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Got the W

The Jr Cats got the W this afternoon as they took on the Florida Everblades is Estero. Inexplicably, the game was at 11:45 am on a weekday. This makes it hard for folks to watch the game and support the team. Since we are super slow at work right now, I took the day off to watch his game. The hubby and I are a bit nervous how the extended game time with ice cuts will impact his blood sugar.

We carpooled with Alex and Gabby, which made the ride a lot of fun. The drive across Alligator isn’t terrible until you get to Naples and the traffic materializes. It took us just over two hours to make the drive there. Fortunately, the weather was great for the morning commute. Surprisingly, I made it the whole way without a bathroom break. Unsurprisingly, I’m completely dehydrated now that we’re home.

The Mayor and his BFF CJ stated the game for the defensive core, which was exciting. They announce the starting lineups before they play the anthem, which is cool. It was looking a little harry in the first period for the boys, but I think they needed to shake the nerves off. Consequently, the Everblades struck first. Thankfully, the Jr Cats answered pretty quickly. The first period ended with a 1–1 tie.

Fortunately, the boys found their legs in the second period. While the Everblades struck first in the second, the Jr Cats again answered pretty quickly. An Everblades player took a five minute major for a face mask, which led to the Cats scoring three goals on the power play. The Everblades gave the Jr Cats an inch with that penalty and they took a mile. The period ended with the score at 4-3.

Between periods, we opted to hangout outside to unthaw as the rink was colder than a mountain glacier in January. I may have forgotten to put my lens cover on before walking outside, so the camera was fogged up for a while during the third period. Nonetheless, I think we all appreciated the fifteen minute breaks from the cold.

The third period was great. While the Everblades had their chances, the Cats closed the door. It was only the first game of the season, but the boys were all enjoying themselves. Honestly, it was refreshing, after years of travel hockey, to watch a game where everyone playing wanted to be there. Both sides were working hard. It was physical, but I didn’t think it was overly dirty. More than anything, it was fun to watch. The game ended with a Cats win and a 7-3 final score. Anyway, they got the W!

Naturally, we watch the Dexcom nervously as we watch the game. His sugar seemed really high for most of the game, but it’s hard to know if the Dexcom was reading accurately. Based on his effort and behavior, his blood sugar wasn’t impacting his ability to play the game or make decisions. He does have an Accu-Chek on the bench, so he’s able to sanity check his Dexcom before treating the hyperglycemia. It’s gonna be a work in progress, which is what we expected.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here. I’m tickled pink that we’ll be going back there in October to see Paul McCartney
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt
  • If you’re not already following me on instagram, give me a follow!
  • ’Check out my newest partner, Zulay Kitchen. You can use the code Welcome43 to get 43% off.

Do you see yourself as a leader?

On some days. I’ve held leadership positions at my last two companies. I really enjoyed working with folks and helping them find their best version. On the other hand, leading in the corporate space involves a lot of bull shit. Nonetheless, while I may not have a formal leadership title at work, I do lead through employee engagement initiatives.

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New Season, New Team

Tomorrow marks the start of a new season with a new team for the Mayor. He’ll be playing with the Coral Springs Jr Cats in the USPHL. Tomorrow they’ll open their season in Estero against the Florida Everblades. We’re excited for the season to start, but we’re not loving the 11:45 am game time on a weekday.

The games this season will be full NHL-length games. This makes me a little nervous for him. He’ll need to learn how to manage his blood sugar through the 20-minute periods as well as the 20-minute breaks in between. It will be interesting to see how it goes tomorrow. As with everything else related to diabetes, it will be a learning experience and somewhat of a science experiment.

So what is Junior hockey? It’s the hockey that exists between club or high school hockey and college hockey. The goal of junior hockey is to improve your game so you can play at the collegiate level. That’s the goal for a lot of folks. For others, it serves as a great way to spend a gap year between high school and college. Not everyone is ready to start college immediately. Junior hockey is a great way to grow their independence and life skills, so they can succeed in college.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: began 3.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here. I’m tickled pink that we’ll be going back there in October to see Paul McCartney
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt
  • If you’re not already following me on instagram, give me a follow!
  • ’Check out my newest partner, Zulay Kitchen. You can use the code Welcome43 to get 43% off.

What’s your favorite word?

It starts with an f and rhymes with duck. Sorry, Mom, but it’s definitely my favorite. I found myself using it quite a lot last night, seeing the obnoxious responses to Charlie Kirk’s death. The fact that we’ve become so comfortable with violence as a means of silencing opposing voices is frightening. If you’re one of the people, cheering or trying to rationalize his death, you deserve to be a permanent guest of the devil. Social media truly does bring out the worst is so many people who don’t know they’re at best dumb and at worst a hateful sod.

