a simple tummy bug when your diabetic!

If you follow my blog by now your know my 4 year old daughter 'O' is a type 1 diabetic. 
She has been diagnosed for 2 years now!
Well this morning she woke up with higher blood sugars then normal, so i knew something was happening. 
She had an upset tummy straight away and i checked her blood for key tones. 
Having key tones in your blood is dangerous and you can get very ill very quickly and O did! 
She was running a very high temp and her blood sugar levels were rising fast. 
I knew i had to get insulin in her fast and she needed to drink. 
Not the easiest thing to do when all she wanted to do was sleep.
If O was not diabetic i could of gave Calpol, offered her a drink and put her back to bed. 

Instead i had two drinks, and i had to measure how much she drank, and what time she used the bathroom. I had to test her blood every hour, work out how much insulin she needed, constantly carry her to the loo as she was very weak. 

Key tones makes you feel like rubbish, they make you vomit and dizzy, she also had a headache. I was constantly keeping check of what medicine she had and getting it into her as quick as possible. 

All while on the phone to her nurses, waiting in for 5 different deliveries. And looking after my other 2 girls! 

she has had 20 blood tests today. She is my brave little monkey! We are still fighting those nasty key tones, but i am determined to get my girl well and feeling a lot better tomorrow. 

After all that's all i can do. Don't get me wrong i have had a really good long cry today, i have felt tired, frustrated, useless. 

Hurry up cure, my girly and me need a break! 

Home made Christmas gift tags that cost NOTHING!

So me and 'O' got busy making our very own gift tags for Christmas. 
I wanted it to be cheap (or free) and simple so little 'O' could actually do them herself mainly. 
We had loads of fun actually and it was a easy way to just sit and have a good chat. 
We also focused on shapes. 

All it took was some shiny card,some funky scissors, a hole punch and some Christmas ribbon. 
I will be making some posher ones myself too at some point,but for the kids they love them! 
Get crafty have some fun :)

Weigh in week 4...!!!

Arghhhh today i woke up scared! 
As soon as i opened my eyes i felt bloated and i knew the dreaded monthly's are due any day now and i just know this makes me a lot heavier.

I was really scared to step on the scales today, i am very nervous that if i get a gain it will make me give up and think whats the point! But i was pleastantly surprised! 

2.5lbs off :)

So that is 10.5lbs in 4 weeks...i think thats quite healthy way to do it :) I am going to push myself hard to get to 14 lb loss before december though! 

14LB(1 STONE) was my target for christmas so i am doing good i think :) just need to keep saying no.

Also has anybody noticed as soon as you go on a diet and it gets public everybody seems to offer you junk and tasty little treats... my mother in law keeps baking for me! 

I take them but leave the blokey and the kids to fight it out....i think she has a secret ploy to stop me getting gorgeous lol! 

How is everyone else getting along?

Christmas shaving foam?! Yes please!

Today was the day...i woke up looked out the windows and it felt.....like christmas! 

Now don't get me wrong i'm not rushing into the attic to get the tree down or anything...it's not even December yet after all.

But i do love Christmas and everything that comes with it, all the little crafts and memory's to be made. 

So today me and my two youngest. aged 4 and 15 months decided on Christmas shaving foam play...

How cool does this look! 

All it is is shaving foam, and paint! Cheap and awesome! Both girls had so much fun...First we used a paintbrush and swished it around a bit, it made a marbled effect so we pressed paper on top of it and they came out great!
 I am going to cut them into stocking shapes and put them on the girls display wall :)

Once we were done i thought they could have a little play...well they started well...

We talked about colours, textures, Christmas. 
Then the baby had to go to far lol! 

Nothing a bath didn't fix! 

Week 3 Weigh In.....

Well this week by tuesday i was bored of my nutty cereal and pouring yogurt twice a day so a new approach was needed. 
I decided i would just eat what i wanted to see if i could cope mentally.
And i think i did very well.
 I felt in control for the first time. 
This is now the longest i have ever been on a diet without crying or giving up. 
Its the first time i have not had a treat day and told myself thats ok....for some it might be but for me at my size it is not. 

On to the nitty gritty. 

This week i lost 2lb. 
I am chuffed again with this its coming off nice and slowly. 
I will never ever see those 2lbs again( even if i check down the sofa)
Family members are starting to tell me i look slimmer. 
And i had to wear a belt!!! Yes a belt..i think it was the first time..ever. 

