Me, Myself and I - A Week Without Kids and Gluten

As I sit in my office, looking out the window into our front yard, I am acutely aware of the still around me.  No busy kids running to and fro, no television blaring the theme song from 'Good-Luck Charlie' and most noticeably of all, no loud BEEP from our beloved Big Ugly (Accu-Chek Compact Plus). 

It is just me and the cat.  Apparently we are a quiet sort of people.



He's one quiet kitty.

If you are wondering what the two of us did this week, I can share that we had a pretty uneventful week. 

We worked on our landscaping.

After the million stumps were removed.  I think it looks like Attack of the Gophers!

We ate chips 'n salsa and enjoyed a cold beverage.  That's him dipping into the mango salsa.  Just kidding.  Cats do not have thumbs.  He took the picture!



Our first night of relaxing and this was the dinner that we chose. 

We watched some movies and most of all,

We slept.

A lot.

I think I caught up on 7 years of middle of the night blood sugar checks (yes, we STILL do that) and of missing sleep, even while I was in bed.

Ever have those nights where even though you CAN sleep, you really CAN'T?  Yes, I have that problem too.  I think I count blood sugar numbers like most people count sheep.

It was nice to catch up on that sleep debt.  I think I repaid one or two years.

I did do one teeny-weeny little thing while the girls were gone.  It was a little personal science experiment on myself.

For the week, I went entirely Gluten-Free.  I wanted to see how I felt without Gluten clogging up my body and to see if it helped with the frequent headaches, bloating and general aches and pains that I have been having.  Since turning 40, this old girl just isn't the way she used to be.

And guess what?  I think I do feel better.  My allergies were a ton better, even though I worked outside in the garden daily.  I also feel more fit with less stomach bloating.  Not that I lost any weight, but my tummy feels better.  I had no headaches and felt more energy than I have in months.

Now what to do with this information?  I am not sure.  I may continue this route for a while longer.  There is a Naturally Sweet Sister that I have been concerned about too.  Since her test results have appeared normal over the years, I am not sure what to make of it.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject of Gluten Free and testing.  Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.

But for now, one more day without those girls, so I am putting on a second set of garden gloves to resume my yard work.

And then, I am taking a nap!

PortionMate Inc. - Super Cute New T1D Tool

A few months ago, I stumbled across an article about PortionMate; a colorful meal and snack measuring tool made out of simple BPA-Free plastic rings called cylinders. 

 

 

Immediately, I was hooked!  This was exactly the sort of thing that I needed to help the kids measure their food in healthy portion sizes that were also easily carb-counted in order to dose the precise amount of insulin their little bodies needed. 

 

 

From PortionMate:  Each PortionMate cylinder has a color that corresponds to specific groups of food.  Simply choose the desired color PortionMate cylinder and place it into your plate or bowl.  Lift and remove the cylinder from your plate or bowl, leaving behind a perfectly sized portion of food.

Love!!!!   

Sure there are other ways of counting carbohydrates.  However, being a busy mom that needs to count carbohydrates quickly to dose insulin for two kids, I often loathe the measuring time needed to use my scale.  Nothing is worse than impatient kids that want to EAT RIGHT NOW and who can blame them?  Active kids are hungry and meal time and waiting for mom to punch in keycodes to find the weight of watermelon without rind is no fun for anyone.

Even with two sets of measuring cups, many times we find one is still dirty or in the middle of a dishwasher cycle, rendering that option useless.  Two kids, three meals and a ton of snacks... well, it is impossible to keep those cups clean!

The PortionMate looked like an easier solution.  For myself and the girls, it was fast to use by simply laying on a plate and filling the appropriate cylinder with food.  In conjuction with the PortionMate, I did use my handy Calorie King guide book.  Although, if you do not own the Calorie King guide book, the PortionMate does come with a Nutrition and Meal Planning Guide that lists many common foods and their nutritional content.  Using the PortionMate guide, the foods are also portion counted to ensure that you are getting a healthy variety of choices as stated by the American Diabetes Association and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Once the PortionMate cylinder is loaded with the food of your choice, simply lift the cylinder off and either measure for the second plate or remove and rinse clean.  The PortionMate is also top-shelf dishwasher safe but not microwave friendly.

No work, no hassle and the colors made it easy to identify the portion amount!

 

 

Most important was the 'guestimating' was virtually eliminated as the girls couldn't wait to be the first to the table to use the PortionMate.  That meant that we started to see better post-meal blood glucose numbers because carbohydrates were counted accurately. 

 

 

If you would like to order a PortionMate, you may visit PortionMate at www.portionmate.com or 'like' PortionMate on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/portionmate.



Disclaimer:   PortionMate was provided to Naturally Sweet Sisters as a courtesy so that we could write a full review of our thoughts and feedback. 

Diabetes Camp Drop-Off in Year 3: From There to Here

The Naturally Sweet Sisters look pretty carefree too!

Today was diabetes camp drop-off for both daughters.

And for the first time, it was relaxed. 

Or maybe the word is "easy". 

Or "simple".

Even, "carefree"!

Whatever it was for sure, I can only tell you one thing:  I felt absolutely zero stress at leaving my children for a full week at diabetes camp.  In fact, it was so great that upon arriving home, I immediately logged on to Facebook and left a kind hearted message to the ADA camp director and her lovely staff to thank them for doing such a splendid job at camp!

Thanks Stephanie!!!!!  You ROCK!!!!!  Our girls are so lucky to be a part of this wonderful week!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Then I thought about it some more.  How on earth was it so easy to leave my children so far away for six days - even with such an awesome ADA camp?  I should be freaking out right?  Leaving my kids anywhere seems so unnatural.  We are always together with the exception of an occasional sleepover.  That is child's play compared to a full week away!

What?  I just left them with little more than some clothes, a few site changes and a pump?  I didn't even send low snacks or insulin!

And in the horror of horrors, with no Sigums named Dexie or Dexter (who wants to lose or break that little gadget at camp with water sports aplenty?  Not me!)

So how did those feelings of calm happen?

Which really, if you have known me or followed this blog, is nothing short of amazing!

This is what I came up with....

This feeling of ease, simplicity and relaxation is something that only comes with time.  I can guarantee you that no matter how hard I tried to conjure up this set of emotions that first year, I still would have undoubtedly failed.  For me, the only way to get here was through time and living through each of those scary "first" drop-offs.  I had to learn to trust the camp, my daughters, even myself.

I had to learn that lows would be treated, highs would be corrected and yes, even cartridges would be refilled with insulin.

In learning that way, it is much like that first year of living with type 1 diabetes.  You have to fully experience the range of feelings to get to that place of acceptance and peace.  You will learn how to spot a low, treat a high and inject your child with a needle. 

You learn that it will be OK.  You will find a new normal and your child will grow tall, strong and happy.

So for that learning curve, I am not going to ever tell anyone that camp drop off is easy or simple or relaxing, because that would be a great injustice to their own set of feelings.

What I will do is share with everyone of how I arrived HERE from THERE and how good it is to be on the other side. 

It just takes time.

Believe or not, you will get HERE too.

And when you do, call me so that we can make plans for a day out during camp week!