Pink Panther

We've got a diabetic sick day going on. Daniel came down with the wicked stomach flu that has ravaged our household. I dug out the good old Pink Panther book, which so wonderfully explains what to do when ketones approach.

Daniel is hovering just over the range of normal -- he's been in the 140's all day, but has recently inched up to the 170's. His latest test for ketones found some in trace to small levels. So he just had some ginger ale with an insulin chaser, and we'll see what happens next.

As we've each gotten sick, we've all gravitated to a corner of the big green couch, curled into a comma shape, and covered up with a big, furry blanket. It must be the most comfortable spot in the house. I wish it had magical healing properties, too.

Perspective

Perspective changes everything. I remember roiling in angst when I was in my 20's over something... a relationship? Money problems? Who knows anymore. I took a walk outside that evening into a moment of perfection. A rising moon, branches silhouetted against the surreal shades of blue and green. In wonder, surrounded by something much greater than myself, my worries dropped away. And when I picked them back up again, as I felt I needed to do, I found they were not quite as powerful as they had been before. Why? Because I had been able to let them go, if just for a few moments. The magic of the moment was tangible, and I could summon it, from time to time, to help me let go of angst again.

I am missing my best friend today, my partner, my love. It colors everything I do. So what I do, for now, is go through the motions of the day, and hope for a golden moment of perspective.

Losing It

There's a nasty stomach virus around... and it is in my house! Nora caught it first, followed quickly by me. Ugh. Then we had a couple days of lovely peace and quiet. I thought, "Yay! It's gone!" And, "PHEW, Daniel escaped!" Because the thought of dealing with the stomach virus/diabetes combination makes me queasy all over again.

And still, Daniel has escaped it. I'm asking him to wash his hands every half hour or so! :) But Dominic started up at 2:30 this morning.

WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

Doing more laundry. Bleaching more bathrooms.

Why do little boys...

Why do little boys take their sister's razors while they are in the bathtub and shave their eyebrows?

I don't think Dominic will let me take a picture.

11:30 pm, 3:00 am, 5:15 am

Last night was the holiday party thrown by Matt's office. It was at the Gaylord Hotel & Conference Center, on the new waterfront area built just south of DC. Lovely, HUGE... it was snowing inside the main lobby, just for effect. The staff was fabulous, the dinner was okay, the dresses were fun to observe. Traffic was better than expected both to and from the event, and we got home just in time to hear Nora throwing up in her room. Yeah, it was one of those messy ones.

11:30 pm, 3:00 a.m., 5:15 a.m. It's a tummy bug. I kept telling myself that after the 3:00 a.m. vomit --the one where she told me she was awfully thirsty. I remembered we had been out shopping together earlier in the day and she told me how thirsty she was. (I was as well -- shopping and cold, dry weather will do that to you.)

Nonetheless the monkey in my brain is saying, "Should you go check her blood sugar? How about keytones? How long has she been thirsty? Has she lost weight?" The other part of my brain, the one that truly wants to get some rest is saying, "Shut up. You were thirsty, too. She has a slight fever. It's a tummy bug. The clinical trial people said last summer she didn't have the antibodies in her blood showing diabetes. SHUT UP. GO TO SLEEP."

Maybe I slept. I'm not sure. I've got a field trip this morning with my church kids. I just folded the 11:30 p.m. laundry and am putting the 3:00 a.m. laundry in the dryer. Time to start the day. Sat Nam.

Squirrel Butt

Uncensored.

The things we do for a laugh...

Type 1 Diabetes & Celiac are Linked

Thanks to my sister in law for passing along this article from the Boston Globe:

The following appeared on Boston.com:
Headline: Juvenile diabetes, celiac disease linked
Date:     Dec 11, 2008   

"WASHINGTON - Type-1 diabetes and celiac disease, also known
as gluten intolerance, share at least some genetic roots, researchers
reported yesterday."


To see this recommendation, click on the link below or cut and paste it
into a Web browser:


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/12/11/juvenile_diabet
es_celiac_disease_linked?s_campaign=8315

Season of Sweets

It started today.


I walked into my classroom, and on my desk sat a chocolate chip pound cake. Just what I need! The season of sweets has started. I have been trying so hard to lose the weight I gained after Daniel was diagnosed -- I neglected myself for a while. Plus I was sad. Eating = comfort. Sadness scares away the desire to exercise. Bad combination. So I've lost *almost* 10 of the pounds I gained, and am almost at the point where my brain says, "Hey! Just for fun, whaddaya say we exercise today!" It's a weird paradigm shift.

Then the cake appears, and I know it is only the beginning.

The kids have already started asking, "when are we going to make cookies/toffee/pizzelles?" They came home with trays of chocolates from our church's holiday craft day.

I need a strategy to get through the next few weeks. Celery, anyone?

PC

Here's the email laugh I got today:

To All My Politically Correct Friends:Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wished.

Radiant

I am so thankful that my family is giving me the time and space to attend a weekend long workshop to learn the Radiant Child Yoga Program. I have taken yoga for more than 20 years, but have studied mostly Hatha and Iyengar schools, and only touched briefly on Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini yoga is filled with movement and vibrant energy, and is perfect for children, especially the wiggly ones! Shakta Kaur Khalsa, who is teaching the class, has written stories to go along with the yoga movements, and they so wonderfully turn yoga class into a directed playtime that has physical and psychological benefits for the kids.

I am also experiencing the benefit of a new kind of yoga. As always, yoga opens up the mind, stretches and strengthens the body, and brings a sense of joy. I hope to share this feeling in children's yoga classes soon!

Big Feet

It happened today. Nora took my boots & wore them to school. She is wearing my shoes. They were my cream knit boots with the pom poms.

She's wearing my shoes.

Daniel, the Game Maker

Here's the first video game that Daniel wrote! It's up on yoyogames.com. Click on the link below to play. Yay, Daniel!

Hungry Hungry S...
Added: 26 November 2008
By: samusrules93

Rainbow

I was on the phone with Nora when I pulled into the bank to go into the drive-through. I was telling her that there was a lovely rainbow outside, and she should go look. There were two drive through lines, with cars at both stations. There was a car waiting behind the the person in the left lane, so I pulled into the right-hand lane to wait behind the other car.

As I hung up with Nora, I heard a beep. The lady waiting behind the left-hand car was beeping at me. I rolled down my window.

"Excuse me," she said, "I was waiting in line for the next available space. So you should wait behind me, it just makes sense."

I said, "No, that's not the way it works. There are two tellers. Two lines. You just pull up to the next open space."

She said, "Well I think it makes sense to wait for the next open spot," or something like that. I once again said that I believed you just pulled into whatever line is available. That's the way it is with drive up banking as opposed to waiting in line inside. Two drive ups. Don't cross over the white line. I was also about to explain that in any case, if I got behind her and ANOTHER car wanted to get in line, it would go right past me and take the next space! But before I could say that she smiled sweetly at me and said, "well, if it is that important to you, just pull right up." And she rolled up her window. Patronizing bitch.

So I did! And to prove my point, another car pulled in at that very moment, right behind her. I pointed at the car, as if to explain my point, but she was no longer looking at me.

I could have said that it didn't really matter. I always pick the wrong line, especially when there are two open and I have a choice. This time I didn't have a choice. There was one line open. I took it.

I hate it when people are so smarmy and condescending, especially when they are WRONG.

My line was slower, of course. It always is. And when I left the bank, the rainbow was gone.