Baseball Dreams...

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...Cooperstown Dreams Park, New York...

The highlight of my son's life so far:  traveling to Cooperstown, New York with his baseball team this summer.

The anticipation of this trip reached its peak toward the middle of August.  Fund raising was over.  New equipment was bought.  His hard work was about to pay off!

There were fund raisers all year...you know, selling things, having raffles, and finding local companies for sponsorship.  But above and beyond all these efforts, Big C put in some old-fashioned blood and sweat.  He mowed lawns, watered plants and even gave up some of his weekly allowance, in order to go on this trip of a lifetime.  I really was so proud of him.

The only bit of disappointment was in the fact that this would not be a vacation for the entire family.  But it would be an extraordinary memory-maker for him and Dad.

We got him all packed up...baseball equipment and all.

We had really stressed to him that the trip was expensive.  And that he would have to do his part and work hard.  The money he had earned for the last many months was put away...for just that purpose.  So, you can imagine his surprise when we handed all his hard-earned dollars back to him on the week before the trip...to be his spending money.

In the middle of August, they took off to New York.  It was a long week back at home for us.  We missed them terribly.  But we got to talk nearly every night.  Team families would text some highlights (like Big C's 2 home runs!)  And, we even got to watch one of the games live, online.

When the day came to pick up Dad and Big C, we headed to LAX, ready to hear all about their week.  Well, this kid talked and talked and talked and talked some more!  It was so obvious that it had been a dream-come-true for him...

Here are some highlights from that experience:

• bunking with the team + 4 coaches (Dad included)
• going to the Baseball Hall of Fame
• eating their fill and then some, at meal time
• BBQ'ing and relaxing at team families' condos
• trading pins with a thousand other boys
• buying souvenirs
• walking around a totally baseball-themed town
• being given a special ring for the tournament
• ranking 18th out of 100 teams
• hitting a home run
• hitting a 2nd home run
• visiting Doubleday Field, home of baseball
• simply traveling across the country to play baseball
• spending 1 last exciting week with teammates he's played with for the past 3 years

And that, my friends, are what baseball dreams are made of...

Soothing to My Soul

Life's stressful...don't you think?  Just in general, I mean...for everyone.  I really believe it compounds each year...at least for me.  Life becomes richer with experiences and adventures but can also become more stressful.

And, we've all heard it...how to manage the stress, right?  Eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, pray.  Sometimes coffee talk with a good friend does the job.  Take a vacation.  Get a massage.  I used to take a drive to reduce tension...but with gas prices what they are, that idea might raise the stress level!

On our last trip up the coast, our whole family was introduced to a new stress-relieving, calming, peaceful activity:  sea glass hunting.  I have been making the pilgrimage to the Monterey Bay area ever since childhood.  You think I would have discovered this outstanding stress-reducer at some point over the years.  But it took a new friend to mention it to get me to actually do it.  She even hold us the secret location of her favorite sea glass beach!

Well, it took some prompting to get all the kids on board with the idea.  And the husband wasn't really all that interested in it.  But there we went...not entirely sure of what we were hunting.  The kids took off to explore the rocks and tide pools.  Then, I started looking down at the sand.  Sea glass?  What the heck does it look like?  All I saw was sand!  I bent down to get a closer look.  Huh, green.  That's not sand.  I picked up a speck of green glass.  It was tiny, but pretty, smoothed by countless waves driving it into the sand.  Sea glass!  I had found some.

I showed the husband.  He had found some with amber hues.  We dropped to our knees and began sifting through the sand with our hands.  As we made our way up the beach, away from the water we found ourselves finding more and more bits and pieces of these little jewels.  The kids came scurrying over to see what we were holding. 

"Oh, sea glass!" Middle C dropped to his knees and joined in the hunt.  He came across several, beautifully frosted white pieces, rather large.  He had a big smile on his face.

C and Big C were kneeling down next to the husband, enthralled in a unique find of blue.  It was the palest shade of blue, almost in the shape of a teardrop.

"That's beautiful!" I said.  "I want to find some blue too."

So, there we were, now all sitting on the sand moving our hands back and forth just at the surface.  I really had to be down, so close to the ground.  There, I could see the large-grained sand as individual pebbles, beautiful in and of themselves. My hands were feeling heavy and relaxed.

"We really should get going," I said. 

"Yea," the husband replied back. "Maybe a few more minutes."

Twenty minutes later, I found a gorgeous blue piece.  The blue, it seemed, was the most rare to find.  It became the coveted color.  And, when found, we would all shout out "blue one!"

