Have you de-Christmased your house yet?

I'm talking about it over here today...

Christmas Wishes

I hope you feel like this today.

I hope you get the exact same amount of presents as your siblings.

I hope you woke up to this.

And I hope your living room looks like this.

Merry Christmas!

We're Skipping It Next Year

Christmas traditions. I've really been trying to slow down this year and enjoy some lovely holiday moments with my kids. We've done crafts, they helped me write out my cards, we've baked, they practically decorated the tree themselves, and we've had endless cups of peppermint hot cocoa.

But there is one tradition I really could do without, and that is the trip to visit Santa. I never liked it when I was a kid either. I always felt awkward sitting on his lap, pretending he was the real Santa and telling him what I wanted for Christmas. Blech.

But then I became a mom and I dressed my little twin babies up in their fancy dresses and took them to the mall to get a picture with Santa. I only wish I could find that photo somewhere. As the kids got older they started to dread the visit to Santa as much as I did. This is one of my favorites.

Raj would not even turn around to look at the camera and the girls would only go near the guy if I was in between. After this there were a couple of years where Raj would not go within five feet of Jolly Old St. Nick.

Santa came to his preschool and this was the best I could get.

Last year he decided he wasn't scared anymore and he had several things he wanted to be sure to let Santa know he wanted to see under the tree on Christmas morning. And voila! A picture! With smiles even!

This year I really was not looking forward to it. My kids were sort of meh about the whole thing, but I decided on a whim to take them one day after school. And I find the result quite priceless.

Note my daughters fine fashion sense. Her idea of picking out an outfit in the morning consists of grabbing the most comfortable shirt and pants she can find in her closet. Two sets of different colored stripes? No problem! Comfort is key. And is it me or does Santa look a little bored? pissed off? annoyed? My other daughter refused to take off her jacket.

Did you notice my son's shirt?? Same as last year. Awesome. If I am going to repeat clothing year to year, I could at least do it with a little class no?

I'm the mom that makes you roll your eyes

I am that mom. You know the one. The one everyone rolls their eyes at and says, "must she volunteer for everything." The mom who goes on every field trip, makes cookies for every party all while managing the PTA budget and scheduling the travel soccer team games. I'm the mom that you think is judging you for not signing up to be Room Mom five years in a row.

But you've got me all wrong.

Yes, you see my name on practically every committee sign up sheet. But never at the top, never as the chair, never as the Lead Room Mom. I have found my way of giving my time and energy to my kids school and activities in lots of little ways. Some of these things I do out of guilt. I see an empty slot on the Fitness Friday safety monitor sheet and I let it go for a couple of days. Then when no one signs up, I can't help myself, I have to fill in my name. It's only 30 minutes a week.

Other things I do because I truly love it. The elementary school library makes me happy. We have the most amazing school librarian and I enjoy chatting with her and getting book recommendations for my kids and myself. I love helping the kindergartners check out their books and asking them why they chose Swimmy for the third time in a row.

So while it may look like I am all over the place trying my best to make other mothers feel inferior, I promise you I'm not. I've just found my way of giving back that works for me. I know it borders on ridiculous, but I try to spend an equal amount of time in all three of my kids classrooms. This is no easy task, trust me.

I know that my way of fitting it all in would never work for other moms. I know that playing math games with third graders is about as appealing as an ice cold shower to some. Just like teaching an art lesson, doing playground duty or *shudder* lunch room duty makes me want to run screaming.

I take my volunteer roles seriously and I can respect someone that volunteers for nothing knowing it's just not their thing. I don't do it to win some sort of most involved mom award. I don't do it so everyone knows my name. I do it because I know that once they hit junior high neither my kids or the teachers will want me around. I do it because I like knowing what's going on at their school.

So believe me when I say that you don't need to roll your eyes at me. I am well aware that in a few years (months??) I will be the burned out mom who can't peel out of the school driveway fast enough only to return ten minutes after the dismissal bell.

