Month: January 2014

Small Success Thursday: Catholic Schools Week Edition

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I’m joining up with the CatholicMom.com community for Small Success Thursday!

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It’s Catholic Schools Week, and I got a nice surprise on Monday from Little Brother’s class. Each homeroom wrote thank-you notes to someone in the community who helps the school. I am a library volunteer, and it warmed my heart to receive notes from the 6th-graders, many of whom let their personalities shine through in the notes and drawings on the cards.

scb thank you notes

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An organizing project started small and snowballed into a wholescale rearrangement of my kitchen. It’s a small kitchen (about 11 x 11) and my cooking paraphernalia has pretty much outgrown the space. Once we added in Little Brother’s diabetes supplies, it got out of hand fast.

First I boxed up the 3 months’ worth of equipment we’ve got here:

diabetes supplies 3 months

That box is labeled “70 gallons,” for what it’s worth. And the 7 boxes of insulin pens are in the fridge, taking up about as much space as 3 cartons of eggs.

I’m not complaining. I’m grateful for the equipment that helps us keep Little Brother healthy, and for the prescription plan that pays for almost all of it.

ANYWAY, once I got all that stuff out of the way, I moved the table, the cart with the coffeemaker, and the trash can. I think the new arrangement will alleviate some of the traffic jams that happen when 3 or 4 people are in the kitchen all at once trying to get something to eat.

I put my vintage tablecloth on the table, along with the cool teacup Middle Sister gave me for Christmas, and I moved 3 grocery bags’ worth of stuff that didn’t belong in the kitchen back to wherever that stuff needed to go. My kitchen feels like a peaceful, happy place again.

kitchen table

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After a tough Tuesday, I took the morning off yesterday to figuratively put my oxygen mask back on. I met my friend Ellen for breakfast at the Jersey Diner (what my kids call the Shiny Diner). Boy, did it feel good to just spend a couple of hours hanging out, chatting, and enjoying some delicious bacon. That was a much-needed break.

Jersey diner
See? SHINY!

Give a lift to your ordinary Thursday by celebrating this week’s successes! Join the link party at CatholicMom.com or share yours in the comments.

Better Not to Know?

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It’s Catholic Schools Week, and Little Brother’s school celebrated today with an ice-cream party for the kids. They do this every year. It’s a fun tradition.

But when you mix diabetics and ice cream, chocolate syrup and sprinkles (not jimmies–sprinkles) it’s not an easy tradition.

We didn’t want Little Brother to have to say no to the ice cream. He can have a reasonable portion (and maybe even a little bit of the toppings), but in order to “cover” that with insulin, we need to know how much ice cream he’s going to have. And that involves measuring cups. wonder cup metric

I’m at the school, on average, a couple of hours a day. Today I couldn’t be there for the ice cream, so I had to do some of the homework ahead of time. I left our measuring cup, along with a list of the carb counts for the ice cream and toppings, with the nurse.

In the middle of all of that, I ran into one of the teachers, who is herself the parent of a diabetic (also diagnosed in grade school.) She gets it, and she has been very encouraging. Today she let me know that someone (and she didn’t mention names) was wondering why I was so worried about measuring the ice cream. She told me that she’d set them straight, telling them that because we’re new to this, we’re not ready to just “eyeball” portions yet–but we’ll get there.

I think I’d rather not have known this. I am in and out of the school, because my child is just not feeling confident enough to manage this without me. I am also a substitute teacher there. The whole faculty has seemed so supportive. And now, I guess, someone supports me to my face but judges me publicly behind my back.

Thanks for that.

I know I should be grateful that there is a teacher there who has my back. But all I can think about is how someone else in that school kicked me in the gut today.

 

Small Success Thursday with a Latte on Top

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What’s the best thing about Thursday? It’s Small Success Day at CatholicMom.com! Feel like you haven’t accomplished anything this week? You probably have–and those small things do add up. There’s only one rule:  no beating up on yourself over what you didn’t get done.

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I signed up for the FREE Catholic Writers’ Guild Online Conference, to be held in March at a computer near you. It was wonderful, this summer, to meet so many authors at the in-person conference, and I look forward to the learning and encouragement that I know will happen. I’m hoping this will give me the kick-start I need to get busy, once again, on that book idea.

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I braved the snowy roads yesterday and showed up on time for my dentist appointment. The dentist, however, did not. Doesn’t he know what kind of mental preparation it takes for me to steel myself up to go sit in a chair and have someone come at my mouth with pointy metal objects (some of which make horrible noises)? Yes, I consider it a success that I got there at all.

I also firmly believe that since I showed up and the dentist didn’t, I am hereby exempt from all future dental work. It’s only right.

Here’s the obligatory shot of the yardstick I used to measure the snow yesterday:

snow measurement 01222014

10 inches even. That’s after it “settled,” according to TheDad (AKA TheMeteorologist.) We probably had over 13.

