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Sunday Chilling

After a crazy Saturday, I spent Sunday chilling in my human-sized dog bed with my puppies. To be clear, the puppies came and I went, but I didn’t leave the comfort of the bed. Fortunately, I felt really good on Sunday. I was concerned that I’d be really sore and it would take a while to recover from the 5k. The takeaway is my current training program is effective. Now I’m focusing on improving my speed and reducing my time. There was one downside to the race. I made a mess of my shoes at the race by traipsing across the wet lawn.

I spent Saturday night at the rink with family and friends watching the Mayor’s home opener. The Jr Cats took on their crosstown rivals, the Palm Beach Typhoon. Honestly, the game was closer than I imagined it. The Mayor and his partner CJ, played awesome together for the first part of the game. Until there was a scrum behind our net, where someone went after the Mayor, and CJ took care of business. The ref tossed CJ from the Game, but we couldn’t really see what happened from where we were.

The game was fairly chippy, but nothing too insane. My mom did, however, find it to be quite aggressive. It was a lot of fun to watch, though. I enjoyed it. Watching a hockey game where everyone wants to be there and is bought in is a thing of beauty. It’s a big shift from U-18, where half the team cares and the rest don’t care at all. They had a quick turnaround with another game on Sunday. Unfortunately, they lost, and the Mayor got injured. Fortunately, the injury doesn’t seem to be severe.

2025 Goal tracker:

  • Run a 5K: achieved! The new goal is to finish in under 32 minutes at the next 5K.
  • 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 finished Pride and Prejudice on Saturday and am now reading Sense and Sensibility 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 the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I thought a lot about how I would answer this question and decided to give the sports mom answer. When the boys were young, Goalielocks skated at MEGA Goaltending at the National Sports Center with Coach Justin Johnson. One piece of advice he gave to the parents of the campers was to ensure our hockey players don’t let hockey define their identity. Rather, their identity should be cultivated around a multitude of different interests. This is important because kids who learn to identify themselves only with their sport will struggle mightily when their sports days come to an end.

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Only Tuesday

It’s only Tuesday, but it feels like it should be Thursday. Today, in particular, harassingly long. I had a short work week last week after taking Friday off for hockey. Consequently, it appears that this week is going to drag on for ages. Perhaps it’s better that way, given the 5K on Saturday. At any rate, I hate when a day/week drags on wearily.

My parents came into town today, which is exciting for all of us. I’m especially excited that they’ll be able to see the Mayor play with his junior team. It’s a big shift from youth hockey, so I think they’ll enjoy it. We’ll be bringing them with us to the home opener Saturday night. The weekend after, he has another home game, which we’ll also attend. Hopefully, my brother and his wife, along with Richard and Suelen will be able to make that game.

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 am reading Sense and Sensibility 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.

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

As a baker, I’ve had plenty of epic baking and cooking failures. I think it’s part of the process of becoming a baker. Baking is exact. If you’re off at all, you can really muck up your bake. A couple of ways you can self-sabotage your bread are by adding the salt and yeast right on top of each other. The salt can kill the yeast, which will stop your bread from rising as it should. The other is using liquid that is way too hot. If the liquid is too hot, over 130 degrees, it will kill the yeast.

Needless to say, I’ve made bread while forgetting the yeast. I’ve also forgotten to set a timer and then absolutely forget about the cookies in the oven. As it happens, nobody likes crispy fried chocolate chip cookies. I’ve also left my sourdough bread out overnight, which doesn’t work. It’s so hot here, the dough rose like a rocket ship and was overflowing by morning.

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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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Spring Bakes

While we didn’t go anywhere for spring break this year, there were plenty of spring bakes in the house. Since the Mayor’s diagnosis, I’ve been baking sourdough bread several times a week. I started with a sourdough boule recipe, but switched to a sandwich bread that the guys like better. It’s also easier to slice. The recipe is quite simple and doesn’t include a lot of active time, which allows me to multitask.

