Sunrise Sunday

[Twins' Mom]

Need to work another round - I finished that round and stopped for lunch.

-plug in phone to charge
-reboot laundry
-take large basket of laundry upstairs to put away
-check kitchen trash for the scoop for dog food, which is missing, and take out trash

[sherinjoy]

Hi - still have the cold/cough so staying indoors again.

Interesting discussion about diabetes and genes/lifestyle. I have a unique perspective on family medical/health history - I have no family history -none! I was adopted in the State of California, which does not allow birth records to be revealed to the adoptee. So I have no information about my birth family medical history, which makes for an interesting opportunity to "pretend" that I am perfectly healthy in every way genetically. I could take some of those tests recently developed of markers and predictors and DNA testing to see my ethnic background, but have chosen not to. I have taken care of my health with a positive perspective that I will live to a ripe old age within the normal aging process. So far, so good. If I do develop a genetically-related disease, I will deal with it with current information, minus the history. As I said, a unique opportunity to approach health and wellness.

Thanks for the information about Paula Deen and diabetes, I always learn something from these board discussions.

[Indiana]

I'm an icicle. It is so cold outside. I'm going to make some tea to warm up and then I'll come back here later.

[OKay]

I've enjoyed the diabetic/lifestyle conversations too. DH and my family both have diabetic history. Several members of the family have lost feet/legs due to uncontrolled diabetics. Thankfully everyone in our families who watches what they eat are able to control their blood sugar.

This week a very dear life long friend stopped by the house and we had a good visit. It has been a couple months since we last visited and she has gain mucho weight (guessing 40-50 lbs). She was telling me how out of control her diabetes was and how the doctors are stumped in getting it under control. Later in our conversation she was telling me about her day - starting with eating biscuits and gravy, followed by going for ice cream treats, followed by making yummy cookies, then finishing up by having french bread pizzas. I asked her if eating a diet heavy in carbs affects her blood sugar and she said no, it is just naturally high (over 400 fasting). I could tell she was not open to hearing about eating differently so I didn't say anything more.

Church was great. Fantastic. LO played drums on stage during the service and received many compliments. After church we checked MPB and then went to DParents and ate meatloaf sandwiches with them. Simple but yummy!

[OKay]

This has been a strange week.

#1 - we were contacted by couple who live in our small town. They asked for advice and recommendations for raising grandchild. Seems they are going to be raising one of theirs and they are a little overwhelmed at the thought of it.

#2 - a life long VDFriend visited heart broken with the news that their 6 week old grandbaby was seen this week by the 3rd specialist and all of them say baby is deaf. VDFriend thinks grandbaby is also blind because he doesn't track with his eyes. The doctors have told them he isn't old enough to track with his eyes yet, but she knows he should be seeing light or fluttering fingers. However his eyes just look upward toward the top of his head. They will be taking him to big city specialist for further evaluation. VDFriend daughter has already left the sister of this baby with VDFriend to raise for several months this year ....and she is overwhelmed of the possibility of also raising a blind/deaf grandchild too.

#3 - Another life long VDFriend stopped by with a heavy heart. He recently discovered his daughter was the one who broke into MPB and burglarized it (about 5 years ago). The cops suspected her, but there wasn't any way to prove it at the time. It made VDFriend heart sick when he was told (by another member of his family) that she was the one that did it. This VDFriend is also raising a granddaughter and is struggling with the poor decisions his adult daughter has made that has affected everyone in the family

What is going on? Is there an epidemic of grandparents raising grandchildren?

[Indiana]

My cousin posted this on face book:

You can't always control who walks into your life but, you can control which window you through them out of.

[helia]

Feeling out of sync here. I'm wracking my brain to see if I even know anyone IRL with diabetes. . . . .Surely I do, maybe I just don't know it. Also thinking I don't know of anyone IRL raising their grandchildren. Am I so sheltered? Or so naive? Hmmm..... ((OK)) and kudos to all grandparents who are loving their grandchildren this way.

Dh has high cholesterol problems and he is not overweight at all and runs religiously 4-6 miles 3x/week. I think we eat pretty healthy too, so he doesn't look like he should have cholesterol issues. Maybe it is the same sort of thing with diabetes with genetic factors weighing in.

Just had a nice chat with mom. Dd16 has a friend sleeping over; she came home from church with us. They made fudge this afternoon, which will be a temptation for me later on. Dh went for a 4.5 mile run with Pepper in the snow this afternoon. It is cold here, but not unusually so - but definitely too cold for me to be jogging outside. Friends R and S will be here for dinner eventually. We're having laksa soup, a curry soup over rice noodles and chicken. We first had it in Hong Kong, but I think it is Singaporean or Malaysian in origin?? One of my favorite soups!

Ds is prepping for his interview tomorrow. Friend R had an interview for this college years ago and told us it was not the most friendly encounter he had had.

[Harriet]

Good job with the boys, and I love that definition of competence, Kathryn. After my third child was born, I remember being unable to reverse the car in the driveway until I'd had an unreasonable discussion with myself asking where were all 3 children. Couldn't take my foot off the brake until I recited to myself that it was impossible for a 13 year-old boy or an 18-year-old girl to be behind the car in any position I couldn't see, and that child 3 was IN THE CARSEAT. Now THAT was INcompetence. (And sleep deprivation!)

