Saturday, December 24, 2011

Our Christmas Wish to You!




  



Thursday, December 22, 2011

When the Carer needs some care!

Yesterday started out well, better than well - it was great.

The kids have finished school for the year so no rushing around in the mornings. I get to take it easy.

Finally the weather was lovely, after a rather lacklustre start to Summer.

And, a few days before, I'd started to get myself fit - preparing for our trip to Canada and generally finally paying myself a little attention and concentrating on my own health.

So, my day started with a run with Heidi the Wonder Dog followed by a swim then a coffee while I lay in the sun by the pool.

Eventually I decided it was time to get some housework done - and it was time to get the kids out of the house and into the sunshine. I moved the sun-lounge out of the "splash-zone" because I knew that Issie would go in the pool as soon as she came outside, set up a little table next to the sun-lounge, put a book I've had for some time, but hadn't had time to read, on the table and went inside to make another cup of coffee. Once the coffee was made I was ready to go get the laundry basket from upstairs and put the first load of laundry on. My plan was to spend the day by the pool, reading my book, between loads of laundry.

All was going to plan, the coffee was made and I then headed through the dining room en route to get the laundry basket.

And that's when it all fell apart.

There wasn't a lot of room to walk through the dining area because I hadn't yet put away the extra chairs and tables that had been set up for a Christmas party last weekend. So, I didn't take as much care as I should have - and caught my right foot on the corner of a cupboard.

The rest of the day was spent at the hospital.

I had to drive myself of course, although over the last 2 years I've had a lot of practice driving with my left foot (another story) - so this wasn't too much of an issue.

Now, although a broken pinkie toe is not that much of an issue, yes, a bit painful, but otherwise generally manageable - the blow to my foot/toe had enough force to cause a very nasty laceration in a place that is impossible to stitch. So, my toe has been glued back together - which means I am not allowed to walk AT ALL for 4 days and then only limited walking (on my heel only) for at least another week.




Four days of enforced rest. Okay, sure, no problem.

Ummmm - just a little problem....

I'm a single Mum - of 2 kids with T1D.

Night time testing is hard enough at the best of times - crutches makes it sooooo much more fun!

We've reduced the stress a little by having Issie sleep with me for a few days - but I still have to get to Timmy's room.

And that's just night time testing - there's also preparing meals, housework. Oh - and that's right - our family Christmas Dinner in 2 days!

I taught Timmy how to make my cappuccino's - and it's looking like the kids are going to get their first lessons in making my famous Four Mushroom stuffing. Oh, just realised that I need to do the grocery shopping!

Oh well, we'll muddle through somehow - and I have all fingers and non-broken toes crossed that T1D will play nice over the next couple days so that we don't have any Christmas hospital visits!

That reminds me - about 5 minutes after I hurt my foot both kids informed me that their pump sites had come off! I had to do 2 site changes before I took myself to hospital - and Issie's didn't work properly - with a BGL of 26.9 (484) an hour after we arrived at the hospital! Of course, both kids were with me so we somehow managed until we got home and were able to do another site change.

So much for my fitness campaign!





Saturday, December 17, 2011

Travel with Type 1 Diabetes.

Somehow we made it to the end of the school year!

I've just realised something about the end of the school year here in the Southern Hemisphere - and just realised why it is so much more insane!

Our school year essentially starts at the end of January or beginning of February - and goes through until early to mid December.

This, of course, means that the last term of school is also the lead up to Christmas. It is a crazy time of the year. Not only are we dealing with school functions, graduations, presentation ceremonies etc, but we're also dealing with Christmas parties, organising presents and getting ready for our family Christmas dinner or lunch!

Why have I never thought of that before? It would be sooooo much easier to finish the school year in the middle of the year!

Okay everyone - let's move north!

Well, I can dream!

But speaking of moving north (although not "moving" - just "heading") - the 2 kids and I are heading north, to Canada, early in the New Year and we CAN'T WAIT!



So this post is about Travel with T1D.

As with everything T1D related - travel means planning - and LOTS of it!

Here is a Checklist I have devised for use when planning a trip!




* DO NOT click on the "Submit" button - this check list is just to help you prepare for your trip.

One of the things we're really excited about is joining Sean and Mollie Busby and their fantastic organisation for a ski-snowboard camp!


So, lots to do!


Saturday, December 10, 2011

Getting ready for school...

Okay - so maybe I'm getting ahead of myself just a teensy bit.

