Summer" list! I pack each of them a lunch every day. And for some crazy reason, I'm the mom who cannot pack it the night before. I can't stand the thought of it sitting in the refrigerator all night. It has to be freshly made/packed in the morning.

So every morning...3 lunches.
Every morning...breakfast for everyone.
Every morning...me up first getting everyone else on their way while rushing to get myself on my way.

Soon it will be...get myself up and going!

The other thing is dinner time. I grew up in a house where dinner was on the table at the exact same time EVERY night! My mom didn't tell us what time to be home, we KNEW what time because it was the same time every night. Dinner time at my house is 6ish (give or take 15 minutes), so I'm pretty good with the whole schedule thing also. And having a diabetic child I know the importance of keeping that schedule. Summer will not change me having a specific time, that time will just be a little later. And I can be a little more flexible with that time. Which means I won't have to rush home from work and throw something together quickly. Maybe I will actually cook a decent meal or two!

Spending time at the beach and in our lake is always at the top of our to-do list. We load up with snacks, drinks, toys, towels, sunscreen and spend the day laying in the sun, floating in the lake, playing in the sand...absolute heaven! I CAN WAIT for that first beach day!

Bring it on summer...I am SO ready for you!

It's the little things...

Money has always been tight for us. When we do anything "extra" we have to carefully decide if we can afford it or not.

As a parent this can cause a lot of stress. I would love to spoil my kids and never have to say no. But the reality is, if they want something big, they have to save for it. My kids know that and very seldom ask for anything that they know I cannot afford to get them. And they appreciate the things I do get for them.

This weekend was a long weekend and everyone went their separate ways. Joshua went hunting, Zachary hung out with friends and Autumn and I had a girls weekend. I knew the boys wanted some extra spending money for the weekend but neither one asked. So Saturday morning I told them if they did chores for me I would pay them. Normally chores are unpaid in my house, but I not only wanted them to have the extra money, I also wanted my house clean! Win, win for everyone. For a good 2 hours there were no complaints and solid work being done. My house and backyard looked fabulous and I had happy kids!

On Sunday Joshua was hunting and Zachary went to a Carnival/Fair for 10 hours. I asked Autumn if she wanted to go to the Carnival also but she declined. Instead her and I went to a wonderful park close to our house. She played on the playground for a while than we visited the animals. We were treated to a beautiful show from a peacock! He had his feathers spread wide for us, than turned around to show us the back. Very cool!

After that I surprised her with a manicure. This was her first. I think she was a little nervous, but very excited. We sat next to each other and enjoyed getting our nails done. Huge success. Happy girl. I think she thanked me 100 times that day.

We didn't spend a lot of money that day, but I'm sure Autumn would tell you it was one of the best days she ever had. If nothing else, I'm teaching her to appreciate the little things.

3 Ingredient Dips

My 4 favorite dips to make all have one thing in common, they each have 3 ingredients! I just made my Sausage Dip and can't wait to dig into it later. I thought I would share these recipes today. Enjoy!

Sausage Dip
1 block cream cheese
1 package breakfast sausage roll
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes

Crumble breakfast sausage roll in a pan, cook until done. Add cream cheese and Ro-tel tomatoes (do not drain tomatoes). Heat until cream cheese is melted and blended and tomatoes are warm.

Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Pepperoni Dip
1 block cream cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
1 package of pepperoni

Heat cream cheese and cream of celery soup until warm and blended, add chopped pepperoni. Heat until all is blended and warm.

Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Crab Dip
1 block cream cheese
1 can lump crap meat
1/2 cup cocktail sauce

Soften cream cheese, spread on a plate, top with crab meat than cocktail sauce. (You can also mix all 3 ingredients in a bowl instead of layering).

Serve with crackers of tortilla chips.

Fruit Dip
1 container cool whip
1 package vanilla instant pudding
1 3/4 cup milk

Combine milk and pudding mix. Beat until blended, 1-2 minutes. Let pudding set. Fold in cool whip until blended. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Serve with fresh fruit.

So much for that plan!

The kids have a 4-day weekend this weekend. Earlier in the week we formulated our plan. Friday morning we would pack up the car, they would go to my parents for the day, I would go to work. After work I would go to my parents house, we'd all go out to dinner than the kids and I would head to "the farm" for some turkey hunting and fishing.