After another 20-30 minutes, I finally mustered up the energy to stand up, gather the kids and begin our accent up the stairs from the beach.  All the while, we walked with our gaze downward for the slight possibility that we would find another treasure.

Last one off the sand?  The husband.  He was hooked.  He even found an old crumpled up silver spoon!  You can see it in the picture below.  Oh, the kids had a great time discussing the pirate ship that must have lost it hundreds of years ago!  (I kept my thoughts to myself. It probably fell out of the restaurant window just above the beach maybe a month ago!)

Our finds of the day!  You may see a ladybug in there, just for good measure...

Sea glass hunting.  It was definitely soothing to my soul.  I've added it to the list of stress-reducing activities.  Now, if I only lived near the beach...

Cookie-Baking Weather

A couple weeks ago, during one of our few big storms here, it was definitely "cookie-baking weather."  I enlisted C's "help" and had her measure and pour.  We had a great time together making honest-to-goodness Oatmeal Raisin Chews...minus the raisins.  (Who would choose to ruin cookies with raisins anyway?)  And, we threw in 2 cups of chocolate chips instead.

You may be saying to yourself  Hold on there!...Your daughter can eat that?  But she's diabetic.  I'm all for dispelling diabetes myths, so here we go...

Diabetes or not, a little kid needs to enjoy a cookie now and then. 

I thought I'd share one of our favorite recipes from none other than...Mrs. Fields!  When I was first married, my mom gave me a Mrs. Field's Cookie Cookbook.  I don't even bother with other recipes anymore.  Nothing has come close to her Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip cookies.  After giving C's teacher a bag full of the sugar cookies in heart shapes for Valentines Day, she practically begged for the recipe.  I am not exaggerating when I say that these recipes are the best!

Oatmeal Raisn Chews

(But, you know...no raisins and...lots of chocolate chips!)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup quick oats (not instant)

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup salted butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups raisins (but don't do this!...use 2 cups chocolate chips instead.)

The oats make them healthy!...okay, maybe not.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, salt and oats.  Mix well with wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, blend sugars with electric mixer set at medium speed.  Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste.  Scrape down sides of bowl, then add vanilla and eggs.  Mix at medium speed until fully combined.

Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed just until combined.  Do not overmix.  Add [raisins] chocolate chips and blend into mixture.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown.  Immediately transfer cookies to a cool, flat surface.

Yields 3 dozen.

I believe the lower temperatures and longer baking times really set her recipes apart.  I never get a burnt batch, ever.

Oh, and the carbohydrate count = 40 grams for a 2.3 oz cookie

Enjoy!

My New Shoes

It's Friday.  And, this is frivolous.

I got some new shoes. 

After seeing them on Sally Field in a commercial recently, I figured that I certainly am not too old to wear them.  I love them.  My oldest is embarrassed.  Mission accomplished.

 I love them!

8 Years Ago Today...

8 years ago today, we became out-numbered.

8 years ago today, I fully expected to meet another red-headed little boy.

8 years ago today, I finally found out what all the hype is, regarding epidurals.

8 years ago today, my husband fainted while watching the needle go into my back.

8 years ago today, I got to witness 2 little boys meeting their sister.

8 years ago today, diabetes was not even a thought.

8 years ago today, I knew our family was complete.

8 years ago today, sweet Claire Olivia was born.

Happy Birthday, Sweetpea!

Happy Dia-versary!

Yes, that's right.  HAPPY Dia-versary! It's been 6 years for us.  6 years of finger pokes.  6 years of insurance battles.  6 years of 12 midnight and 3 am.  6 years of insulin, tears and fears...6 years of diabetes.  And, yes, today is a happy day.

Our family is choosing to celebrate this day, December 29th, C's diagnosis day.  We are not, by any means, celebrating diabetes.  Rather, we are celebrating LIFE, where diabetes has taken our family and the strength C has gained, because of this disease.  It was 6 years ago today that began this incredible journey for her and our family.  It is bittersweet to me, for sure.  I am so happy that God made me stay that long, awful night in the ER.  I am happy that we actually got the disturbing, confusing diagnosis.  Because that means, diabetes did not win out.

My eyes are welling up as I type.  But, really, I am happy.  My daughter is thriving.  Our family is growing.  And we are blessed beyond measure...despite diabetes.  No.  It will not win out.  We will work hard to keep things in check.  We will lean on friends and family who, may not fully understand our situation, but love us tremendously.  We will continue to learn about new advances for diabetes management.  We will hope, still, for a cure.  We will continue to lend and gather support from our online friends who know exactly what we're up against.  This is a great day.