School holidays are about to start, not end! Why am I writing a post about getting ready for school?

Well, that's an easy one. I have two kids with Type 1 Diabetes!

Just when we finally get comfortable with how the school has been managing our kids, the year ends and we have to start all over again!

Planning for the new school year starts at the end of the last one!

For families with younger children with T1D, many parents have arrangements with their child's school to let them know who their child's teacher for the next school year will be. Of course this is so that parents can ensure that their child's new teacher is prepared for having a T1D kid in their classroom.

Then of course you have the joys of kids going from primary school (grade/elementary school) to high school - a whole new kettle of fish!

The start of school is soooooo incredibly stressful for T1D families.

Another thing that makes it a little more difficult here in Australia is that there is NO standard Management Plan for kids with T1D!

It's entirely up to the parents to devise a Management Plan for their kids.

There are standard Asthma Plans and posters that get put up all over the schools.

There are standard Anaphylaxis Plans.

There are plans for kids with learning difficulties.

On every single excursion, camp, activity and field trip permission form there are entire sections dedicated to Asthma and Anaphylaxis - however, in the vast majority of cases Type 1 Diabetes does not even rate a mention.

There is NO standard Management Plan for Type 1 Diabetes.

Interesting, when neither Asthma nor Anaphylaxis require constant monitoring, 24 hours a day, every single day!

I'm not discounting these serious medical conditions at all, both of my kids had terrible Asthma up until 6 or 7 years of age, I know how scary it is. I also know families of kids with Anaphylaxis - and yes, that's very scary too. Things can turn ugly very quickly with both of these conditions. However, they BOTH need a trigger.

Type 1 Diabetes does not need a trigger. It's there, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

How many parents of kids with Asthma or Anaphylaxis get up every single night between 2am and 3am to check on their kids, whether they're unwell or not? Yes, it's scary and very dangerous when their kids are sick - and yes, life-threatening. But there's the difference. When they're well, when proper precautions are taken and there are no triggers, these conditions don't require constant attention and monitoring at least every 2 hours every single day.

No, I would never wish Asthma or Anaphylaxis on any child or parent. I am NOT saying that I'd rather my kids had those problems and not T1D. I'd rather my kids did not have ANY serious medical condition at all.

What I AM saying is that, in MY opinion (and this is JUST MY OPINION), I do not believe that the vast majority of schools here in Australia take Type 1 Diabetes seriously enough.

Okay, got a little sidetracked there, so better get down off my soapbox and get back to what this post is about - getting kids ready for the new school year!

My kids were both diagnosed when they were already at school - Issie was in grade 3 and Tim in grade 7.   In a way - it's a little easier when your child is already at school. You're already used to leaving them in the (hopefully) capable hands of school teachers; they already have their own circle of friends; they already know their way around the school ground.

Still difficult to deal with - but easier than if your child was diagnosed as an infant and toddler, and have been in your care for a few years before you then have to, somehow, hand them over to teachers to take care of for 6 hours a day!

I know of many, many families in this situation - and the parents are, understandably, terrified!

A few months ago I was asked to help with the development of a Toolkit aimed at helping parents deal with their child returning to school after diagnosis. This Toolkit, the "In Real Life: Back-to-school Toolkit" developed by Eli Lilly Diabetes Australia, has finally been published and is being rolled out to Diabetes Clinics across the country.



Finally, parents will have a resource they can use to help them plan for their child starting, or returning to school.

However, still no actual "Management Plan".

A few days ago I created a new page here on this Blog dedicated to managing T1D at school.



You'll find the link to the page under the Blog Title at the top of this page. You can also access the page by clicking on the picture above - which also appears as a permanent link at the right of every page on this Blog.

The "Diabetes Management At School" page contains links to various documents, suggested management plans, flow charts, information for Australian schools and many other resources to help make the start of school a little less daunting.

I will continue to add more links to that page as I come across more and more resources that may be helpful to parents and teachers/school staff.

If you come across a resource or link that is not included on the Diabetes Management At School page, and you think it should be there - feel free to send me link by leaving a "Comment" under this post - or send me an email!

Monday, December 5, 2011

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

It's been a week since my last post...

Oh wow - flashback to my Catholic School days - I felt like I was in "Confession"!

I guess it's just that time of year. Things are crazy! So much to do, deadlines for everything.

