Friday, April 26, 2013

Washi Tape Makeover

   


    I love washi tape.  So much.  For those of you that do not know, washi tape is a colorful and patterned masking tape from Japan.  It amazing because it doesn't leave a residue, it's very easy to remove and, of course, it's colorful and patterned!  Since it is easily removed and doesn't leave a residue it is PERFECT to make some electronics YOURS.  I don't know about you, but I love it when random things, that I have to use everyday, still represent who I am.  And by decorating things like your charger, you eliminate the confusion of who's charger is who's.  So as soon as I saw this idea on Apartment Therapy, I got right to work.

 

   The first thing I did was my charger.  It was fairly simple, it just took some time.  To decorate your charger, just take small pieces of tape and wrap it around the cord and charger.  Easy.
  
                                             

   The next thing I did was my stylus.  I liked my stylus as it was, but I think the washi tape made it even better! 



    And finally, my phone.  Which I did again this morning.  

 

   I liked the first one I did, but I think the one I did this morning is more 'me' (Plus, now you know how easy it is to change it out, all I had to do was peel it off).  To decorate your phone with washi tape, just stick it on like I did in the picture above and trim around the edges with scissors.  I made sure that each piece of tape was well over the edge so my lines would be clean when I trimmed it.  And that's it! It's all so easy.  Now to find more things that could use a washi tape makeover! 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

My Homemaking Binder


        A while ago I saw the idea of making a Homemaking Binder.  Something to help you keep your household running smoothly and to make it easy for someone to take over while you have a baby or are on bed rest.  I started putting mine together right away but it can be difficult to find pages to fit everything you need.  Here are what I have found to work for me so far:


My sections are: Meals, Cleaning, Budget, The Boys (my kids), and Fitness

I bought a 2in binder and am in the process of covering it with a paper bag from Trader Joe's




You can find this page here.



Meals:


On pages like this that will be used over and over again, I put them into page protectors and use a dry erase marker to fill them out.  I have found that baby wipes erase it best.  This page is from Hello Cuteness.



Cleaning:

I created this page for a short list of things that really need to be
done each day.  Again, I just use a dry erase marker to cross things off my list.


This page is from here.

 This is another one I made.  It is information on Soap Nuts for whoever may be doing my laundry. (Keep your eye out for a post about soap nuts and a giveaway!)




I created these pages before Emory was born to help my husband out with laundry.


Budget:


 This page is from here.


 This Page is also from here.




The Boys:


I made this page for a quick reference of foods my Type 1 Diabetic son, Boaz, can and can't eat.
This is just a quick list of routines.


Coloring pages!  
And....my fitness section is empty.  But, hey, I just added it! But anyways, there is my homemaking binder.
 I hope I have inspired you to make your own, I love mine and I don't know what I would do without it!!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Why We Use Icing


    If you follow me on Instagram (dayinthelifeofboaz), you probably know that we usually use icing to correct lows (anything lower than 70). It's true that there are serval different ways to bring your sugar up fast. There's Glucose gel, gummies, candy, juice, really anything with a lot of carbs. But you need to find what works for you, and for us, that's icing. We buy the little 2oz tubes, and they are perfect for us. They are 15g of carbs which is what is recommended to bring your sugar up. Plus, icing is a simple carb.

    Simple carbs are crucial when bringing up a low.  Complex carbs slow down the absorption of the sugar.  Anything that has fiber or fat in it is a complex carb.  Eventually, when bringing up a low, we will need to give him something fatty (milk, cheese ect) to give the simple carbs something to stick to so he won't spike and then crash.

    Here is a few of the reasons why icing works for us:
  • Unlike juice, icing does not require him to cooperate.  Icing absorbs into his cheek and can start bringing up his sugar without him even swallowing. 
  • When bringing up a low at night, he does not need to get up as we can just feed him the icing while he is (mostly) asleep.    
  • We use white icing which, though it may make a mess sometimes, does not stain.  
  •  Icing tubes are compact and we always carry several in his diabetes bag.   
  • It is packed with carbs.  It does not take much icing to bring his sugar up.    
I hope of all of that makes sense.  If you have any questions, feel free to comment!




