What I Am Reading and Why

I don't know why.

I tried to backtrack and can't figure it out. I was reading...Oh wait, I recall now. I was watching an interview with a mother who put her seven year old daughter on a diet. Dara-Lynn Weiss is the author and the book is The Heavy. The interview was brief and trite. So I googled it and while I was reading an article about Weiss, The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother was mentioned. I was intrigued. I also had a faint memory (clearly an issue of mine) of my cousin mentioning the book or someone mentioning it on a blog. I checked it out...Correct on both accounts, here's the link to my cousin's blog.

I read until about midnight last night and again today while waiting in the car for my next interpreting assignment. It's fascinating. It makes me feel so stupid. Literally obtuse, well not literally. The only thing I do that is in any way similar to Amy Chua is yell at my kids. So it isn't even one of the things that is tough now but pays off later like hours of instrument practice. I'm not saying that I agree with the the Chinese model of raising kids but it has more positive aspects than the Western model. There must be a way to get the best of both worlds.

I still have half a book to read. Maybe Amy figures it out.

I tried to get the previously mentioned book, The Heavy, at the library at the same time, but couldn't recall the title or full name of the author. When I drop off Tiger Mother, I'll pick up The Heavy and let you know how it goes.

*theme today = I can't remember crap

30 Day Media Fast

Not fast as in fast forward, but fast as in to do without.

Our youth group is doing their annual overnighter tonight. I am not there because I seem to have caught a bug. Not the flu that is running rampant all over the United States right now, but a little sore throat, head congestion and a touch of a sick stomach.

The night will include a worship band from a nearby college, laser tag for three hours in the middle of the night, root beer floats and a showing of the documentary Captivated. I just watched it and it is powerful. I am looking forward to Tim and Riley getting home in the morning and see if we're all on the same page. Or at least that Tim and I are on the same page - the page is that we as parents need to take control of the television (we don't watch much tv, but unplugging will show us how addicted we may be), xbox, iphones, and Kindle. There is definitely some addiction issues to the middle two.



me watching the documentary and the whole house went dark

A strange thing happened while I was watching this documentary about unplugging from media. Our power went out. So the only electricity running in the whole house was this laptop with Captivated showing. Tim's work computer and phone - out. Riley and his friend's Xbox game - gone. Reid's television - blank. That's a pretty strong message. And I got it loud and clear.

On a completely different media note - I can't upload pictures here anymore. Is anyone else having the same problem?

Picking Favorites


Thursday - my favorite day

  7:15 am   bg 135   eat breakfast, inject insulin, go to school
10:30 am   no idea  call home because feels sick (nausea etc...whatever it takes to get out of school)
11:00 am   still ?     call home again because we haven't come to pick him up
11:30 am   bg 81     on the way home with his parents who finally picked him up
11:40 am                 feels dropping, eats 15 CHO of grapes then hungry eats 30 CHO crackers/cheese
12:00 pm   bg 87     watches UFO stories on cable wrapped in Gramma's down comforter
  6:00 pm   bg105    what what?? perfect 
  9:20 pm   bg 120   you're killin me



Reuben is his favorite

Friday - Riley's report about his day: great day; smiled and laughed all day.

Wait, whoa...what about being ticked off at the world, failing a Spanish quiz, forgetting your math homework, annoyed by all my questions, wishing you had cooler parents?

Making sense of it all - hormone drop? Could it be that the hormones wreaking havoc on his insulin resistance and his attitude have taken a vacation?

New Year - New Diabetes??

Screw Diabetes.

That's a direct quote from me after yelling at Riley that he needs to learn the lesson of insulin dosing before he eats! We just ate dinner celebrating my father-in-law's 71st birthday. Riley had his own pizza and Caesar salad. Before dinner he tested, bg was 293. *Important background information: For lunch he had a pretzel from a kiosk at the mall and a bottle of water. Then we divided and conquered Christmas returns and birthday gift shopping. Riley went with his dad and Reid with me. I assumed he tested and dosed. I was wrong. He did neither. When we got home from the mall at 4 pm, bg was 351. He corrected with 5 units of insulin (1:50).

Back to the story: I told Riley not to correct for the 193 he was over his goal because we already made that correction an hour and a half ago. Just dose for the pizza was the plan. Riley was sitting at the other end of the table with his Grumps (birthday boy) and Aunt and Uncle. When we were walking out, Tim asked me if Riley dosed. I thought..."that's a weird question, I was sitting across from you, four people and a diagonal line across from Riley, how would I know and of course he did". That's a lot of thinking without saying a word in reply.

Then we're driving away to go eat more carbs to celebrate the birthday. Tim asks Riley if he did his insulin. The reply? no

I freaked out. Something along the lines of ..."Your number before dinner was high, like 293, and then you proceeded to eat a carb heavy meal of pizza? Have you lost your mind? How could you not have dosed? You are going to test right this minute and see what your number is. That will teach you a lesson".

Bg? 223

How could 5 units of insulin at 4 pm with a bg of 351 bring his sugar down to 223 with pizza added to the mix over an hour before? Oh yes I thought of that, too. Pizza has a delayed rise...But no way. Who got taught a lesson here?

Christmas Eve



No! Don't take a picture. And don't think I like this food.

We tried to come up with a New Tradition for Christmas Eve this year. It's the first time we were spending Christmas at our home, just the four of us.
Hibachi Japenese food! Riley tried the yummy salad with the ginger dressing, he tried the soup, he ate some vegetables, he devoured the steak. He did not eat the rice.

He tested before dinner 86. We calculated the carbs = 0 CHO. No insulin! Are you kidding me? We'll eat this once a week or more.