When everyone was here for graduation, I made the sourdough star with Biscoff instead of Nutella. I loved it with Nutella, but both my dad and Melly are deathly allergic to hazelnuts. Consequently, I don’t keep anything with hazelnuts in the house when they’re in town. It went much better than the previous times I made it, thanks to the assistance of my mom and hubby. I would make it again with Bischoff, but I would use a lot more of it next time. The flavor isn’t as strong as Nutella, so it needs more cookie butter for the flavor to come through.

I love cheese, but everyone already knows that. To go with chili, I made Brazilian cheese bread. This bread is perfect for the Mayor as it has 10 grams of carbohydrates and protein. Two of my favorite baked goods with cheese from this spring are the focaccia with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella, and the brioche with Brie. Both of these breads are delicious and store well in the fridge.

Now I wouldn’t be my mother’s daughter if I didn’t include cookies in this blog. Some of my most treasured memories from childhood are baking cookies with my mom and grandma. The nice thing about baking my cookies is that I don’t have to fight my brothers for the bowl. This spring, I’ve been making chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies with Reese’s Pieces. When I bake the cookies, I weigh each one so they’re all the same weight. This way, I can give the Mayor precise carbohydrate counts by cookie. So let me ask you, what’s your favorite bake?

Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

There are several things I practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle. One, I practice yoga every morning before work. Secondly, I read every day before bed. I also try to get to bed every day at the same time, with no electronics allowed once I’m in my room for the night.

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Week Off

I took the week off after graduation so that I could spend the time with the boys, Melly, and my folks. My parents had been in town for a month, but with their work commitments, it was hard to see them as often as I would have liked. Tuesday morning, Melly picked me up to go visit my folks in Deerfield Beach. Unfortunately, Jake was unable to join us as he had to work.

My brother was staying out east near the water while his house was being renovated. Fortunately, this meant a quick walk to the water for my folks. Honestly, the location could not have been any better. To be able to walk to Deerfield Beach and all the shops and restaurants there is priceless. For my folks from Minny, it was a perfect place to enjoy the paradise they deserve.

Melly, my mom, and I walked to a cute coffee shop a block from the beach. I got their caramel roll latte, which was delicious. After we got our coffees, we walked down the beach to the pavilion. It was the perfect location to enjoy our coffees and the beautiful beach views. The facilities are super nice, and the bathrooms are perfectly clean. We had a beautiful morning enjoying each other’s company and our coffee.

Thursday, Jake and Melly picked me up and we headed to the cutest cafe in Delray Beach. Glimmer Cafe is beautifully decorated, and the food is just as gorgeous. I enjoyed a strawberry goat cheese salad with a strawberry latte. Melly had a Caesar salad, while Jake had a sandwich and an iced latte. It wasn’t a cheap meal, but it’s worth the experience. We’ll be back! Hopefully, next time we can bring Terri (Melly’s mom) and my mom.

After lunch, we headed to one of my favorite places: Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. We took the kids there often when they were young. They loved seeing the sea turtles, sharks, and other sea life. Unfortunately, the aquariums were closed due to construction that day. We were still able, however, to enjoy the boardwalk, the tower, and the butterfly garden. It’s a magical place that I love returning to year after year.

After our nature walk, we went back to Melly’s family home to bake some bread. Our plan to bake bread was almost unraveled when we couldn’t find the mixer. Eventually, we found it and were able to bake the sourdough bread. I also brought her a jar with some of my starter, so she can have her own sourdough starter. We were going to bake garlic knots, but we ran out of time. She did an amazing job baking the bread! Also, as a bonus, I was able to hang out with the grand birds while the bread rose.

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 June 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 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

Oh, where do I even start? First of all, I love food. Second of all, I have enjoyed a lot of really good food. It is impossible to pick the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. One dessert I had in France that I still think about is Kouign-Amann. My friend Emilie bought it for us in Brittany to try while we were staying at an Airbnb in Normandy.

