A Little Help and a Lot of Courage

I'm writing this on Mother's Day, but today's post goes beyond that.

Today I'm visiting my Mom, for the first time in more than a year. But today I have a little bit of my independence back, and we are going on a road trip.

But first, before I get to the point, I would like to review the obvious, and the not-so-obvious things about mothers.

For the more obvious, our mothers:

• Raised us
• Put up with our crap
• Kicked us out of the nest, only to have us return decades later after a crisis (ahem, thank you).
• Patiently listen to us, endlessly going on and on about our daily stuff

They also:

• Drive for miles to pick us up after a bad low blood sugar driving 'incident' and drive us home again.
• Make a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) possible when our health fails us.

Okay, admittedly, those last two are very specific examples, but real nonetheless.

This is a simple celebratory day to say thank you.

The past year was a rocky one for me. It's almost been a year since I had a devastating low blood sugar while driving. It was likely due to multiple factors. My driving license was suspended for 7 months, and after a lot of hard work and a ton of support, even now I'm still being monitored by the Ministry of Transportation, so I'm not out of the woods yet. But the most important lesson that I learned this year was that I test a lot more, and never take anything for granted.

Gone are the days that I say, "I'm fine". I only say that now when I test, get a 6.1 mmol (110 mg), and then I say "I'm fine. For now." See the difference?

In the DOC (Diabetes Online Community), we say, "You Can Do This", and I can do this. But as much as I know I can do this, I haven't done it alone. I've done it with a ton of support from my family - my husband, my daughter (who reminded me today that I'm an awesome mom), my Dad, and on this special day, I am recognizing my Mom.

So now I'm sharing a tribute from one very cool (and Canadian) rapper Abdominal and his Mom. Of course, I don't rap, I can't sing in tune or the right lyrics, and I don't even draw. And neither does my Mom. Just ask her, she'll tell you that too. But this video just makes me smile, just as my Mom can make me smile.


Courage by Abdominal (and his Mom)

Today I'm smarter, I respect diabetes and the impact it can make on my life - good and bad, and today I'm decked out with a CGM (which is still a bit of a love-hate relationship, but I'll get there).

For all you out there with diabetes, and are faced with some life trials, you can indeed do this. We pick up ourselves and have the courage to forge on.

But most importantly, don't be afraid to reach out. To your Mom, Dad, life partners or friends, and of course, to the people online in the DOC.

I'd like to leave you with a little something, because you can do this, with a little help from your friends.

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm I get high with a little help from my friends,
Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.
                                                    Lennon/McCartney

What Moms Really Deal With

In my last post, I promised I'd be a little edgier, so here's a video that might fit the bill a little better.



Contributed by Jamie Naessens

A Thought or Two About Moms

I'm sure everyone knows, the Position of "Mom" is the most difficult job ever. Just recently, someone put a value on the the job position of Mom, and it's a six figure position.

We all know too that Moms aren't perfect. It can be a complex relationship, as we move from kidhood, teenhood, through adulthood. But even Moms aren't perfect. But Moms make us who we are today. Whether our Moms made us clean our rooms when we had something better to do, or whether we got grounded for missing curfews, or hosed us off in the yard when we fell in the mud (actually, that wouldn't have been me - that would be my sister, but Mom would still have to clean up!) We could count on them for a ton of good things too. But to prevent this from getting too sappy, just insert all your happy Mom memories here.

Special Letter for Mother's Day

Dear Mom,

In honour of Mother's Day, I would like to wish you a wonderfully happy Mother's Day. I'm not sure I've ever thanked you for being a Best Mom Ever, but you are. Not only that, you are a Best G'ma Ever. The Kid will attest to that.

I remember when I was a kid, I would proclaim all those things that nasty naughty kids proclaim. Know that I did not mean it. I was an idiot - just like all kids are from time to time.

I have now been a Mom for the better part of 18 years, as every year passes, I appreciate just a little bit more of what I must have put you through. Thank you for putting up with sleepless nights. Thank you for keeping me anyway.

Your G'Kid probably hasn't even tested me as much as I tested you, and for that, I am thankful. I believe your Mom skills helped me be the Mom that I am, and help the Kid become what she is today.

I really hope you don't mind having a very grateful daughter, instead of that six figure income.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Now, a note for my readers. I can see myself bordering on the slightly sappy side for the last couple of posts. Rest assured, I promise to be a little edgier. It's that Prom thing followed by that Mom thing. Thank you for your patience.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Clearing It Up For The Kids Sake

I have learned to tolerate spinach. My mother spent much of my youth thinking of different ways to cook it, after all, it was good for us kids. But as far as I was concerned, it was a dark green lump of mushy stuff, often sitting there on my plate, looking rather lonely. Later, I learned that it didn't have to be cooked, and could be respectable in a spinach salad.

But there apparently is more to the story, that moms need to know.

Everyone knows that spinach is loaded in iron and makes you stronger - Just look what it has done for Popeye's career. Well, Popeye was wrong. So were all of those parents that stuffed it down their kids' throats.

In reality, spinach has no more iron in it than any other vegetable. Even peas have three times more iron than spinach does.

This spinach misconception dates back to the 1950's when a food analyst made an error while calculating the iron in spinach. His decimal place was off by one place, suggesting that spinach had ten times as much iron content than it really did.

So Popeye, you were wrong. Kids, listen up... tell your moms that spinach is definitely overrated, and smoking isn't good for you either.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens