Merry Christmas to all of my D family :-)

I just wanted to take a moment to say Merry Christmas to all of my D family. I'm very happy to have you all in my life and thank you for always taking the time to support me and my family. xoxox
I could not have done it without you all!

Our Christmas eve day has been a wonderful Christmas filled prep day, all thanks to our wonderful Secret Santa Tracy and her family over at The Ripley Mommy
Thanks for getting this scrooge into the Christmas spirit :)




As you see there was everything that you would need for a wonderful day full of Christmas prep! We made and decorated cookies for Santa and YES we did eat some. We watched our Christmas movie with a bag of popcorn and some hot chocolate later on in the day. I really truly think that it is the start of a wonderful family tradition.

We did have a few issue today in our seemingly perfect day, like Cara purposely spilling her flavoured water on the computer keyboard. Now my whole one side of the board sticks every time I press the buttons especially the "S" and "R" keys....grrrrrrrrrrrr

I would also like to thank everyone for the wonderful Christmas cards and pictures. I love having pictures of you guys on my fridge. I see you throughout the day and it makes me smile :)

So Merry Christmas everyone xoxoxo

HI....what does this word mean for you?

It is funny how words can have so many different meanings

HI ~ used as an exclamation of greeting

This word use to mean hello, a smile, a friendly face, happiness and now all it brings is a speeding heart and a whole lot of questions and self doubt.

For Cara HI was just a simple greeting and now HI means screaming, fitting, crying and just an all around crappy feeling.

Boy do I HATE this new definition of the word HI

HI~an informal, simplified spelling of HIGH

December and The Circle of Friends Award

OK, OK there is something that you should all know I HATE CHRISTMAS and December. Every year I find myself dreading it more and more and every year I have such a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. I do manage to bring the spirit because of the kids....They LOVE Christmas, what child doesn't? I do know if it was not for my kids I would be spending my Christmas somewhere warm, near a beach and drinking a few amazing fruity alcoholic beverage enjoying the calm and quiet. However I do picture myself thinking while enjoying the calm and the sun and the alcohol what it would be like with a family and a winter-full Christmas...you always seem to want what you don't have, we need to learn to enjoy what we do have!!

This year the Christmas spirit is just taking a little longer then usual. I'm not sure if it is because we are just so insanely busy with everything in our lives (the new store and some extra little stress) that adding a few extra things in our 24 hours is just not possible, or because diabetes has kick our little butts last month. We made major changes to Cara's insulin amounts and her correction scale. Her A1C (I think that is what you all call it was 10.... not good) and it is taking a little longer to feel like we are doing a good job again. So our moods are a little on edge to say the least and of course the winter blues get me every year! I have a really hard time in the Winter getting motivated which always makes me feel worse. I always feel like I should have more things done and I should have done them better.

We have had a very stressful December to say the least and I'm just trying very hard to get into Christmas this year....for the kids!! BUT one thing that did help is our Secret Santa came in this week and we will be opening it before Christmas, the instructions told us too!! SO FUN....I feel that it may lead to a new Christmas tradition in our house :) (pics soon to come)

Now for the updates I have not heard back from the Dr Oz show yet...I'm really not sure if I ever will? Cara's BG #'s have been great, all the changes that we made are working and our sweet little Cara comes back once and a while. It is nice to see her again!! I have just joined the JDRF committee in our area to plan an amazing gala, this is very exciting and I feel great getting out and getting something done. The kids had their Christmas concert at school last week..... I felt like it was My kids and friends concert. Every group that went up seemed to have one of my four kids in it. That was kinda funny!! Santa made a special stop by the Candy Store for all the kids in the community this Saturday and we had our Pitre family Christmas Party (my dad's side) last night. It was wonderful to see my family again. My father is one of ten and it is always a party when you get that family together.

So the plan for this week is Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.... and catch up on some blog's!

While I was catching up on some blogs earlier I found this...I was tagged by Tracie at Such is Life
So here is my list of 5 things that I love:

1. Of course I have to say #1 I love my kids: their smiles, their laughs, their jokes, their little voices, their little foot steps, really every little thing about them from their heads to their toes.

2. Nap time: I don't know about you but after all the morning chaos and after lunch there is nothing better then putting all the kids to bed and having a little time to yourself and maybe even having a little cat nap.