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Medical Mom

I began my journey as a medical mom last fall when my youngest was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. The role, as if motherhood isn’t tough enough already, adds an extra level of complexity and emotions to being a mom. Of course, this is also true for the medical dads out there, but this is based on my personal experience. Hence, the focus on medical mom.

I’m grateful to my friends who shared their experiences and their kids’ symptoms that led to their Type 1 diagnosis. This is where social media can have a large and positive impact on society. If my friends hadn’t shared their experience, the Mayor’s diagnosis would have been delayed. Instead, we were able to get him help before it became a crisis.

So what were the symptoms that led to his diagnosis? He experienced rapid weight loss (20 pounds in less than two weeks), dry mouth, and increased thirst. As soon as he mentioned these, I checked his blood sugar, and it came back at 188. Thankfully, I was able to get him to the pediatrician right away. She rechecked his blood sugar, tested his urine for protein and ketones, as well as additional labs. Once the urine came back with ketones, she sent us to the hospital.

When we got home from the hospital, we found out that as much as we thought we knew, we actually knew nothing. It was terrifying. It was such a big change. We were scared to get the carb count wrong or screw up the insulin injection. I haven’t slept soundly since he was diagnosed out of fear of missing a low or a high. Terrifying is the most accurate way to describe it. Of course, the other emotion medical moms walk with is mom guilt. The guilt that we couldn’t protect them from this diagnosis. It’s irrational, I know, but it doesn’t diminish the guilty feeling.

We’ve been in the throes of the battle for almost a year now. The Mayor has managed his blood sugar really well since his diagnosis. I will say my hubby and I have had to learn not to take the angry highs personally. Moreover, the conversation about Type 1 has been in the public sphere as Barbie released its Type 1 Barbie. I’ll write a separate post on this, type 1 myths and stupid people. In the meantime, to all my fellow medical moms, hang in there.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here.
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins as part of my summer of re-reads.
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt

Why do you blog?

I initially started blogging as a way to manage grief. Now I do it because I love it.

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End of Summer

It’s the official end of summer, so I’m back after a nice break. I had planned to take some time off after graduation, but it turned out to be a it longer than expected. Sometimes, it turns out, a girl just needs to relax. The end of school rush, the Mayor’s type 1 diabetes, and the emotions of our baby graduating took a lot out of me physically and emotionally. Nonetheless, I’m glad to be back here writing again.

As we approached graduation, the Mayor’s honeymoon period with Type 1 ended. They often refer to the first six months post-diagnosis as the honeymoon period because the patient’s blood sugar is easy to manage. Once the pancreas fiction ceases, the ish hits the proverbial fan. To be sure, the Mayor has shown incredible fortitude in facing the challenges Type 1 presents.

His Dexcom 7, a continuous monitoring device, stopped being reliable. Unfortunately, they moved manufacturing overseas and changed the wire in the device. One day, his Dexcom showed his blood sugar over 400, while the Accu-chek showed 50. This, my friends, is the difference between life and death. Thankfully, he knows to sanity check his Dexcom before making a treatment decision. Others haven’t been so lucky and died because they treated a high blood sugar that didn’t exist. He also got a huge welt when part of the monitor came off on his arm, so that was fun.

In early July, the hubby and I headed to Vegas with our best friend John and his son TK. I was really nervous to take the trip, given the instability of the Mayor’s blood sugar. Fortunately, my parents flew down to stay with him after hearing my concern. I can’t tell you how much that meant to us. If they hadn’t come to stay with him, I wouldn’t have enjoyed Vegas at all. While they were him, they even took him to check out flight schools. As for our Vegas trip, I’ll do a separate post on that later. It was a great trip and the first time I’ve been there as an adult.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here.
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins as part of my summer of re-reads.
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt

What brings a tear of joy to your eye?

A lot of things bring tears of joy to my eyes. I love seeing my kids living their best lives and the relationships they’ve built. One of my favorite things is to see how much the relationships they’ve built with their aunts and uncles mean to them. Fortunately, I was reminded of this yesterday when the Mayor spent the day boating with Uncle Jon, Aunt Brandi, and Uncle Richard. These folks mean everything to him, and he means a lot to them.

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Last of the Lasts

Today, we experienced one of the last of the lasts. Our youngest, the Mayor, had his last day of school today. Getting here has been a long road, but we’ve finally crossed the finish line. Our oldest started school in 2004 in Spring Lake Park, Minnesota. After he finished kindergarten, we moved to Florida.

