I'm a T1D Mom

One of the biggest changes in our lives during my blogging hiatus is that Kaylicious was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes or T1D last year on her first day of kindergarten. We've had a lot of learning and adjusting to do, but I'm happy to say that despite having to check her blood sugar 4-10 times per day and inject insulin 5 times a day, my little girl is healthy and thriving!

T1D Moms have the Sweetest Kids

For those of you who are not familiar with Type 1 Diabetes, Riva Greenberg Diabetes advocate, author, speaker and coach gives a very accurate description of day to day life with T1D here: Type 1 Diabetes Finally Explained.

August 26, 2013 -- Kaylicious's 1st Day of Kindergarten, 1st Ambulance Ride & The Day We Found Out She Has T1D

Becoming a T1D mom, was and is one of the hardest things I have ever experienced. No mom ever wants to see her child suffer.  Knowing that there is no cure for your child's chronic, life-threatening disease can be really overwhelming at times, explaining that and helping your five year old understand and cope with her diagnosis is even harder.  To her credit, Kaylicious has been an amazing trooper through all the poking, prodding and diet changes.

Since Kaylicious's T1D Diagnosis, I have actually worked through the five stages of grief:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

I didn't realize this was happening until I hit the Bargaining Stage, where I "what-iffed" myself crazy for a month or so trying to figure out what could have been done differently to avoid having my child get Type 1 Diabetes.  

We've made a few discoveries along the way that have made treating T1D a little more manageable and helped me get to Stage 5 . . . Acceptance.  I'll be sharing some of the T1D tools that have been the most helpful for us in an upcoming post.

Until then, I will leave you with one thought that both gives me hope and makes me grateful. Insulin was discovered less than 100 years ago.  Prior to that, a diagnosis of  Juvenile Diabetes was essentially a death sentence.  Today, Type One Diabetics have a life expectancy similar to the general population. T1D can be difficult to manage, but understanding of the disease, treatment methods and technology have come a long way in a short time and are improving everyday.

 

The Crate's in the Mail

As a homeschooling mama, I'm always looking for exciting, inexpensive, educational ideas for my daughters.  This morning, I saw a link for Tinker Crates by Kiwi Crate on one of the homeschooling groups I'm in on Facebook.  My girls are way into science experiments and building things, so I decided to give it a try!

Tinker Crate inspires kids to explore and learn about science, engineering, and technology—and have fun doing it. Every month, a new crate to help kids develop a tinkering mindset and creative problem solving skills.

I ordered our first Tinker Crate for only $9.95 with free shipping!  Can't wait for it to arrive!  You can get your first crate for $9.95 too, and if you access Tinker or Kiwi Crate from this link, I get a $10 credit toward my next crate too:  Shannon's Kiwi/Tinker Crate Link.

I didn't notice until after I ordered that the suggested age for Tinker Crates is 9-14+, but with my help I'm sure it'll be fine.  Zazu, my five year old, has solved the Rubik's Cube twice now, so maybe she'll be the one helping me and Kaylicious :-)

Kiwi Crate, the company that makes Tinker Crate, also does crates for younger kids, so I may use their MERRYSUB Black Friday Coupon for 60% OFF on Friday and try a Kiwi Crate for ages 4-8 too.

With the holidays coming, I've been looking for alternatives to the never ending piles of plastic toys, my kids seem to accumulate.  If these kits turn out to be as cool as they look, Tinker and Kiwi Crates may be a great holiday gift option!

What kid wouldn't love to get an exciting package of fun in the mail?

I'll be sure to share more, once our first crate arrives!  In the mean time, have you tried Kiwi Crate or Tinker Crate?  What did you think?  What did you little ones think?  

Long Time, No See

Life has been crazy. Lots of big changes and I haven't blogged regularly in way too long. But I'm home now, home-schooling my daughters, Kaylicious, who is 6, and Zazu, who just turned 5 yesterday. And I'm planning to begin blogging regularly again. My kids are a little older and my life is a little different, but more on that later. Right now, I'm just excited to say I'm back!

Long Time, No See!  I've missed you so much!  {{{Hugs}}}

Celtic Tide Creations Hair Clip Give-Away

I love making barrettes and hair clips for my girls. They always turn out cute and that makes me feel really crafty. Plus, it's an inexpensive hobby, I can make bows to match every outfit, and I don't feel terribly pained when my daughters lose them, which they inevitably do.

Here are a few of the barrettes I've made for Zazu and Kaylicious:

As much as I love my own hair bow creations, I know they don't even begin to compare to the hair accessories produced by the amazing talents on Etsy. Some of the most marvelous hairclips I've come across are actually made by a mom who is local to me. Heather of Celtic Tide Creations handcrafts the ultimate in adorable ribbon sculpture barrettes!

 Check out Her Sweet Colorful Hedgehog Ribbon Sculptures Hair Clips.

These Lego Inspired Barrettes Make Me Feel Like Singing 

"Everything is Awesome!"

And Kermit the Frog Here ...  

How could anyone not love Kermie?

It’s hard for me to even begin to pick a favorite Celtic Tide Creation; I pretty much want every single one of them for my little girls. I just can’t help it.  Her hair clips are obnoxiously cute and I’m greedy like that  . . . so greedy in fact, that I almost don’t want to share the giveaway Heather’s having right now with all of you, because I've got my fingers crossed that I’ll be the big winner. But if it isn't me who wins, I sure hope it will be a Counting on Me Fan! 

Celtic Tide Creations Give-Away

Right now, Celtic Tide Creations is having a Spring Give-away. In honor of Spring, and as a way to say "Thank You!" to all the awesome Celtic Tide fans out there, They’re running a new giveaway! The Winner will receive their choice of an animal hair clip or pin (the pins are great attached to boys hats and book bags!). You may even request a new animal design! You can enter everyday until Thursday April 10th.  Here's the link http://tinyurl.com/mkrkfu6.