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I’ve invented another homemade latte. This time it’s a copycat of Starbucks’ Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Use a 12-ounce mug to make this drink:

Heat 1/4 cup (2 ounces) of milk in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Froth with a mini-frother at least 1 minute. Pour 6 ounces of coffee into the frothed milk. Add sugar to taste, sprinkle 1/8 tsp of cinnamon on top, and stir.

 

Join the party over at CatholicMom.com and share your own small successes. No blog? No problem–add yours in the comments box.

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

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(And this time, it’s not me doing this.)

I got a message from the director of Little Brother’s current show (Little Mermaid, Junior–the children’s production at the local theater this year). The show is double-cast because so many kids tried out AND to allow the kids to rest. This way each child only has to appear in 8 performances instead of all 16. (This mama approves.) Anyway, Little Brother is a member of the Turf cast, but the director wanted to know if he could switch to the Surf cast (cool names!) because the other kid playing Grimsby has a schedule conflict.

LMJBecause the other kid is in another show. A show that opens the same week as this show. So there are conflicts with performances and rehearsals. The other kid had already been cast in this other show when he auditioned for LMJ.

According to Little Brother, there are several kids in the cast who are in the same situation. I got the same impression when I sat around the Green Room on audition night, and it’s only been reinforced by what other parents say as we sit around waiting for rehearsals to end.

These kids are in two shows, each of which rehearses at least twice a week. In addition, they are taking lessons in dance and/or gymnastics and/or voice and/or instruments; they are involved in at least one team sport; some of them are Scouts. WHEN THE HECK DO THEY EAT, SLEEP, STUDY AND PLAY?!

ANYway. These kids are in two shows at the same time. There were kids who didn’t get a part–because other kids (and their parents) thought it was a good idea for their kids to be in two shows at the same time, and there are only so many roles to go around, even with a double cast.

Maybe there are reasons here that I do not see, but I don’t get how this is a good idea.

And I’m willing to bet that these are the same kids who, when they’re seniors in high school, will apply to 25 universities and then wait until May 1 to decide, thus keeping other kids on the waiting list.

When you’re a member of a group, team, cast or ensemble and you double-book yourself, you’re not doing the rest of your group any favors. I wish the parents of these overextended kids would put their collective feet down instead of indulging their kids’ whims (or their own.)

End rant.

Small Success Thursday: Diabetics, Ducks and Dead Printers

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It’s Small Success Thursday at CatholicMom.com. I spent most of yesterday thinking it was Thursday (never did figure out why) but I’m glad it wasn’t, because then I would have missed this!

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Are you tired of hearing about diabetes yet? No? Good. (We’re tired of living with it, and it hasn’t even been 2 months.) But today’s first success is diabetic- and parenting-related.

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I am letting my Inner Mama Bear take over today. There is only one thing that hasn’t worked well at school in terms of taking care of Little Brother’s health needs–and that’s the hot lunch program. The caterer had promised to answer my inquiries regarding carb count and serving size for the few hot lunches he orders, but out of 3 orders placed so far this month, she’s only given me info once. Last week we played a lunchtime guessing game with a plate of French toast sticks and sausage. Fortunately it ended well, but there’s no need to play guessing games when that food comes out of a package someplace, and that package has a nutrition label on it.

Today is hoagie day, and I’ll be parked in the cafeteria waiting for the caterer to show up so I can inspect the hoagie and find out how many carbs are in the roll. She isn’t answering my emails, so I have no other way to handle it.

This mama is not the assertive type–at all. But when it comes to my kid’s health, I cannot lie down and roll over.

(You might say, why bother ordering the lunch at all? Well, because he ordered lunch before, and we’re trying to let him keep things as normal as we possibly can. This is enough change for an 11-year-old to handle.)

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I taught second grade yesterday. Thanks to a super-organized teacher, the day was all laid out for me. I remembered not to use cursive when I wrote on the board (they’ll start that in the spring) and I got to read aloud from one of the Ramona books. The kids told me that I am a good reader. One of them sent me home with a hand-drawn picture of a duck. It was a pretty good day.

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I resurrected the printer/scanner/copier that inexplicably wouldn’t turn on after Big Brother rearranged some furniture in the basement. How did I do it? I unplugged the power cord from the outlet and the printer, brought the whole thing upstairs and plugged it into a different outlet. Shazam! It turns on! How is it that two (count ’em, TWO) IT specialists couldn’t figure this out?

Do you have some big or small successes to share today? Join us over at CatholicMom.com and leave a comment, or write a blog post of your own and link along!