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Graduation

Graduation has come and gone, but I needed to sit with my emotions for a bit before writing about it. The last of the lasts are bittersweet. While not as jarring as the first of the “lasts”, it does mark the end of an era. After twenty-one plus years of schooling for our boys, our school days are officially over. Honestly, I’m not going to miss the nastygrams over missing homework or other shenanigans. I will, however, miss the teachers who made a difference in their lives.

This year was a rough one for the Mayor, so graduation was quite the victory. The original goal was for him to finish up virtually, but that didn’t work out. We reenrolled him in physical school last fall. At first, he wasn’t happy about it, but it turned out to be a godsend. Last fall, doctors diagnosed him with Type 1 diabetes, and it hit us like a ton of bricks. Nurse Stephanie was and still is his angel on earth. As a fellow diabetic, she was able to help him navigate his diagnosis. I don’t think I can repay her for the help she has given us.

There was a lot of drama around tickets, which sucked. Each family was only given six tickets as the graduating class was nearly 800 strong. Six tickets weren’t enough for our family. In the end, the Mayor was able to obtain some extra tickets, so our family, including my parents and brother, was able to attend. After the 8:00 am graduation, we were all hungry. In the end, we ended up getting the pizzas at Cucina Moderne for lunch. The wait for brunch at First Watch was over an hour.

After lunch, we chilled at home with puppies and watched some television. The graduation dinner for the Mayor was at Saito’s. My boys are very different people, but they share a love of hibachi. In addition to our family, my folks, Jon and Brandi, and Richard and Suelen were able to join us. I don’t think the Mayor would have let us celebrate his graduation without his favorite uncles being there. The food was amazing and we had a great time.

Celebrating our youngest’s graduation without our family, including our oldest son’s wife, was surreal. It felt like the end of one chapter of our family life and the beginning of a new chapter. While we were the chief authors of the last chapter, the chapter will largely be written by their generation. I have to say, I’m not here for it. This and perimenopause make me feel old, and I’m not okay with it. Obviously, I’ll come to terms with it as every generation of mothers has done before me, but it’s tough. Anyway, enough about my emotional baggage.

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 June 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 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

My go to outfit is my new Fabletics onesie paired with a colorful sports bra and my hair up in a pony tail. You wouldn’t even have to force me to wear it over and over again.

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Countdown is On

The countdown is on! Only six more days until the Mayor’s graduation officially ends our family’s school days. It’s been a long and winding road that started at a preschool in Minnesota in 2003. I still remember the orientation like it was yesterday. The teachers largely ignored me and talked to my mom. To be fair, I looked like a kid and she still doesn’t look her age. From next Monday forward, I will be but a passenger in the next generation’s school journey.

Twenty-two years of homework, last-minute science projects, angry emails, and angry calls are coming to an end. Fortunately, the Mayor hit his stride at Park Vista and made the A honor roll each quarter this year. This last year of school for our family has been a godsend. Happenstance put us in that school with the people best suited to help him handle and manage his diabetes diagnosis. I could pinch myself at how blessed we’ve been with his school nurse, teachers, and administrators.

One of my favorite school day stories featuring the Mayor happened when he was in first grade. A couple of things to keep in mind. At this point, he was living in hockey locker rooms. Two, LMFAO and “Party Rock” were everywhere at this time. At lunch, his friend dared him to stand on the table, drop his pants, and “wiggle it” as the song lyrics suggested. With no compunction, he accepted and executed the dare. Consequently, I received an urgent call for a meeting with the teacher.

When I met with the teacher and she told me what happened, it was all I could do not to laugh. After all, he did this little dance on the cafeteria table wearing Thomas the Tank Engine underwear. Horrified, I explained to the teacher that he lives in his older brother’s hockey locker room and is a hockey player himself. His teacher gave me a knowing look and said, “I grew up in Michigan and dated hockey players all my life. This makes complete sense. I will take care of it with the administration, so it doesn’t become an issue.”