*Side Note: New Year's Resolution #1 - Riley start eating cooked vegetables #2 and rice

After finishing the steak, he tested again - he felt low - 71.

Come on...This was our Christmas Eve Miracle. It started out when he was not happy on arrival of the Japanese restaurant choice. The entertaining griller with his canned tricks softened the head -on -the- table misery. Then he loved it! The steak and the ginger sauce. Typical teen aged mood swing. And now I was searching for a carb. In an attempt to keep the food theme, I asked the waitress for those crunchy noodly things sometimes garnished on the top of Asian food. She informed me that those noodly things are Chinese, not Japanese. Slightly embarrassing.

Riley found some thin peppermint sticks with a chocolate coating normally used to stir in your hot chocolate or coffee in the bottom of his bag. He ate two.  Still shaky.  I tried again. Please Miss Waitress, any crackers? Anything??  "You want peanut butter kind?"

Yes Please.

 

Thanksgiving 2012- not exactly a new tradition but close

 Our schedule was set.
 WED:
7 am Make stuffing and refrigerate for travel tomorrow
8 am Parent Teacher Conferences with 6 teachers
11 am Make & roll pie dough
12 pm Make apple pie and bake
1 pm Go see Wreck It Ralph (technical difficulties = Rise of the Guardians)
3 pm Work in Hershey, cancels, drive home in TRAFFIC
5 pm Make pumpkin pie and bake
6 pm Visit children's great grandmother
7 pm Go to church for Thanksgiving Eve service
9 pm Pack car

THURS:
6 am Drive to Delaware
2 pm Enjoy Ennis Thanksgiving Dinner
Actual schedule:

WED:
7 am through 5 pm See Above
6:45 pm Visit great grandmother/grandparents
8:30 pm Visit so long...miss church
9:30 pm Pack food and clothes for early morning departure
11:30 pm Reid pukes
1 am Reid pukes
2 am Reid pukes
3 am Reid pukes
5 am Reid pukes
7 am Reid pukes
8 am Tim goes to store for Ginger Ale and Oyster Crackers and a turkey
9 am Reid pukes
11 am Reid pukes
2 pm Reid pukes
3 pm Tim makes mashed potatoes and sauteed purple cauliflower-items we have in the kitchen. Puts stuffing in the oven-prepared this morning, picks up gravy & cranberry relish from his parents' Thanksgiving meal.
4 pm EAT-just the two of us at the kitchen island

Riley had turkey and pumpkin pie for dinner. Then apple pie for dessert. Hey, it's Thanksgiving. Diabetically speaking, I was very concerned that Riley would get the same stomach bug Reid had. I wanted to check ketones for the first six hours, but Reid doesn't need to have her ketones checked. I did not want this to be our first ketone-related hospitalization. And it wasn't!

 The rest of the eveing we watched The Secret Garden, Mr. Belevedere, & Cheaper by the Dozen all on AMC. 

With all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday unscheduled - we ventured out for a Christmas tree this afternoon when we were sure Reid felt well enough to do it. While we were there, might as well get some Christmas pictures. That's why Riley is wearing a tie and Reid a plaid scarf to match her cute red sweater. We don't normally look this cute when we go on family outings.

Tea Party

Riley has tea cup in his lap, you just can't see it

We're having some fun in the midst everything else. We had a totally random tea party on Saturday morning. It had to be that way. It's the only way I can get anyone to drink hot tea with me in the little tiny tea cups that require you to hold your pinky up. The tea was delicious - loose leaf Masala Chai but the company was the best. Even Riley enjoyed some with a little cream and Truvia. This is exactly what the tea I bought in bulk at Wegman's looks like, but I can't find it on their website. It maybe sold in sachets.

Finding fun without the iphone, xbox, kindle, phone, or television is my focus. I want to spend time with my kids with their attention. Chatting about various topics..the kind that are so easy with a 10 year old, but not so much with a 14 year old even with his full attention.

Tomorrow after parent-teacher conferences, we're going to the movies or bowling. Riley doesn't want to bowl but might be willing if a friend can come. Reid will go along with anything. Also, Reid is a good bowler which explains why she likes to go and Riley doesn't.

pretty little tea cup, and
Reid loving having her picture taken

When we're at Gramma's house in Delaware where we are all gathering for Thanksgiving, the ladies will make Christmas cookies (can we make them in November, freeze, then have delicious cookies in December?) and the boys will head to the Par 3 golf place in Rehoboth.
Ladies = my mom, Reid, Aunt Denise (mom's brother's wife), Natalie (brother's wife) and Lily (2 year old neice)
Boys = Tim (husband), Billy (brother), Dannyboy (Uncle -childhood name given by his mom), Riley and Liam (4 year old nephew)

For Thanksgiving we all have food assignments. Does your family do this too?
Our Family - regular stuffing, apple pie, pumpkin pie, cranberry relish
Brother's Family - fancy stuffing, vegetable dish probably broccoli with cheese sauce, maybe a ham
Uncle & Aunt - mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and collards
Mom - the turkey and green beans cooked all day long

We will not be getting together with Tim's family for Thanksgiving this year (they live nearby and we see them all the time). Even though my mom lives in our house right now and my brother comes every week for 2 or 3 days to help with her care read: keep her company because she gets tired of me. Christmas will be special time with the Brennan family to include the traditional Italian Christmas dinner which I will tell you all about later, Christmas program at church, and school program for Grandparents. We tend to do Thanksgiving with the Ennis family and Christmas with the Brennan Family. But it's flexible enough to have Christmas Eve festivities with one and Christmas day with the other. We will have Christmas Day laying around the house this year, which I believe is the first time ever! I'm planning a breakfast all day menu. I cannot wait!

How do you work out sharing extended family time as well as time with your immediate family?