And of course as well as all the usual end of year goings on, concerts, performance days, school presentation functions, class Christmas Parties, organising family get-togethers - I have to throw into the mix 2 Clinic Days in the last week of school! One on the Monday and one on the Thursday - and both are full-day events with appointments with every member of the kids' Diabetes Team - Endocrinologist, Diabetes Educator, Dietician and Psychologist!

Oh - and Tim's Clinic Day is also his first "annual" check up day - so we have his pathology appointment to have his annual bloods done!

During an exchange of text messages with my sister this morning trying to coordinate Christmas Presents for nieces and nephews (our family Christmas is this coming weekend) she wrote:

"Make sure you fit in some time just for you!"

Huh?

She's kidding, right?

But that's okay - being busy is a good thing.

My kids and I love Christmas - and an entire day is dedicated to putting up the tree and decorating the house. We have Christmas music turned up loud (much to Tim's disgust) - and lots of really bad singing!

Even Heidi Puppy joins in on the fun!


This year we also added decorating a gingerbread house! Issie had bought a kit at school - so we did a special shopping trip just to get supplies for decorating the gingerbread house - and it looked great - for one night - before Issie started demolishing it.

Thank goodness for insulin pumps...




Issie taking a bite out of her gingerbread house!

Lots of parents of newly diagnosed kids get very nervous around the holidays, particularly because of the enormous focus on food.

This is now our 2nd Christmas as a T1D family and I know we'll get through it just fine.

The most important thing, as we were told by our Diabetes Educators, is to let our kids just be kids on special occasions and not let T1D interfere with their fun. Of course I try to make sure there are healthy options for the kids at all times, but if they're going to choose to eat candy and gingerbread or whatever else they want to eat at Christmas then that's fine with me. 

I'll just work a little harder, do a little extra monitoring overnight so that their BGL's don't get too far out of control and so that they don't end up feeling sick from eating the treats they enjoy so much. 

So, anyone wanna take a guess at the carb count for that gingerbread house!

I'll give you a clue - it's about one tenth of the amount of carbs in the jar of the left-over candy! 

Oh well - guess I won't be running out of hypo treatments anytime soon!


Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Origin of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

I can tell you exactly where I was when I first saw the JDRF logo.

It was about 5:30pm on Thursday 8 April 2010 and I was in the paediatric emergency department at Sydney Children's Hospital with Issie, who was 9 years old and very very sick.

The JDRF logo was on a blue and black backpack handed to Issie by a young endocrinology registrar who was just finishing a 28 hour shift at the hospital - she stayed a little while longer when she heard that there was "another" new diagnosis (Issie) on the way by ambulance. An 8 year old little girl was diagnosed earlier that day.

Issie's diagnosis is a different story for a different day.

For this post I have decided to look at the history of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, an organisation that has become an enormous part of our lives since the Easter school holidays last year.

The natural starting point of this post is a video about the Founding of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation ("Research" was added later) by the Lee Ducat, a T1D Mum - just like you and me!

The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation began it's life at a cocktail party on the evening of 21 May 1970.



According to an article on the JDRF.org website, "The Founding of JDRF" it was decided that the foundation would be run by volunteer lay people.

In the first decade of it's life, research funded by the JDRF led to the discovery of hormones which alter the effect of insulin - including glucagon, which is now an essential item in every Type 1 Diabetic's arsenal of medical supplies!

The 1970's also saw the discovery of methods of treating the progression of diabetic eye disease as well as
the first test for measuring long-term blood glucose levels (the HbA1c test).

During the 1980's the JDRF funded research which led to the development of genetically engineered insulin, and experimentation with a pre-programmed insulin delivery system - the early forerunner of the insulin pumps we now have available!

Important discoveries were also made with respect to the effects of blood sugar on brain function and foetal development.

In the 1990's research funded by the JDRF headed down the path of Islet Cell Transplantation, and saw advancements in pancreatic transplants and their success rates.

Progress continued to be made in the fields of diabetic retinopathy and cardiovascular disease.

This was also the decade that the JDRF established the Human Islet Distribution Program.

With the new millennium came many new advances in fields of Islet Cell Transplants, non-invasive glucose monitoring, intervention into the early progression of diabetic eye disease, clinical trials aimed at the preservation of functioning insulin-producing cells in order to slow or stop the progression of type 1 Diabetes in its early stages.

Better methods of monitoring, insulin delivery and tools for treatment and management of type 1 diabetes have been a major aspect of JDRF funded research since the year 2000 - with substantial focus placed upon the Artificial Pancreas.

