Happy Easter!

School Daze

A while back I asked for advice on some school issues, and I was so thankful to everyone who replied.  Not only were your comments insightful, they left me feeling like I had some focus on the matter.

I finally did call up each school to try and set up an appointment, only the school we are not zoned for (which is the closer school) wouldn't even talk to me unless I called the district first.  Even then, they wouldn't know if they could enroll Elise until 1 week before school started.  Ummmm, no.  That's a deal breaker!

So we set up an appointment for the school we are zoned for, and took Elise.  I was a little wigged out by how secure the school is.  I mean, I understand (and am very saddened by) the need for it. But it makes me a little antsy being locked away from my kid that way.  Is it just me?

Anyway, we met with the nurse and the principal and were so impressed by what we saw.  We spent two hours asking questions, and felt pretty good about their answers.  The nurse is very business-like (but had great rapport with Elise), and is very, very pro-504 plan.  In fact, she said they had a T1 show up last year (he's no longer there) without one and they very quickly sat down with the parents to get one in place.

And the part that has us feeling pretty good about this being the school for Elise?  The nurse's brother is a type 1, who was dx'd at the age of 3.  He now lives with her and she helps care for him.

All through Elise's short schooling career, I feel like everything has just fallen into place; her first pre-school teacher had type 2. Her second teacher (who she also has for her last year of pre-school), has been amazing and does such a great job of taking care of her.  Our pre-school has worked with us to make sure we feel comfortable and Elise is safe.

And now the nurse in her new school has t1 experience.  Really, what more could I want?

I do have a few more questions as I start thinking about Elise's 504:

• For those of you who pod, where do you keep the PDM?
• Is it normal that you cannot just tell the nurse to make a change on the fly? Like cancelling a temp basal that you had started before your child left for school that morning?  It sounded like anything the nurse does (aside from straight-up bolusing, or correcting using the pumps suggestions), has to be approved by the doctor.
• Can you put into the 504 that you have the final say in daily changes and the nurse doesn't have to contact the doctor for those?

If there's anything else you think is important, please let me know. I do plan on looking at sample 504s, but I'd like to know provisions that you guys think are the MOST important. 

D-Feast Fridays: Makin' Bacon

Bacon.  It's yummy, but let's face it, a total pain to make.  I hate the cleaning up that comes with cooking bacon.  Or the painful burns if you get hit by some grease.  Even the lingering bacon smell wears on me after 5 hours.  That's why I love this method of makin' bacon!

Bacon in the oven... it's easy, a breeze to clean up, and I've found it doesn't stink up my house for hours afterwards.  Here's how you do it:

Line a cookie sheet with foil.  Arrange your bacon on the sheet like so:

Set your oven to 375 degrees F.  No need to pre-heat, I turn the oven on and put the cookie sheet in at the same time.  Cook for about 15 minutes, depending on how crisp you like it (and how hot your oven cooks).  My advice is to keep your eye on it after about 12 minutes. 

Bacon!  After you remove the bacon, let the cookie sheet sit for a bit until the grease solidifys a bit.  Then you just crumple up the foil and throw it away... so easy!

Or you can keep the foil and you'll be left with some nice bacon art... I think I'll call this one "Ghosts of Bacon Past".

He likes to dip his bacon in Nutella

As does she... maybe they're onto somthing?

Now go... enjoy some bacon. You know you want to.

Carb factors and why they are awesome

My name is Joanne and I weigh my daughter's food.

Pretty much everything she eats graces my kitchen scale.  And I'm okay with it.

It all started when she was diagnosed at the age of 12 months.  We quickly discovered that even 3g of carbs would raise her BG by 70-100.  Even these days when treating a low, we use 6g if we're dealing with anything 50 and above.  Just the other day, she was 53 and I gave her 6g.  A mere 10 minutes later, she was 134.

I guess she's just really sensitive to carbs. 

And I like weighing because it's the most precise way of counting carbs.  It also takes one thing out of the equation when you wind up with a wack-a-doo number after eating.  At least you know you counted the carbs correctly.

I love carb factors because they make it so easy to figure out carbs.  If you've never heard of carb factors before, read this post I did on them.  I think it's a pretty good explanation.

But my favourite thing about carb factors?  Is they make it easy to figure out the carbs of almost anything.  Even if you don't have the nutritional information, you can use a generic carb factor and come pretty darn close. 

For example, bread for the most part has a carb factor of between .47 and .59.  When eating out at a restaurant, I use a generic carb factor of .5 for that yummy, warm, soft bread that comes at the start of the meal, and it usually turns out fine.