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress. I completed High Intensity 1.0 last week and started 2.0 yesterday!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into May 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 1415 (The Road to Agincourt – King’s Spy), by Simon Fairfax
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?

I’ve made a lot of changes for the better this year. One thing I’d like to do is grow more fruits and vegetables in my yard. Florida is the perfect place for year round agriculture, so there’s really no excuse. This fall I’m going to plant some herbs and vegetables that we can harvest throughout the winter. It’s too hot in summer for a lot of these vegetables.

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Mother’s Day

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day yesterday. My weekend was quick, productive, and restful. The best part of the weekend came courtesy of the Florida Panthers, who beat Toronto Friday night and again last night. It was a perfect way to both start and end the weekend. Now we have to wait until Wednesday for game 5. I hope the Panthers continue to play as strongly as last night.

Of course, it was made better by the fact that I got to talk to all three kids yesterday. The Mayor is still at home, so he graced me with his presence. We bought him a nice acoustic guitar for his birthday, so he serenaded us with some songs he learned. Jake and Melly called on their way to an open house and then showed us the property, which is super cute. Last night on his way home from work, Goalielocks called me, so I was able to talk with him for a good thirty minutes. It was the perfect way to end my Mother’s day after an emphatic Panthers’ performance.

Saturday, I did a lot of chores and baking. It was all about sourdough Saturday. I prepared two loaves of sourdough sandwich bread to be baked on Sunday. Afterwards, I mixed up a sourdough brioche Biscoff wreath for dessert. I would usually bake it with Nutella, but my dad is allergic to hazelnuts. Afterwards, I made Brazilian cheese bread to go with dinner. It’s a great option for the Mayor as it’s low carb (10 grams of carbs with 4 grams of protein.)

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

In honor of Mother’s Day, my mom and my grandma have had a hugely positive impact on my life. First of all, they taught me what it means to be a mother. They also taught me what it is to be a strong and independent woman.

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Heat Wave

There is a heat wave at my house. It’s been going on since Monday night when our downstairs A/C unit decided to stop working. At present, it’s a balmy 83 degrees in my office/bedroom. It made for an arduous run yesterday and a tough workout today. As for the yoga, it’s helpful to be a bit warm. Nevertheless, I’m not here for it. In fact, it’s the opposite of splendid. After all, I like to be comfortably cool.

Thankfully, we ended up going out for dinner last night to celebrate the Mayor’s birthday. My folks, uncle Jon, aunt Brandi, uncle Richard, and aunt Suelen joined us at Sushi Yama for the celebratory dinner. As much fun as it would have been to host a dinner at our house in the middle of an A/c outage, Sushi Yama was the perfect answer. We had an incredible dinner with lots of good appetizers and tasty entrees. At the end of the dinner, the bill was quite reasonable given how much food we ate.

Anyway, the heat wave will continue for at least a few more hours. Hopefully, the Hubby can fix the A/C tonight. I look forward to being comfortable at work and sleeping in my bed. Since we have no A/C in our room, I’ve been sleeping in my human-sized dog bed in the living room. It’s way too hot in our room. If I slept in there, my night sweats would have night sweats. Ironically, I had the best couple of nights of sleep in a long time. Nonetheless, I do miss the comfort of my own bed.

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 do you do to be involved in the community?

I currently volunteer as the Teams Chair and leadership team for the Broward/Palm Beach Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (hereafter PanCan) affiliate. My friend Debbie introduced me to PanCan after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015. PanCan was an important part of her cancer journey. She was the keynote speaker at the 2016 PurpleStride event. Before she passed away, I promised her I’d take up the mantle and continue to advocate for pancreatic cancer patients and their families. It has turned into one of the most enriching experiences of my life. My heart is filled with gratitude for the people PanCan has brought into my life.