We came up with this plan because Joshua has been anxious to get there and do some hunting. The farm (as we call it) is his favorite place to be. Zachary had plans with friends but wanted to go to the farm for a day also. So we were to go Friday night, Todd would get there Saturday night after work than Zachary, Autumn and I would head back home. Todd and Josh would stay until Monday evening. A plan to make everyone happy.

Everything went as scheduled until we left my parents house. Joshua wanted to stop by Dunhams real quick before we hit the road. I turned into the parking lot, my van made a horrible noise and my power steering went out! Since we were so close to my parents house, I called my dad first...no answer. Than I called my brother...no answer. So Todd came to rescue us. We took the van back to my parents house, loaded up all our stuff in our truck and my dads truck and came home.

I need to mention that a couple months ago we were at Dick's Sporting Goods and the van battery died! What is it with sporting good stores and my van? I told the kids this was the last time I was taking them to a place like that. I'm not going to take my chances for that 3rd strike!

So this morning instead of turkey hunting, fishing and enjoying the beautiful property of the farm...we cleaned the house and I made dinner for my brother who fixed the van for me. Not very exciting and certainly not what we had planned. But that seems to be the way we roll in this house.

Joshua is on his way to the farm now. I know he was disappointed last night but I'm glad he still got to go. I'm even hoping he get's a turkey, but only because it will make him happy.

Hoping for no more unexpected surprises this weekend.

I miss you every day

6 weeks ago I had to say good bye to my beloved dog, Madison. It was one of the hardest days of my life. I had been blessed to have her for over 16 years. I think about her and miss her every day.

February 1997: I wasn't married yet. Living in a rental home in Commerce Township. It was a Saturday morning. Todd and I went to the gym (back when I actually did things like that), than we went to the pet store for bird food. It was adopt-a-dog day. I walked in, looked at him and said "We're getting a dog." Both of us were big fans of Lab's so we headed over to a box full of lab puppies. In the corner of that box was a little black fur ball. She was only 6 weeks old. I looked at her and knew she was the one. We were told that she was a border collie and would grow to be about 35-45 pounds. Perfect. Neither of us knew a thing about that breed of dog, but we were in love and she was going home with us.

After an extensive interview process, in which we had to lie and say we were already married, we took our new baby home. We soon discovered that this particular breed of dog is a very busy breed. She was a horrible puppy. Got into everything, chewed everything, but I loved her with all my heart. I think I made more phone calls to the vet that first year than I did to the pediatrician with all 3 kids combined! She gave me a run for my money, but I wouldn't have given her up for the world. And after that first year she settled down and turned into the best dog a person could ask for.

She grew quickly and passed that estimated weight of 35-45 pounds. When she was done growing she was close to 100 pounds. It didn't matter, big dogs were what we were used to.

We discovered that she was a mix of border collie and regular collie. The vet said more regular than border. She was solid black except for a small patch of white on her chest that you could only see if you moved the other hair around it.

She was with me when I got married, bought my first house, had all 3 of my kids and so many other life-changing events. She was always happy to see me, always thankful for whatever I gave her to eat and was always by my side. My mornings started with greeting her and my days ended with saying good night to her.

There is a huge void in my life now. I still look for her, I swore I heard her for weeks after, I smell her and I just can't believe she is gone. I always referred to her as my first child and I will miss her every day of my life.

73 cents

I think most adults have a morning routine and one thing that get's them going every morning. My guess is for most it is a cup of coffee. Others may enjoy a cup of tea. For me it's my 73 cent Big Gulp!

I work 6 miles away from home. And can go to one of three 7-Eleven's on my way to work! My experience has shown that not all 7-Eleven's are created equally. My favorite was owned by a guy that I had actually met through a room mate in my younger years. This one was always clean, well, stocked, the people who worked there were so friendly and they became friends. Last year that location was sold. The new owner...not so friendly. The staff now changes as often as a normal person changes their underwear. No new friends were to be made there. AND they got rid of Coke Zero in the self-serve pop machine.

I had to find a new favorite 7-Eleven. The next one I went to, I quickly discovered was owned by the new owner of my previous favorite. Darn it. BUT they had Coke Zero in their machine so this is where I started to go.

One day I took a different route to work, stopped at yet another 7-Eleven. This one was SO clean, so well organized, super nice people...but no Coke Zero! I suffered through a diet dr pepper that day. Back to the other location it is.

