Wordless Wednesday

Since I was talking about Italy in my last post I thought a pic would be appropriate. I wish I was here with a glass of wine in my hand!

What's on Your Nightstand

Check out this fun carnival from 5 Minutes for Books.

So I usually have numerous books on my nightstand and about zero time to read them but I try.
On my nightstand right now is one of my upcoming book club books, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. So far I am enjoying it but haven't gotten too far into it yet. I also started Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. I was really looking forward to this one because I enjoy all things Italian. It's my dream vacation and I loved Eat, Love, Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert. Unfortunately, this one is just not doing it for me yet. However, I got it at a used book fair and when I started it a post it note dropped out. This is what it said:
Jim, Well I've finally finished this book and really enjoyed it. Take your time reading it but I expect something from Tuscany in return. Barb
So that's not exactly what it said because I lost the note but it was along those lines. I was just so taken by the idea of someone reading this and then getting to go to Tuscany.
I also have Feed Me I'm Yours by Vicki Lansky on my desk. It's about feeding your baby/toddler. I'm always looking for quick, nutritious things to make. Finally, I'm paging through 487 Really Cool Tips for Kids with Diabetes by Spike and Bo Loy. I've read it before but it's been a while.
Up next on my list is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. And one of our next book club ones is Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster. Just the title of that one cracks me up.

First day of camp

Today Aiden started a week long camp for kids with Diabetes. Not surprisingly, he was in hysterics when we left. We called to check in on him later and he was fine. His Daddy is picking him up now so we'll see how it went. I'll update more when I can.

Mama Mia...what a weekend!

Here's the low down on our fun weekend:
Friday night: Mommy went out with the ladies to see Mama Mia and have dinner. I loved this movie!! I must get the music because I have the first two sentences of each song stuck in my head. It is so nice to get out with friends, get dressed in something other than gym cloths and talk about adult things. Plus, I have a name and it's not Mommy! One of my favorite things about getting dressed for these nights is the tiny purse.

This isn't mine but it's cute.

Even before Funky came along I had to carry a large purse. I know that with a 4 year old it's typical not to carry much. But one of the physical effects of diabetes is a bad back. Not for the kid but for the Mommy. Whenever we go out I have to carry his glucometer (blood sugar checker) and his emergency kit. The kit contains this: big ass emergency injection, supplies to change pump site, AAA battery, glucose tablets and syringes (plus other supplies that I know I'm forgetting).

Saturday: We went to Dutch Wonderland, a kid's amusement park. AJ had a blast. He is a pretty timid kid so we weren't sure how it would go. We were so proud. He went on everything except the larger roller coaster. He told us that he might try that one when he's 5. Meanwhile, he is already asking to go back.

Lovin' those fast corners.

Taking a pony ride.

As usual if FC has her binky she's good to go!

Sunday: The hubby and I got to have a date night. We went to see Dark Knight and had dinner out. It's always nice to reconnect.

Grocery Gripes

So I had the privilege of going to the grocery store with just one kiddo. And I only had a small list so it should have been a fairly pleasant experience. Needless to say it wasn't. All because of one person. It amazes me that one person can literally ruin your day or at least your shopping. So FC is really a sweet little girl but Mommy decided against all rational thought to take her to the grocery store right during nap time. We hit the produce first and as I'm putting the peach in the bag Funky grabs it right out of my hand. I thought she wanted to help so there I am trying to teach her "in" and put it in the bag. She gave me a funny look and then preceded to try to take a huge bite out of the peach. Oh, so you're hungry. Okay, so off to the bakery section I go to grab a bagel. I know real nutritious. I wasn't prepared with a snack because my Cheerio stash was never refilled and she had just eaten lunch. Anyway, the bagel worked since she's teething so we were back on track. Admittedly, I was keeping one eye on her to watch for choking and with the other I was looking down the next aisle to see if I needed to go down it. Well, this woman comes bounding around the corner (one with a huge display), and I crash right into her. Now I fully realize that in all likelihood I was at fault. So I said "Sorry" not once but three times. The woman did not say one word. She rubbed her leg and just glared at me. She looked at me like she had just caught me in bed with her husband. I was on edge the rest of the trip.
Maybe that's why I also have this question for any of you who may know the answer. Why do people put their babies in slings, Bjorns, etc. to go grocery shopping? I mean you have the ability to use your floppy seat on the cart. So why lug the kid? Now I have noticed that the women I see doing this are typically the skinny b*&*%s that probably have super cores and no back problems. I just still don't get it.

