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Anyone there?

I know I have been away for a bit, I haven't even touched my computer (other than Facebook while I am working) in what seems like forever. I have been really busy. When I sat down to my Google reader today I had more than 230 items to read. If I don't get around to reading them all, don't hate me.

I have lots of things to post. I will be trying to get caught up this week so be prepared. But I do have tons of things I need to accomplish this week.

-Getting the laundry done.
-Cleaning out my room.
-Blogging about my little man's birthday.
-I have 6 photo sessions that I am super behind on. Sorry to all my clients! They are coming soon!
-I have to blog about my new kitchen cabinets. WOW!
-I need to clean out my kids rooms.
-I want to try to set up a meal plan.
-My little Dude got a scholarship for a Baseball team and should be starting practices and games soon.
-Helping my hubby plan and prepare the garden (and totally blogging about it!) Did any of you know how much my hubby likes gardening? The stupid snow needs to melt soon. I am ready for Spring!
-Clean out my Jeep so I can stand to be in it again.
-Set up my Visiting Teaching appointments
-Mail the cute picture that the Princess colored to my grandma.
-Backup my computer. Can you believe with all the pictures that I take the memory is almost full?
-Start on the Preschool yearbook video. Only a month and a half to get it done.


The list goes on as I sit here. Maybe I need to stop.

Just know that I if I stop by here and to your blog it is because I am doing one of two things. Either making great progress on my list, or being totally lazy. Be patient.




I don't even know who I just posted that to. Not sure that I even have any readers anymore. :)

She can do it!

Little did I know, on Saturday while I was working, my little Princess growing up! Ok, ok, I know that didn't happen just in one day but what is it about a child learning how to ride a bike that makes them seem so big?

Apparently daddy asked her if she wanted to try her bike without the training wheels. She didn't protest so he took them off. He held her up a few times, and got her started a few times and that was it! She was off all over the circle like she had been doing it her whole life.

Man she was proud, and as soon as I learned what was going on I was pretty dang proud her. I love that she is still a normal kid. Diabetes isn't holding her back! She did have to take break a few times because of a few lows, but she got right back on and kept going!

What a great weekend it was!

Just for you Amy!

Check out a sneak peek of Jessie's birthday pictures!

Is this what warm weather is going to bring?

The Low Monster has been sneaking around our house this week. Low as in she has been in the 30's at least once every day so far this week.

Since it is nice outside (finally) she has been playing tons. I have been checking her often and giving her little snacks (like a few grapes here and there so she doesn't go so low while playing outside. This brought up a question that I am turning to my Internet friends.

When it is summer or when she is getting more exercise what is a good way to stay clear of these lows? Dose changes? Small snacks?

I am afraid I am going to go check on her and she is going to be passed out somewhere.

Help my wonderful world of Diabetics (parents and otherwise) that I have never met!

Prediction? Maybe.

On Sunday night I had a dream that I was diabetic. I have no idea how it feels, but it seemed so real. I was in the middle of talking to someone, in my dream, and I started to feel pretty crappy. My lungs and heart felt heavy, my eyes were blurry, I couldn't stop shaking, and I could hardly talk. I decided to pull out my tester and see what I was at. Just as I tested myself and saw the number 34 I passed out. The dream never continued, but I really wanted to tell the Princess about it when I woke up.

The morning started, we got everyone off to school and I completely forgot about it. Until after picking Princess up from school. She mentioned that she didn't feel very well and wanted to be tested. This sparked my memory of my dream so I started to tell her "Oh! So I had this dream last night..."

I grabbed her tester.

"It was strange, I was diabetic."

I poked her finger

"I was really low in my dream. I tested and I was at..."

I read the meter 33!!!!!

Holy cow! I panicked a little. Dude asked me again what I was at in my dream. I told him 34. he laughed and said that was almost as low as Princess! Yea Bud, I know!

Maybe I can predict the future!

Leprechaun Wishes

My little Princess said to me at lunch yesterday that she almost caught the Leprechaun at school.

She then asked "do you know what happens if you catch a Leprechaun?"

"You get slimmed with green goo?" I asked in reply.

"No! You get 3 wishes and you get to keep his gold!" she said with a huge smile on her face.

I just had to ask what her 3 wishes would be if she would have caught the Leprechaun.

"Well, since my last pet fish died I would want a new pet fish." OK. (?)

"Then I really want some real high heel shoes." (So funny!)

"And my last wish would be fore some High School Musical flip flops." I knew this kid likes flip flops, but she can't keep shoes on her feet to save her life.

Then I had to ask Dude what his 3 wishes would be.

"Ummm, I think my first wish would be to have my own cat." "But we already have a cat." I said. "I know but I want my own cat that is [Princess'] cat." (Silly kid!)

"Then I really want to go to Disneyland." (Me too buddy! Me too!)

"And for you last wish?" I asked him. "To have really big chickens!"