How Deep the Father's Love For Us


   How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom


Friday, April 19, 2013

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Our Scary Day in the Hospital


Originally posted on Day in the Life of Boaz.

     Back in November we went to our neighbors house and enjoyed a bonfire and fellowship. Little did we know what our night would bring. 


    We put the boys to bed as usual and Boaz was a little stuffy but not enough to be alarmed. For whatever reason, which I am sure was the providence of God, I couldn't sleep very well and was pretty much up around 1am. We needed to do our nightly blood sugar check soon so I went ahead and got Josh up. When we went in there I noticed his breathing was heavy and deep so we decided it would be a good idea to pull out the nebulizer (which we have from another hospital visit with croup) and give him a breathing treatment. When we pulled him out of his crib he awoke enough to panic. I called the pediatrician, but by that point Boaz was barely breathing. So I hung up and called 911. 



    While we were waiting for the ambulance and giving him a breathing treatment he stopped breathing completely for a second. Josh was holding him and I noticed he was blankly staring. Josh hit his back and he gasped for air. That was probably one of the scariest moments of my life. When the ambulance came Boaz was breathing pretty well so they calmly loaded him and Josh into the ambulance. I loaded up Emory and put him in the car. I then frantically ran inside looking for my purse (thinking I might need my id to even see him) just to remember I had stuck in the diaper bag to avoid looking for it. I flew down 17 at around 70mph and arrived at the hospital. Boaz was fine so after waiting awhile while they observed and monitored him we headed back home at about 430am. We got back inside and left the sleeping Boaz in his car seat and set up to give him another breathing treatment. The breathing treatment woke him up and he started breathing so hard that you could see his ribs. So we headed back to the er. Josh jumped out and took Boaz in and I went and parked and followed with Emory. While I was parking the lady at the front desk was trying to play peek-a-boo with Boaz while Josh tried to get him in to see a doctor. When I got in there he was headed back into triage. We filled out all the paperwork and were put back into the same room. While in there, Boaz had a few more episodes and the nurses rushed in to give him a breathing treatment When this would happen, I would have to step out of the room because I could not physically handle the stress. 



    At around 730am, I was finally able to sleep for little bit (Josh had been in and out the whole time) and around 830 or 9 we got an official room. Shortly after we got to the room our pastor and his wife came by on their way to church. While they were there, we were told that Emory was not allowed to stay in the children's hospital because of the flu going around. Reluctantly, I nursed him real quick and handed him over to the pastor and his wife. They loaded him up and took him to church. My mom came by to help us out and I slept for a while. When it was nearing time for lunch mom drove me home and I grabbed some food for Boaz and whatever else it was that we needed. While I was gone they did an RSV flush which came back negative. After talking with our pediatrician and deciding that Boaz panicked when he was unable to clear out his throat because of low muscle tone, we headed home at about 430pm. Since then, every time his nose is runny or he is coughing we give him Zyrtec and cough syrup, do a breathing treatment, rub Vicks all over him, clean out his nose, run the humidifier and check his ketones



Day in the Life of Boaz is Alli's other blog.  Join them in their struggle and help them celebrate the milestones with Type 1 Diabetes and Down syndrome.  

We Have Ordered Our Pump!


    We have finally ordered our pump and we are so excited about it!  This will mean, instead of 4+ shots a day, we will be a few button pushes away from delivering his insulin!  And it will be more precise than shots because it can give insulin based on how many carbs he ate.  This will be great for Boaz!  We still have a long process before we can go live the pump though.  Once we get it in the mail, we will have to go to Jacksonville and spend an entire day, breakfast through dinner, at the hospital so they can observe him and make sure everything works properly.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

What Makes Us Crazy


    For those of you that do not know me, I'm Alli.  I met my husband, Josh,  at our homeschool co-op in 2008.  We dated for a while and always knew that we would get married. On Christmas Eve, 2009 he proposed and of course I said yes!  We were married the year we graduated high school, August 21, 2010.
 