So...we're off to go...bowling!...C's choice.  We may even get some ice cream too! 

Happy Dia-versary C!  We love you...

(Yes...got the ice cream!  And 2 hours later?...only 226!)

This Year on Halloween

This year on Halloween big C will be playing baseball in a travel tournament.  (Arghhh.)

This year on Halloween the kids will carve their pumpkins on their own but leave the last of the guts scraping to Dad.

This year on Halloween we will put the old baby monitor inside a scary jack o' lantern.

This year on Halloween I will not give candy out to adults posing as children.

This year on Halloween C will dress up like a black cat.

This year on Halloween the dog will go crazy over all the door bell ringing.

This year on Halloween we will explain to several people that it's okay that C goes trick-or-treating.

This year on Halloween we will eat homemade caramel apples.

This year on Halloween there will be "ghoul"-ash in the crockpot.

This year on Halloween big C will dress up like a creepy clown and really creep Mom out...(I mean I'm getting creeped out just by seeing that mask lying around the house!)

This year on Halloween we will burn honest-to-goodness REAL candles in our honest -to-goodness jack o' lanterns (come on, people!)

This year on Halloween, the boys will run ahead, not listening to directions, but C will enjoy holding Daddy's hand.

This year on Halloween the kids will beg to go trick-or-treating before it's even dark outside.

This year on Halloween, diabetes or not, a kid can have some candy.

This year on Halloween middle C will dress up as "Backwards Man" (bless this child!)

This year on Halloween the kids will pick out their favorite candies and donate the rest to Daddy's classroom.
This year on Halloween C will trade in some of her stash for a special gift.

This year on Halloween the boys will give Mom any candy she wants from their loot.

This year on Halloween diabetes will remain quiet and well-behaved in the background.

Ahhh...simple costumes!

Sleep by Number

Well, C's blood glucose was all over the board during the "Sleep-Over." 

The bounce castle...the hypoglycemia culprit.

From 32 after the bouncer...to 378 after birthday cake.  And everywhere in between.  Maybe the first sleep-over should have been with 1 or 2 friends not an entire house full of little girls.  Live, learn.

The 32 was quite unnerving, especially since it was only about a half hour after the party started!  There has only been one lower known number on her meter.  I remember a 27, but that was when she was in the hospital at the time of diagnosis.  Needless to say, I hung out at the party much of the time.

As all you type 1 parents know, it is quite the guessing game, this diabetes.  I thought I had set her up pretty well before the party started.  She was around 180.  I felt good about it.  I knew she was running on excitement and would need the extra "umpf."  But, like I wrote above, she crashed to 32 within a half hour. 

So after helping her come up to 78, I didn't correct for pizza at all.  Two hours later...102.  Good call?  More like, good guess.  The 32 really scared me.

Then came a 230.  But they weren't finished with all the games, nail-painting and jacquzzi time, so I left it.  Movies and popcorn.  (I mean, this party had it all!)  Lots of guesstimating.  Lots of manual bolusing.  I wanted C to be carefree.  I hope she felt like that.  I certainly did not.

So when all those cute little girls were snuggled down into their sleeping bags, I checked her, yet again.  378.  Oh well.  A delayed pizza reaction?  Bad guess on the cake?  Popcorn always sends her sky-rocketing.  How about all those things put together?  We dealt with it.  But I didn't want to correct it entirely.  So I half-bolused it.  I went home (two doors down) and set my alarm for 1:00 am.

I crept in the house about 1:03 and made my way to C.  To my surprise, about 1/2 of the girls still had their eyes open, watching a movie!  C was sound asleep.  Check...68...ug.  Wake her up.  Juice box.  Waited.  66!  Patience.  70.  I fumbled in the fridge for some milk.  Kisses.  Back home.  Set the alarm.

At 3:00 am, I repeated the scenario.  195.  I could live with that...or rather, I could sleep with that.  Back home and back to bed.  The party mom was dozing on the couch and I whispered to her, "I'm done.  I won't be coming in again until morning...well...until they're all awake!  She's 195."

The phone woke me about 7 o'clock.  "They're all up!"

When I got there, C checked in at 108.  Wonderful!  Perfect number to have a donut!  In a couple hours, she's home again.  Check...101.  Whew!  We did it, I thought.  It felt so good to have her home again.

What a sleep-over.

32...48...78...102...230...378...68...66...70...195...108...101.

Sleep-Over Anxiety...

As I write this, every nerve in my body seems to be standing at attention.

Cupcake carb count = lots!

