Sweet Ally's Meme

Oooooh!  We love to play tag!  Heidi and Jack at D-Tales started this cute Kids With Diabetes MeMe.

Then they passed it on to Tracy and the Superhero from The Superhero and the Princess. They sent it on to Reyna and Joe from Beta Buddies who then bounced it on over to Kris and Bumble Bee from My Sugar Bugs.  They handed it off to Meri and her 3 Boys from Our Diabetic Life, who gave it to Lora and Justin from My Diabetic Child.  And they have tagged Me and my sweet Ally.

So let's see Ally's take on things...
(Please forgive my comments on her answers, I couldn't help myself.)

What is your name?
Ally...(Followed by lots of giggling.  Oh my, I bet she's high right now, maybe this isn't the best time to do this!)


How old are you?
7 going on 8...almost 8!  (Her birthday is not until April!)


When were you diagnosed with diabetes?
February 10, 2009  (I didn't know she knew this!)


Do you remember what happened when you were diagnosed or how you felt? 
In the morning, I was like...you thought I was being silly because you woke me up for school and you thought I was being silly and when we went downstairs I wouldn't even let you do my hair or anything I just layed down on the couch.  I felt sick and when we dropped Jessi off at school....Mrs. P (her kindergarten teacher) saw me and she said I hope you feel better..come back to school soon. I didn't feel like doing anything.  You took me to the doctor and they couldn't help so they said you have to go to the emergency room.  They pricked my finger and I was super HI...it seemed like I was low now that I know something about it.


Do finger pokes or shots [or site insertions/infusion set changes] hurt?
No.  Barely.  Sometimes.


What is a high number?
Really, kind of like, on me...when you prick my finger 250 is high, but for my CGM it only alarms for 350...for now.


What is a low number? 
Below 70.


What does low blood sugar feel like?  
Sometimes it feels kind of shaky, yeah shaky.  It kind of feels like when I was first diagnosed...not as sick though.  (That's interesting.)


What’s your favorite way to treat a low? 
(Big smile....)  Eat cheesy crackers.  (Ok, we've never used cheesy crackers to treat a low.) 
Juice mostly...glucose tabs.


How do you feel when your blood sugar level is high?
Hyper...hahaha.  (Yep, we are gonna check her BG as soon as we get finished with this!)



What’s the best thing about having diabetes? 
Meeting new friends....really nothing.


What’s the worst thing about having diabetes?
Everything...almost everything!  (Can you think of one thing?)  Ummm.....site changes and finger pricks.


Do you worry much about diabetes? 
I'm not scared of it, but I just don't like it.


If one of your friends were diagnosed with diabetes, what would you say to that friend?  
Well, I don't like it.  I don't think you'll like it either.


What’s your favorite food?  
Mac-n-cheese, but my favorite dessert is dirt cake.



What’s your favorite snack?  
Crackers.


What’s your favorite low-carb food? 
Cheese stick, salami & cream cheese.


Do you know what a blog is? 
It's like a ...a blog is like a website only its only when you list it in your favorites.



Do you know that I blog about diabetes?
Yes..everything is on your blog!


Do you care? 
No, not really.



Why do you think I blog about diabetes?  
To tell everybody to donate money to JDRF!  (Any other reasons?)  So they can learn things about diabetes.



What’s your biggest wish?  
That we can find a cure... and to be magic!


Who’s your best friend? 
I have a LOT of best friends, but Morgan is my best best friend.


What do you like about him/her/them? 
A lot of things...(Can you give me one thing?)  Um....let's see...she's nice.



What’s your favorite thing to do?  
Ride on the neighbor's UTV and play with my friends.


Do you have a hero? 
Mrs. C (Aww...that's her 1st grade teacher - from last year!)


What do you want to be when you grow up? 
If there is no cure, I'll be a scientist.  If there is, I'll probably be a teacher.


Who’s your favorite person in the whole wide world? 
Mrs. C (Again with the 1st grade teacher :)  She is pretty special!)


Are you afraid of anything? 
No.


Fill in the blank.  Ally is___________. There is no right or wrong answer.
Ally is...a kid with diabetes. And she likes red.  Or Ally is nice.


Ally wanted to tag Sweetpea "because she's so cute!" 

So, Hallie and Sweetpea, you're IT!

The Big Day for Team Ally

Today we walked in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes.  It looked like rain, but it turned out to be a beautiful day!

We would like to thank all those of you who, in any way, shape or form, supported Team Ally this year. 

Sure, our goal is to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, WE WANT A CURE!  But the day is about so much more to us too.  "Walk Day" is a day for spreading awareness about diabetes, and in our case, especially Type 1 Diabetes.  I am going to work harder at educating others about Type 1 Diabetes.  It is something that I believe HAS to happen for so many reasons, and I can't just sit back and hope someone else gets the word out there!  So stay tuned for more on that....

"Walk Day" is also a day to show Ally how much she is loved...and boy did she feel loved today!  I could tell she had a really full heart, being surrounded by so many family members and friends.  She puts up with the "unfriendlies of diabetes" every.single.day.  This was a day to turn it around and focus on HOPE.



