Parenting and Family Life Archives • Page 2 of 3 • D-Mom Blog

April 28, 2014 by Leighann

{Parenting} Putting Yourself First

I finally got in for my long-overdue yearly physical.

I was absolutely dreading my physical. I know I’ve gained weight the past couple of years. And I absolutely feel like crud these days.

So when the following questions were asked of me, you can just imagine what happened next.

“How are your stress levels?”

And

“Do you get enough sleep?”

Cue tears.

Most of the time I’m on autopilot and I’m not emotional about any of what I am dealing with. It’s not until someone point blank asks me how I’m doing that the emotion comes to the surface. I remember the first appointment after Q’s diagnosis. I had been in “mom mode” getting done what needed to get done and supporting her. But when the social worker came in and asked how I was doing, well, it’s difficult not to shed a few tears.

When I mentioned that no, I don’t get enough sleep because I often check on my daughter in the night, and no, I don’t eat as well as I should because I am always on the run, and no, I don’t think talking to someone would help me with my stress because the stress I have (and it’s more than just diabetes-related) isn’t stress that’s going to go away with a few therapy sessions, she came back with…

“You know, you have to take care of yourself first so that you can be there to take care of your children.”

As if I needed her to tell me that.

We’ve all heard that you should put your own oxygen mask on first. But I know very few d-moms who manage to put their needs ahead of that of their child. (Or any mom, for that matter.)

If only it was as easy as “get more sleep and eat better.”

Have you found a way to strike a balance between taking care of your children (all of your children, not just the ones with diabetes) and taking care of yourself?

October 1, 2012 by Leighann

{No D-Day} Coffee Station

No D Day

My good friend George, AKA Ninjabetic, has once again prompted us to write about anything but (that medical condition which shall not be named) today.

So today I’m talking about morning coffee.

I was reading a blog that had weekly organizational challenges and the writer mentioned that she created a coffee station in their kitchen. A light bulb went off and I thought, “I want a coffee station!”

In the morning I really like having a cup of decaf. Newman’s Own Organic decaf, to be exact, with a little Sugar in the Raw and cream. Although we have a work triangle in the kitchen, it took several extra steps to get everything I needed to make my morning joe.

Coffee was in the pantry. Sugar in the lazy susan. Spoon in the silverware drawer. Mug in the cabinet with cups. Half and half in the refrigerator. And the coffee maker next to the stove.

Here’s the play-by-play:

Coffee Station

I could do much better than this!

Coffee Station

I have a cabinet that contains my cookbooks and spices. I don’t use my cookbooks everyday so I changed the spacing of the shelves to put the cookbooks higher, kept the spices on the bottom shelf, and created a coffee and tea shelf in the middle.

Coffee Station

Now everything is right within my reach, including filling the carafe with filtered water from the fridge and grabbing my half and half.

Coffee Station

You’ll notice almost all of my cookbooks are vegetarian. The one I’ve been using the most lately is How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman. I’ve also been using the iPad in the kitchen a lot, especially for trying out recipes I find on blogs. My go to cooking app is How to Cook Everything, which you can get either for iPad or iPod/iPhone. There is also a free version available and vegetarian versions. What I like about these apps is that you can make notes, which I use to jot down carb counts if I figure them out for a recipe.

{No D-Day} He Said, She Said

It’s once again the time of year to write about something other than diabetes. That’s right, it’s No D-Day.

Last year I wrote about my newfound talent for burping. And ever since writing that post, I think of my DOC friends when I let out a Homer-worthy belch.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that my kids are constantly cracking me up. They say the most hilarious things to me and to each other. I want to start a blog just so that I can remember it all. Here are just a few recent exchanges that made me laugh:

4yo was eating his bedtime snack.
“Mommy. Now there’s a party in my tummy.”

4yo doesn’t quite understand that you aren’t supposed to yell “Over here!” during hide and seek.
Also, quit giving up my position!

4yo: I catch bugs & flies with my tongue & eat them.
Me: Are you a lizard?
Him: No. I’m a boy.

