D-Mamas (and PWDs) are like Boy Scouts

Always prepared...

Last night (actually 2 weekends ago since this post has been sitting) turned out to be a "shining" example of why I try to always follow the Boy Scout motto, "always be prepared". What started out as a visit to Charlotte's Am-maw and Paw-Paw's house for dinner and to watch a football game could have ended in disaster if I hadn't been prepared for the unexpected.

After the girl's gymnastics class on Saturday morning we headed back home for baths before our planned trip across the lake for the evening. While Charlotte was in the tub I was busy checking her pump and supplies to make sure we would have enough for the afternoon trip (and then some). I was happy to see that she had a good 2 day supply of insulin still left in the cartridge on her pump...but her meter/supply bag was pretty bare. I started throwing in all of our usuals (alcohol swabs, lancets, a new container of test strips) and then a new infusion set and a couple boxes of Nerds (Charlotte's latest preference for treating lows). I'm sure when I was finished it looked as if I had packed her up for a 3-day vacation rather than just an evening across the lake.

Once everyone was finished with their bath and a quick lunch we piled in the car and were off. And as every fun girls trip requires, we took a side trip to the mall for a little fun shopping before arriving at our intended destination.

We spent the evening with Am-maw and Paw-Paw. Enjoyed a delicious dinner and a nail-biter football game! At half-time of the game I loaded up my crew with plans to head straight back home. I pulled out the driveway, but didn't get too far before realizing I had a flat tire! It was LATE and there was no chance of getting the spare put on in a reasonable amount of time....so we stayed put for the night. To be honest, I was less than thrilled that our outing had turned into a "slumber party"...but my girls were thrilled.

I did a quick scan of Charlotte's supplies and was relieved that I had re-stocked with the extras...I knew that we'd be good (supply-wise) through the night and next day until we could get back home.

Of course, D never seems to play nice and insisted on making things more complicated. We had some lows through the night...but nothing our "extra" juice boxes and Nerds couldn't handle. Morning came quickly...and Jay came to "rescue" us! The spare tire was put on and back home we went...but not before enjoying Am-maw's special pancake breakfast!

Had this D-mama not been prepared with the extra supplies, our unexpected "slumber party" would have been a lot more stressful...and cost more than just the set of new tires!!!

The little things....

A few months ago, Charlotte received a special gift from a very kind-hearted person. We have no idea who the gift-giver is...but I imagine that she/he must be experienced with Type 1 and clearly knows that often times it's the little things that make the biggest difference.

When Charlotte opened her gift she was beyond excited to find the most precious heart-shaped leather case for her meter and testing supplies (from Myabetic)...and was even more tickled when she opened the case and discovered that it turns into a butterfly! 

 Charlotte asked, almost immediately, if we could move her testing supplies from her old case to the new one...of course, I couldn't resist! She loves carrying her pretty little case with her when we go places on the weekends and after school! And I love that it has more pockets and elastics than her previous cases and it holds nearly everything she might need for her D to spend a day away from home...all in one adorable little bag!

I'm always looking for ways to help make Charlotte's d-management a little less dreary (not the easiest of tasks). We have a few different meter/supply cases (although none nearly as precious as the Lovebug). We've gotten a few different pump skins for her insulin pump (she's a big fan of the pink/purple "swirl") and tried out Groovy Patches to make her pump sites more "fun". And I can't forget the adorable pump pouches we've gotten from Amy's Too Sweet Boutique...the adorable fabrics and designs FAR exceed my previous seamstress attempts (although my sweet girl still sometimes requests an old pouch I made for her).

It seems that lately Charlotte has been feeling that D is a miserable "chore". She's clearly annoyed by having to check her sugar and "dial up" a bolus to correct her sugar or cover her carbs and she'd much prefer for anyone else to handle these tasks for her (can't say I blame her for feeling that way). So to help keep the D-burnout from taking it's toll already (only 5 years in to the d-life with many more ahead -- unless we find a cure) I'm happy to help out with these tasks. But when I'm not around to help out or she simply chooses to do them on her own its nice to know that having a pretty little bag or "fun" pump skin helps make these tasks a little less "chore-like"...and that's important!

It's truly the little things that make a difference!