Come As You Are

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My opportunities to attend daily Mass have been very limited lately, so when I had the chance today, I grabbed it.
I had the day all planned out. I’d go to Mass, pick up a coffee (I have a coupon that expires today, and far be it from me to waste a coupon), head to Little Brother’s school for his morning test, do the food shopping, return for the lunchtime test and then be home for 2 1/2 gloriously quiet hours until it was time to pick him up.
As I scribbled out a shopping list, the phone rang. It was the school, at 8:20 AM. Not a good sign. And there was Little Brother on the other end, calling to tell me that a classmate has brought homemade birthday treats for both snack time and lunchtime.
Oh, joy.
The best-laid plans went right out the window with that news, as I hurriedly packed up my kitchen scale and calorie king book and planned to spend the morning at school once again.
But I still wanted to get to Mass, so I finished packing my tote bag for school and made it out the door just in time. As I got out of the car in the church parking lot, I realized that I’d never changed my clothes. I was still running around in the yoga pants I’d put on after my shower, figuring I would change just before leaving the house, like I always do.
But that phone call, which was the right call for my kid to make, got me sidetracked.
I went to Mass anyway.
While I generally don’t leave the house in yoga pants, much less wear them to church, I needed the grace of Mass today more than I needed to bow to my inner fashion police.
Today I am grateful that I got there.
When Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavily burdened,” I’m pretty sure He meant “come as you are.”
I’ll be better-dressed next time, but I am so grateful for the moments in which my soul found rest this morning.
As to the food shopping, it can wait until after lunch.

And So It Goes

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I’ve been feeling pretty consumed lately with Little Brother’s diabetes. Today we were back at CHOP for a visit with the nurse practitioner, endocrinologist, nutritionist and a few other miscellaneous folks. While the appointment was reassuring and we were told that we’re doing very well to help him manage his diabetes, I’m still overwhelmed. It feels like a full-time job to keep him (safely) fed and properly dosed. God bless TheDad, who gets the Night Shift–because someone has to test this kid in the middle of the night to make sure his sugar has not gone too low. Yes, that can happen. And it does happen. So every night, around 1 AM, TheDad gets up and tests him. If he’s low, he gets some apple juice and another test an hour later.

The Phys. Ed. teacher at Little Brother’s school is the mom of a diabetic; her daughter was diagnosed in 4th grade. We were talking the other day about how it seemed like just as our child was becoming more independent, diabetes happened and required us to pull in the reins, “starting over” in a much more intensive role than most parents of kids this age would have. I guess it’s like any other special need, in that regard, but we had no warning, no time to get used to the idea.

A few weeks ago, something had to go. I’ve been doing freelance writing for some shopping blogs since 2008, and while it’s nice to get paid for doing something I love to do, there just wasn’t the time in the day anymore. I’m at Little Brother’s school for his 10 AM and noon finger sticks, and between everything else that’s going on, I couldn’t keep up. First, the meltdown happened as I admitted to my husband that I needed to drop that part-time job, just to save my own sanity. Then I sent the email. And then, peace.

I may never come to know that same peace regarding diabetes. It’s a guessing game all the time. There’s no magic formula, no Excel spreadsheet (though we have one), no way to know that if he eats the exact same lunch he ate yesterday, his after-school blood sugar will be the same. It is said that the definition of insanity is that you do the same thing every time and expect different results. Well, the definition of diabetes is that you can do the same thing every time and GET different results. I’ve come to regard food as, if not the enemy, a huge stumbling block. I’ve hardly baked a thing since Thanksgiving, and cooking isn’t very fun anymore when I’m measuring and counting and figuring.

But there’s nothing I can do that will take away the diabetes, much as I would love to be able to relieve Little Brother, and the whole family, from the burdens it causes. The best I can do is accept and adjust.

Small Success Thursday: Furniture Shopping Edition

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It’s Small Success Thursday at CatholicMom.com! Why not stop by, encourage other moms and share your own achievements from the past week or so?

I didn’t get in on the Boxing Day fun last week for Small Success Thursday, because we were visiting my family for what is known as “Christmas The Day After.” While some cousins couldn’t make it (and were definitely missed) we had a great time just enjoying the visit, the dinner, and plenty of laughs.

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My house hasn’t completely fallen apart despite all efforts to the contrary (super-balls in the manger scene, remote-control helicopters in the stereo speaker wires…)

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Little Brother successfully navigated three days of Christmas with blood sugars in check! He even got to have dessert. For the record, there are about 7 carbs in a medium-sized Christmas cookie. I made them all the same size this year so we’d avoid the Higher Math involved in figuring out how many carbs in a large Christmas tree vs. a skinny candlestick vs. Frosty the snowman. This year, we just had stars.

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I invented a new way to shop for furniture. Our family-room couch bit the dust (long story, not the kids’ fault…this time) and I was in no mood for shopping companions. I set out for the store, cell phone in hand, and explained my requirements for the new sofa to the saleswoman. Once I found one I liked that fit my wish list, I texted a photo to my husband, who showed it to the rest of the family for their thumbs-up. I may never bring anyone to the store ever again. That was Monday. It was in stock, so we got it on Tuesday, and I watched the Mummers Parade from the comfort of my comfy new couch.

What’s a Mummer? It’s a Philly New Year’s tradition and it’s tons of fun. My favorite part of the parade is the String Bands division, where the groups perform their own music while dancing and wearing elaborate costumes. String bands include brass instruments, banjos, xylophones, accordions and the occasional double bass. Here’s an impressive performance by the Polish-American String Band.