I don't know what it is about fountain pop that is so appealing. I've tried buying 2-liters and taking my own cup of pop instead of stopping. It's more cost effective that way, but it's just not the same. Not only do I think I'm worth 73 cents a day, it's worth the price to lift my spirits and start my day on a happy note. Maybe it's because everything else in my world revolves around others. This Big Gulp each day is just for me!

A1C 7.9

If you don't know someone with Type 1 Diabetes, than my title mostly likely means nothing to you. In the diabetic world it is THE number. The one we parents of TID kids stress about. This number tells if you're doing a good job taking care of your child or not.

Our Endocrinologists office uses a traffic light chart for this number:
Green light = where you want to be
Yellow light = not bad, but really want you in the green
Red light = not good

In mommy language these lights mean:
Green light = Great job! You're doing things correctly
Yellow light = Not so great, we really need to be in that green light area
Red light = You suck! You're doing a terrible job

The doctors (hopefully) would never use mommy language, but us moms are thinking it and guessing the doctors are thinking it also.

Autumn goes to a doctor through Children's Hospital. She is a nice lady, but she's tough. She only praises when totally justified. The first couple visits with her I felt like she was picking on me and nit-picking every negative thing. I remember that first visit when she couldn't find anything negative to say. I was one proud mamma. Now I just take her for what she is. She doesn't have diabetes, so what she knows is through her patients and learning. There are a lot of things you cannot learn about this in a text book.

Autumn's nurses and nutritionist, on the other hand, are all T1D. They get it. They are the people I turn to when I really want to know what to do. They live it so they understand a little better.

7.9 is a green light number, so our appointment went well. I'm apparently doing something right.

What's Cookin?

Last night was one of those nights when I got home late from work and didn't have a plan for dinner. I don't know why it's so hard for me to plan out our meals for a week, but it is and I find myself winging it night after night.

So I decided to recruit the kids and we would all pitch in to cook. Here is the menu we came up with:
Fish
Corn on the Cob
Watermelon
Strawberries

The kids had caught a bunch of fish over the weekend and Joshua wanted to try breading it using Cheese It's. Success! Very yummy. Zachary used a rolling pin and turned them into crumbs. Joshua did the cooking. (Egg wash, cheese its, deep fryer.)

Autumn was in charge of making cocktail sauce for the fish. We prefer this over tartar sauce with our fish. (Ketchup and Horseradish Sauce.)

Zachary cut up the watermelon and I cooked the corn and cleaned the strawberries.

I love spending time in the kitchen with my kids. And I love that they take pride in knowing how to cook. I came home stressed but ended up having a fun time with them preparing and enjoying the meal we made together.

After dinner I had to make a dessert to take to Autumns Girl Scout Brownie picnic tomorrow night. I again recruited the kids and we whipped up some individual s'mores.

 

Recipe:

1 bag marshmallows

10 Graham Crackers (crushed into crumbs)

1 bag chocolate chips

Pretzel sticks

 

Put 1 pretzel stick in each marshmallow. Melt chocolate chips (I put them in a cup and melt in microwave. Set for 30 seconds, stir. Set for another 30 seconds, stir. Continue until completely melted). Coat marshmallow sides and top with melted chocolate chips, roll in crushed Graham crackers. Let set and enjoy!

Who am I today?

Do you ever feel like you are 20 people rolled into one? Sometimes I have to take a moment to figure out which one I am.

I'm always a mom. No matter where I am, where my kids are, or what we are all doing, the mom role never goes away.

I'm also an employee at a printing company. When I'm at work I have to get into my professional mode. My favorite parts of my job are being creative and helping customers. It amazes me the things that people share with me when they come in. Things I might hesitate to share with my very best friend! I don't know these people, they don't know me. Yet they feel compelled to share what's going on in their lives.

I don't really have a title at my job. When I was hired in 100 years ago (okay, it was 19 years ago) my title was Graphic Artist. Over the years my job responsibilities include everything but actually running a printing press. So we shall call my title "Everything".

Next is my Close To My Heart consultant job. I became a consultant with this wonderful scrapbooking and rubber stamping company 12 years ago when my boys were 1 and 2. I had decided I needed to stay home with them for a couple years and I needed something to do to get me away from the house 1 or 2 times a month. This was only going to be a temporary gig until I could get back to the print shop. Little did I know that it would become another career for me. My customer base and team grew so quickly and I found myself actually making money doing this! What a concept. I really just wanted to get out of the house and maybe make a couple bucks to spend on my own supplies. Within a year I was making enough to make the house payment each month. Than a little more. And it has continued on...