3. Bake goods: mmmm there is nothing better to take all the stress away then eating some delicious bake goods. It does not matter what kind I love them all, cakes, cookies, brownies, fudge etc, etc...

4. Friends: I'm so lucky to have amazing groups of friends. Many of my friends I have know since high school and a few even grade school and I'm so happy that they are still in my life. They are a wonderful group of people that I can rely on and count on. Also there is an amazing group of women that through an crappy situation (diabetes) I have come to know and I'm so happy that they are in my life, you ladies are amazing....my D mom's!!

5. Music and Dancing: I know, that's two, however music and dancing go hand in hand for me, it just makes me happy!!

My letter to Dr Oz

And here is my letter in true D mom style about a show I blogged about here! I did as best as I could with 6 kids bothering me and a puppy with a cone on her head:) Here is the link to the episode

Hello Dr Oz,

My name is Nicole I have a 4 year old type 1 diabetic daughter named Cara who was diagnosed Feb 13th 09. My family and I have experience many ups and downs on this journey of discovering our new "normal". For me the most frustrating and damaging part to Cara and the type 1 community is all the misconceptions about type 1 diabetes that many individuals have.

I happened to be watching your show about diabetes last night and I was very disappointed that a DOCTOR did not take the time or effort to inform the public about the huge differences there are between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. At no point in your show or the part that I was able to watch do I recall you referring to type 2 as type 2 diabetes. I only heard the term diabetes used, which I believe leads to much confusion and misconceptions in the general public about the two different types of diabetes.

During your show you did a segment on eating to cure or eating to reverse diabetes, sorry I truly do not remember the wording of the segment I had to change the channel in my frustration. There is no cure for type 1 diabetes and to the general public watching I believed you not clarifying this point only adds to the confusion.

I have done nothing to cause my daughter to have type1 diabetes, too much sugar or a lack of exercise has not caused my daughter to have type 1 diabetes, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes, all of these and many many more are the misconceptions that the general public believe type 1 is.

I believe your show and the inability of you to take the opportunity to clarify the two has only strengthened all of these misconception that are out there. There is a difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes and I would have thought a show with a Doctor as a host would have made this distinction.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and if you would ever do a show on type 1 diabetes I know a few type 1 mom's that would love to clear up many misconceptions and shed some light with true facts about type 1 diabetes.

Sincerely
Nicole

www.wecaralot@blogspot.com http://wecaralot.blogspot.com/

The new bracelet and the Dr Oz show

Recently I signed Cara up for a free medic alert bracelet, it is a program through her school and I had to wait until she turned 4, for some reason. She was 3 years old when she started school and she had T1 so way could I not order her the bracelet then??? Whatever. So I order it on Nov 24th (her 4th birthday) and it is already here. I was so excited and thought that she would be too....I guess not! The only way that I can get her to wear it is if I make Kylie (Cara's older sister) tell her that she wants to wear the bracelet.


On another note I was watching Dr. Oz last night (I think a re-run) and it was about diabetes.....really it was about type 2 diabetes. There was no mention from the beginning of the show to half way threw the show about type 1 diabetes and the differences between type 1 and type2. I just could not even watch, I was waiting and waiting when the DOCTOR would explain to all the layman out there about type 1 and type 2, and actually as I sit here thinking about it he really never even used the term type 2 diabetes just diabetes..... a little general don't you think especially for a Doctor? I had to turn the channel when they (the Doc and a fitness guy) started to teach everyone how to revere and cure diabetes by eating healthier.... and we wonder why there is so many misconception when a DOCTOR can't even explain the differences between the two!!

Yeah I was tagged....thanks Meri :) 40 things that you may not want to know about me!

1. Do you like bleu cheese? I have only tried it on salads and in dressings...so ya in small amounts.

2. Have you ever smoked? That is a big NEGATIVE. Have you not heard, smoking kills??

3. Do you own a gun? UMM I live in Canada.... so unless I'm a criminal or want to be arrested, or a police officer or a hunter, that's another big NO NO!!

4. Favorite type of Food? Pasta and fresh bread....HMMM so good....and fattening.

5. Favorite type of music? Any thing that makes me want to dance and makes me happy. I love to dance, my 12 year old is not too happy about that fact....embarrassing!! I can tell you one type of music that I don't like country. I just can't handle it!!lol

6. What do you think of hot dog? My kids love them, and they make me feel like a bad parent feeding it to them. That's what I think about hot dogs!

7. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story.....way too funny :) and I love movies that are narrated??

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Any kind of juice. I love juice.

9. Can you do push ups? I think so.....hold on one minute.................Oh ya I still have it, 2 push ups!!

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Really, I'm not a jewelry person, I don't even wear my wedding ring. It's too small, after 6 kids even rings just don't fit right!! I will have to say my earring, they are plain and simple but I wear them every day.

11. Favorite hobby? Talking on the phone, blogging or facebooking, and working at the candy store. I would love to start running again.

12. Do you have A. D. D.? No, but all my teachers growing up thought that I was. It turns out that I'm just dyslexic.

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Yes, but just for driving.

14. Middle name? I know that Meri that she had the most boringest middle name but Lynn is if not the most boringest a very close second!

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: 1) Boy the t.v. is really loud 2) how in the heck do you spell loud 3) Ice Age 3 is a cute movie.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Pepsi, grape Kool-aid, Pepsi.

17. Current worry? What is Cara's BG? and what will I make for lunch? and I hope all the kids go down for a nap because I need a shower!

18. Current hate right now? That I have not even had a shower yet and it is 12:12pm in the afternoon!

19. Favorite place to be? In my bed with some good food and some good t.v.

20. How did you bring in the new year? So sad, but I can't even remember that far back......Is that a problem??? I think that we were all sick!

21. Someplace you’d like to go? Ireland for me, but I think the funniest thing is that my 5 year old really, truly want's to go to China, she loves anything Asian!

22. Name three people who will complete this. I might be the last one of us to do this, I'm not sure? I think that everyone completed this?? Wait a minute Wendy or Jill...have you done one yet??

23. Do you own slippers? Yes.... I have 3 separate pairs but only one slipper per pair. So I guess kinda not??

24. What color shirt are you wearing? Blue

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don't think that I have ever tried satin sheets but I picture them making me feel cold, so maybe not?

26. Can you whistle? Yes and the younger kids are trying to learn too.

27. Where are you now? In the family room.

28. Would you be a pirate? Only if I could shower, traveling around the world on a ship would be fun, not sure about the pillaging part though??

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I really don't sing in the shower, I really never have. I like to day dream in the shower! I like to think about the what if's....

30. Favorite Girl’s Name? Hmm I really don't know how to answer this I have 4 girls?? and I like all of their names...obviously I named them! For some reason I like names that start with a K or a C? but I have always loved the name Quinn or Quinlan.

31. Favorite boy’s name? Ok another question that I can't answer I have 2 boys. Both names start with a C and both have a middle name that are named after people in my life that have passed away. I wonder why I did that with my boys???hmmm something to think about!

32. What is in your pocket right now? Nothing, they are jogging pants, they do have pockets but I always forget that they do because they are jogging pants.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? Cara singing her pink song that she learned yesterday at school. Way too cute she was sooo proud! Kinda sad that I have not had a good laugh since yesterday....just the way my life is going lately.

34. What vehicle do you drive? A GMC Safari Van

35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? I have been very lucky, I have not broken any bones or done really any damage to my body (except of course having 6 kids) But when I was a year or so my mom was cleaning the house and she let me out of my playpen. I grabbed one of the extensions to the vacuum cleaner put it in my mouth, started to walk and then I fell flat on my face. The piece that I had in my mouth jammed up into the roof of my mouth and blood was everywhere. My mom had to hold me over the tub my mouth was bleeding so bad (she did not want to stain anything lol) I don't know why she never called the ambulance, she just held me over the tub? I still have a scare to this day on the roof on my mouth.

36. Do you love where you live? Not really, I know that there is so much more out there but this is where the family is.

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 6 but 1 is not hooked up.....does that make it any better??

38. How many computers do you have in your house? 3 so far but I see much more in the near future with all the kids getting older and wanting lap tops.

39. If you changed your job, what would it be? This may sound really weird but I always wanted to work in a funeral home as a mortician?? I don't know why but ya...

40. If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? Well of course I think that we all had this one on the list a cure!! 2) I would wish that children did not have to under go the tragedies of abuse, neglect or starvation 3) To live in a world where money had no value, everyone had what they wanted and needed, you would not have to work, you would not have to worry about bills, you could just live your life to the fullest and enjoy.