These areas of research and development are only a small sample of the JDRF's enormous impact upon the lives of children and adults with Type 1 Diabetes around the world.

And to think, this all began with a few parents of Type 1 Diabetic kids sitting around a kitchen table talking about what they could do to make their kids' lives just a little easier.

Now, in the second decade of the new millennium, the same thing is happening - although the kitchen table has become online social networking groups.

Although we don't have a CURE, yet, if the JDRF has given us ONE THING - it is proof that we parents CAN make a difference!





Our Christmas Wish...

I've kinda been "missing in action" from this blog for the last few days - but I promise, I have a good excuse!

I have been working on a project for the Parents of Aussie Kids with Type 1 Diabetes Support Network which I would like to share with you.

One thing all T1D parents know is that our kids are kids first - and just like every other kid, they wish for regular kid stuff at Christmas time.

However, we also know that under the surface, and in the hearts of every child with T1D and every parent of a child with T1D is the same wish...

The wish for a CURE for Type 1 Diabetes.

Please enjoy (and share) this video, which features some of the incredible children of the Parents of Aussie Kids with Type 1 Diabetes Support Network.




Thursday, November 24, 2011

Parents of Aussie Kids with Type 1 Diabetes Support Network - Christmas Card Fundraiser 2011





If you are having problems submitting this Form please email your order details to:

2kids2pets2pumps@gmail.com

Thanks!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

When bullying threatens lives...

Today I want to talk about a very very serious issue - bullying.

Now, we all know that bullying goes on in schools and, unfortunately, in some instances, can even occur in the workplace.

Bullying is always harmful, but what happens when the victim of bullying has a medical condition? What happens when the actions of others who are completely ignorant about a particular medication or medical condition could result in loss of life?


Yesterday I learned of a case of workplace bullying involving a young man with Type 1 Diabetes that left many members of the T1D community speechless.

This young man arrived at a new job, in a relatively remote area, and during the course of the day some other employees decided it would be funny to destroy his insulin supplies! He was left only with the insulin pen he had on his person at the time, which would not have lasted very long.


Several months ago I also learned of a teenage T1D boy who had been bullied repeatedly in the school environment, however this was taken to another level when a fellow student cut the tubing from his insulin pump!

This is not just bullying, this is criminal negligence.

Below are a number of passages taken from R v Pacino: Extending the Limits of Criminal Negligence? - under the heading "Definitions" of an article written by Law Student, Ian Macfarlane which appears in Volume 5, No. 1 (March 1998) of the Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law:

3. At common law criminal negligence is not to be confused with negligence at tort. Criminal negligence requires a greater standard of proof on those who wish to prove it (i.e. the Crown), as is indicated by Hewart LCJ in R v Bateman:[6]  
      In explaining to juries the test which they should apply to determine whether the negligence, in the particular case, amounted or did not amount to a crime, judges have used many epithets, such as "culpable," "criminal," "gross," "wicked," "clear," "complete." But, whatever epithet be used and whether an epithet be used or not, in order to establish criminal liability the facts must be such that, in the opinion of the jury, the negligence of the accused went beyond a mere matter of compensation between subjects and showed such disregard for the life and safety of others as to amount to a crime against the State and conduct deserving punishment.[7] 
4. This test for criminal negligence was followed in Andrews v DPP[8] by the House of Lords. In Australia the test was followed by the Queensland Court of Criminal Appeal in R v Scarth[9] and by the High Court inR v Callaghan[10] and Evgeniou v R.[11]

5. Negligence at tort, on the other hand, looks at the defendant's conduct in comparison to a standard of reasonable care.[12] In Blyth v Birmingham Waterworks Co[13] Alderson B defined the standard as: 

      [T]he omission to do something which the reasonable man, guided upon those considerations which ordinarily regulate the conduct of human affairs, would do, or do something which a prudent and reasonable man would not.[14]

I have highlighted in bold type the statements that stood out to me in these passages that could directly relate to the instances of bullying referred to above.

This type of behaviour is NOT acceptable.

Destroying life-sustaining medical supplies or the means of the delivery of life-sustaining medication clearly demonstrates "disregard of the life and safety of others" and is not something that a "prudent and reasonable man" would do.

The question one must ask is, if these people were aware of the potential for loss of life in these circumstances would they have acted in this way.

We can only hope that the answer to that would be a resounding "No."