I measured myself at the start and even though its been a measly 3 weeks and i have about 3 years to go lol i have lost 3 inches off my waist, 3 inches of my hips and my chest has gone from a 44HH to a 42FF...

8lbs in total does not sound that big a deal but its doing me the world of good! 6lb to go for christmas target! 

Weigh in: week 2....

Well the last week i have worked my butt off!
I have even braved a 30 min exercise video....twice!
I have 'played' just dance on the wii with my little sister which in my honest opinion the game should change its name to if you want a heart attack... ARGH! 

I have resisted everything thrown at me cream cakes, fried breakfasts and i have plodded through eating my two bowls of cereal  day and a norml main cooked dinner but a smaller portion...

Just weighed in 4lbs off! Quite chuffed with that and it has boosted my confindence, just 1 more measly lb and then i will hit my half a stone mark which is halfway to my goal...

I'm going to need many goals to shift all this weight but baby steps to begin with to keep me focused. 
I am feeling much healthier already and my trousers are all feeling a bit baggy so hopefully it wont be to long until i drop this awful sized dress size. 

Thanks for the support x 

Confessions of 'The Perfect Mother!'....

A few times now i have been blessed with this title of the 'perfect mum.' These are some reasons i have been given. 

-I do so much with my kids. 

- My girls are all so easy and well behaved. 

-My kids are always dressed well and my house is always clean

- I seem to always know what to do, in every situation.

Here are my thoughts...

Since when did any of the above make a good parent? 
There are much more important things right?
What difference does it make if my children wore rags and were banned from play dough..this would not make me a bad parent surely? 
Whats with all the pressure?

When i got pregnant with my first child, my grandmother said to me, Children need love, Guidance, and stability. 
And now i have three girls i have to agree with her. (to a point) 

Here are my confessions..on this title that i do not deserve. 

- Most days i can't wait for bedtime! 
-I go to bed most nights, thinking how i could of done better. 
-I do loads of arty,messy,sensory play because it keeps my children quiet for hours..literally.
-I have very little patience, and although i never smack, or belittle i am very strict. 
-My kids still backchat, and beat each other up at times!
-I dress my kids well but 99% of the time i look a state!
-I look at other parents most days and think wow i wish i knew what i was doing like they do! 

More then half of the time, i probably guess at this parenting thing! 
The thing is i'm just very normal, I bust my ass doing house work and have a very tight cleaning schedule. 
I'm a very organised person, which i will blog about very soon. 

Who know's what makes a good parent? 
Is there such a thing?
Because some days i think we just have to do the best we can and hope they listen and turn out ok! 

Opinions?  

Baby 'C' her ongoing healthy issues...and progress..

20 weeks ago my baby girl was 10 months old. She was born a healthy weight of 8lb13.5ounces. 
Her birth was amazing...could not ask for any better. Perfect pregnancy. 

When she was 5 months old i started to thinks she was not hitting milestones like her sisters did but i tried my best not to compare. 
At 7 months she just started to roll and sit by herself and i thought i had better get her checked. The health visitor told me she was fine and carry on as i was.
She was exclusively breastfed. 
She slept a lot, and was not really interested in much and it didn't take long for me to take more action. 
One day after she had a 4 hour nap, i woke her myself and she felt really clammy and hot she was shaking and she felt much lighter! 
Please go back through my blogs to see how my other daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes...very similar. 
I ran downstairs and got her older sisters blood glucose monitor and i tested my baby's blood. 
She was 'hypo' she did not have enough sugar in her blood.
 I rushed her to hospital and they weighed her... she was 12lb..at 10 months old she had only gained 4lbs. 
She was admitted and tests were done, she was diagnosed with a very fast metabolism and she now has to eat every 2 hours. This is C at 10 months old. 

Looking back now she looked ill, i can see her neck is to thin and her arms have no fat on them..she was in size 0-3 clothes. 

Here is C now... she is 14 months old... and last month she was 20lb9!!! She is fitting 12-18 clothes! 

At 12 months old i made the heartbreaking choice to stop breastfeeding..

This is a picture of her last ever breastfeed...She is on formula now/still as it was so good for her weight gain i am terrified of taking her off it. 
She is crawling and cruising around the furniture and last week she took 2 steps! 
She has been in hospital again, and ongoing tests seem to be indicating that her body does not make the sugar it is supposed to and she still suffers with low blood sugars even though she is not diabetic. 