And I'm Only On Day Four

Things I've learned in the past four days:

1. Significantly cutting out carbs and sugar when they have made up the majority of my diet can make me really cranky the first few days.
2. Exercising after months of couch potato life feels really good right afterward, but not so great a few hours later.
3. Flipping through holiday cooking magazines should probably be avoided.
4. Those tiny little needles are really sharp, and there is a dial to control how deep they penetrate. Five is deep and one is not. I learned that the hard way.
5. Explaining blood sugar and what a carbohydrate is to kids can be complicated and might take several conversations.
6. I've gotten good at apologizing to my husband. (see #1)
7. There is no need to tell your children's teachers, their friends, soccer coaches, fellow moms at school or the mailman. My kids will take care of that for me.
8. People pay a lot of attention to what you are eating when they are aware you're diabetic. It's a lot of pressure, and also, very annoying.
9. I have a lot of supportive friends.
10. My daughter still loves me.

Being Forced To Take My Head Out Of The Sand

This is me, December 1st, 2010.

I'll turn 40 years this coming January. I've never broken a bone and I have no allergies. I played soccer through high school, but stopped in college. I was obsessed with aerobics in college, but after graduation I took up running. I ran two marathons, it took me 4.5 hours, but I finished. Twice.

I've never smoked a cigarette, not once. I drink wine, but not to excess. I haven't drank hard alcohol since college. I eat a relatively healthy diet. Given the choice between a steak and a salad, I'll take the salad every time.

I've always had normal blood pressure. Even while pregnant with twins my blood pressure remained steady all the way to the end. My ob/gyn told me I should consider being a surrogate since my pregnancies were so easy breezy.

Right before I got married 10 years ago, I lost 40 pounds. Since having kids eight years ago I've gained it back, and then some. I haven't exercised regularly in a long time. Too long. I've avoided doctors for the past few years. I wasn't ready to hear the "you really should loose weight" talk.

Two weeks ago I couldn't avoid it though and I went to see a doctor about pain and stiffness I was having in my joints. It was so bad I could barely drive my car or make my kids lunches. My hands a feet were so swollen I couldn't wear my wedding rings and my shoes hurt. She asked all the usual questions, gave me a prescription and sent me on my way to have some blood tests with an appointment to return in two weeks.

I went back this morning expecting her to tell me that everything was fine. I probably had a virus that attacked my joints. She'd possibly tell me that my cholesterol was high and I should really loose some weight.

I wasn't expecting her to tell me that I have Type-2 Diabetes.

I spent the day in shock, but not really. My mom has Type-2 Diabetes and so does her sister, my sister had Gestational Diabetes and she tells me that apparently Norwegians have a very high rate of Diabetes. Who knew.

As I sat there and explained my eating habits to the doctor it hit me just how badly I've been treating my body. My breakfast consists of Indian black tea with a splash of milk. I have zero appetite in the morning. Then I get caught up in my day and only occasionally eat a decent lunch. By the time I pick the kids up from school, I'm starving. I grab something quick, and usually not super healthy, and a Diet Pepsi to get me through the afternoon shuffle of after school activities. Then dinner rolls around and I'm so hungry that I eat three times what I probably should at one sitting. I cook fresh, healthy food for my family -- I just eat a lot of it.

And I love carbs. And I love sugar.

All of this lead me to a diagnosis of Type-2 Diabetes. All of this has lead me to a box full of tiny needles to prick my finger every morning and regular appointments with a nutritionist and my doctor. (Luckily, I do not need medication yet. If I can make changes toward a healthier lifestyle, I may never need to take medications or insulin injections.)

I went back and forth in my head all day questioning if I had the guts to post all this here. You hear a lot about the Diabetes epidemic in America and the inactivity and unhealthy diets that contribute to the disease. Yes, I'm overweight, but now morbidly so. Yes, my eating habits are terrible, but I really don't eat much processed food and I actually like vegetables.

But it's time for me get my head out of the sand and do what I've known for a long time that I need to do -- take care of myself. My genetics are certainly a factor, but my denial about my eating habits is probably a bigger factor in getting me here. If I had started changing they way I eat and getting some exercise maybe I wouldn't be where I am today. Now I'm forced to give up the carbs and sugar filled snacks that I love so much. The chocolate cake or baguette I reach for when I'm stressed or upset is no longer an option.

So that face you see up there, is the face of a woman with Type-2 Diabetes. Learn from my mistakes. Take care of your body and your health.

I'd love any recommendations for Diabetic cookbooks or any good websites with meal plan ideas or recipes. There are a million Diabetes iPhone apps, which one should I download??