Q just announced that she wants to dance & sing under water when she’s a grown up (like Ester Williams).
And said she’ll be famous for it.

4yo made up a joke today at snack time:
Why was the cookie sad?
Because he felt crumb-y.

Q just put sunflower sprouts in R’s Cheerios because she thought he needed to eat more greens.
Needless to say it made him cry!

4yo is telling jokes in the bathtub.
“Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because there were no chickens on the other side.”
(Giggles to himself.)

I was teaching 4yo our address.
I said (our street # and name), (our town), (our state), United States of America, North America, Earth.
And Q said “Isn’t it obvious that we are on Earth? If you call 911, they’ll know what planet we’re on. It’s not like we’ll be calling from the moon!”

The Corpse Flower

The LARGE titan arum, or corpse flower.

If you’ve come here for some diabetes wisdom today, you are out of luck. But if you want to hear about something cool, keep reading! After all, there is more to life than diabetes.

When I took a plant biology class a couple of years ago, the hands on lab was challenging, but very fun. As part of the class we were able to go to the department’s green house where we got up close and personal with some of the flora.

I am sure that we saw the Amorphophalus titanum, or corpse plant, while we were there. But since it wasn’t blooming at the time I probably just thought “wow, that’s a really big plant.”

What makes the rare corpse plant unique is that it takes ten years or more for it to bloom for the first time. It was discovered by scientists in 1878 in Indonesia. The first titan arum to bloom in the US was in 1937 at the New York Botanical Garden. The next one to bloom wasn’t until 1998!

When flowering, the plant heats up to 100 degrees and emits a foul smell that attracts pollinators (and spectators and TV crews!) from long distances. The flower is only open for about 48 hours before it begins collapsing.

We were able to see it at it’s peak!

This photo doesn’t show the large scale of the plant, but for perspective, the top ruffle of the leafy skirt was even with my face. I had to lift Q up so that she could put her nose inside.

We debated going back the next day to see it again, but the web cam showed that it was already closing back up.

Q thought it smelled like rotten cheese.

One of the many orchids in the greenhouse.

If my plant identification skills didn’t fail me, this is a hibiscus.

July 4, 2011 by Leighann

Freedom!

Today is the Fourth of July and I am celebrating “freedom.”
Freedom from obligation!

I am functioning in a state of utter exhaustion, both mental and physical. I know you can empathize. I know you feel my pain.

It’s rare that I sleep the night through. And even when I get a straight seven hours I quickly become exhausted again.

I’m pulled in so many directions. My “to do” list is this long. My inbox is overflowing. My snail mail is stacked high.

I have boxes from our move last June that are still unpacked.

I can’t remember the last time I cleaned the bathrooms, let alone the rest of the house.

(Who’s idea was it to let the cleaning lady go when we moved? Oh yeah, mine.)

I work almost full-time. I am the class parent at Q’s school. I lead lunchtime book club this spring. I am on my son’s preschool board of directors.

I write this blog and another. I am moderating a social network for parents of children with diabetes. I am trying to get a business started (D-related, yay!).

When I received an e-mail recently asking me to take a position with the elementary school’s PTA. Do you know what I said?

I said no.

Without guilt, without excuses. Just a simple “thank you for thinking of me, but I cannot commit at this point.”

Liberating!

May 1, 2011 by Leighann

Happy May Day!

May Day Basket

Chez D-Mom, we have a yearly tradition that started I think when Q was 2. She and her Grandma make May Day baskets for neighbors, teachers, and my coworkers.

I’m always surprised when people don’t know about May Day or why someone would leave leave a small treat on your doorstep, ring the doorbell, and run away.

This year we went super easy and super quick and I think they turned out super cute. Super!

We found Wilton cupcake liners which look like tulips. Q placed them in our Cupcake Courier (one of the best inventions ever!) and then filled them with paper grass (borrowed from Grandma’s stash because our Easter Bunny does a scavenger hunt rather than filling baskets) and a handful of Hershey’s Kisses.

Do you and your children celebrate May Day?