     In November, we had a positive pregnancy test!  We were so excited!  My pregnancy was really easy and we could not wait to meet our baby boy, Boaz.  When I went into labor, we headed to the hospital who ended up giving me meds to stop the contractions and Phenergan to combat the nausea. Well, Phenergan knocks me out and I sleep for hours.  By the time they sent me back home, my parents had made it to the hospital.  So, we all loaded up and head to our 3rd floor apartment at around 12am.  By the time I climbed all those stairs and laid down, my water broke!  So back to the hospital we went.  I think I was in labor for about 7-9 hours. I slept through most of my labor thanks to the Phenergan.  I was 6cm by the time they finally got me my epidural  and not long after I was ready to push.  It took a total of five contractions and Boaz was born!  It was so easy.  When Boaz was born late July of 2011, we found out that God had made him with an extra chromosome (Down syndrome)!  We were not expecting it but we love him all the same.  After all, God did give him an extra chromosome for a reason and he adds a lot of joy to our lives!  He did not need any surgeries and was very healthy.  What a blessing!

    In November 2011, I was pregnant again!  I was sure I was having a girl, but we found out it was a boy (I was still just as excited!). Emory was born via c-section.  Pregnancy with him was a little bit more uncomfortable than with Boaz, but it was not bad.  When I started feeling contractions, it was around midnight. Josh was already asleep but there was no hope for me sleeping. I kept timing my contractions but they were all around 10 minutes apart. Around 3am, they were unbearable to lay down, so I got out of bed and cleaned the house.  Around 5 am I woke up Josh who was confused why I woke him since he needed to get up at 5:15 for work.  I told he wasn't going into work that day and that we needed to go the hospital soon.  I think we headed into the hospital around 7am after dropping Boaz off with a friend.  I was 3cm when we got there so they went ahead and admitted me.  My doctor had a very busy day at the office so he was back and forth. When it was time for my epidural, a student did it.  That one didn't stick and I was not progressing from  9cm to 10cm. They kept trying to roll me on my right side to manipulate the epidural medicine but Emory was not responding to that well.  They ended up putting in another epidural.  There were several hours were my body was fighting the urge to push because I was not fully dialated. I think that pain may be worse than contractions. At this point my doctor had realized that it was 5pm and he hadn't been called to deliver Emory who he thought would be here by 1:30pm.  He decided we needed to do a c-section. They prepared me for the c-section and wheeled me to the OR. They said I could have two people in there with me so I chose my mom and Josh.  When my doctor pinched me to see if I was numb, I felt it on my right side (same side that was having trouble to whole time). So the anesthesiologist came back in and decided to do a spinal block.  He didn't sit me up completely which clearly concerned my doctor, but the anesthesiologist continued anyways.  They laid me back down and my throat started to feel weird. Having never had a spinal block in the past, I wrote it off as normal. Next thing I know, it felt like I couldn't breath at all. This panicked the anesthesiologist, but he kept saying that if I could talk then I could breath.  Well, of course the next thing that happens is not being able to talk.  It was a horrible feeling.  My thoughts we completely coherent but I could tell the doctor that I couldn't talk!  He asks me to squeeze his hand and when nothing happens, they rush mom and Josh out of the room.  I remember them putting the mask on me to put me under and my doctor saying 'she can't feel it now so I'm going in!'.  The next thing I remember is waking up in a huge room.  After a little while, they rolled me into the level 2 nursery where Josh was waiting and I was able to see Emory for the first time. Mom and Josh later said that they could here the commotion of the delivery but then they did not hear Emory cry for a long few seconds.  My doctor said that he was blue when they delivered him.   I am so thankful that God had His hand on both of us. My doctor was a Christian and I am pretty sure that he was praying when this was all happening, for which I am very greatful.  By God's grace, Emory is completely healthy!  