Next is Parent. I say parent instead of mom because this is the role I play at the schools. This was a huge role when my boys were in elementary school. Everyone on staff knew me there, most of the other parents knew me. I had my hands in a lot of things and loved it. 9 years later, I'm a little burned out. I help out with "some" things now. I go in the classroom when I can, but I've stepped away from being the super parent and am now just a parent.

So who am I today? I'm all of the above.

I'll be in my corner

When the kids were little, the boys shared a room, Autumn had the small room and the "extra" room was where the computer, my scrapbooking supplies and misc stuff was. When the boys were in 3rd and 4th grade (if I remember correctly), they decided they didn't like each other anymore and didn't want to share a room. There went the extra storage space.

Our house is small and I utilize every space available. After thinking it through the only area that had some extra space was the family room. The plan was to build a partial wall and have my area be against the full wall on the end. We moved the furniture around and were happy with the "wall" that the entertainment center built. So I moved in.

This became my corner. I laugh when friends of my kids come over and ask where I am and they reply "She's in her corner". It's actually worked out great. I'm still in the family room, you just can't see me. I have my own space but am not completely away from everything and everyone. And it can be (as always is) as messy as I want, because unless you turn the corner and peek in, you cannot see the mess!

 

I have spent many hours in this corner. Scrapbooking, cardmaking, making gifts, prepping for gatherings & workshops and getting ready for my Stamp-N-Scrap Camp weekends. It may not be the greatest scrapbook area in the world, but it's mine and I love it.

Drink your water and get your groove on...

Diabetes is all about numbers. One of the biggest challenges is not getting all hung up on them. I'm learning to take one number at a time and do what is needed with that number.

Here is what today brought:

7:45am - 2:00pm (the number of hours the other numbers are based on)
11 (the number of times she had to poke her finger to check her sugar)
521 (the highest blood sugar reading this morning)
456, 458, 493, 443, 393, 333, 290, 434, 335, 255 (the other blood sugar readings)
90-150 (what her blood sugar should be at)
5 (the number of times she threw up due to high blood sugar)
2 (the number of bottles of water I convinced her to drink)
2 ( the number of movies we watched while she was feeling extrememly miserable)

Our day started with Autumn throwing up. With a diabetic you have to figure out the reason for this. Is she sick? Is her sugar high? Is her pump working? Did we forget to calculate some carbs? For a couple hours it's a guessing game.

Her sugar was high. Could be the pump. Or she could be sick. I wasn't confident about her site change that happened last night so I decided the first plan of action was to change the site to her pump. Than check sugar and give insulin every 20-30 minutes.

Around noonish she started to feel better. Some color returned to her cheeks and she was hungry. Sugar is still on the high side so we decided on a protein lunch. Scrambled eggs, milk and yogurt.

After lunch we hooked up the wii and got the Just Dance games out. Autumn was dancing her little heart out. In between songs I would say to her "Drink your water and get your groove on." Water is a must with high sugar and it always presents a challenge to get her to drink enough. Activity will also help get that sugar down.

Water and Groovin' that's the plan for today.

Optical Illusion

Somehow this city girl ended up with boys who are anything but city! They fish, they hunt, they ride 4-wheelers, they go knee-boarding before the middle of May. They hang out on the roof, they love a good bonfire. They are in the house only if the weather is too crappy to be outside.

They do have videos games, computers, iphones and all those fun gadgets, but given the choice, they prefer to be outdoors.

The other day Joshua showed me this picture:

Dear God, I thought. He calmly said "Don't worry mom, it's an optical illusion." Looks to me like 6 feet off the ground! I'm not sure I needed to see this picture.

 

This winter he completed his boaters safety, so now he can legally drive the boat. This should open up a lot of fun for him (and anxiety for me) this summer. He couldn't wait to get out and experience being the captian of the ship (well, fishing boat).

 

Last Saturday was chilly and cloudy, but that didn't stop him. He loaded up his brother and 2 friends. They were geared in wetsuits and ready for adventure. They spent a good couple hours on the lake knee boarding. I thought they were crazy, but they couldn't have been happier.

 

I've learned to be a little less city because of these boys.

Not too long ago, my daughter said to me "Mom, I think I'm a tomboy because the boys are rednecks!" That about sums it up.

Guardian Angel

I'm sure all of us have a Guardian Angel, but I'm not sure many of us can physically see them. My daughter, Autumn, get's to see her Angel at school every day.

