World Diabetes Day- Next Month!

November 14th is World Diabetes Day!

I am going to speak to middle schoolers this year for World Diabetes Day! I'm super excited! I think that kids retain information more successfully than adults (mostly because we grown ups have too much garbage to think about! HA!) so I am super excited about this opportunity! I have some fun things in mind and will be bringing all my fun gadgets, giving myself a glucose test, and letting the students inject saline into oranges! :)

And of course I plan on addressing the BIGGEST misconceptions and common questions. "Do you have the BAD diabetes?" "Are you SURE you should eat that?" "You have diabetes? But you aren't overweight!"

Yipppeeee!

What are YOU planning on doing to help bring awareness of diabetes? If you have any great take aways or resources for me please feel free to link me up!! Thanks!

Eyes Eyes Eyes

Hey folks! I'm still here...... looks like you can expect about a monthly update from me now! Life is just so busy and it doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon! Life is full of wonderful things however...... teaching music to children, working, playing with my own pre school aged children, tee ball games, ministering to local teenagers, softball games, worship services, BBQ's with friends, new babies (not my own!), weddings, housework, cooking, jogging, walking and shopping! Do you need a nap yet?

On the diabetes front, things are going okay. A few weeks ago I was blessed with the news that my retina's have started to slightly leak fluid. *That was sarcasm kids!!* This is also known as diabetic retinopathy. Don't get too freaked out by that link like I did when I first read it. I'll admit.... the first day after I got this news I was a nervous wreck and bawled my blurry little eyes out for the remainder of the day.

I went to a new eye doctor who was very kind, as was his entire staff. It was the oddest thing, every staff member at this office, including the doctor looked like they stepped out of a Ralph Lauren ad. But when the appointment was over it could kind of be summed up as, "You have retinopathy which means if you don't keep your sugars down you will go blind. Here's a pamphlet to read. See you in four months. Have a great day." Out the door I went with my sexy polorized glasses and waited for my Mom to pick me up, sobbing on the curb. I immediately let the "What-if's" get the best of me fearing thoughts of missing my children's weddings, grandchildren's births, not being able to read music anymore, etc.

After about a day I came to the conclusion that it was time for the pity party to end and worrying about this stuff was doing nothing but robbing me of the joy of TODAY. TODAY I am healthy, and have 20/20 vision, and life is WONDERFUL. Tomorrow I could get hit by a bus. Or drop dead with the swine flu. So today is going to be awesome.... I'm going to continue to keep my A1c down, wear my sunglasses and pray for the best... God will take care of the rest. I've had a peace about it since.... truly. If and when the surgeries come, or the vision starts to go.... I'll worry I'm sure, but not now. Waaaay too much life to live right now. :)

I'm Alive Folks!!!

Hey everyone! I know it's been forever! Blogging just has not been at the top of my priority list these past couple months, unfortunately! The first week of July we moved about 50 miles west of our old home! This was super stressful, but also a HUGE answer to prayer. We are now living VERY close to my side of the family and our church friends. My heart FINALLY feels settled! So I've spent the last two months doing things like securing a job (or 3... more about that later!), deciding where to send my precious kids to pre school, finding new doctors and dentists, unpacking, getting utilities hooked up and transferred, hanging out with new found friends from church, directing a week of Lake Aurora Church Camp.... and several other things I won't bore you with. WHEW!!!
So my favorite part so far? When I walk out my front door I walk about 25-50 feet down my sidewalk and get to see this in the morning.......



I KNOW!!! RIGHT?? Let me tell you, I just bawled my little eyes out the first night we went on a walk and I was able to just enjoy the waves and water at night. Now it's become an almost nightly routine to walk down this path at night!

