Naturally Sweet Sisters: T-Shirt Sale

Just a reminder that our new, adorable Naturally Sweet Sisters t-shirt fundraiser to benefit JDRF, will END on

September 1, 2013.

 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

If you would like to order one, please do so right away.  Delivery will be two weeks after the sale and just in time for back-to-school fun. 

Now what is most amazing about our t-shirts is this:

1.)  They will cover up your nakedness.

2.)  They make great conversation starters.

3.)  You can be a 'Naturally Sweet Sister' when you wear one.

4.)  The colors are "in".

5.)  Have a work-out class, gym class or are a runner?  This is perfect for you!

6.)  When you no longer want to wear it, you can transform it into a cool fashion piece like a scarf, quilt or even a cleaning item. 

7.)  It's an original, one-of-a kind shirt.

8.)  Everyone looks fantastic in green!

9.)  You're helping out a fantastic non-profit.

10.)  It will step us closer to a CURE FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES!



And most of all, these two will give you a HUGE thank you for your support!!!

Dreams and Wings - Thank You U of M Mott's Children's Hospital

There are a few cool things that we have been able to do as a result of having type 1 diabetes in our lives.





One of them is the ability to participate in some neat, once-in-a-lifetime, events.  As both of my daughters acknowledged, this particular event called 'Dreams and Wings' was probably one of the greatest of all.

The Dreams and Wings event is held for all children that are living with chronic and incurable disease.  While I often explain that type 1 diabetes does not hold my children back from doing anything they chose to do, it is also at times, a real defeatist in the sense that when blood sugars go bad, it is can be even more challenging and even, life-threatening.  Hence, why I call it a 'Monster". 

Case in point, is that upon walking into the hanger, both girls skyrocketed blood sugars up to 400 mg/dl..  After getting upset that we needed to test blood glucose (because who wants to stop doing anything right when you walk in to a fun house), the numbers beeped warnings at us and forced a correction of insulin - and the need for lots of water.  Type one diabetes for lack of a better phrase - sucks.  Especially, when you want to do something fun and adrenaline boosting. 



The event started in the Ann Arbor Airport using the hanger for the University of Michigan's Survival Flight helicopters.  The kids were provided with full access to the hanger which was staged with balloon creators, artists, games, food, drawing and coloring. 



After arriving, creating a few neat craft projects, the girls had their name called to go on a plane ride over the city and out to the suburbs of Ann Arbor. 




The girls had already discussed the placement of seating in the plane and oldest daughter was to be in front as a co-pilot, while youngest daughter and I were to sit in the back seat.  The Naturally Sweet Dad was left with his sadly broken foot to sit in the hanger and to wait.  Which really, was probably a good thing as he was a little doubtful about the size of the plane in the first place.



While cruising along in perhaps, the most gentle of all rides that I have ever been on - even commercial planes - our pilot offered our oldest daughter a chance to steer the plane.  In a patient and kind manner, he quietly gave her a first flight lesson.  Even giving her a stage whisper that females make better pilots as they are more detail oriented.  Now, I don't know if there is any truth in that statement, but I am all for showing my girls that they can be/do anything they want, so I think that made me enjoy the ride a little bit more.  Girl power!!!  Thank you to Pilot Bob!



Our youngest enjoyed the experience too.  One special part of her personality is that when she laughs, with that belly laugh of hers, you can't help but laugh along.  For the entire plane ride, she sat with her eyes wide open, grinning from ear to ear and looking at the 'broccoli' tree tops.  She also borrowed her sister's iPod and snapped pictures left and right, saying that she 'wanted to remember this moment forever!'



When the ride ended, we came back into the hanger and our pilot presented the girls with their own certificates and a picture of the plane with the kids.  The girls also received two flight pins - tiny gold wings with a symbol of accessibility and a survival flight captain's pin. 



Later that night, our daughter's discussed adding pilot to both of their resumes.  "Is it possible", they wondered - with no mention of type 1 diabetes, "if they could have more than one career?"

And my answer?

Of course!  You can be anything you want to be!

(and for all of you parents out there... for the moment, so grateful that type 1 diabetes wasn't even thought of.)






Thanks to the University of Michigan and Mott Children's Hospital for helping my girls discover yet another shining light.

Life Pit Stops

A little over a month ago, we had to say good-bye to someone that we loved.  

It was unexpected and terribly sad.  Then, in an early moment of our grief, we realized that we were the ones asked to take care of closing the estate.  Never before have I dealt with the conflicting feelings of honor and grief to such an extreme level.  Not even when my father died because at that stage of my life, barely more than a child, I was given a pass and left to my own personal grieving without any worry of what would be happening next.

This time, I knew I needed to step up and to take care of those 'loose ends'.  I had help and my family graciously devoted their summer vacation to come and stay with us during the process.  In an odd way that sometimes happens in the middle of deep sadness, our family bonded even closer together and we discovered an even deeper feeling of love. 

Ultimately though, I learned that I am made of steel as are most all of us.  Those loose ends required ten hour days of cleaning, packing, moving, selling and even some remodeling.  Through all of it, our life did not stop.  Blood sugars raged on, infusion sets needed changing and as a part of JDRF, might duties did not stop. 

Sometimes I had to stop and cry (or rage) but then, I would dig deeper and find a way through this life pit stop. 

Even on the day when my husband, heroically carrying furniture, stepped off the wrong step and snapped his leg.  My advice on this is simply to DRAG your husband, who is insisting that his very swollen and bruised leg is FINE, straight to the doctor for x-rays.  You both will be very glad that you did although he may discover that the real pain of healing happens a few days later.  Then hopefully, you will also have kind friends that bring him manly goodie packages and make a fuss when you as a wife, no longer can. 

Even on the day that my oldest daughter cheerfully chowed down 90 grams of store-bought cookies (throughout the day) - with no dosing of insulin just to get herself above 80!  And let me say, that if you find yourself in a situation like this, bring a warehouse size box of cookies because I guarantee that you will see blood sugars so low that you might even think, "It's a miracle!  She is cured!"

Even on the two days that our sweet niece and our oldest daughters celebrated birthdays, which included quickly procured store bought goodies and some cash in an envelope, to which they both declared 'the best birthday ever', even though you were driving right back to cleaning, packing, moving and remodeling situation.

Even on the many days when you worked until 9:00 p.m. at night and still had to come back into the house to make dinner while feeling guilty that they were left to fend for themselves most of the day.  Even though we have budding teens and tweens, I have always been one to help the kids make choices and oversee carb counting.  I am proud to say that the kids stepped into the role of independence without so much as a blink, taking all of that onto their shoulders so that we could work.  Now do I want them to continue that?  No, and already as life slips back into our normal, those duties have been redistributed evenly.

Even on the days when you have to stop what you are doing to head over to an endocrinology appointment and hope for the best because trying to spend extra time on numbers is more time than you have at the moment. 

Even on the days where things you thought had been taken care of, somehow magically unraveled once again... such as mail forwarding and then a not-so-helpful postal worker telling the neighbor that he was keeping packages at his office. 

All of that and so much more not even worth reliving, require strength and fortitude to continue on.  If there are days where you think that you can not handle one more thing, dig deeper and find the strength to do it.  I guarantee that within all of us are limitless supplies, we only have to find them.

For us, the hard part is mostly over with a few bits here and there.  Husbands leg will continue to heal and our daughter's blood sugars are back to normal with no life-threatening lows.  In fact, as I write this, my nighttime routine is even normal again - with only one check and not the multiple checks that I was making all through July and part of August. 

Amazing how that happened and I didn't even notice it.  See, life is funny that way.