Rewind 3 years. Autumn was going into kindergarten. Recently diagnosed with T1D. I was a nervous wreck about sending her. We met with the principal, her teacher and the most amazing lady in the world...Mrs. B. Mrs. B is a para-pro for the school system my daughter attends. She was assigned to the school to care for another child who is also T1D. She wasn't familiar with doing shots and calculating without a pump, but she jumped right in and learned everything she needed to know to take care of Autumn. Kindergarten was an amazing year and we felt blessed.

1st grade, the school system decides Mrs. B is no longer needed at the school. There's no nurse in the school or in the district. The "plan" was for her teacher and other staff members to take care of her. This would have been a great "plan" if all these people didn't have a million other things they had to do and take care of on a typical school day. Mama bear was not happy. After a LONG, FRUSTRATING, EMOTIONAL fight I was finally able to get Mrs. B back. The rest of the year...amazing! Again we felt blessed.

2nd grade, the school system finally got a clue and didn't fight us and Mrs. B was there on the first day, ready to take care of Autumn. The end of the school year is fast approaching. Another amazing year under our belt! Now Mrs. B is part of the family. We are blessed.

I'm sure I could never put into words what this women means to me and my family. She's a mom, a nurse, a friend and a support to my daughter. She has taken classes and training on her own to have a better understanding of Diabetes and the care that is needed. She can look at Autumn and tell if her sugar is high or low. She knows when she needs a snack, some protein or water. She is organized and knows every move that Autumn makes, and she is there to make sure those moves go smoothly. I don't think I would have gotten through the past couple years without her. We have shared stories, opinions, tips and tears with each other. She is who I turn to when I just don't know what to do. I turn to her because she knows my daughter almost as well as I do.

She is our Guardian Angel and I am forever grateful to have her in our lives.

Celebrations and food!

Birthdays are a big event in our household. I host a family dinner for each child. They get to pick the menu and the cake. It has been fun seeing their food selections change over the years. The boys are no longer picking mac-n-cheese and chicken nuggets. Their choices have become much more sophisticated.

Joshua turned 14 in April. The week before his family party he went Pheasant hunting. So pheasant was the main attraction on the menu. For this I had to do a little research. I'm not sure if I had ever had pheasant before and really thought you could throw it in the oven and roast like a chicken. What I discovered is it get's dry very quickly so it needs to be breaded or used as an ingredient in a casserole-type dish. I printed out a bunch of recipes I thought he would like and let him pick. His dad took over and I was off the hook preparing those little birds.

I was (and will always be) in charge of the cake! This is my favorite part. I let them pick what flavor cake they want and the theme/design of the cake. Joshua's past cakes have included: a treasure chest, the coca-cola logo, camo, monkey face, nemo and fishing, to name a few. This year he left is up to me! Thanks to Pinterest, I knew exactly which cake he was getting...the whopper cake!

Yes, it's heart-shaped.

Only because I couldn't find 2 round cake pans that were the same size.

 

This had to be one of the easiest cakes I've ever made. 1 cake mix, 1 can of frosting, 2 boxes of whoppers! Yes, I had to place each whopper perfectly postioned on the frosted cake. But if you know me...you know this was right up my alley! Perfection at it's finest. One row at a time. Whoppers fitting within whoppers. I was in heaven!

 

The cake was a hit. The dinner was amazing. The kid was happy. On to the next...

 

3 weeks later Zachary turns 13! (Did you do the math? Yes, they are only 1 year and 3 weeks apart!)

 

He had no problem coming up with his menu:

Grilled chicken marinated in Italian Dressing

Cheesey Potatoes

Corn on the Cob

Cauliflower Salad (recipe to follow at bottom)

Grandmas Jello

Grandpas Fruit Salad

 

The day before the party I discovered that the local farm by our house had fresh asparagus. I asked Zachary if he wanted that or corn on the cob. He picked both, of course. (I love that my boys will eat most anything!) So we added asparagus to the list.

 

When I got to the stand there were about 15 people in line. It was 3:00 in the afternoon. They had opened at noon and just before I got there they had run out. Thankfully, the farmers were in the field picking more. There would be a 10 minute wait. No problem. This asparagus is worth the wait! As I stood there I couldn't decide how much I should get. Definately enough for the party. Maybe a little extra for another day. It would be nice to get our guests some to take home too. Crap! I had no idea how much to get. The farmer returned with a pick-up truck full and the first person bought 7 pounds! Person #2 buys 5 pounds. Not one person ahead of me buys less than 5 pounds. It's my turn. What the heck, I'm going to buy 5 pounds also!