Therefore, we have yet another reason to raise awareness about Type 1 Diabetes.

As parents, we do whatever we can to ensure that our children are safe and well and are prepared to look after themselves when they take their first steps towards independence. Educating the general public about Type 1 Diabetes will not only provide a greater understanding of this condition but will also make people think twice about interfering with life-sustaining medications and medical equipment.

In the event that you, your child or someone you know has been the victim of bullying or workplace harassment, particularly if they have a medical condition, please be sure to report these incidents to the relevant authorities and, if necessary, seek advice as to whether your particular case should be taken further.






Below is a video made by Diabetes UK about Bullying and Type 1 Diabetes:



Throughout this post you will find links to a number of resources available to parents, children, employees and employers with respect to bullying. These are essentially Australian resources however for international readers there are many local organisations and resources accessible online.



Sunday, November 20, 2011

It's good to be home...

Issie and I survived camp - and had a great time - but it is good to be home!

Tim did well at his father's place - however, interestingly, his BGL's were somewhat higher than usual for the entire time I was away. This is strange, because the same thing happened the only other time he has been away from me since his diagnosis - which was when he was at camp in June!

I had figured that perhaps, since it's now more than one year since his diagnosis, that he may be needing a bit more insulin - so was all set to change some of his basal rates (which are all very low anyway) - but then all day yesterday and today his BGL's have been back where they usually are. So, I'm thinking that he's a little more stressed when I'm not around at night? It will definitely be interesting to see what his HbA1c is at his next clinic day which is in about 4 weeks time.

While Issie and I were away our local newspaper, the Manly Daily, FINALLY published an article about the kids and Type 1 Diabetes. I have been trying to get them to publish something for MONTHS - so being Diabetes Awareness Month I really pushed for it and finally succeeded.

Of course, since my internet reception wasn't that great while we were away and my screen on my laptop is not very big I was not able to read the article until we got home, and I've now been able to scan it so I can share it with you here.

























I also decided that the only way to get journalists to provide accurate information is to provide that information to them, rather than having them interview you. Unfortunately, in almost every single case that I have heard of, when a journalist interviews someone about T1D they take notes, then go away and write something based on their own notes, that often does not make any sense at all and can lead to more confusion than there was to start with!

So, for this article I was NOT interviewed, I sent a background document to the journalist and told her that it would be better for her to use the information in that background document so as to ensure that her article was accurate and informative.

For the most part she did a good job - the article is short - could have been a bit longer - but she got the point across - and I LOVE the heading, particularly the bit in red "Obesity not a factor for certain types" - which was the main message!

Not quite sure where she got the bit in the Type 1 Diabetes points: "Insulin has to be injected into the body at least six times a day." This was not something I had put in my notes - and indeed, both my kids are on pumps - so it's possible she did some of her own research to come up with this one.

So a WIN for us this week!


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Heat stroke!

Even though the temperature here in Bathurst yesterday was nowhere near the hottest the kids and I have ever experienced, not by a long-shot, the lack of humidity here really knocked us for six (an Australian expression).

The temperature here mid afternoon yesterday reached 30.6 C (87.8 F), which, really, is not too bad - but we city-dwellers are used to relatively high humidity levels. Yes, that can make even a minute outside seem like an hour in an oven, however, with high humidity you tend to perspire more, and that means that your body cools itself more effectively. At this time of year in Sydney we're used to humidity levels around the 50-65% range - that's what we're used to.

Yesterday the humidity level here in Bathurst was 19%.

So, that means less perspiring, and more fluid retention - the body can't cool itself properly.

The kids spent the afternoon building their shelters for their camp-out survival night - Issie worked on her tent with her friend. It was tough going in that hot, dry environment - the kids were tired and cranky and had a great deal of trouble thinking clearly.




I watched Issie very carefully throughout the day, reducing her basal rates on her pump and only bolusing for half of the carbs she was eating - the heat was dropping her BGL's very quickly. Also, of course, keeping her hydrated.

The girls finally got their "tent" relatively secure and everyone headed upstairs for dinner. Issie was not hungry at all, but fortunately did eat a little bread. She didn't bolus for anything at all because she was starting to feel really bad and thought she might not keep her dinner down. Her face was red and really puffy, as were her hands and feet - fluid retention. She did not look good.

