DIY Teacher Appreciation Gift

I'm pretty new to the blog world and I probably don't post as much as I could, but I love-love-love the myriads of DIY blogs out there.  You could spend hours going from blog to blog.  It wasn't until recently that I discovered a co-worker that sits directly behind me had similar interests.  When I found out she blogged-I knew we would be friends.  Her creativity is so inspiring and her family is so cute!  On her blog she links to several fun and affordable DIY crafts and it got my wheels turning!  We swap blogs all the time and she recently helped me create a personalized blog banner.  Check out Rachel's blog, Life Lessons from Boys HERE.



One of her DIY features is a pencil bouquet basket.  Since Bryce's last day at school was Friday, I wanted to do something nice for his teachers.  It had to be personalized and also something they could use. The Pencil Bouquet was perfect!  Here's my take on it:

It cost me about $10 dollars for all three.  Can't beat that!  Thanks for the inspiration Rachel! 
Her Blog is all about the DIY but just wait-you'll go gaga over this:


How cute is that?  She personalizes these just for your little one depending on the nursery theme.  Don't you want one?  Check out how to get one HERE.

One of Those Moments in Life....

It seems like I always use that phrase.  Maybe it's because I like to blog about those moments in life that you always want to remember..

Well this is certainly one of them.  My Bubby started school on Monday...Yep-Kindergarten!  It snuck up on us rather quickly and while I had been busy getting his supplies ready, I hadn't realized that it was THAT CLOSE.

I made a huge deal about it and Bryce said he was excited.  But I know Bubby and Bubby doesn't...do...change...well.  The whole week leading up to it we drove by the school daily so he would know exactly where he was going.  The Friday before school we met his teacher...and Bubby played it cool.  We saw his classroom and he was intrigued but he stayed by my side.  He laughed when the teachers spoke to him in Spanish and said he couldn't wait to learn how to talk that way.  (He's in the Spanish Immersion Program)

My Mom, Dad, Sister and Aunt all came down for his big day.  It was a nice distraction for him.  And so-we all pile into the van and head to his first day of Kindergarten....I wanted to take pictures galore but he was not having it...

So I laid off him and chose to snap some pictures when he wasn't looking.  Larry, Sydney and I walk him in...

This is when it got hard for me.  We walked him into the classroom and I could see that he was unfamiliar with his new surroundings.  He wanted desperately to ask me to stay but he also wanted to be a big boy.  I could see the tears start to well up in his eyes.

Daddy stepped in for the pep talk.......

And just like that it was over.  His first day of school all done...and I swear I didn't cry.  I was more proud of him than sad.  We've come a long way....after all this was him just 4 years ago...

Boy did Bryce surprise me...my Bubby who didn't...do...change...well actually does!  He can't wait to go to school every day! 

Mexican and Ice Cream!

I know...Bad Combo..but my kids love it!

Every Sunday we eat Mexican and then walk down a few doors for Ice Cream at Coldstone.  Yum Yum!

I think I asked them to share some ice cream....



If Looks Could Kill....



Omnipod vs. Animas

When Sydney was diagnosed at 11 months old-we felt like the rug got pulled from under us.  Yet-I was determined to maintain a positive outlook.  I met other D-Moms that seemed defeated and tired all the time.  Boy-little did I know.  It didn't take my husband and I long before we were like walking zombies from lack of sleep.  On the outside boy did I smile!  I think I smiled all the time.  A little too much I'm sure-but it was all I could do to keep from crying at times.  I refused to be weepy and defeated but I was.  And then Sydney's doctor waved a gold nugget at us-- Insulin Pump Therapy.  He said Sydney was a perfect candidate- even at a year old.  Her Blood Sugar's were all over the place.  50 one moment and then 500 the next. 

I called insurance to see what our out of pocket costs would be..and then the bomb!  "I'm sorry Mrs. Tennial, Insulin Pump Therapy is not available until shot therapy has been proved ineffective for 6 months." Thanks so much Aetna-NOT!

6 long months ticked by.  The worst part of shot therapy was that if she went into a meal high-we had to wait to correct until she had finished her meal.  And by that point her sugar was in the 400's and then she would ride the sugar roller coaster until it came down.  Can you tell how much I hated it? 

Then the heavens opened (haha dramatic I know) and she was approved for an insulin pump at 18 months old with no out of pocket costs because we had already met our deductible for the year.  Ha!  Like that's hard to do with a diabetic child! 

Now-the hard part.  Which insulin pump?  We had narrowed it down to the Omnipod and the Animas Ping.  We had a rep from each company come over and show us all the features.  After seeing our options we picked Omnipod.  We were so excited to not give Sydney 6+ shots a day.  We started using it and within a week we had mixed emotions.  Our biggest problem was that the pods would fall off all the time!! I've heard many Moms comment that they can just reuse the insulin inside. Omnipod Customer Service said it's not recommended because it could be contaminated and I would not risk that.  We lost bottles of insulin-so much for no out of pocket cost! 

What we didn't like about OmniPod:
You lose a Pod-you lose Insulin
Not good at dosing small amounts
Takes up a lot of skin real estate
Does not calculate IOB for food
Her pants never fit quite right when we put the Pod on her bottom.
The cannula is longer than Animas so not great for belly sites
OmniPod and the beach just don't mix

What we loved about OmniPod:
That we didn't have to give 6+ shots a day
That the insertion was automatic
That it used the Freestyle Test Strips-Requires the smallest amount of blood
That it had a wireless remote
That she didn't have tubing

Finally after a year and a half the dislikes outweighed the benefits and we switched to Animas Ping (in pink of course)!

What we love about Animas
We didn't have to give 6+ shots a day
The insertion is nearly automatic
The brand is J&J-they have been around a long time and I trust them
It has a wireless remote bolus feature
The site is so small that we can rotate and apply to more parts of the body
She can wear a cute pack with her clothes
She can disconnect at the park or before a bath
The tubing hasn't been bad at all-when it's tucked in her pack you can't even tell.
The pump is waterproof and it loves the beach/pool :)
It calculates IOB for meals in addition to BG corrections
It gives the smallest amount of insulin available

So far-we haven't had any major problems and I'm glad we made the switch!  Sydney just told me yesterday that she loved her pink insulin pump because it's pink like a princess. 

Me on the other hand..I have a love/hate relationship with the pump.  I hate the pump because it's a constant reminder of her disease.  I love the pump because it keeps my child alive-and that's enough for me.  Me and the Princess Pink Pump have a long road ahead of us and I hope it's up for the ride.