The Meri Tribune

Today I am cleaning out my inbox and sharing a load of awesome information. It just isn't right that I keep it to myself! November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and there are a ton of things happening to further our cause! Pick and choose what your family might want to get involved with. I'm posting all the links in case you want to know more!The Big Blue Test: Sponsored by the Diabetic Hands Association and Roche, the Big Blue Test asks all people touched by diabetes to:-Test their blood sugar-Get active for at least 14 minutes-Test their blood sugar again-Share their numbers on http://bigbluetest.orgDo this between November 1st and...

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Basals. A tough nut to crack...but oh so tasty!

We love pistachios.They are for sure one of our favoritest nuts. So when we were at Costco last week and saw this little beauty, all shelled and ready for immediate consumption...well, we grabbed it and headed straight for the register.We popped it open when we got home and they were really good.Really good. Not really great.What is it about working for them...prying them out of their nut jail cells, that makes them taste oh so much better?How can putting effort into something make something all the more sublime?Like our pistachios...basal tweaking gives us an equally euphoric feeling when we work hard for that golden nut in the middle...and...

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Remembering when my middle name was Ann.

Sometimes I think it would be easier if I didn't remember. If only the days when my biggest worry was if a snotty nose was going to turn into an ear infection didn't burn in my swelly brain...maybe I would be having a better day than I am today.Because today it feels like all the walls that I have built to protect me from my simpler past, are crumbling. Three weeks ago every one of my boys had basals dialed in as succinct as a fine quartz watch...and now I don't know what I will find when the countdown flashes on the monitor. Any predictability I had before is gone.When my boys call me with their numbers at snack I hold my breath...praying it...

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It's laughing at me.

A couple weeks ago our nurse sent us some coupons for free pump skins. It couldn't have come at a better time because little L was upset that he didn't get a new pump like his brothers did. The boys perused the offerings and then decided to create their own skins. (For you Medtronic folks, you can find the skins HERE.)First up: A pic of our dog Lawton. Both B and L wanted the same picture and didn't care that they would match. L picked a green background...B picked dark blue.At the bottom of the pump skin there was room for more creating so L opted to have his name put there. B was very clear about what he wanted too: LOL!No, I wasn't laughing...

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Push Pause.

There is a crosswalk in the middle of town that no one stops for. There can be people waiting there for a good ten minutes to cross while cars rush by in their hast.There is a four way stop less than a mile up the road, near a group of schools, where no one waits for their turn. If there is a shortcut or a small window of opportunity...they will take it.Many fly through yellow lights when they know they won't make it through before it turns red.Many cut in front of people when they KNOW the other person will have to step heavily on their brakes to allow them access.What has happened to us?It is like we all are flung out of a slingshots as soon...

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The ugly and inevitable truth.

My husband and I don't trust our kids as far as we can throw them. Sure, we give them a sense of comfort. We reassure them that we have full faith in their choices. We lift them up with words of adoration and respect.But in reality, we are just waiting. We know they are going to do something crazy stupid sometime. We were kids once. We were teenagers once. We know all the tricks in the book. Anyway, when it comes to diabetes...same rules apply. We kinda' figure they are lying until they prove it. J, more than any of our boys, gets the jest of the game. I'll ask him what his blood sugar was at school when I pick him up and he'll always rattle...

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The Meri-est world ever!

(Today is NO D DAY. Shhhhh...we're not allowed to talk about anything "D" related. So saddle up. This is going to be an interesting ride!)Last year on No D Day I contemplated actions I would take if I, "Took over the world or whatever."This year I would like to add to that list. Not that dictatorships are ok or anything, but let's face it...if I ruled the world, it would be a better place. I'm not bragging, I'm just being honest, and HEY! There is an attribute right there, (honestly,) that totally PROVES I would rock this Overlord thing!Let's get to it! If I ruled the world:* I would get rid of high fructose corn syrup. I'm pretty sure that stuff...

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The cold slushy truth. Too much to ask for?

I was never a big fan of the Slurpee. Give me chocolate any day of the week. But my husband discovered the sugar free Slurpee by chance, and ever since it has been the special treat of choice in the Schuhmacher household.True-True that the Slurpee isn't really "sugar free." There are carbs in there for sure. But we are in a place right now where all the boys get "free" afterschool snacks or else they go low. We get the smallest size and no one needs to bolus...win/win!It was a couple months ago that we discovered a new sugar free flavor called Cherry Apple. MAN ALIVE was it delicious! Seriously, I never in my life expected that last sentence...

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