Parenting

It's odd. This is the week I decided to read three parenting books. I felt there is room for improvement. I know what kind of parent I want to be, but I often fall short. My kids are good kids, but I think there is room for improvement there, too.

I tire of saying the same things over and over. I get frustrated when my kids don't listen to me. I deserve respect that they often don't give me. This is nothing out of the ordinary. All parents feel this way. I know. But I tire of raising my voice. I get frustrated with how I treat them. They deserve respect from me, too.

So, I am reading Have a New Kid by Friday by Kevin Leman. I hope this will help me in my interactions with my son. I don't expect miracles. I know he won't change by the end of the week, but maybe how I deal with him will. And if this makes our relationship better, than I will have gained.

Then I will read Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay, followed by Parenting Teens with Love and Logic. As my daughter enters this new phase in her life, our relationship is bound to change. I hope to remain consistent in my parenting so that I will be a constant in her life as things change all around her. I want our relationship to stay strong and not deteriorate, as I see so many mother-teen daughter relationships do.

It's odd. This is the week my neighbors praised Super D and me for our parenting skills. They think our kids are terrific. Despite my insecurities, I guess we're doing something right.

My Reward

My garden is in bloom! Twelve different varieties of flowers are growing there! I would like you to enjoy them with me.

I can't count my Milk and Wine Lilies because they bloomed a couple of weeks ago and have since withered and died. They were lovely while they lasted! And the beautiful green leaves are still growing strong.

This rose bush was here when we moved in. During the early spring, the roses are huge and so fragrant that when you come up the walk to our front door, you can smell them.

I have reserved the front bed of my garden for annuals. I plant petunias for the spring and pansies for the fall. These petunias have flourished and now form a giant petunia bush. All from 12 little plants.

A second rose bush was also already in the garden and produces smaller roses.

I have no idea what this plant is. I was convinced that it was something I planted from a seed and not a weed. Super D wasn't so sure, but I refused to pull it. If you look carefully at the top, I think you may see the beginning of a flower that looks like a fuzzy caterpillar. I can't wait to see what blooms!

I nearly killed this plant. Purchased at Lowe's, this plant was a beautiful green with the prettiest leaves. I was in love with the picture of the Banana Cream Shasta Daisies that the tag promised. Two days after I brought it home, it was a shriveled mess. I planted it, watered it, and nourished it with Miracle Gro, praying that it wouldn't die. You may not be able to see, but the petals of these daisies are the most beautiful pale yellow.

Super D brought home some more petunias, and I had little hope that they would survive. He bought a trunkful of plants for only a few dollars, and most looked pretty pathetic. I planted these at the base of my birdbath, and they are beautiful now.

I love Gerber daisies! This is the last surviving flower since an adorable bunny began feasting on them. This one has been sprayed with Repels-All. I don't think the bunny cares for the stench.

We have been watching these plants carefully, hoping that they are dahlias. I planted several bulbs for A because they are her favorite flower. Three plants, evenly spaced, have popped up, and two of them have a bud on top like this. What could they be?

One of my prettiest roses. It's not as big as the spring blooms.

And the cannas. Last year, they dominated my garden. Their big green leaves provided a beautiful background for my few spring and summer colors. This year, they are not as prominent, but they sure are healthy.

My Life with Diabetics

I don't think I've talked about diabetes in my blog before. I guess I spend so much time with it that I get tired of it. Super D has been diabetic for years. Life with him has been mostly being on the lookout for hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). You learn the subtle cues. When Super D's blood glucose (BG) begins to decline, his speech slows, and his sentences don't make much sense. He pauses more often to put his thoughts together. Severe low BG looks like he's drunk. He thinks he's funny. But he's not. Well, maybe that day when we were dating, and he threw his shoe across the room. That was funny. When we first married, he wasn't able to notice the symptoms quickly enough, and he would let it drop so fast that he had seizures. Scary.

When A was born, Diabetes Watch began. We knew that diabetes tends to have genetic links, so the chances of us having a child who develops diabetes was high. Fortunately, she has shown no signs of the disease.

When C was born, we were equally concerned for him and continued the Watch. He developed normally with few childhood illnesses. Neither of my children was sick very often. When C was 2, he began potty training and started giving up his afternoon nap. Everything was good.