Have been trying to answer Harmony's ? since last evening. Interrupted all the time.

Well, Harmony, I did indeed step into (eewww) the science fair quandary. I feel respected and heard, and everyone agrees science teacher's attitude was inappropriate. I also tried to be fair and hear what science teacher was supposed to have been saying, re: project. Principal, science teacher and others who will judge evidently questioned several hypotheses this year, and this was SUPPOSED to be given to the children as timely advice that the project was unlikely to have a chance at a ribbon. Sigh. In reality, for dd, it came much later than it should have. Part of this is the dreaded, "up to potential" phrase, which dd has learned to hate - they think she could do well, but not with her idea. They think "effect on" types of plant growth projects are not quantifyable enough.

For our part, hearing that the potential judges themselves were already unimpressed with dd's project, the bloom was off that rose (or, narcissus), and I agreed to help her come up with a second choice. (Meanwhile, there is an obvious difference in the narcissi, but, never mind, lol.)

So, a simplified version of helia's dd16's brilliant project was the next best idea we considered (thank you) and could implement fast, and dd decided to test JUST eggshell strength comparing homegrown and commercial. So she's dropping eggs and measuring cracks. Not very amazing, but the answers are clear, with a clear difference. And she's "candle-ed" them (looking at in a dark room with a flashlight shining through) to show weak areas in the shell. So grateful that photos can come back through Snapfish/Walmart quick-quick.

OKay, yes, actually, I have read in our regional newspaper at least a year ago that grandparents rearing grandchildren was on the rise. Your male friend's upset was familiar to me - the break-in and robbery of our nearest fire dept, where ds is a captain, turned out to have been perpetrated by the son of our church's treasurer, and that father was devastated, too.

Dove and Twins Mom are thinking creatively today for sure!

sherinjoy, there is a lot of wisdom in your approach.

Wondering how Mr. Sunny is feeling?

Hoping Elizabeth is sleeping well.

[Lynlee]

(((((OKay))))) theres a lot going on atm. Prayers for the others coming to you. May LO continued to be blessed in his life.
There is diabeties in my extended family. I was warned to watch for it after 3hr test during pregnancy, also I believe that it is wonky low at some times in my past is another risk factor. I am sure current diet will help keep on an even keel. For me no exceptions is a rule I need follow. Or I go into binge mode which stuffs lots of things up. Even so I think my current levels may be a bit higher than is optimin. Just not way up.

I do not know the cooking show you mention. But am sure we have equivalants here. I think it gets back to how much "of a good thing" (or bad thing ) you have in your diet. Agreeing with OKay re her friend overeating. Someone I know who has put on way over 100lb since I've known her (a few years) thinks she is eating small meals often... but she is eating meals soooo often. It is way more than a person needs. And there is no talking to her about it either. She says she gave up sweets but the eating continues .

rainy Monday here. I need a break in the weather to take ddog out for his morning constitutional.

(((Harriet))) I'd wondered what had happened there (re science project) too. Thats a pity as much real scientific research is similarly unpretentious. And really it was just the judges couldn't appreciate it. Here ... farm next to quarry that crushes granite has a lush paddock that gets an unofficial topdressing. To quantify that effect with how much does what might have been interesting to some.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

All children are safe and at home and most likely in bed hours ago!

It was lovely having them here; a wonderful test-run of being a grandmother. It was lovely to send them home.

The mom was here when I got back with the older boys but they watched a movie and we sat and chatted and laughed. After, I was exhausted so did some more reading on the cruise ship accident and then dh and I went out and picked up milk, movies and pizza.

We watched Keeping Mum (which we found very amusing but note it is restricted.) It was more laughing so the day has been full of laughter.

I got a load of laundry done and did up the dishes. Listened to a sermon I had downloaded while doing the housework. It was interesting since it was the same reading as this morning's sermon but a completely different take, which was different again from my take on the passage when I pondered it as part of my devotions this week.

I'm off to bed now. I'm hoping I can sleep since I had a diet coke after 8 p.m. I really wanted it and was thirsty from the pizza. I've had 32 oz of water since then and am still thirsty - pizza does this to me every time - you can be sure I won't get on the scales tomorrow morning (I was down a pound this morning!)

My heart goes out to all grandmothers raising grandkids. Like Helia, I'm fairly sheltered but my cleaning lady had done it (and the 'son' didn't know until he was 15 which caused all kinds of trouble) and the lady down the street has her two teenage grandsons. She has had them on and off all their life but it has been over a year, solid, now which is probably good for them.

Diabetes is more common than grandparents but mainly type 1. We've been giving to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation since dd was in grade 2 and she was first exposed to someone with diabetes. It hit her hard and so she asked that JDF be one of our charities. Back then, each family member got to pick a charity we'd support - dd was JDF, ds was Cystic Fibrosis (his youth Pastor's kids were both diagnosed, dh picked Heart and arthritis and I picked cancer and Alzheimer. I've added a dozen more over the years as friends have become affected by diseases.