Wordless Wednesday

My fairy princess and fisherman.

Birthday Pics

On Funky Chicken's real b-day we just had some cake at home. Then on Sunday we had family and close friends over for a b-day bash. I think everything went well; it's hard to tell when you're the one hosting.

The ones I love

My oldest and dearest friend came up from MD to help celebrate. Her first child L was born about 6 weeks after Funky Chicken. We already have them betrothed:) It has been so much fun to go through the baby experience with my friend.

FC with her future hubby L.

Gotta have your party hat!

Starting to look tired after a busy day.

Six Things You Need to Know About Me

Okay, so after my last post about slacking Kelly tagged me. So now I'm going to half complete the assignment. I will tell you about myself but I'm not tagging others. I can claim that I'm trying to conquer #1 below but that's not the reason. It's simply because I don't really have that many bloggy buddies:( Chances are that anyone I would tag has already been. And let's face it I'm not going to tag some PMBer that has about 1000 hits a day and barely knows who I am. So it looks like I"m back in elementary school... I wasn't quite picked last for kickball but definitely not first!

1. I'm sometimes a perfectionist. I only like to do things that I know I will be/am good at. Which basically means that I end up getting nothing done. For instance, instead of having perfectly folded shirts in the closet I end up with a laundry basket full of wrinkled shirts instead.
2. I'm claustrophobic which leads me to be very picky about where I sit in restaurants...no facing the wall.
3. Even though I can be a loud mouth I'm actually pretty shy, especially around new people.
4. No secret here but I'm a bit of a slob. It seems like whenever I attempt to put one thing away I wind up leaving 2 other things out in my effort.
5. I have numerous pet peeves but one of my big ones is people talking through a movie. If I have to pay $10 to see a movie than I want to hear the A lister talking not the person behind me:)
6. I'm a make up junkie and I do not leave the house without at least some on. Not even to the gas station.

I'm a Slacker

While I am lovin' this whole bloggy world, I am getting a little stressed out about it. It's completely self imposed stress but I just can't stand not doing things really well. Unfortunately,the amount of time I can spend on blogging lately is very limited. Plus, I have been busy going to the doctor numerous times, going on a mini vaca and getting ready for Funky Chicken's B-day party. Add to all that my horrendous computer and it's not a good mix. So what this really could have been titled is "I'm Sorry". I know I have been tagged with some pretty cool things, like a great book meme and a blogger award. So for those of you who tagged me or awarded me please know that I truly appreciate it. Don't count me out PLEASE! Of course, since I am an honesty is the best policy kind of girl I will admit this... I have been known to break a chain letter. But I promise to try to do better next time so tag me again soon!

Happy Birthday Funky Chicken!

I am excited, happy and mad... where did the last year go??? I can't even believe that my beautiful baby is a year old today. While I have had...no still am having an extremely difficult time adjusting to two kids, I couldn't imagine our family without Funky Chicken. She is such a sweet, happy little girl who fills our lives with joy every day. I am having extreme guilt at the second child syndrome that we are experiencing, i.e lack of pictures, book reading, etc. I just hope that she knows how much we love her.

Here she is about 6 hours after being born.

Fun for Everyone

My brother in-law and SIL went to Ocean City, NJ this week for vacation. They were nice enough to let us crash for a few days. Everyone had a great time. The kids loved the beach, boardwalk and the horrible, but yummy food!