    In September 2012, we were blessed with a house to rent which has been great for the boys!  

    With Down syndrome, you have A LOT of appointments to go to.  And each appointment runs 'routine' tests to make sure everything is working properly.  So, we went to the endocrinologist and had routine blood work done. One afternoon, I relieved a call that Boaz was showing early signs of Type 1 Diabetes.  He gave us a Blood Glucose Meter and told us to check his sugar once a week. The first night that we checked it was the night before the Buddy Walk (a walk to raise awareness for Down syndrome). It was higher than it should be so we called the doctor and ended up going in after the Buddy Walk when his sugar was again high.  Boaz was then diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and he is doing great!

Ok I think that gives you a pretty good idea why our life is so crazy!  Thanks for hanging in there and reading such a long post!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Jesus, I Come!


Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come! Jesus, I come!
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee!
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee!

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come! Jesus, I come!
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee!
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storm and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee!

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come! Jesus, I come!
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee!
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee!

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come! Jesus, I come!
Into the joy and pleasure, Thine own,
Jesus, I come to Thee!
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the flock Thy love doth enfold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee!

Monday, April 15, 2013

Walk to Cure Diabetes Pictures


Alright, here are the pictures of the Walk to Cure Diabetes! We enjoyed walking downtown Jacksonville and visiting with sweet friends after the walk!






























Sunday, April 14, 2013

Thanks Gary Lee's BBQ!


We would like to thank Gary Lee's BBQ for helping us raise money to cure diabetes! If you're in the area, go get some Gary Lee's and and don't forget to donate!



Thankful for Dexter


In case you missed it, last weekend we received our DEXCOM G4 in the mail and we named him Dexter. We were not expecting him in the mail at all so it was very pleasant surprise! We knew having Dexter would be good for our family, but I don't think we realized how good it really would be.

Last weekend, when we received Dexter, we went to a birthday party. We hadn't heard about the party until about an hour beforehand so we rushed out the door really quickly. While we were at the party, Boaz was very distracted. I thought he had eaten enough carbs, but I guess I was wrong!

The party was an hour away, and on the way home we were watching his sugar drop on Dexter. It was 100 one minute and the next Dexter was alerting us that Boaz was below 55! If it wasn't for Dexter, we wouldn't have even known he was low because he was acting fine! We gave him icing (our best sugar bringer-upper), it didn't seem to be doing anything. Next alert was that he was LOW, meaning he was so low that Dexter couldn't measure it (which I later learned is anything below 40!). It took four tubes of icing, but we finally brought him up! So, needless to say, we are VERY thankful for Dexter!

Walk to Cure Diabetes


We had our Walk to Cure Diabetes yesterday and it went great!!! We loved walking around Downtown, browsing the vendors, and overall, being around people going through the same things we are! There is still time to donate to our team, just click on the icon in the sidebar!









Friday, April 12, 2013

JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes

The JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes is this weekend!!!! We are really excited! This means that it is you last chance to donate. Click on the picture on the sidebar to donate! 

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Dexcom G4


We got our continuous glucose monitor (CGM) in the mail yesterday! I was not expecting it at all so we were super excited! As soon as we got it we opened it all up, read all the directions, and called Dexcom to see if we needed to be trained or if we should just give it a go. They gave me the number of somebody who could walk me through it on the phone if we wanted but she wasn't available until Monday so we decided to go for it!

We watched several tutorials online and read the directions over a few times. I was really nervous because I didn't know how he would react, so Josh let me put a site (the sensor) on him so I would be confident to do it and we would know how it felt. He said that it hurt less then the syringes for insulin injections!

When Boaz woke up from his nap we went ahead and put it on him. It actually wasn't bad. He fussed for a second but then went right on to playing. I think he only fussed because we were holding him still and he was ready to go. He hasn't even noticed the transmitter on him!

P.S. We named our CGM Dexter





Sorry It's Been Quiet


Our Internet has been out all week and will be back Tues (hopefully). Sorry we've been quiet!