With all this craziness going on, I have neglected my diabetes quite a bit. I looked at my 30 day average on my Freestyle Lite last night and was a little taken back at the number that scarily stared me in the face. 207. YIKES! Yesterday, yet another wake up call.... I was going to take my son Gabe and my niece and nephew to a movie, but my sugar spiked close to 400 right before we were about to leave and I ended up staying with Zoe to nap, while my sister took them. There is absolutely NOTHING that bugs me more about diabetes than when it gets in the way of making memories with the ones I love. I was really really bummed out. And it was my own fault. I had taken my pump off to swim with the kids for a couple hours and I didn't test properly during this time, thus leading to the high. I immediately just wanted to talk to someone who understood this feeling and it dawned on me how much I missed the dear people of the Diabetes online community. It truly makes a world of difference when you have friends who understand living with a chronic illness on the same level. :)

This morning the first thing I did was test. 104. The magic number!! It must be a good sign. I've got to put diabetes back on the priority map and take care of myself and my numbers before I answer the beckoning calls of everyone else needing sippee cups, Kibbles and Bits, or a clean work shirt. Cause we all know.... "If Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy." :)

More later....

My iphone Can Save Me From Any Dire Situation....

My husband jumped on the iPhone train last year when the 3G was released. I have finally joined him this year with the release of the new 3Gs. After having my iphone for about 2 weeks I am truly amazed at how often I rely on it now in so many situations. I told my husband the other day, "I am convinced that this phone can save me from just about any dire situation, honey!!"

Earlier this year LifeScan announced their cool little iphone app....

And while browsing through one of my favorite diabetes blogs, Diabetes Mine, I viewed this You Tube video of a design idea that I think is freakin brilliant!! I really hope someone picks this up and develops it. And it proved my point.... this phone is awesome, it's saving lives!! HAHA!

Blood Stain Tip

Hey Diabetics and Windy fans. It's been almost a MONTH since I've blogged! We are in the middle of a hectic move and my mind is in a million places!! Anyways, after a quick blood test today I realized I stained my brand new tank top with a little blood from my finger and I was pretty ticked. I got home and googled blood stains and found a nice little tip on eHow if you ever find yourself in the same predicament. I think this only works if you have NOT already washed and dried the clothing. (Fresh stains)

Pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain. Then pour salt on top of that. Wait 30 minutes and then wash! And it's gone! I scratched off the salt before I put it in the washer and I could see that it had turned red and pulled out the stain. A-may-zah-zing!

I will try to give you a more in depth update soon! FYI: The upped Synthroid dosage seems to be helping with my energy levels. =) So hooray for that!

Super Diabetes!

Tonight I was making a Blueberry Pineapple cobbler that is NOT diabetes friendly! HA! It's for the Memorial Day party we are attending tomorrow. Gabe helped me whip it up and as we were sprinkling the final 1/4 cup of sugar on the top he said, "Mom, if you ate this you'd get SUPER DIABETES!"

HA! I love this kid.

Follow Up... Thyroid Issues

I went to the endocrinologist and got a lot of blood work done. Like "holy cow I need a muffin or something after seeing that many tubes" amount of blood work done. The good news is.... my kidneys are perfect, my liver is perfect, I don't have lupus, my A1c is 6.8%. The bad news is my thyroid levels are low... which in a way is good news because now we know and we can start to fix it. My doc upped my Synthroid dosage. And said that'd be step one. If I don't feel better in 3 weeks he said to call him and we'd add a T3 hormone supplement.

I brought up the Armour idea and he wasn't thrilled with that. (I'm not sure if him being Jewish had anything to do with his dislike for a drug made from slaughtered pig thyroids? HAHA) So we'll go his way first and if that doesn't work, then I'll further pursue this idea. I really do like and trust my doctor so I'm okay with this decision for now.

So far, I don't notice much of a difference, but he said it would take a while for everything to adjust and kick in.

Blessed, but Depressed?

I live a blessed life. My childhood was amazing and I had a mom and dad who went to great lengths to ensure I had a "normal" childhood despite my diagnosis at age 7. I have an incredible family and amazing friends who I interact with daily. I am blessed to be able to stay home most of the time with my children. On the days that I DO work I get to get paid by doing things I LOVE most in this life, teaching music and planning and playing in worship services. Though we are not rich by any means, God has always provided everything we need and then some. Which is why I've tried to avoid writing this post for sooooo long. It made me feel guilty that I felt so yucky, despite the amazing life that I live. As soon as I considered that I may be struggling with depression, I figured if I couldn't "pray it away" then my faith was weak and I didn't trust God enough. So as terrifying as it is to write this post... here I go....