"We already have chickens." "Yes, but those are loud chickens!" (Sorry Dude, I can barely handle two chickens let alone any more. And you are right Mini was being extra loud.)

As for my 3 wishes?

I think I would have to say that my first wish would be to have a really great garden this year.

Second, would have to be able to go on a vacation. I work for an airline and get to fly for free. Can you believe that I have worked there almost a year and I haven't flown anywhere yet?!?!

Third, to find a way that I am not always tired. I would love to have the energy to do what I need to accomplish in a day.

And if I was given a fourth wish I would ask if I could really keep his gold.

Never Never Land vs Reality

Last week my kids and I built a large blanket fort. We grabbed as many blankets and pillows that we could find to make it as comfortable as possible. With a little lamp and lots of books we escaped off to lands where a little monkey gets into lots of trouble, where a sponge lives in a pineapple, and where a little girl named Nancy likes the finer things in life. Reality was no where to be found. I loved it.

I finally realized that maybe Never Never Land was created when someones reality was too much to bear. Wishing on a star might have been a cry for help. Maybe a last resort. Who am I to blame them? Going to a land where you don't have to grow up, make grown up decisions, or do anything but play sounds really good to me too! Even facing Captain Hook sounds easy compared to the trials of reality.

Since, I have dreamed of my land where the house cleans itself, no bills to worry about and the kids never fight. Where diabetes doesn't exist and our little family could snack on carbs all day long with no consequences. Where eternal sunshine and laughter fills my soul to the brim. Where skinned knees never happen and broken hearts are unheard of.

Of course I know this could never be. We are counseled that how could we see the good in life if we don't have adversity? (read almost all of 2 Nephi) We have to understand that all trials in life are there for a purpose. We are to learn and grow from them. Since I am not perfect I will continue being tried, with every step being a little easier to handle.

This doesn't stop me from wanting to escape though. Dreaming brings perspective to life, helps with my goals, and it just feels good to forget for a minute. So excuse me while I go prepare a magical feast for the animals. Maybe Mac & Cheese will give us super hero powers today.

Diabetes for Dummy's

Me being the Dummy.

Is your self esteem really measured by you A1C? I'm not even diabetic, but my daughter's A1C effects my self esteem. I am not going to get all depressed when it is higher than last time though. (Cuz it totally is.) But I was starting on the "I could have been doing this better." and the "What did I do wrong?" bit. The reality is that she has been sick almost the entire month which has been sending her numbers to the moon. When you are getting your A1C checked every month like she is it's bound to take a big jump like that sometimes. Since the A1C is measuring how well you are taking care of the Diabetes Beast it is really hard not to think what you could be doing better and not take it personally. Since our house has been in complete chaos this last month there is a TON of room for improvement.


Yesterday was the 4 month anniversary of her diagnosis (not that I am counting.) and every time we meet with her Endocrinologist I learn something new or think of something I should be doing better. I would pay money (assuming I had any) for someone to come into my home, set us up on a schedule and be the adult to enforce it. (I hate being a grown up most of the time.)

So yes the monthly Endo appointment today was fine. Big changes were made and I really need to bring my best game this month or next month isn't going to be pretty. I will be grateful when this stupid "honeymoon stage" is over so things will mellow out a bit.

I am looking for advice on:

~Breakfast foods that 1) don't require me to wake up an hour early and 2) don't send her numbers high like cereal does.

~When you are busy (or side tracked) what is the best way to stay on a schedule when you are not used to sticking to one?

~I am worried about giving insulin before she eats now. Any advice on this would be handy.

~What are some good protein snacks? She is so tired of string cheese.

~And how do you keep your sanity?

Emphasis on the last question applying it to ANY aspect of life. Thanks!

Mother of the year....NOT!

It is really, really sad that I have to set my alarm clock to wake up 30 minutes earlier to make my kids a healthy breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and muffins.

Dude was still late for school.

I so wish I could get my crap together and be more responsible.



P.S. Sorry for all the short posts. Life has been super crazy lately. Hopefully soon I will have the motivation to be back up and running.

My Princess now has the Croup.

It's been a fun week.

Crazy things always happen to us!

Yesterday's post was not a normal "Mommy going Crazy moment." I apologize for my out burst but quite honestly I needed to say it. I needed to get it off my mind. Thank you all for your kind comments. I feel I have the BEST readers out there! It's hard to struggle, but it is even harder to struggle alone.

So lets talk about a few of the interesting things that have happened to me in the past week. Completely non-related to my last post.

~A stray pit bull ran through my garage door while my hubby and kids where getting home. It tared through my house like something crazy. It found my cat and started to attack. The kids were screaming and crying. Complete CHAOS! The cat was pinned in the dog's mouth so my hubby and I started to hit the dog to distract it (I am not mean to animals ever, just when a pit bull is attacking my cat!) The dog turned to my hubby and started to bite his leg. Luckily it stopped and not so luckily went back to the cat. My hubby is ok, we got the dog outside again, the kids calmed down, the cat still gets all stressed when the door opens, but is ok. We called animal control and they were here in less than 5 minutes. I guess when they get a call that a stray pit bull is on the loose and was running a muck in someones kitchen they take it pretty seriously.