C is going to her first sleep-over this weekend.  She's so excited!  I'm so nervous.  She's thinking of the pillow fights and cupcakes.  I'm thinking of hypoglycemia and the 3 am check.  She's thinking of which pajamas to take.  I'm thinking of which medicine to take--Tylenol or Advil.  I'm feeling a tremendous headache coming on...

Granted, we are fortunate.  The party is taking place 2 doors down the street.  We like this family, a lot.  They are friendly, responsible and generous.  The mom has always taken an interest in C and her diabetes issues.  So, she is very willing to work with me on this.  If I want to stay every minute?  She's good with that.  Sneaking in their house at 3 am?  She's fine with it.  Coming over at 6:00 am for coffee in her kitchen?  It's all okay.

**BIG BREATH**

This is going to be good, right?  It's going to be fun for C.  A challenge for me. 

I wish I could see what's around this huge corner that we're turning.

Apple Pickin'

A little rundown of our day in Oak Glen...

The kids had no school on Friday, so I took them up to Oak Glen to do some apple picking.  We finally have had a few cooler days, so my mind turned to autumn-like activities.

I wanted to go visit Oak Glen's old schoolhouse first.  So we drove on up past several apple farms and pulled in the school's drive.  There was a school bus there, but all the kids were outside on the new, "improved," safe playground.  I think my kids really had fun looking around and imagining school 100 years ago.  All grades in the same room.  Reading groups around the potbelly stove.  Inkwells.  Phonograph.  And, the school bell.

The angelic student, the sleepy student and the trouble-maker.

I told my kids the story of when I was young, maybe 8 or 9.  My girl scout troop actually spent the night in the old schoolhouse!  They were intrigued with the thought of that.  And, I had a good time looking around and remembering those good times.  The docent lady was very nice and took us down to the basement where we most likely used the kitchen and other facilities way back when.

Ye Olde Schoolhouse

Then, it was off to Riley's Farm for some apple picking.  However, they were all out.  We were too late.  Their crops were not very good this year.  Most all the farms were done picking.  I know that September is the main apple picking time.  But it's so hard to want to go up there when it's over 100 degrees!  We'll have to remember for next time.

The apple orchard, minus the apples.

So, instead of apples, we picked...raspberries.  It was fun (for the first 5 minutes!)  It gave us all a deeper appreciation for what it takes to get food onto our table.  It took quite a long time to get one little basket.  C and I worked hard.  The boys couldn't stay with it for long and went frolicking through the apple orchard!

It took a long time to find those little berries!

After our work in the fields, we headed on to other farms in search of caramel apples.  You wouldn't think they would be difficult to find in Oak Glen, but they were!  After a couple more stops, we found some.  Also, we ran into a few other families we know during our day up there!  It was a great day.  I always think of Oak Glen as the proof that fall actually comes to Southern California!

The L.A. County UnFair

Okay, first of all, it was 150 degrees last Wednesday when I had the privelege of going on the all-school field trip to the L.A. County Fair.  I accompanied C and her 2nd grade classmates. 

I went, prepared and armed for a scorching hot day.  Rolling ice chest filled with water bottles.  Giant spray bottles to cool down the kids.  And of course, C's diabetes bag filled to the brim with extra stuff to make diabetes behave itself.

Since the entire school was attending this field trip, there was a parent/volunteer meeting in the cafeteria just before boarding the buses.  We were given the rules:

• no younger siblings
• don't purchase anything
  
• bring a sack lunch
  
• stay with the group
  
• all students must return to school - no staying at the fairgrounds after the official field trip time
  
• no rides
  
• no games
  
• no tank tops
  
• act appropriately
  
• keep track of students on your list
  
• meet at gazebo at appointed time
  

I totally understand them.  And I totally agree with most of them.  But, let me tell you, it's no fun eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while staring at the Hot Dog on a Stick stand.  And it was indeed torturous in the 1000 degree temperature to pass by the shave ice carts.  Unfair.

The kids thought other things were unfair. 

"Why can't we buy anything?" 

"I want to go on a ride!" 

"Can't we just play one game?"

"Oh, come on," they said.  "That's not fair!"

So we nicknamed it...the L.A. County UnFair.

No to the balloons.

No to the rides.

But, yes to the petting corral in 111 degrees.

(Don't think I was that much of a party pooper!  Actually, we had some fun.  We saw African animals, up close and personal.  We went through the dinosaur exhibits.  We walked through the Smokey Bear area.  We saw a magic show.  And, I really didn't mind the farm animals area.  Who can resist little piglets or pigmy goats?!)