Several months ago I weighed in at one of my highest weights of 148, though still not bad... my little 5'3'' self was not comfortable and just felt out of shape and icky in this body, so I completed the P90x fitness program with my husband and now weigh in at 118. I'll admit, since I stopped working out, I've mentally been struggling more with lack of energy and fatigue... but because I am tired and fatigued, I have a hard time trying to work out! Vicious cycle!

I've had hypothyroidism since I was about 12. I've always woken up every morning and taken my Synthroid (levothyroxine .1 mg) like a good little girl and not paid much attention to anything else. To be honest, I didn't really even know what hypothyroidism meant until a few weeks ago when I noticed my sugars were very level for several days in a row on my Dexcom, and yet I still felt horrible and fatigued, like how I feel when my sugars are bouncing around. This is when I started "Googling" and seeing an ABUNDANCE of connection between thyroid disease and depression. I also started researching all the different options for thyroid treatment including several different prescriptions, what they are made from, the side effects of the meds, etc.

I've been trying to eat healthier, gave up Diet Coke (okay, I've cut back A LOT!!!) and have been filling my body with good things.... and yet I still feel FATIGUED and even SAD sometimes.

This is when I reached out to some of my friends, both online and real life. And overwhelmingly I was advised to be honest with my doctor and get some help. Because bottom line, this is probably a medical issue concerning some type of hormonal or chemical imbalance and we need to get to the root of what's causing it. I have days where I get so fed up with having to think about medical things that I just end up ignoring it. But I know that only ends up hurting me more in the long run. So off I go to my endo today at 1:30 pm to spill my guts to him and hope for some answers!

My $30 shopping trip

Great week at Publix, CVS, and Walgreens for me. Here's what I got at the three stores, I saved 68% at Publix today using sales and coupons. I was extra excited about all the free Schick razors, sour cream, and all the cheap Smart Balance items! Also the V8 juices were only $1 each at Walgreens after the $2 off coupons. My husband will also be enjoying the sugary cereal which was .67 per box at CVS (after coupons and ECB's)


Also, don't forget on Wednesday you can get a FREE 8x10 picture enlargement on Walgreens.com with promo code MOTHER at check out.

On the diabetes front.... I have a cold and I feel like CRAP. I am really concerned about my hypothyroidism and am planning to call my endo on Monday to schedule an appointment to talk about the EXTREME fatigue I've recently started feeling. Something is wrong and I am going to push for further blood work and testing because I know this is not right....

Pyramids and Plains

This is what my CGM screen looked like this morning on my 9 hour trend screen. It began at about 80, climbed to almost 400 and crashed back down to 45ish. It looked like a perfect little triangular pyramid.... NOT what we diabetics like to see when wearing awesome technology such as this.... It is partly my own fault, because I am positive that the CGM did it's normal BEEEEEP!!!! once I hit 200 to let me know I was out of range, but I probably ignored it and pressed the button while enjoying my dreams about dreaming. (Yes... us over tired moms dream about blissful sleep) This would later turn out to bite me in the you know what, as I awoke feeling sick as a dog, complete with 100 lb. extremities and pounding heart in my chest.

As diabetics, we prefer this image instead.....



The beautiful flat line that resembles the Great Plains. Steady, sexy, stable lines right in between the 80-120 mg marks. I have a feeling I know exactly how this pyramid night happened. It has to do with a little, sinful snack I had that starts with a B and ends with AGEL. Ahhhh... always a problem food for me.... but constantly beckoning my name along with it's evil friend, Pineapple Cream Cheese from the refrigerator.

Tonight I was a little nicer to my body, enjoying a huge grilled chicken salad and brown rice for dinner. =) Here's to lots of flat lines for all of us!!!!