The first of the lasts are quite difficult as your brain learns to process the moment’s emotions. I remember feeling lost as I navigated Jake’s move from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, and his senior year. Each milestone I experienced with Jake prepared me to experience it fully with Goalielocks and The Mayor.

First and last day of school

The Mayor’s senior year has hardly gone to plan. Who could have foreseen that he’d be hospitalized in the fall and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes? Fortunately, his high school played an integral role in adjusting to diabetes. His school nurse, also a diabetic, took him under her wing immediately. The nurse ensured everyone understood what needed to be done to keep him safe at school. His English teacher helped him too, as she is also a type 1 diabetic.

Jake’s first and last day
Goaelielocks first and last day

The last of the lasts is interesting too. It’s not as hard as the first time, but the finality of it all is a bittersweet pill to swallow. Honestly, when you first have kids, you feel like you’ll be parenting them forever. In the end, active parenting is a temporary assignment. After eighteen years or so, parents are expected to send their kids out into the world. It’s like having three versions of your heart beating outside your body. Yet seeing them thrive as adults is quite rewarding. So, cheers to the next chapter as we celebrate the last of the lasts.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading A Knight and a Spy 1414 (The Road to Agincourt – King’s Spy), by Simon Fairfax
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What was the last live performance you saw?

The last live performance I saw was Jerry Seinfeld. He’s only the second stand-up comedian I’ve seen live. The first was Chelsea Handler, whom we saw ages ago in Miami Beach. Seinfeld’s show was as entertaining and intelligent as I expected it to be. I’d definitely go see him again. Next week I hope to scoot up to the amphitheater to see Breaking Benjamin live. It’s been far too long since I’ve been to a concert.

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Happy 19th Birthday!

Happy 19th birthday to my youngest baby, The Mayor. I can’t believe he’s already 19 years old. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home. After Goalielocks was born, we were certain that two kids were enough. Fortunately, God felt otherwise and brought us the Mayor. He’s been an absolute blessing.

This last year, his first year of adulthood, has had a lot of ups and downs. His older brother’s getting married was definitely a high point. I was so proud of how he showed up for both Jake and Melody in the lead-up to the wedding and the wedding. His diagnosis of type 1 in the fall was a nasty surprise, but he’s done an incredible job managing his blood sugar.

I’m excited to see what the future holds for him. Over the last year, he’s proven again and again that he’s resilient. His ability to persevere through life’s challenges will carry him far. He’ll graduate from high school in a few weeks, which will be a bittersweet moment for us. It will mark the end of an era for my hubby and me, and the start of a new chapter in our lives. As we embark on our new chapter, the Mayor will determine his next steps.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading A Knight and a Spy 1414 (The Road to Agincourt – King’s Spy), by Simon Fairfax
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?

I would become an archaeologist who gets to travel the world with the purpose of finding antediluvian artifacts.

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May Day

It’s May Day, not to be confused with Mayday. After another night of poor to little sleep, mayday is what my body is screaming. As for the new month, I’m amazed that after January took five years to get through, I’ve blinked and it’s now May. The last couple of months have passed in an utter blur. With every passing year, time seems to move faster and faster.

Today, people all over the world the world are celebrate May Day by dancing around a maypole, celebrating the impending start of summer. Here in Florida, we call it Thursday. We do not need to celebrate summer here, given our balmy year-round climate. We’d rather celebrate the end of rainy season or the end of hurricane season than the impending doom of record-high dew points and temperatures.

Anyway, I digress. As I think back on the two months I took off from the blog, I realized I’ve accomplished a lot. Firstly, I read voraciously. I’ll be posting all my reads from the last two months soon. Secondly, I started jumping rope. While I found out I’m not very good at it, I do enjoy it. Third, this accomplishment is mostly the Mayor’s; his A1C at his first follow-up with our endocrinologist was 5.7%. This is an amazing number for a type 1 diabetic. He’s doing amazing. Lastly, we hit our fundraising goal for PurpleStride.

Of course, I can’t leave today’s blog without mentioning that both my Florida Panthers and Minnesota Timberwolves got the job done last night. Both clubs closed out round one of the playoffs. The Panthers looked dominant last night, particularly in the third. As for the Timberwolves game, it started way too late for me.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading A Knight and a Spy 1413 (The Road to Agincourt – King’s Spy), by Simon Fairfax
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

I have a couple, and I think of them often. I love Oscar Wilde’s quote, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” Moreover, Victor Hugo has two quotes that refer back to often. First, “even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” The second quote is, “It is nothing to die, it is frightful not to live.” I think the first is a poignant reminder that things will always get better, no matter how bleak things seem. The other Hugo quote and the Oscar Wilde quote are poignant reminders to live each day and enjoy the moment.