Funky Chicken enjoying her very first bite of ice cream. She's her mother's daughter.

AJ loves ice cream too... even when it's dripping all over him.

Funky Chicken is a natural beach lover. I attempted to keep her on the blanket but she was having none of it; instead she kept crawling straight for the ocean.

There she goes.

The kids all loved playing together at the beach.

What is in that hole?
Cousin A lounging in the hole.

It was a great time but now it's back to reality. We're having a small b-day party for Funky Chicken on Sunday. I am less than prepared. So I have to go clean, clean, clean and do about a million loads of laundry. Meanwhile, the cough I had is still not gone and I think I am getting a migraine.

Fun in the Sun

We spent the afternoon with friends. AJ had a blast running through the sprinkler and Funky Chicken was content to play on the blanket. All in all it was an enjoyable afternoon. It would have been perfect but for AJ's mini meltdown at the end. His friend wanted a headband for her hair. She actually asked for two and AJ wanted one. My old, education major self would have been shocked and appalled to hear me say, "Headbands aren't for boys". Now I know that it's okay for boys to play with dolls. Plus, anyone who has met my son will agree that he is all boy. However, I also know that he notices cloths and has been known to compliment me on new shoes. I just can't bear the thought of him being stuffed in a locker someday. So he can try on my shoes at home but public headbands are out:)
Now I have to get back to the mountain of laundry. We are headed to the Jersey shore for the next few days. It will be Funky Chicken's first time at the beach.

A Little Self Analysis

Okay so for those of you who already know me in "real" life you will not be surprised by this. To everyone else I am about to let you in on my biggest flaw. Trust me it is not my only one; I have many. However, I am finding that this flaw is really starting to get me down. So here it is... I care way too much about what other people think about me and my family. It truly effects everything that I do. From wanting to keep up with the Joneses to what I wear to how I discipline my children. The last one is the main reason for this post. I am really struggling to find the balance between having my child behave and promoting his self esteem. Let me explain. AJ is 4 and his listening skills have been less than stellar lately. I feel as though I yell at him all day long. He is already a sensitive fella and since I clearly have self-esteem issues it is the last thing I want for him. He already struggles with it. Many times when I discipline him it is for legit reasons, especially when it is regarding his or his sister's safety. However, yesterday while we were at the grocery store I kept pestering him to not move the cart, don't touch that, etc. I think I was doing it out of a fear that I may upset someone else or look like a bad parent. Meanwhile, is it really realistic for a 4 year old boy not to move around or touch things??? And let me tell you all this nagging is getting me nowhere. I am quite sure that when I talk AJ is hearing Charlie Brown's teacher...wah, wah, wah, wah. It is just so hard for me to figure out what is "normal" behavior for a boy of this age. When should I call him out for things and when shouldn't I? Why can't I find the damn instruction manual that came with this kid?

Super Girly Give Away

Thanks to Jenn at The Best Is Yet Unwritten for making me aware of this fab give away. Having a boy first I am all about the girly stuff. So if you also have a girl check out this great site http://pinkwithsparkles.com/2008/07/06/giveaway-my-fancy-princess/
They are giving away a $100 gift certificate to My Fancy Princess
Good Luck!

Back to the Doctor

Well it looks like we are back to the Dr. again today. He isn't convinced that we can rule out asthma based on the X-ray. So I'm off to learn how to use a nebulizer.
First I'll need to call AJ's endocrinologist to see what we need to do...apparently steroids reek havoc on BS and insulin needs. I'm just not sure if that only applies to oral meds or inhaled also. Oh, the things I never thought I would have to learn. By now I think I should be about a 1/4 of the way to my nursing degree

AJ doesn't even seem to know what is going on. He's still making me laugh. Like yesterday when he asked me to clean his ears out. He often has what we call Shrek ears. Gross! For some reason he can't seem to remember the word Q-tip... so he asks me to get an ear tip to clean his ears.