5 Reasons Why Having Diabetes Is Cool...

In attempts to try to focus on gratitude today... I've decided to list 5 reasons why having diabetes is cool. I had to really rack my brain for this one.

5. Because I wear an awesome Animas pump with a wicked cool back light... I always have a flashlight to guide me down dark
hallways at night. See? Diabetes prevents me from tripping over toys, clothes, and Jack Russell Terriers.

4. When strangers ask me if I have the time, I can ALWAYS say yes and reach down for my CGM or my pump. Diabetes lets
me help strangers....

3. If a child is crying... I always have Smarties around to cheer them up. Diabetes helps me make children smile.

2. If a friend is on a diet and isn't sure if they should order that fattening sandwich, I can instantly rattle off the carb and fat
count for them. Diabetes allows me to help dieters.

1. If I say something stupid and regret saying it the moment it comes out of my mouth, I can always blame it on low blood
sugar. Diabetes makes me look more intelligent (or like a stuttering drunk, it's all relative).

Sometimes you just need to take a step back and laugh at a chronic illness.

An Analogy Gone Bad...

I wear many hats... wife, daughter, sister, friend, piano teacher, worship leader, chef, housekeeper, ... the list goes on and on. One of my favorites, is "Mommy." As the mother of a 4 year old and 20 month old I hear it often, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" They always need something. Milk, snacks, diaper changes, play mate, a kiss for their boo boo, and often a referee. I LOVE being a Mom, and I am blessed that I get to spend a lot of time with my kids, despite the fact that sometimes it's exhausting.

Last night something incredible happened. They both slept all night. No one had a bad dream. No one wet the bed. No one needed a 3 am sippee cup. We spent the whole day at the beach and just wore them out silly with the swimming, sandcastle building, and burying each other in the sand.

But alas... I was still awoken.

Ah, diabetes. The third child I never wanted. Like a little pre schooler who constantly tells me in a high-pitched whiny voice, "Feed me. Change your infusion set. Charge your Dexcom. BEEEEEEEEEEP!!! Test! Pick up your prescription. Schedule your check up. Ketones? Drink water! BEEEEEEEEP!!" Get the picture? I was so ticked.

Diabetes really is like a third child... only not the kind you whole heartedly adore. Maybe I shouldn't even compare it to a child since they are so precious and lovable... and diabetes is not. Maybe diabetes is more like the annoying yippee dog that vies for your attention and pees on your carpet? No... dogs are still lovable deep down, when they lay at your feet and give you good company. Maybe diabetes is more like termites. An annoying uninvited pest that destroys your home. But termites don't keep you up at night.... well I guess they could if you knew they were there. That's kinda creepy....

Ya know what? It's been a long day. Good night D-peeps.

Carraba's Chicken Bryan Recipe

CHICKEN BRYAN (CARRABBA’S)
6 boneless skinned chicken breasts
1 ½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 TB minced garlic
1 TB minced yellow onion
2 TB butter
½ c. dry white wine
¼ c fresh lemon juice
2/3 c cold butter- sliced
¼ c chopped fresh basil
1.2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp white pepper
EVOO for brushing
8 oz. goat cheese

Sautee garlic and onion in 2 TB butter in a large skillet over med. Heat until tender. Stir in wine and lemon juice, increase heat to medium high and simmer to reduce by ½.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time

Stir in tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Brush chicken with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken over hot coals 15-20 minutes

A couple minutes before chicken is done, place equal amounts of cheese on each breast, spoon tomatoes over chicken.

Serves: 5-6

Baby Steps... Reflecting on My Journey

It's been over a year since I started this blog in attempts to help control my Type 1 diabetes and get some support from other people who could relate with my daily struggles. I'm so thankful for all the amazing people who've encouraged me on this ride.