C has to have a high sugar diet.
O has to have a diet with no added sugar.

My foods bill has gone through the roof! 
But as long as my girls keep thriving that is all that matters to me. 
Has anybody else been through this?

Healthy, Affordable, and Quick lunch box idea's that make your children Independent!

I am a busy mum of 3 little ones and where possible i try to encourage my girls to be independent. Firstly it is good for them to be their own person and to make their own decisions. 
Plus it saves me time, if they can do some things for themselves. 
One way that we do this is the girls pack their own lunch box's. 
They also help themselves to morning and afternoon snacks (if they are home).
Heres how:

Firstly i make a healthy fridge snack box it looks a bit like this.

I use plastic shot glasses to put cream cheese dips or hummus in. 
I then bag up sticks of carrots,celery,peppers, cucumber etc. 
There are always yogurts, cheese,and bagels already cut and buttered. 
I also fill little bottles with milk. 

We also have a cupboard snack box, with raisons, cereal bars, nuts, crackers, biscuits. 
Everything is in individual portions (and weighed so my diabetic daughter can help herself, and give me piece of mind).

So In the morning, my girls grab their lunch box's from their own little cupboards, they are in the habit now, so they grab a bagel, and then they choose 3 healthy snacks and 2 things from the cupboard. They also choose a drink....lunch box done. 

They are cheap, healthy, and none ever goes to waste as they love the novelty. 
I just restock it every couple of days when they are at school and the baby is napping. 
Also, i find this really helpful for when i need to pop out, i just grab something out all ready and packed and chuck it in the baby's bag. saves buying snacks while out which soon adds up in cost!

I hope this helps someone out, as our mornings are much calmer now. :)

Week 1 weigh in:

Well as soon as i opened my eyes this morning i was filled with dread i knew it was weigh day! Urgh.
I showered and got dressed and power walked the school run just to loose an extra little bit ...like ya do! 
Anyhow i braved it and weighed in and i have lost 2lbs. 
I am ok with that... its week one and i should of lost more but its a start and i'm going to push myself a bit harder this week :)
Thank you to anyone that reads my blogs id love some comments and to hear your weight loss stories as its hard work! 
Heres to next week! 
Ps: i'm hungry!

Feel better soon/PS thanks diabetes...

The thing about Type 1 Diabetes is...just when you think you have good control...just when your hitting some perfect stable sugars..diabetes jumps up from behind its wet moggy rock and shouts 'GOT YA!'

It's like a cruel game that you can never win, it taunts you for a while and teases and just when you start to relax BOOM! 
That is it you have lost the control and you have to start from scratch all over again...and again and again. 

This is our life every day. 
Don't get me wrong i try not to dwell on the fact little O has diabetes, we try to live as normal life as possible and treat her just the same and i think were pretty good at it. 
I'm also fully aware there are worse things and someone is always worse of. 
But after the last few days all i care about right now is my little girl and i. 

Yesterday was obviously the dreaded  lovely Halloween, now my girls do not have sweets often at all and have a very healthy diet, but being normal means trick or treating...so off we went...
Afterwards they both chose 2 sweets each (am i mean?!) i guessed the amount of insulin O needed to match the sugary junk...i was horribly wrong! 

I checked her blood glucose at 9pm and found it to be 13.4 (normal should be between 4-8. But was quite impressed with this, gave her a little extra insulin and carried on with my evening. 

At 11pm O came downstairs asking for a drink, i checked her blood again 25.9!
Straight away i injected her with a good boost of insulin while i changed her canula needle and all the pipelines to go with it, i even added some fresh insulin from the fridge. 
In the meantime O was drinking cups and cups of water and using the toilet to flush the sugar out of her body.
At 1am she was 19.5 so i lifted her up to bed she slept soundly from then, but i was up every 2 hours to check her bloods and take her for a wee. 

I barely slept and when i did i had the worst nightmare which has really shook me up it felt so real!
But soon the alarm was ringing and it was school run time.
O cried the whole walk because she was so tired, we got back she would not sleep but she was not really wanting to play she just laid...staring.
Today her sugars have all been low, so i have been getting her to drink lucozade and munch glucose tablets.
 I have probably tested her finger about 20 times so far. 

Her skin has flared up and her joints are sore, she is complaining of a headache and is really grumpy...so thanks Halloween and thanks even more Diabetes....those 2 sweets were so not worth it...but try telling that to a 4 year old.