Back to Square 1

So today we went to the pediatricians office to pick up an RX for a chest X-ray. AJ has had a persistent cough for a long time now. We tried some allergy meds and then antibiotics to rule out a sinus infection. Since those didn't work the Dr. wanted to make sure it wasn't asthma. So we went over to the hospital and had the X-ray done. It came back negative which is great! However, now I don't know what we will do. Maybe see an allergist?? I called the Dr. but it was already late so hopefully I'll get a call back tomorrow.
On a fun note my sister in-law is pregnant and we found out that it's a boy today. I already have a niece so 2 boys and 2 girls will be great!

I'm Back...

Whether you care or not:) So we didn't go on vacation but were just very busy with the long weekend. So I was pretty much disconnected. It was a nice break but I was itching to get back to the blogging. Here's the run down on the weekend:
Thursday- Hubbie took a half day and we went to the country club. Well, okay we don't actually belong to a country club but our next door neighbors put in a beautiful pool. They were away and told us to feel free to use it. Of course, we took them up on the offer.
Friday, July 4th- I did take a moment to reflect on the day, particularly thinking about those currently fighting for our country and freedom. And those, like my Dad, who have served in the past. Then I did what Americans do best... I celebrated free commerce and shopped till I dropped. The weather was lousy so I left the family at home and hit the mall. Since I can now fit into things a little bit better I was excited to buy a few cute items. Friday evening we went to my brother in-law and sister in-laws house for dinner. We were supposed to see the fireworks but they were rained out.
Saturday- Bad weather again so we did a bunch of errands. Then we went to a local family fun place. They have a climbing structure, bowling, etc. Funky Chicken was content to just watch while big brother had a great time.

We then went out to dinner at Friendly's. AJ had his first ice cream sundae. He's had ice cream plenty of times just not hot fudge. There are more carbs in the fudge than in the ice cream! And boy did we pay for it. His BS (blood sugar) was sky high all night and we were checking him every 2 hours. It was worth it remembering the look on his face while he was eating it.
Sunday- My parents came out to visit. We had lunch out and did a little shopping. Here's Funky Chicken with Grandma.Later that night after my parents left we met up with friends to see the fireworks that happen in our town. There is a concert beforehand and most people bring blankets and have picnic dinners. It's all good in theory until it starts to pour! The little ones were okay but this was one wet mommy. It did eventually stop and we were able to see the fireworks. Here's AJ and his friend enjoying their water ices.
Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and report me to the Diabetes police. Ice cream and water ices in one weekend. You might as well report me to Weight Watchers too because I sooo fell off the wagon this week. Back on track tomorrow!!

Wordless Wednesdays

I hope they are non-toxic!! As I was trying to blog the other day I had Funky Chicken with me. I had set her up with some of her toys. Well do you think she wanted to play with those?? No, she would rather crawl under the desk to play with the wires, pull the books off the bookshelves and get into any other sort of trouble she could. Suddenly I noticed that it had been quiet for a good 2 minutes. I turn around to see her chomping down on one of her brothers blue crayons. Feel free to send me the mother of the year award anytime now.

REQUEST FOR CGMS: DENIED BY INSURANCE

Check out this blog about the day.
For those that don't know what a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System is I'll try to give you a quick explanation. It continuously monitors a diabetic's blood sugar levels. It is great for being able to watch trends and see if the person is heading high or low. It is also an invaluable tool for parents to monitor their little one overnight... if the child is heading low an alarm sounds.
We are fortunate that our insurance will cover the device (although it will still cost a bundle). We plan to have AJ set up with it sooner than later. However, this is an invaluable tool that should be covered for everyone. To me this is kind of like insurance companies not covering birth control pills yet they would have to pay for prenatal care, maternity care and another dependent. If a diabetic isn't offered appropriate tools for self monitoring then down the road the insurance company may need to pay for a variety of medical services for such things as kidney damage, nerve damage, eye problems, etc. Anyway, we stand by all those fighting the good fight!!