Over the last year or so I got my A1c back in range to the 6.0-7.0 marks. I began using a Continuous Glucose Monitor to help keep my sugar levels in check. I began an intense exercise program that helped me go from 145 lbs. down to my current 115 lbs. and I began making better food choices. Last week I decided to become a distributor for what I think is a KICK BUTT health product that can benefit ANYONE but especially diabetics. (I started a blog about those endeavors, but I'm not really gonna focus on it here... if you are interested in learning more, just ask and I got ya covered)

It dawned on me today as I was talking to a few of my girlfriend's about giving up on artificial sweeteners and diet soda that I have NEVER FELT MORE HEALTHY OR IN CONTROL OF MY DIABETES as I do today. Then I got a little emotional.... I haven't been able to feel this way, ever!! Don't get me wrong, I still have days where my sugars fly off the handle, I eat pizza and it kicks my butt, or my pump infusion set malfunctions, or I wake up with a sweaty low in the middle of the night... but those times are getting fewer and farther in between.

I realized today that by giving up diet soda I was really getting committed in my discipline for wanting to really optimize the way I feel and the way I live day to day. OK, let me clarify... because I don't want it to sound like those of you who drink diet coke all day long are immature, undedicated diabetics. What I'm trying to say is that I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE Diet Soda. My Mom and I have argued for years about how it's not good for you, etc. I know this, you know this. But my view was always, "Well... dang it. I have this stupid disease and I can't drink juice unless my sugars are low, I can't drink regular sodas or fancy coffee drinks, so that leaves water, milk, and diet stuff! So leave me alone! Let me have my variety!" And I SOOOOOO GET that attitude! The reason I'm kinda freaking out is because this is the first time in my life that *I* have actually WANTED to give up the artificial stuff in attempts to really continue to grow towards healthiness (is that a word?).

So this is me kinda tootin my horn. I'm proud of it, because for me... this is big. And HARD.

But I'm excited. And I want to keep this journey going so I can continue to tell diabetes to go *insert word of choice here* itself and I can live the rockin life God intended me to have! Much love to all my D-friends (and my non-D friends at that) and keep kickin it till we find a cure!

My New Addiction... The Spaghetti Squash

Hello. My name is Windy and I'm a squash-a-holic. I've been "Tweeting" and "Face Book Status-ing" about my love for eating spaghetti squash and lots of people have been asking me how I make it, so I thought I'd write up a recipe! It's very simple, DELICIOUS, and low carb... and you can change it as you like. HERE is a link for the carb count from plain squash (not including toppings)

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Take the squash and cut it in half long ways.

3. Scoop out all the pulp and all the seeds.

4. Take some EVOO and rub it all over the inside of both squash, then you add some salt and pepper

5. Take the squash and place them on a cookie sheet rind side up and bake for about 30-45 min depending on how big and
thick the squash is. Just keep your eye on it and when it starts to get a little brown on the bottom and it's sizzleing and
tender, it's done.

6. Flip it over and take a fork and start to move it back and forth, it will start to shread up the inside so it looks like spaghetti
noodles!

You can eat it just like this. Or you can add spaghetti meat, or cheese, or parmasean or whatever to the top!

ENJOY!

Yesterday I went grocery shopping at Publix (of course) and I brought home 4 boxes of one of the most horrible, God-forsaken processed foods on the planet. Pop-tarts. I like to call them "Coma-in-a-Box." And they were the frosted kind with sprinkles on top to make it worse. My husband loves these things and when I bring them home along with my wheat germ, flax seeds, and spaghetti squash... he is nicer to me. And well, they were free after coupons. (of course)

So this morning my bouncing 4 year old finds the shiny box and brings them to me.

Gabe: I want this!!!!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeese!!!

Me: You don't want that. Those are your Dad's. It's garbage, Gabe

Gabe: I WANT TO EAT GARBAGE LIKE DAD!!!!

Me: *rolls eyes and lets Justin handle the rest*

Chili's NEW Guiltless Grill

Hey Diabetes O.C.!!