And yes, that is Ally with Sweetpea from The Princess and The Pump!



And guess what, the fountains turned on as we were walking along the river and a beautiful rainbow appeared!  Seemed like a symbol of Hope for sure!

So, again, thank you for supporting Team Ally...whether it was through a donation to JDRF in Ally's name, taking part in the walk with Ally, sending us words of encouragement or praying for a cure!  We appreciate it ALL so very much!

No Tricks, Just Treats!....The Perfect Time for a Sugar Bolus!

***THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED***

Can you believe it is October already?  Where do the weeks go? 

Well, this IS the month of TRICKS and TREATS, right?

I know that D will do nothing short of provide the TRICKS for all of us this month....So I will provide the TREATS!!  Not one, not two, but THREE TREATS for one lucky reader!

That's right.  It's time for another Sugar Bolus! And I'm hosting...

(Not sure what a Sugar Bolus is? Visit Candy Hearts to learn more about it.)

I am always looking for ways of organizing all of the supplies that I carry for my daughter with Type 1 diabetes.  While browsing on ETSY one day, I came across these sweet Drink Stick Wallets at Brambleberry Cottage. 

 

Nanci has a loved one with Type 2 Diabetes.

She originally designed these wallets for him to carry his drink sticks to work.

Nanci at Brambleberry Cottage so generously sent my Sweet Allison one of her Drink Stick Wallets to try out. What a TREAT. But the TREATS are not just for me ...she sent a second Drink Stick Wallet for one lucky Life is Like a Box of Chocolates reader to enjoy as well! Thank you Nanci!



And Look!  It's filled with TREATS!





Still no TRICKS!  But now it's time for TREAT #2!

Another sweet Etsy shop that I found, PillowSewCute, has generously donated an Ouch Pouch for this Trick or Treat giveaway.  Thanks Karen! 

The Ouch Pouch® is an ORIGINAL Designer First Aid Pouch

with an easy-to-view clear front pocket that will neatly hold YOUR owie supplies!
Great for:

suitcase ♥ backpack ♥ purse ♥ car ♥ diaper bag ♥ desk
golf bag ♥ garage ♥ beach bag ♥ brief case ♥ stroller

The Ouch Pouch (don't you just love that name!) comes in several sizes.  I tried out the Medium (5x7) and the Small (4x5) Ouch Pouches.   They also come in Large (6x8) and a special Epi Pen pouch (4x8).

As I was saying, my diabetes bag is an organizational nightmare!  Don't believe me?  See for yourself!

When I saw these Ouch Pouches with the clear pocket, I thought they might help me to organize these diabetes supplies.  Plus, they are so cute!  Look at some of the ways that I tried them....

These are photos of the small Ouch Pouch, perfect for glucose tablets, candies, test strips,

syringes, insulin bottle, extra batteries, and more.

The medium Ouch Pouch is my favorite!  I can even fit a juice box in that sweet thing!  The best part, look how narrow and compact this pouch is with the Juicy Juice box, granola bar and Smarties all inside.

 I even tried the Epi Pen pouch for carrying the Glucagon.  The thing that I liked about this pouch is that it has a clip on it, so you could clip it to a purse or your belt loop.  (Karen, at PillowSewCute, changed out the "Epi Pen" label for me since I was going to use it for a different purpose.  Thanks, Karen!)

 And now you are wondering where the TREAT for you comes in, aren't you?  Well, here it is....PillowSewCute has donated this Ouch Pouch for the lucky winner!

  

This medium Ouch Pouch in Zoo Blue fabric can be yours!

You want to see how my diabetes bag is looking these days, don't you?

 Ahhh!  Organization! 

But wait...What is TREAT #3 you say?  Why the bag of course!  I use this thermal tote from Thirty-One for our diabetes bag.  A fellow D Mama is hosting a Thirty-One party in which 100% of the profit will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  Pretty cool, huh?

As part of this awesome giveaway, you can win a small thermal tote from Thirty-One in the pattern of your choice. (**If winner doesn't respond within 48 hours, I will choose the pattern.**)

So, if you are feeling lucky, head over to the Thirty-One JDRF Fundraiser hosted by Kelly Harp and start browsing your favorite pattern. 

Thank you for TRICK or TREATING with me here at Life is Like a Box of Chocolates!

Now don't forget to enter...see rules below. 

 

Check out the contest rules here....

To enter Leave me a comment before midnight on Thursday, October 7. Please include your first name. Comments left without a name will be eliminated.

To earn extra entries (post a separate comment for each):

● Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter. Then, leave me an additional comment.

● Share a link to this contest on Facebook. Then, leave me an additional comment to let me know.

● Blog about this contest. Then, leave me an additional comment containing a link to your blog.

No duplicate comments are allowed. Duplicate comments will be eliminated.

Winners will be selected via random draw at http://www.random.org/.

Winners' names will be posted here on this blog on Friday, October 8.

After winners' names are posted, winners will have 48 hours to send a message to me at boxofchocolatesblog@hotmail.com.  If I do not hear from a winner within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.

Good Luck!