Oh...and diabetes?  C stayed between 80 and 140.  She needed very little bolusing.  And a chocolate milk (without correction) kept her number from crashing in the heat.

Candy World!

Oddly, this could be a wonderful dream or a horrific nightmare for someone dealing with diabetes.

During our little vacation this summer, we kept running into (literally) these crazy, HUGE, brightly-lit candy stores! We couldn't help it. It was like a gigantic magnet pulled my kids in!

Now, some folks may be thinking, "Wait a minute, I thought your daughter has diabetes," usually spoken in hushed tones for some reason. Well, yes. Yes, she does. But this store just screamed FUN! So, how could we resist!

Call me crazy, but I let C eat certain treats. I don't allow any of the purely sugar candies. (Although, jelly bellies are beginning to be the fast-acting sugar of choice for treating lows lately!) But, then there's chocolate. Chocolate is just so perfect. It has fat in it...not just sugar. So it doesn't send her sky-rocketing, then crashing. It actually works out okay for us as long as we count the carbs correctly. On special occasions, yes, she eats candy. We don't do it every day. We count and bolus accordingly.

So, in Candy World, I was going to allow my kids some fun treats! The boys picked out the "way-over-priced-by-weight" candies and scooped them into little bags...jelly beans, gummie things and of course the gargantuan jawbreaker. I wandered around with C, in search of the perfect chocolate. The great thing was, she was more interested in all the toys and stuffed animals rather than the candies. She is fanatical about stuffed animals! I kept asking, "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"Oh, all I really want is this cute little stuffed turtle, Mom! Look! It has a little tu-tu!"

How could I argue with that?! Here we were in Candy World. I was willing to buy my type 1 daughter candy! And all she wanted was a stuffed animal. I actually was in awe of her decision for the remainder of our day.

Candy, candy, everywhere...and C is holding a strange blue squishy thing!

The Boardwalk

Why does this ride scare the bejeebers out of me?

Before we jump into post after post on the "back-to-school diabetes blues," (and believe me, there will be plenty) thought I'd write a light one full of summertime fun...

____________________________

We stayed around home most of the summer until August 9th. Then we made it up to the Monterey, California area for a week's break before the routine of school began. Good thing we got out of town when we did. With all 5 of us around the house, day-in and day-out for 2 months, I was seriously thinking of having myself committed. (Just kidding, kind of.)

During one of our days, we knew we wanted to take the kids around the bay to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. I hadn't been there for nearly 20 years! We decided to be real cheapskates and go on one of their 75 cent nights (Mondays and Tuesdays). Every ride was only 75 cents! (Normally, they can be as much as 4 or 5 dollars!) Also, any soda was only 75 cents too...and maybe I shouldn't mention it, but 75 cents for cotton candy too! This promised to be a great time!

We made a day of it and first went up into the Redwoods. It was something! The weather was perfectly mild and we had a great time walking through the forest and peering up at these giant, ancient fellas. We even went inside some! And though the elevation wasn't even 2,000 feet, we felt like we were worlds away. Lunch was eaten under some shady oaks, and then it was time...the Boardwalk!

None of my pictures do these giant trees justice.

We took a very scenic drive down to the coast on Highway 9. With Gameboys banned, I made sure the kids took note of God's beauty all around us. We made our way to the Boardwalk just before 5 (just before the 75 cents rate started!) My kids were about to pop! I don't know what it was. We've done Disney, Knott's and the like, but something about the Boardwalk was making them hyper. Maybe it's the beach that edges right up to it. Maybe it's the scary, ricket-y rides. Or maybe it was the 75 cents for everything. But there we went.

It was so fun! The best part (for me) was the fact that there was no admission fee. We could freely walk in and among the attractions without spending a dime. And although the hotdog dinner was not even worth the 75 cents, it was an awesome time being a kid with my kids. (I told my husband that the hotdogs did not, in any way, constitute a dinner out for me!)

And diabetes? It behaved itself. For the most part. Even after a double chocolate dipped ice cream cone! That's all the credit I'm giving the D.

***So, if you're in or around Santa Cruz in the near future, crack open your piggy bank and get ready to have a great time with your kids. Remember to go on their 75 cent nights! And, again, though I would have loved to have been paid for this review, sadly...I was not. : )

I skipped this ride for a couple reasons!

The giant swing ride!

One last go on the merry-go-round!

---special note---Unfortunately, the day after our Santa Cruz fun, the much publicized Lockheed fire broke out in the forests above the Boardwalk. This saddened us so much and we hope that all the wonderful state parks were spared.