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No Surprise

No surprise here, but I’m exhausted. These past couple of months, I have been unable to fall asleep. Honestly, it takes half a century to fall asleep. Once I’m asleep I’m good, it’s just getting there that’s hard. Thankfully, I have bloodwork in a few weeks to determine if my thyroid is the culprit. After all, it usually is!

While it’s no surprise I’m tired, it will come as no surprise that prior authorization approval is still pending for the Mayor’s Dexcom. When he was in the hospital in October, Cigna called and told us they would approve a CGM and insulin pump immediately for him. Cigna doesn’t have the best reputation, but they did the right thing. It is taking weeks for BCBS to approve the Dexcom 7. It’s unacceptable to me that BCBS would delay the medical equipment necessary to keep his blood sugar stable.

Perhaps I’ll sleep better when I’m not worrying about where his next Dexcom is coming from. I’m going to try calling again this evening. The doctor’s office reached out to BCBS yesterday. It’s so infuriating that I even have to fight this battle. At this point, I’m going to have to take it to the socials to get it approved. They already have confirmation of his type 1 diabetes and have paid for his insulin pump. This is just absolute insanity.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading She Wolves by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

If I could be someone else for a day, I’d want to be my Grandma T. I’d love to walk a day in her shoes with her memories and her experiences. The not-so-serious answer would be that I’d love to be Victoria Beckham for a day, so I can hang out with her husband David.

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Reese’s

So we go through Reese’s cup in this house like they’re going out of style. They’re the Mayor’s go-to emergency snack to bring his sugar up. They’re ideal because they have ample carbs and some protein. Originally we stored them in the fridge, but it was way too easy access for the hubby and I. It was also cool enough outside to stash them in his diabetes storage drawers.

We quickly learned the best way to replenish the stash was to hit up the post-holiday sales. Nothing beats Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups at half price. Also, the holiday ones tend to be more fresh. We already killed the Valentine’s Day peanut butter cups. In fact, the Mayor was yelling at the hubby and me for eating the cups out of his stash. Mind you he’s never been without an emergency stash and we’re paying for the cups. The only other person who wouldn’t be happy with my coffee and peanut butter cup diet would be my doctor.

Jake’s wife Melly makes these amazing peanut butter balls, which I should learn to make. They’re truly little masterpieces of chocolate and peanut butter. It would probably save us some money at Target as we’d no longer buy all the bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The Mayor also has a stash of Powerade and Gatorade, which helps keep his sugar moderated during the day. It’s quick too since it’s liquid. After several months of living with type 1, we’re starting to settle into the new normal. It’s just our new normal can be a bit shifty and tenuous at times.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading She Wolves by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?

I wouldn’t permanently ban a word, but would ban the overuse of words. For example, folks throw out words like communist, fascist, and socialist for every person they disagree with politically. These words have heavy meanings and heavy implications, so to overuse them to the point they lose their meaning is dangerous.

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Fabulous

I had a fabulous weekend with the family. It was, however, a bit short. Oh, and there was the fact the Mayor’s Dexcom died and so did the replacement. We had to go bare Saturday night. It was a nightmare. I don’t think I slept at all. The Dexcom gives us security. We know if his sugar is off, the Dexcom will alert us. With no Dexcom to alert us, we were back to waking up in the middle of the night to make sure he was okay.

Our change of insurance precipitated the issue with his Dexcom. While my weekend was fabulous, I think we all know health insurance in the US is far from fabulous. BCBS will not approve the Dexcom prescription without prior authorization, despite the fact that he has an insulin pump with a noted type 1 diagnosis on file. It makes me wonder if they’d rather have us manage his condition at the hospital. Surely that can’t be the more cost-effective way to manage type 1.

We ended up paying cash for one Dexcom 7 sensor to tide us over until the authorization comes through. Unfortunately, our Walgreens didn’t have any on hand. Fortunately, Sean, the pharmacy tech assisting us, called around and found us one nearby immediately. While I’m usually quite tepid in my praise for Walgreens Pharmacy, yesterday they went above and beyond for us. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief once the Mayor was back on his Dexcom 7.

In between the continuous glucose monitor drama, the Hubby and I took the puppies for walks on Saturday and Sunday. The weather was perfect for it and the dogs were thrilled to go on an adventure. Saturday is an active rest day for me, so a nice leisurely walk with the dogs was on brand. Hopefully, it’s a habit we can maintain as the spring continues. It’s great for the dogs and it’s great for us.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading She Wolves by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

In the next six months, our youngest will be graduating high school and concluding his youth hockey career. It’s odd to think about hanging up the hockey mom life after twenty-plus years of mayhem. Anyway, it will be a big adjustment for both me and my hubby.