Why do I blog?

I saw this blog post prompt on Wego HAWMC and thought it was a great idea for today. 

When I started this blog, about 4 years ago it had nothing to do with diabetes.  It was just fun for me to write about my life experiences being a wife and mother.  Then when Lovebug was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in April 2009 I stopped blogging for a while.  About 8 months into our journey with diabetes I ran across a couple other D-Mom's blogs and was so touched that I thought I would start sharing my thoughts on "paper".  

I never really thought people would start reading it, well other then my family and friends.  But then a couple D-mom's found me and that was then end of that!  I quickly realized sharing our story of raising a child with Type 1 Diabetes  I could help other moms and families out there and that is the biggest reason that I blog.  I want to share out story with other parents and families going through the same thing.  I want to let them know that they are not alone in this, like I thought that I was the first 6 months after Lovebug's diagnosis.  I had very limited people I knew that had children with Type 1 and felt very alone in taking care of Lovebug.  

As I have blogged I have also become passionate about new technology in diabetes care and advocating for my girls. Especially when it comes to FDA approval of new technology as well as diabetes care in school.  These are two issues that are near and dear to my heart. 

Technology helps my girls a lot.  Lovebug can not recognize her low blood sugars and wears a CGM to alert me, her teachers and herself.  I see improvement someday's when she will come to me and tells me that she feels low and actually is.  Most times she says she feels low and is in fact high and not low.  What is frustrating is there is technology out there that would help her even more, a new sensor that makes the CGM insertion less painful.   But the Enlite Sensor is not approved here in the States.  It is approved everywhere else but not here. Hopefully it will be available soon, here in the States. 

Same thing goes with the Medtronic Veo, a pump that has a low glucose suspend feature that can suspend the basal rate if a low is being predicted with the CGM.  It is wonderful technology but the pump is tied up somewhere in Washington  waiting approval from the FDA.  

Anyway, I will get off my soapbox now!  

Back to why I blog. 

Last year Lovebug started preschool and we got our first taste of what school would be like.  Lovebug started kindergarten this year and it has gone really well.  Better then I had imagined that it could go.  We are very blessed to have her at a wonderful school filled with staff that doesn't just take care of her well but actually care about her and loves her.  What more could a mom want!   Unfortunately it is a private school, and it cost money so whether or not she will attend next year is up in the air right now.  I wish that money wasn't an issue but it is.  It shouldn't  be when talking about the best care and school for my daughter.  

I see so many of my fellow D-moms struggle with the school about the care of their d-kid.  It's frustrating.  I wish that we could just send out kids where we thought best, no matter the cost or what district we live in.  I know I am getting a bit political now but this is when I think it would be a great idea for my child's tax dollars to follow here where ever she goes, private or public school.  Maybe it would make (some) school's straighten up and get their heads out of their you know what and actually start caring about the kids again.  

When we had a second child diagnosed almost a year ago, it became even more important to me.  While there are increasing numbers of families with one child with Type 1 Diabetes it is less common to have two children.  (unless there is a family history, of which we have none) It became even more important to me to reach out to those families.  My blogging has decreased over the past year mainly because of the time spent taking care of the two of them. When they are only ages 6 and 4 there is a lot of work to be done by mom and dad!  

Having been on this diabetes journey for 3 years now with Lovebug and almost a year with Princess, it has just made me more passionate about blogging and reaching other parents.  Even if I don't get the change to blog every day.  :)