Rudolph

I got this craft idea from Stacie’s blog.  I am a sucker for anything that uses my child’s handprint, so I thought we’d try it today.  First, trace and cut out your child’s shoe.  Then, trace and cut out their hands.

Assemble the hands as antlers and the shoe as Rudolph’s face.

Here is where you can get creative.  Olivia didn’t feel much like doing a craft today, so I took the easy route and added eyes and a pom pom nose.

Do NOT use a pom pom if that happens to be your cat’s favorite toy. LOL.  My construction paper was a little flimsy, so I pasted it to a green sheet of paper.

I traced it in black marker and hung it on the fridge for all to see and to remember how big her hands and feet were!

And here’s my sweet girl hanging out at home today.  Hope you all are having a wonderful day!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Today, was Olivia’s holiday party at preschool.  Ryan and I were both able to attend.  While it really wasn’t anything more than an extended snack time. . .we were glad that we went.  It was really neat to see Olivia in an entirely different setting. . .it’s like she has this whole life that I don’t know much about.  Many of the kids were calling her by name and telling her good-bye when we left.  She has a lot of little friends!   Olivia has the next two weeks off for Christmas vacation.   I still can’t believe Christmas is next week.  I did, however, finish my Christmas shopping today.  Yay!  Can’t wait until Christmas!

Proud Mama Again

Olivia and I were drawing on the Magna Doodle today and for the first time. . .Olivia wrote her name.  She left out the a at the end and added in some extra lines, but it’s there!! I am beyond proud because this is the first time she has even attempted it.  Usually when we work on it, she just scribbles.  At preschool, they are using the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum, which Olivia seems to love. . .probably because there are songs that go with it.  It’s based on the concept that every letter is made up of a big curve, little curve, big line  or little line.  Too bad it wasn’t on paper so that I could save it forever.  I’m hoping to at least save it until daddy gets home from work. 

Proud Mom

I just had to brag on Olivia a bit tonight.  She is doing so well in gymnastics.   Because Olivia does not have much upper body strength, some things are really tough for her.  Over the last 6 months, we have stuck with it and I am amazed at her progress.  She is doing forward rolls, jumping into the pit, riding the pulley (it’s like a zip line), holding onto the bar for 20+ seconds and building confidence on the balance beam.  She’s also doing great with things like listening, waiting in line, waiting her turn and sitting quietly.  She has come a long way in all areas.  Being born at 23 weeks. . .we didn’t know what physical limitations she might have.  Never would I have dreamed she would be taking a gymnastics class.  I’m just so proud of her and all that she has accomplished.   Ryan and I made sure to talk about how proud we were of her on the ride home. . . .you know, so she could overhear. 

My Early New Year’s Resolutions

My diabetes is getting the best of me.  I feel tired and unwell most of the time.  Because of that, I get so angry and down on myself.  Fatigue in diabetes is caused by glucose being unable to enter the cells where it is converted into energy.  Instead it hangs around in the bloodstream.  It’s not just fatigue. . .it’s complete exhaustion.  I’m to the point that I have to do something about it.   So, it starts now.  Olivia deserves a mother with more energy and zest for life.  What am I going to do? I’ve come up with a plan.

1)  Exercise, exercise, exercise.  That’s  hard to do when you’re tired, but I’m determined to make it a part of my routine.  The best time to exercise is when Olivia is at preschool.  So, I will start exercising on Tues/ Thurs mornings instead of doing housework or taking a nap.  And, I’ll work up from that.

2)  Eat more vegetables.  Plain and simple.

3) Watch my carbs.  No bread, no rice, no pasta, no potatoes, no sweets, no sugar (or at least limit these as much as possible.)  This is tough because I crave carbs and they are everywhere!  They, however, make my blood sugar soar too high.  Bread affects me worse than a candy bar!  And, I’ll continue to take my diabetes medication (side effects and all) and try to bump it up to my recommended dosage.

4) Reduce caffeine.  I gave up pop when I was diagnosed with diabetes, but I rely on iced tea and Excedrin to get me by.  These fast fixes are only harming me in the long run.  Oh, and drink tons more water!!

5.  Enter the Daily Challenge after being motivated by my friend, Kerry.  Each day, I receive an email with that challenge for the day.  Today’s challenge, for example, was to create an emergency snack kit for times when hunger strikes.  In diabetes, this is so important because those are the times when I make unhealthy food choices.  And, with diabetes, almost everything seems to be an unhealthy food choice.  My kit contains nuts, string cheese, apples and baby carrots. 

6.  Try to get my doctor to set me up with a dietitian.  I need major help with what I can and can’t eat. 

7.  Enlist those willing to help me.  In any way you can. . .please encourage me to make these positive changes in my life.  If you have an idea or something that would help me, please let me know.  Thank you for listening and remember to hold me to my resolutions!  I will not let diabetes win!