 

Did I mention that we did a combination Zacharys Birthday Party/Mother's Day Party? So all the moms who graciously spent their day celebrating with us got a bouquet...

I think the kids thought I was a little wacko for doing this, but everyone who received my special bouquet was happy. (Even gave one to my brother!)

 

Zachary also left the cake up to me this year. Back to pinterest. It had to be equally as good as his brothers. Hello Kit Kat Cake!

 

1 cake mix, 1 can of frosting, 12 Kit Kats (which I didn't need all of), 2 bags of mini peanut butter cups. This cake was a little more work, only because all the kit-kats had to be broken into individual sticks. I put Autumn on that job.

 

The cake was a hit. The dinner was amazing. The kid was happy. 4 months until the next...

 

Cauliflower Salad Recipe

1 head cauliflower

1 pound bacon

1 cup mayo (more or less, depending on how creamy you like yours)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 head lettuce

Grease from bacon (I use about 1/2 cup)

 

Cook bacon until crispy, cut into small pieces. Break cauliflower into bit-sized pieces. Cut lettuce into small pieces. Mix everything in a bow. Chill. Serve.

 

Roasted or Grilled Asparagus

Asparagus

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

 

Place asparagus on aluminum foil. Coat lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cover and seal with foil. Place on hot grill and cook for 10-15 minutes or place in 350 degree oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Smart Phone Challenged

The boys have been bugging me for smart phones for well over a year now. I finally agreed, but only because our cell phone bill was getting out of hand. Phones calls and texting just are not enough for 2 teenage boys.

So this evening we took a family trip to T-Mobile and became a smart phone family. Our salesman Justin was great. He's not a big fan of iphones, but there was no talking the boys out of them. Since they know more than me in this area, I let them pick whatever they wanted. I, on the other hand, had no clue. Maybe at one point I will use my phone for more than making a call, sending a text or now being able to go on FaceBook. But I honestly told Justin that this was all I felt I needed out of my phone. I love apple products. I was working on a MAC computer WAY before they were cool. But do I need an iphone? Probably not. So just hook me up with what suits my needs and have it cost less than their phones.

An hour later we left the store. 2 extremely happy kids. 2 adults who didn't know what to do with their new toys.

Now we're home, the boys have their phones all figured out, contacts loaded and on the go. Hubby is playing with his, not sure he's actually accomplishing anything on it. Me? I'm on the laptop posting a blog. It's been a long day and I'm not feeling very smart. My smart phone and I are going to have to become friends another day. Right now I am going to stay in my comfort zone and not be so smart.

When you grow up...

Do you remember your mom saying to you "I hope you get a child just like yourself when you become a parent", after you had done something bad? My middle school years were pretty miserable and I put my parents through hell. I'm pretty sure if my mom wasn't saying this to me, she was thinking it.

I have 2 brothers. Mark (on the right) is 9 years older than me. Kevin (on the left) is 8 years older. Because of the age difference they were almost like Uncles when I was going through my terrible teens. Neither lived at home than. When they did live at home, I can remember the fights, the arguments and the teasing. I remember some of the trouble they got into, but I'm sure there is WAY more than I remember.

My mom with her 3 kids.

It's not the best picture but here we are!

Now that I am a parent with 3 children of my own. Two boys that are 5 and 6 years older than my daughter, I wonder if my mom was saying "I hope you get a child just like yourself when you become a parent" or if she was REALLY saying "I hope you get a child like yourself AND you get your brothers when you become a parent". Because somehow that's what happened!

Me and my 3.

(Taken just after my hair got cut REAL short! Yikes!)

The similarities are sometimes freaky. When they were little my parents would look at them so adoringly and I just knew that they were taken back in time and not seeing their grandsons, but seeing their own sons when they were that age. They used to laugh and tease me that I had my own Mark and Kevin. It was kind of cool. It made them being grandparents of these two adorable little boys even more special. Sometimes they even mistakenly called them by my brothers names.

Than the boys started getting older and I started noticing they had more in common with my brothers than just the age difference between the two of them. Most days are good. And some days they push me to the limit. I share these days with my parents. They, of course, love to hear anything to do with their grandkids. Most times my mom is laughing as I'm sharing what they have gotten into or done. I know she can't wait to get off the phone and have a good laugh with my dad. Afterall, they've been through it.

