Molly's Ten

Here are the guidelines for this meme:
Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random, facts, habits or goals about yourself.
At the end, choose 6 people to be tagged, list their names & why you tagged them. (this is so late, that I'm not doing this.) Don’t forget to leave them a comment saying “You’re it!” & to go read your blog.


1. I love beer. Not crappy, macro-brewed beer, but “good” beer.

2. I chew my nails. Mostly when I’m nervous. I tried putting the bad-tasting polish on them to prevent it, but I end up just licking it off so I can chew my nails.

3. I stole gum from the drugstore when I was about 5 years old. I put it in the back of my big wheel. On the way home, I happily chomped on gum. My mom asked me where the gum was from, and I said “the store.” She made me return all the non-chewed pieces and I had to apologize.

4. My sister gave me a shot for the first time when we were in northern Minnesota at my dad’s class reunion. I had forgotten my BD syringes, and we had to buy some at the store. They only had monoject available, and I just couldn’t handle using it. My parents were leaving, so they asked my sister to just give me my dinner time shot. She was freaked out. She slammed it in my rear end and then pulled it right out because she couldn’t believe that she had put it in. She had to do it again. It was traumatic for both of us.

5. My little brother and I used to love playing with our Snoopy toys together. When we were out shopping with mom, we would use our cupped-hands as Snoopy and say that they were naked.

6. The thought of licking a wooden spoon gives me the heebies. I don’t even like using wooden spoons. It’s my “sensory problem.”

7. Gummy bears are one of my guilty pleasures. I only like certain kinds. I don’t like them if they are too soft, I prefer the ones that are more chewy.

8. If I was a boy, my name was supposed to be Ryan.

9. I have an allergy to most fruit. My mouth swells up and I get sores on my lips and cheeks. I can eat apples, blackberries, and cantelope. That’s it.

10. I love the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books. I just finished reading them with a sixth grade group of kids. I laughed as much as the kids did!

DIXIE TIDBIT

Dixie's 5:

1. Dixie loves her new yard.
2. She doesn't like most "people food."
3. Her favorite snack is dried, chicken-wrapped liver.
4. Dixie shakes with her right paw, rarely her left.
5. When Dixie came to me, she weighed 42 pounds. They told me that she was full grown. She now weighs 65 pounds. Hmmmm, don't think she was full grown. :-)

My Late "Not in a book."

Scott tagged me. Even though it's very late... here is the meme!

Meme:
Five Most Important Pieces of Advice ... You Won't Find in a Book!

Rules:
Post five of the most helpful pieces of diabetes management advice on your blog.

Link to this Wikibetes entry where we will be tallying up all of the great advice. You are welcome to add your advice directly.



Here is what I've learned about diabetes after living with it for the last 32 years.

1. A number is just a number.
It isn't good, it isn't bad. It's just a number that gives information.
This is something that I continue to work on every day. I used to really feel horrible when I would test and see a number that I wasn't expecting, or didn't want. Now, most of the time I look at the number on the meter and talk out loud to myself. "That's just information."

2. Keep trying.
With diabetes, there are good days/moments and bad days/moments. What's really important is to get up each day and keep trying.

3. Be ready and open to learn about diabetes management
When I was in college, I used to believe that I could just coast with diabetes, and didn't need help from doctors, etc because I knew everything. Fortunately, as I matured, I figured out the value of information from others. (doctors, other people with diabetes, etc.) There is always something to learn. It might not be earth shattering (like finding out you could use a baby sock to put your pump inside), but it's important.

4. Be forgiving. Of yourself and others.
It doesn't help to beat yourself up because you "screwed up" with your diabetes management. Same is true from friends and loved ones who offer help.

5. Connect with other people who have diabetes
This is probably the most important thing that I learned. It is important to be connected to people who "walk in your shoes." It's comforting to be able to talk about daily life with diabetes, and not have to explain all the vocabulary. It helps to learn from each other.