~ Monday was a little more crazy when we got a call from a neighbor/friend that our neighborhood was on lockdown. Apparently a suicidal man had been chased into our neighborhood and was running all around with a gun. There were three helicopters hovering over my house for about an hour. Dude's school called and said that I couldn't pick him up because they where on lockdown too. They eventually caught the guy around the corner from my house and everything went back to normal. Dude had the best time staying at school 45 minutes longer than he was supposed to, I on the other hand wasn't as amused as he was. You can read the news story about it HERE.

~Saturday was a very busy day for us. I taught part of a photography class in the morning. I really enjoyed sharing a bit of what I know. I was so grateful to be a part of it. I just wish I can find my memory card reader so I can get my pictures uploaded. Anyway, after that class we took our kids to the Diabetes Expo. It was almost closing time so lots of booths were closing down. We did get to talk to a few people about pumps which made the time worth it. Next to the Diabetes Expo the Kids Safety Expo was going on. We decided to see what it was all about. It was the craziest place, but it was a lot of fun! The little Man hasn't stopped talking about the fire truck all week.

~And maybe in not so crazy news, but a little more on the annoying side my almost 2 year old grabbed the hot end of a curling iron, opened an entire loaf of bread and dumped it all on the kitchen floor, and emptied a brand new box of tissues all over the bathroom JUST YESTERDAY!

People like to tease me that crazy things happen to us. This week has been proof of how true that is. I can't wait for the "storm" to blow over and have it calm down a bit.

Dear "Miss. A" from "such n' such place",

I understand that you are no way affected by me, my family, and my situation therefore once you are done talking with me you will never think about me again. It is your position as a stranger to be like that. I do not feel that gives you any right to be cruel an heartless though.

I do not think my situation is funny. Not once in the last 9 months of my life have I looked at anything that has happened to me and thought it to be comical. When you laughed in my face at what I had just told you, yes it made me angry. As it should. So when you say that I am just stressed about everything and that is why I am being so touchy about it you are only partially right. I didn't ask to be laughed at, I didn't ask to talk to someone that was on a power trip.

You have not walked a second in my shoes. You may have no idea what it is like to have everything TOTALLY fine one day then the next have your entire world change when you husband gets laid off. Then after months and months of trying your very hardest your world changes again with a diagnosis of Diabetes for your 4 year old daughter. Every couple of months, regardless of how hard we are trying, we get hit with something else. Until you have been through this yourself you have no right to judge me. You are though, and you think that I am just like every other scum bag out there. I am not!

Our conversation could have been very different. Maybe next time, when you meet someone like me, you will be less judgemental, less rude, and a little more humble.

Sincerely,
Mommy Going Crazy

Saving a little Money on Grocery Shopping!

I am so excited to have my dear friend Cari guest post today. She is amazing at coupon shopping! I thought that we could all benefit from her expertise. So here she is ladies and gentleman!

Learn how to get all this for an amazing price!

With this struggling economy who could use a little extra cash? Did you know you can find it at the GROCERY STORE??? That's right folks with coupons you can learn to shop for cents on the dollar.

The basic idea is to wait for something to go on sale and then use the coupon on top of the sale price to get killer deals. So your first question is " I can use the coupon on top of the sale price?" and the answer is yes!!

Your next question is how do I know what coupons to use? That is where a few wonderful FREE websites come in, www.pinchingyourpennies.com, grocerysmarts.com (passport for SL county Utah is g84csg) and gurusdeals.com. All of these website show you how to use your coupons to get the best deals. My favorite is the grocerysmarts. From this website I can see all the best deals every week for all the stores I use. They rate the best deals as 5 star deals, good deals at 4 stars and 3 stars means it is on sale but at an average price.

I won't lie to you it takes commitment, time, and sometimes you have to go to more than one store, but the $$ I am saving every week pays for that time. Here are some pictures of the semi annual Quaker Sale at Albertsons.If I paid full retail price for all those grocery's I would have spent 290.00After the sale price it took it down to 170.00After my coupons the total with tax was 58.00 I purchased 73 items that day if you do the math that is less than a dollar per item.

So where do I get my coupons you ask? The Sunday paper. The Sunday paper comes every week with at least 2 coupon inserts Red Plum, Smart Sources sometimes there will be 2 for each of these. Once a month you will see P&G saver, and a General Mills insert. The websites tells you which week and what insert the coupons you need come from.

This might be a little confusing to you all but it really is simple but overwhelming at first. If you have questions ask Shannon for my info and I would be happy to help you.