I am a member of Buzz Agent which means sometimes I get to sample some REALLY cool products. I was recently sent some coupons from Chili's to try their new Guiltless Grill entrees so we grabbed a couple friends and scored some DELICIOUS food.... that was HEALTHY to boot! I picked the Honey Mustard Salmon with steamed veggies and folks... it was gooooooooooood. It was extremely low carb and totally DELICIOUS! My hubby picked the steak. I tried a bite and it was good too... nothing to flip over, but it was tasty. (Keepin it real for my diabetic peeps) Anyways... I've always been a fan of Chili's and their addicting as heck Chips and Queso, so it is nice to see some great items on their menu that will appeal to the diabetic crowd and won't send my blood sugars to the moon. I absolutely hate sacrificing taste for health, and I truly feel that with these menu items on the Guiltless Grill, I don't have to! Thanks Chili's!!!

HOW TO SAVE BIG AT PUBLIX

OK, I've been getting more and more requests to share how I save so much money at CVS and Publix, so I thought I'd start with the easier of the two. This post will hopefully give you several simple steps to begin saving money at Publix. Keep in mind that I've been at this for over a year now (and I'm still learning) so make little goals and don't get overwhelmed. Do what you can and enjoy the little savings at first, then watch it grow as you get better! Money Saving Mom noted in one of her podcasts to make it a goal to add another $5 of savings each week. Our family budget is $110 for all grocery and household items per week. (including diapers and all toiletries) It is like a game to me now. =) I can usually get it around $90 most weeks.

OK, first and most popular question: "Where do I find coupons for Publix?"

First you need to begin getting the Sunday paper EVERY week and collecting coupons. Here you will find
Smart Source insert
Red Plum insert
and sometimes a Proctor and Gamble insert or special Publix inserts.

I pull them out of the paper and write the date on the front then I file them in a small vertical file box by month so coupons are easy to find and I don't waste time flipping through endless unorganized inserts. This is the system that works for me. I don't clip coupons, because I plan everything that I am going to buy before I go to the store. Sometimes I get multiple Sunday papers if I see the coupons are going to be extra valuable that week.

Many of the coupons I use are internet printable coupons that are linked from the "Bargain Blogs" that I will share with you later in this post.

Publix has rounders at the front of their stores with advertised sales and coupons in these. I grab several of these to keep on hand. Publix allows you to stack a "Publix coupon" with a "Manufacturers Coupon". This adds up to super savings.

Many Publix's also accept competitor's coupons such as Target or Food Lion. Today I got a save $3 on a $10 purchase at Save A Lot coupon in the mail... I took it to my Publix and they accepted it! They will not accept coupons for stores like CVS or Walgreens, but have always taken my major grocery store competitor coupons.

Finally, I am in all of the Publix loyalty programs that you can sign up for in store or online at publix.com Including the Greenwise magazine club (organic coupons in every issue) and the Baby Club (NOTE: if you don't have a baby it would be unethical to lie and say you have one, thankfully I do. =) ) And also the "Pre School Pals Club" There is also a Family magazine you can sign up for and a Wine magazine. All of these magazines and clubs send you coupons in the mail monthly or quarterly.


So... that's that. Step one. Now once you start your collection you're well on your way! Now... there are two SUPER blogs that do LOTS OF THE WORK for you! My online friend, Sarah, has a blog called FiddleDeeDee where she notes the sales and gives you the coupon match ups each week. For example: this week Progresso soup is $1.50 per can. There is a printable coupon HERE for $1.10 off one can. Thus making the soup cost .40 cents! An 84% savings! Sarah maps all this out for you each week in her Publix posts. Sarah also seems to eat pretty healthy and I find her "Organic Friday" posts helpful in buying more organic or natural foods at a lower price. Today I had coupons for hummus, organic pita chips, and Greenwise organic milk. I also had a coupon for $1 off produce (Publix baby club)$1 off any deli item and $1 off any dairy item to stack on it. making my one gallon of organic milk cost only $2.99!

Another site I check often is Southern Savers. (Look for the Publix tab near the top ) She also blogs other store deals like CVS, Walgreens, and Kroger.

Both of these sites are VITAL to my planning each week and I am GRATEFUL to these ladies for their hard work.