Or pasta sauces are usually between .07 and .12 (hint: the more meat, the lower the carb factor).

Mashed potatoes generally run between .18 and .22.

Brown rice? .23.

Vanilla ice cream?  .23 to .25.

Because I have a good head for numbers, I can remember the carb factor for almost anything Elise has ever eaten.  It really has made eating out so much easier for us.  I can barely remember my own name, but I do know that nuggets at CFA have a carb factor of .1.

The other day I was making a cold oriental noodle salad dish for dinner.  It had noodles, chicken, carrots edamame, and a "dressing".  I must have lost my brain somewhere that day, because I threw everything in a bowl without weighing and figuring out the dish's carb factor.  Oops.

I had never made it before, but I had made pasta salad lots of times, and they all have noodles, veggies and meat, so I decided to use the carb factor for one of my pasta salads (.15 if you're wondering).

The result?  She was 104 before dinner, and 124 about 3 1/2 hours later.  I call that, "rockin' the casbah".

And that's the main reason I weigh and use carb factors.  D throws so many other curves at us, I like to try and control what I can.  Sure sometimes we forget the scale.  And I always eyeball and SWAG the cupcakes at a birthday party, but I think weighing Elise's food has a lot to do with why her A1Cs are in the low 6s.

I know that everyone does D differently, and that most of you would never be seen in public with a scale, but in the infamous words of Yo Gabba Gabba, "Try it... you'll like it!"

I really need to start watching better TV shows.

Not mine

It is usually with great jealousy that I read other people's blog posts about "diabetes in the wild" encounters.  For some reason, it just never happens for us.  My husband would tell you that it's probably a good thing, because I tend to act like a puppy when they do.  Meaning I get really stupidly excited and tend to pee myself.

Just joking about that last part.

The other day, I had to take Elise to a dermatology appointment.  It seems she has inherited my penchant for weird skin things.  Lucky girl.

When The NP walked into the exam room, she was reading Elise's chart.  We exchanged hellos and she sat down, scooted up really close to Elise and said, "can I show you something?"

As she reached into her bra (something I realize that would alarm most people, but as someone well ingrained in d-culture, I knew what was coming), I smiled.  She pulled out a pump and said, "I have diabetes too."  She then showed Elise the site on her stomach.

Elise showed the NP her pod, and then we got down to business.  It was then that something very wonderful happened.

The NP asked Elise about "bad diabetes days" and went on to tell her that she sometimes feels sorry for herself for having diabetes.  She held out her hands, palms up and fingers spread.  She added, "I hate having to poke holes in my fingers and seeing those little dots everywhere."

Elise held out her own hands, mimicking the NP.  At that moment I felt very much like an intruder.  An outsider.  It was not unlike peering in on a secret handshake to a very exclusive club.

And it was a very poignant reminder that it's her disease, and not mine.

Intellectually, I know this.  But for those of us with kiddos diagnosed very young, for awhile, it is your diabetes too.  No, you do not have to endure the BG checks, the shots, pump changes, the lows or the highs... but you are there for every single number and sometimes you swear you feel that 45 too.

I watched them, one a stranger and the other my sweet 5-year old daughter, as they shared a connection that I can never be a part of. 

Elise has been struggling with diabetes lately.  Laments of feeling alone, like she's the only one that has to poke her fingers and wear a pump.  Crying because she just wants to be like everyone else.  Hating that a high BG won't let her eat dinner, telling everyone to go ahead and eat without her.  I can't even tell her I understand, because she knows that I don't.

I am so thankful to PWD who take the time to reach out to my child, letting her know that she is not alone.  To reassure her that she is going to be okay.  To let her know that she will have a wonderful life, despite diabetes; and it may even lead her down some amazing pathways, if she lets it.

We have a winner!

What a wonderful day to pick a winner!  It's around 80 degrees out and it just so  happens to be Elise's half birthday (not that we celebrate those, but it just blows my mind to know that).

My lovely assistant.  She made the numbers
and did the drawing.  She told me the popsicle
stick is a 1... for type 1 diabetes

Rummaging through to draw our winner...

And the winner is...

Comment #2, Colleen!  Congrats Colleen, just email me your address (through the contact me link on my sidebar), and we'll be sending you those yummy bars asap.  I'll try to send a little sunshine your way too.