But when he was 2 1/2, he began wetting his pants again. He started falling asleep in the afternoon. I didn't think much about it. I missed the first signs. All of my friends were struggling with their children, too. Why should I be concerned if he wets his pants? The day I realized something was wrong was the day I found my son drinking rainwater from a puddle because he was so thirsty. I still feel like a lousy mom for that. Here I was, supposedly paying attention, and I missed it.

A visit to the doctor. Lab tests. Waiting for lab results. A trip to the ER. A shot of long-lasting insulin. And we found ourselves at the Endocronologist's office for 2 days of intense diabetes training.

Caring for a diabetic toddler is much different from living with a diabetic husband. It was almost as if I had contracted the disease. I had to check blood sugars, count carbohydrates, give shots, and go to doctor's appointments. I had to be on, every second of the day. Even during the night, because if his BG dropped too low, his body would go into Todd's Paralysis, a condition where he can't move. Scary.

As C has aged, I have tried to educate him, letting him be in control of his disease as it is age-appropriate. He now checks his own blood sugar, calculates his carbs, and gives himself insulin through his insulin pump. I've tried not to be a helicopter mom. I don't want to hover. I will always worry. I think the hardest time for me is still ahead, as he enters his teenage years and becomes more independent. I can't even conceive of what it will be like when he is driving and out on his own. I will have to pray that he takes care of himself as good as I would. Scary.

And Diabetes Watch continues, as I pray that my daughter doesn't develop it, too. After all, her dad was a teenager by the time his pancreas shut down. Scary.

Walking the Plank

Maybe I'm a little ADD. I find that I get bored with any exercise DVD. I haven't found a single one that made me want to do it a second time. So, because I'm already bored with the boot camp, I pulled out Denise Austin's Shrink Your Female Fat Zones. My goal: to just make it to the end of the DVD. Do as many reps of each exercise as I can. Take a break if I need it. Just make it to the end.

This exercise, the Plank, made my ab muscles shake so badly that I could only manage 2 reps of "kissing" each knee to the floor. What a loser, right? Wrong! I did 2 reps! Success! Next time I'll do 3!

Day Four - Ow!

After 3 days of exercise and 2 days of moving my classroom down the hall, I was in some serious pain. That is why I decided not to exercise this morning. I made the decision last night and got up today to stretch. The stretching felt good, and by afternoon, I was no longer in pain. So, I decided to try some yoga on the Wii. All I have to say is, "Ow!"

The World's Most Expensive Meal

$2 million. That's what the U.S.D.A. has spent to develop and promote a new logo to replace the Food Pyramid. The Obama administration has encouraged the government agency to find a way to get Americans to think more about eating a healthy diet.

The original 1992 Food Pyramid was easy to read, but I guess the meat and dairy industries were upset that their foods weren't being promoted very well. And, of course, carbs are the devil, so this pyramid had to be scrapped.

A new pyramid was released 13 years later. The new one placed an emphasis on exercise, too. But I guess this one wasn't good enough either. People think it's hard to read and inefficient. Many also complain that it doesn't distinguish between healthy and less healthy choices within each food group. (Because most people don't know by now that white bread is worse for you than whole grain breads. Again, carbs are the devil.)

So now the government is spending more money to implement a new icon. It's supposed to get the public's attention. It's supposed to be easier to read. It's supposed to inspire Americans to make healthy food choices and eat more fruits and vegetables. It's supposed to urge us to eat smaller portions. It's supposed to cause us to drink less sugary drinks. It's supposed to fight obesity. It's supposed to end war and bring world peace. And it's pretty.

Really? Do you think anyone will even look at that logo once they graduate from elementary school? Honestly, neither of the previous pyramids had any effect on my food choices. I doubt the new one will either. It's not the icon that will change Americans' eating habits. What a waste of $2 million.

Day 3 was bittersweet

I just returned from a bike ride with my daughter, A. I loved that time with her. Of course, I hated the exercise. My thighs are on fire from all of the squats I have done in my Boot Camp DVD. Now they feel like jelly. My heartrate was elavated, and I am sweating to the point of dripping. NOT my idea of fun.