So why did I get my brothers and they didn't? I think it's because God knew the thing I wanted most was to be a mom. I wanted kids and I wanted to love them as I had been loved growing up. So he gave me the same as he gave my parents.

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Haven't figured Autumn out yet. My parents still look at her and see me at that age. We shall see as she get's older if I really did get all three!

Happy Mother's Day!

All about Diabetes today

It has only been in the past 6 months that I've reached out to other parents with diabetic children for advice and support. Autumn was diagnosed 3 years ago. At first I was obviously very overwhelmed with everything and just needed to figure out how to take care of her. Soon after I met a parent who was so negative and said such horrible things that I decided I was better of on my own.

Yes, it's a horrible thing. I would never wish it on anyone. But it is what you make of it. I want my daughter to lead as normal a life as possible. The only thing different from her than other children is her pancreas doesn't produce insulin. Period! She can play, do sports, go to school, dance, run, be a mom one day. She can do anything she wants. Don't get me wrong, it's more work to have her do all these things, but she can. And she will. I'm making sure she knows how to manage her diabetes and do everything she wishes.

I am currently connected with 3 wonderful groups on FaceBook. These are mom's like me. They make mistakes. They get frustrated. They woo hoo the good days and shed tears on the bad. They have helped me through many ups and downs and it's been a wonderful experience sharing with them.

Today there was a post from a mom whose child had just been diagnosed. She posted because her child's doctor recommended she quit her job to stay home to take care of her child. I won't get into how I feel about that. Luckily the other moms gave her great advise which included finding a new doctor. One mom posted this quote and it really struck home with me:

“If you show your child that their diabetes stops you from doing what you love and dream, you will show your child to let it stop them. Moreover, you’ll convince them they’ve taken something from you -- something you never want your child to think.”
----Dr. Jake Kushner

I couldn't agree more.

Little girls...big hearts

Autumn (my 7 year old daughter) is in a brownie group at school. Her troop has 20 girls. 20 second graders! And they are a hoot! You would think getting that many kids together would involve a lot of drama. Maybe that will come later, for now they are just happy to be there. They get along great. They don't play favorites or complain when they get partnered up with someone other than their best friend. It's a joy to be with them all.

They rocked it with cookie sales this year. They sold to family and friends and also had numerous cookie booths. At the booths there was a donation box. They received a lot of donations this year and decided to put that money towards Philanthropic Activites (as the leader stated! I would have said charities. I feel very grown up taking that title from her).

The first thing they decided to do was purchase coloring books to donate to kids in foster care through Big Family of Michigan. Love this idea. So proud of them for picking something so worth while.

The second thing they decided to do is create a team and participate in the Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes at the Detroit Zoo on Saturday, Sept. 14! I had goose bumps and tears in my eyes when I found this out. The girls will be donating $150 from their cookie donations to the American Diabetes Association and working to raise more funds through can drive(s), odd jobs and soliciting donations from family and friends over the summer. (Stay tuned...you will be notified as to how you can help out).

Autumn, who is a Type 1 Diabetic (which I shall now refer to as T1D) spoke to her troop and told them a little bit of what it's like to have diabetes and about some research that is currently taking place to find a cure. I wish I had been there to hear her speak. If you know her, you know that she is VERY knowledgable about her diabetes. And always willing to share. If you wanted to see where the site is to her pump, she'll show you her little tush so you can see where it's connected. Want to know how the pump works? She'll give you a full lesson. Some times it's hard to believe she is only 7. But like any other 7 year old, she gets things mixed up, so I'm wondering what exactly she shared about the research. I get confused when I read the articles, so I can only image her take on it all.

I'm so very proud of these little girls, with these amazingly big hearts who are going to do something so worth while that will benefit one of their own. I know they are going to work hard this summer to add to those donations.

Here I am...4 years later!

So I originally started this blog in 2009. I set it all up, made one post and never did anything else with it! But I've been thinking about it for the past 4 years. I just couldn't decide if  I wanted a blog that was just for my Close To My Heart business, or maybe a blog about life with a diabetic child, or a place to share stories and recipes. In my mind each of these things had to have a place of it's own. There's no way I can manage 3 or 4 different blogs. I'm not even sure I can manage 1. So I finally decided that this was going to be a "whatever I want" blog. You'll be surprised when you log it to see what I'm up to that day. This should be interesting and fun.