Things diabetes has taught me this month... February edition

-Pod changes are best done early in the day for us.  We have a tough time finding what works best for us to combat those post-pod change highs. We've done it all pre-change bolus, post-change bolus, temp basals of all varieties... And combinations of all of the above. What usually happens is all that extra insulin catches up to Elise about 8 hours later. If we change the pod later in the day, the lows hit in the middle of the night. Not good.

-I hate pretty much all commercials related to diabetes. Especially now that Elise is paying attention (I don't normally watch daytime TV when the kids are not at school, but I am guilty of turning it on when I nurse Lucas). The one that really gets me is for "diabetic nerve pain". All of a sudden the questions tumbled out:

• What is diabetic nerve pain?
• Why does he have it?
• Can I get it?
• Why is it bad?
• How can he have diabetes? He's not a kid!

How do you explain to a 5 year old the complications of diabetes? And should you? She doesn't really even understand. Ugh.

-Each birth after Elise's dx has given me a bit of a glimpse of what it must be like to have twins. Now, I'm not saying I know what it's like to have twins like those my-cat-has-diabetes-so-I-get-it people, but think about it; a newborn needs constant care. So does diabetes. A newborn is exhausting. So is diabetes. A newborn keeps you up at all hours of the night. So does diabetes. It is so tough when both are demanding my attention at the same time.

-Keeping your face too close to your child's foot while doing a BG check in the middle of the night might just result in a kick in the face. Consider yourself warned.

Just a reminder, if you haven't entered my giveaway yet... You still have a few more days to do so. Just click here to read and leave your comment.

And a few of you were interested in hearing Lucas's birth story. I've written it on my other blog here if you want to read it.

Is it really March already?

My KIND of bar

I don't know about you, but I am ALWAYS on the lookout for great-tasting, healthy snacks that my kids will actually eat.  The problem is, those two adjectives rarely go together when it comes to kid-friendly food.  I'm also not a fan of food dyes and HFCS, so that rules out a majority of snacks right there.

And let's not forget about the D-factor either.

So when the good people at KIND Healthy Snacks contacted me about trying some of their product, I couldn't help but be a bit skeptical.  It's been my experience that most of these types of bars taste like sawdust held together by some type of sweet goo, masquerading as honey.  But they sounded pretty good, so I thought I'd give them a try.

The verdict? So far I have been blown away by how GOOD these are.  Even their names are mouth-watering. 

Madagascar Vanilla Almond?  Yes, please!

Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt?  Yum!

Those are just a few of the tasty snack bars they offer.  Each bar falls into one of three categories; Fruit and Nut, Nuts and Spices, and Plus.  The Plus variety has the added boost of nutrients like protein, fiber, antioxidants or omega-3 fatty acids.

The day they arrived, we waited until afternoon snack to try them out.  I chose the Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt, and Elise wanted Almonds & Coconut. Both of them looked amazing and they didn't disappoint.  Elise's was a perfect blend of almonds and sweet coconut (yes, I stole a bite), and mine paired the yummy goodness of dark chocolate with just the right amount of salt to satisfy my sweet and salty craving.

Even better is how each bar has listed buzz words right on the packaging that are important to a lot of people that are concerned with what we are putting into our body.  For example:

• Non GMO
• Gluten Free
• No Sugar Alcohols
• Low Glycemic
• Dairy Free
• No Trans Fats
• Low Sodium

We were also given some granola to try, and so far I am loving the Maple Walnut Clusters.  It is the perfect breakfast with a bit of milk with a few cut-up strawberries thrown on top.  It's also great sprinkled over yogurt.

Note that the bag is open... I kinda couldn't wait to try it out!

So far the entire family has loved everything they've tried.  Now Mattias, who picked the Fruit & Nuts in Yogurt, ate about half before he lost interest.  But I chalk that up to the fact that he's two, and has rather eclectic tastes for a toddler.  He loves spring rolls and will steal them from your plate, but will sometimes refuse to eat fries.

Yes, my son wears pink, hand-me-down bibs... I'm totally cool with it

Now, you may be wondering how the bars affected Elise's BG.  The first bar she tried, Almonds & Coconut, she was at 180.  She ended up in the 300s, but that's not a fair test because I had *just* changed her pod and we are still doing battle with post pod-change highs.

The next day, she selected a Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan.  She was 70 pre-bar, and 103 a few hours later.  And she thought the bar was, "awesome-chawsome!"  I took that as a good thing.

Most bars have between 14-26g of carbs, 3-5g of fiber and 3-7g of protein.

She's a bit of a clown

So, here's my final thoughts on these bars from KIND Healthy Snacks...

All natural ingredients?  Good!