We made a decision during dinner that Issie was not going to camp outside. A few of the girls were not sleeping out - so this was not a big deal and she knew that she would not be criticised by her peers for making this decision. Yes, of course, she was disappointed - but she also knew she was just not well enough - and I was, of course, secretly relieved. With Issie sleeping inside, I did not have to go searching through the tents, avoiding guide ropes and tent pegs, and trying to get inside a tiny little tent to do BGL's throughout the night!

All the girls went downstairs after dinner to brush their teeth and get ready for bed. I headed into the kitchen to make a cup of green tea - when all of a sudden there was a pounding on the stairs! A bunch of the girls had come running upstairs calling out "Issie's throwing up!" and then, another bunch came up right behind them, "Issie has just passed out!"

Oh crap!

I sent one of the girls to the kitchen to get the emergency kit while I raced down the very rickety, very steep staircase (the building we were in is an old converted stable) and down to the girls' bathroom.

By the time I got there Issie had come around and was laying on the nice cool tiles of the bathroom floor - just as they'd been taught, two of the girls had stayed with her while they others ran for help. She was shaking like a leaf and just looked terrible.

Fortunately, her BGL was fine - a little high (11.4 mmol/L - 205 mg/dL) - since she hadn't bolused for her dinner - but definitely nothing to worry about. So, she had collapsed as a result of heat-stroke, rather than a hypo or hyper event - which, although scary, was a huge relief!

The heat certainly took it out of her - and she was smart not to give herself any insulin with her dinner - for the remainder of the night she sat in the low 5's (I prefer her to be around 7.0 at bedtime) and woke at 4.3 mmol/L  (77.4 mg/dL) - could have been a different story otherwise!

So, if there was any good to come out of a scary situation, it was that I was able to see first hand how Issie's classmates take care of her when something is wrong - and I was impressed with their quick thinking and remembering to make sure someone stayed with her and send someone else get help right away.

And I promise I'll try not to complain about the humidity in Sydney ever again, or at least for this Summer!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

School Camp, Stifling Heat and T1D!

As I typed that heading I immediately started thinking of the Witches poem (or song?):

Double Double Toil and Trouble
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble...

Issie and I are at her school camp in Bathurst in Central Western NSW.  The following photos are where we are staying - Abercrombie House, which is own by the family that owns the kids' school.


Today is day 2 - and, as was the case yesterday, it is soooo hot I can barely breathe! Hence the "fire burn and cauldron bubble!"

We visited the historical gold-rush town of Sofala, then went panning for gold in the Turon River.


Yes, I know that this truck was not used during the Gold Rush - it just looked cool sitting there like that so I had to take a photo of it!



Issie is having a great time with her school friends, and for the most part I am staying out of the way - but the heat is taking its toll on her.




Overnight she had a hypo at 1:30am - which took 2 juice boxes and 30 minutes to come back up to a level I was happy to let her go to sleep on.

This afternoon the kids are supposed to be making their own "shelter" and the plan is for them to camp outside!

Don't think any of the adults are going to get any sleep at all!

The thing about the climate here in this part of the country is that daytime temperatures at this time of year - and heading into Summer, can be in the mid to high 30's (celsius) - however, overnight they can drop down into single digits.

So, tonight will be interesting.



Sunday, November 13, 2011

Mummy, can I make cookies today?

Issie is the house cookie maker - and she makes a mean choc-chip cookie, from scratch, no packet mixes.

Usually, that question would rarely even need an answer, much to the detriment of my ever expanding hips and waistline!

This morning, however, cookies are out.


No, she's not high, in fact she's running a little low, as she has been for the last few days. The problem today is that there is NO ROOM in the kitchen, or anywhere else in the house in fact, to make cookies!!!

Every surface of my kitchen counters is covered in various supplies - divided into various sections, Issie's diabetes supplies, Tim's diabetes supplies, Tim's school lunch bits and pieces for the school week staying at his Dad's place, Heidi Puppy's dog food, treats etc, Fluffy's cat food, treats, fresh bag of litter for her litter box!

The dining room table is covered with toiletries, Issie's clothing in piles, shoes, cameras, hats...

The top of the piano is covered with my computer charger, camera charger, batteries - anything electronic that has to come along with me.

The sofa in the living room is covered with my own clothing, and scattered all over the house are suitcases and duffel bags.

There are sleeping bags airing over the armchairs, baskets of school shirts to be ironed for Timmy to take to his Dad's place.

Next year, I think I will start preparing for school camp on the first day of the school year. 

So, there will be no cookie making today.

Sorry Issie!