Please note also that you should check with the Publix you will be shopping at as to their specific coupon policies BEFORE you start using any crazy competitor coupons because they seem to vary from store to store. Both the Publix's in my city have been very good about accepting my coupons as long as they are not expired and are for the correct products. They also accept two coupons on Buy One Get One Free Deals... one for the one you pay for AND one for the free one, which I LOVE.

I know this may seem like a lot of work, but I only spend about one hour planning my shopping trips each week. Today I saved $60 so I think that's a pretty decent return. =) Once you get rolling and get a system in place that works for you, it becomes very easy. Please feel free to comment with any questions and I will do my best to answer it!

PUBLIX SHOPPING TRIP 1/25/08

This one was so good I had to blog it.

All this food.....
$68.84 retail price before sales and coupons

Total out of pocket after sales and coupons $28.04!!!!!!!!

How did I do it? I mostly shopped the buy one get one free things, and stacked manufacturer's coupons on top of these sales. Publix is great because they will accept one coupon for the one you pay for AND for the one that is free! That adds up to some killer savings. If you shop at Publix I really recommend checking out the weekly coupon match up posts on Sarah's Blog, FiddleDeeDee and on Southern Savers Many of the coupons are printable so you don't even have to save the coupon inserts from the Sunday papers for most savings. (But you save even more if you do!) These ladies make it their full time job to help us save BIG BUCKS on our weekly shopping trips!!


I'm going back for a few more things that I didn't have coupons for with me later this week, but wanted to be stocked on essentials because Gabe isn't feeling well and worse case scenario I don't want to be stuck with no toilet paper if I can't leave the house! HA!

NOTE: The toilet paper was actually on sale at Walgreens and was about $5.

Off The Wagon...

I've been catching bits and pieces of Oprah's "Best Life" week. Yesterday they talked about "falling off the fitness wagon" she had one of the past winner's of The Biggest Looser on and he had gained back around 100 lbs. My husband and I actually watched this season and I was so sad to see him look so embarrassed and discouraged, but I related SO MUCH with what he had to say. He talked about his addiction to food and depression and how maintenance is a constant battle and almost harder than just loosing the weight in the first place.

I've actually lost all my "baby weight" and thanks to P90x, I lost a total of 20 lbs and got my metabolism kicked back into gear! However, since I stopped working out my sugars have just been wacked. I realized yesterday I have officially fallen off the "diabetes wagon". I haven't been logging, I've been checking my blood sugars really sporadically, I haven't ordered any new Dexcom sensors out of sheer lazy and busyness. So I am on it. One of my new D-friends, Joanie, sent me some great Excel log sheets and I went through my meter and logged all my sugars since January 1 of this year. I need to fax over 60 days worth to Dexcom (so some of those might possibly be made up numbers but whatever gets me coverage) and I am going to shoot for getting in 3 cardio workouts per week. I'd like to do another cycle of P90x, but I'm sane enough to know that my current schedule will NOT allow that dedication, but that doesn't mean I should do NOTHING.

Debt Free Probably Not For Me....

Last year we hired a financial consultant from the Dave Ramsey organization to help us make a budget and figure out the best way to pay off our debt and save money. She was AWESOME and motivated us both to make a lot of great changes. We did make some good progress too.

Here's the thing that is frustrating. I'm saving a TON of money on household and grocery stuff by menu planning and couponing. I'm working part time now teaching piano. We have a fantastic cash flow plan that allows us to track every dollar and plan for the future. And we're STILL not paying off our debt very fast. WHY? Medical bills. AHHHHH!

We have a pretty decent insurance plan from Justin's employer and even WITH that coverage we are spending a lot of money out of pocket. I just did the math and basically.... if even ONE THING goes wrong with another family member besides me (because it's just unavoidable for me... too much medication, supplies, specialists co pays) we go back into debt. Every time we go into debt it's because of medical bills. When Gabriel had his adenoid issues it set us back AGAIN. It is so frustrating to me. And there is just absolutely nothing I can do about it which frustrates me more.