A healthy snack that won't spike Elise's BG?  Good!

Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt?  Goooooood!

If you go to their website at www.kindsnacks.com, you can find a list of where to buy them, and approximately how much they retail for. 

Check out their website.  KIND isn't just their name; it's their philosophy.  They even have a section devoted to encouraging people to go out and "do the kind thing" by partnering with KIND to help out in their community. I love doing business with companies that give back, and I can't wait to stock up my pantry with more KIND Bars.

And you can stock up too!  The kind people at KIND (see what I did there?), sent me a box of extras that I am hiding from my family, to give to one lucky reader!  To enter, just go to their website by clicking here, and scope out all the yummy goodness that they offer.  Then come back and leave a comment telling me which you think you would like the most.  I will pick the winner by a random drawing on Monday, March 4.  Good luck!

***As with all reviews, the opinions are solely mine.  While I did receive free product to review, I was not asked to write about it, and did so of my own volition.  No, I cannot be bought, even with food.***

Flowers die... Donate so a child won't

"Mama? Why do you hate flowers?"

This question was posed to me by Elise just the other day. A neighbour had brought by a vase of flowers because she and her family were going away and she didn't want them to go to waste. Elise saw them and proclaimed them to be, "absolutely so gorgeous."

Apparently she noticed my indifference, because she then asked her question. I made some off-handed remark, then distracted her with something bright and shiny.

Because really, how do you explain to a five year old that flowers are stupid because they die, without sounding like the most heartless person ever?  It's just hard for me to spend a lot of money on something that just sits there for a few days, and then... Poof! They go to the great flower bed in the sky.

Give me chocolate any day.

So why the post slamming flowers? Because Thursday is Valentine's Day. And no doubt roses are in your future; either as the giver or recipient. Enter a very cool idea put forth by some very cool peeps in the DOC:

"We want to help the Life for a Child program, sponsored by the International Diabetes Federation, which aims to take “contributions from donors [to] go to established diabetes centers enabling them to provide the ongoing clinical care and diabetes education these children need to stay alive.”  Our idea was to take the typical “dozen roses,” so popular on Valentine’s Day, and save just one rose to spare the life of a child. “Spare a Rose, Save a Child” is simple:  buy one less rose this Valentine’s Day and share the value of that flower with a child with diabetes in the developing world.  Your loved one at home still gets flowers, and you both show some love to someone who needs it."

-Taken from www.sixuntilme.com

For the cost of ONE rose, you could donate to save the life of a child. Even though here in the U.S., I am able to keep my daughter alive with life-saving insulin, in developing countries, type 1 diabetes is a death sentence.

To donate, just click here.  Flowers for Valentine's Day might be nice, but saving the life of a child is even better.

The dilemma

I cannot believe it, but the time has come to start pondering kindergarten for Elise.  How did this happen? Wasn't it just yesterday that she made her grand entrance into this world? Shouldn't she still be babbling and cooing, all snuggled in my arms?

Isn't she due for a diaper change right about now?

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Okay... Focus.

So. Kindergarten. And the dilemma. Once again I need your advice.

We are zoned for what I will call "school A". This school is about a 10 minute drive from our house. The kids in our neighbourhood take a bus (this will not be an option for Elise since there is no way I will put her on the bus at such a young age) to get there. In years past, it didn't have the best reputation, but they now have a new principal and things are turning around. My neighbour who sends her kids there says it is wonderful. A former neighbour who teaches there says the same.

"School B" is about 2 minute drive from our house. Although Elise couldn't walk there because she would need to cross two very busy streets, it is a lot quicker to get to AND right across the street from the preschool Mattias attends. It has an excellent reputation, and is an "exceptional" school (I think that's what the ranking is called). There is also a ton of parental involvement.

I was told I could petition for Elise to be sent to the closer school for medical reasons, and I so I was thinking of talking to the principals/nurses/kindergarten teachers at each school to see who I get a better vibe from.

 And this is where I ask you to help me with my dilemma.  What should I ask? What is important to know? What would ask if you were me?

I really want Elise to be in a school that will care as much about her as her preschool has (although I'm pretty sure that's impossible, her preschool rocks!). Right now I'm not leaning either way and I'm waiting to talk to each school before I form an opinion.

So if you have any pearls of wisdom, send them my way!  Please help me DOC... You're my only hope.

***At this point, if I had mad photo shopping skills, I'd include a picture of my head on Princess Leia's body.  But since I lack the talent and time, do me a favour and picture it in your head, m'kay?***