Stacey Simms Blog

Happy Holidays!

I don't know where I got this bendy little dreidel guy, but I love him.  This year I'm moving him around a bit more - here he is enjoying the coffee maker:

I may have moved him around a little too much - my ten year old asked me, "Is that our Elf on the Shelf?" I laughed and asked her, who would he report back to? "The Chanukah Moose, of course!"

You've never heard of the Chanukah Moose? Here's the hat that inspired it and the story of what happened next (click here):

A few years ago, we decided to make the first night of Chanukah a night for giving. This year Lea & Benny picked Levine Children's Hospital because that's where Benny was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes five years ago. Yesterday we brought bags of toys and gift cards and Carrie Keuten in the Child Life department made us feel like superstars (thanks so much!).

Come to find out, there is a true star when it comes to giving to Levine and other local hospitals. Check out the wonderful story of Katies Kidz:

  

Great job by Kristin Hampton at WBTV and congratulations to Katie.

Happy Holidays!! Health and happiness to you for the New Year.

Good Friends

An hour for lunch and good works all year.  That's the idea behind Good Friends, a wonderful Charlotte charity.  I've been honored to attend the annual holiday luncheon for the last several years and it's always inspiring.

This is the 25th year for Good Friends. It started with a challenge from three Charlotte women, who were told they couldn't do as good a job as the men's group, Good Fellows. These ladies rose to the challenge and more, totalling 2.5 million dollars raised for needy families during the last quarter century.

Our gracious host, Marilynn Bowler. One of Charlotte's movers and shakers and just a lovely, fun lady.

At 800+ women, it was the biggest crowd ever - first time anyone sat in the "balcony."

Lots more pictures and info from the Charlotte Observer here.

Here's what else is nice about Good Friends. It's one of few holiday lunches I go to that feels very inclusive. They always mention Chanukah - even in the invocation - and the choir includes songs from many different cultures. It's a little thing - and not at all necessary - but it's very, very thoughtful.

Operation Corndog

My son is going to eat corn dogs and nachos. I am so proud.

Benny's in first grade and he's been asking to buy lunch at school since day one last year. Since he has type 1 diabetes, that's a bit of a challenge.  We base the amount of insulin he gets on the number of carbs he eats - and you've got to count each and every one.

We pack lunch every day and include a list of the carbs in each item. A staff member has to eyeball what's left from Benny's lunch and make sure he gets the right amount of insulin.  We have a very supportive school staff and so far, this system has worked beautifully.

However, buying lunch is very popular at our school and our 5th grade daughter buys at least 3 days a week. Of course Benny wants in. This week, we're making it happen.  I met with all of our school helpers and here's the plan:

• I will print the school menu with all the carb counts the night before. This is a pretty cool feature they've had a for a few years now (it also includes allergens).
• Benny and I will decide what he wants to eat and circle those items
• I'll provide a list of "backup items." (in case they run out of the strawberry-applesauce he wants and he has to eat grapes or carrots). 
• His class assistant will walk him through the line to see what goes on his tray - and she'll check in with him after lunch to see what's left over (just like she does now). If she's not available, one of the cafeteria workers has volunteered to help us out.
• Just like now, the assistant will do the math and Benny will use his pump to give himself the insulin.

We did a test run yesterday and found that roughly a quarter of items on the food line aren't on the carb menu. I'm going to make a list and provide those numbers. I also found out that fruit servings are always 4 ounces (helpful) and that most of the desserts are only about 15 carbs (not too bad). Our school district has done away with fried foods and provides lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. 

Of course, Benny is only excited about eating what I think are the worst foods on the menu, corn dogs and nachos.  I can't pretend we eat perfectly healthy at home all the time, but these are never served in my house, which is probably why he wants them! However, I'm willing to trade off some high-fat high-carb lunches - and probably some higher afternoon bgs -for a pretty important step toward independence.

 Eventually, he'll have to make his own food choices, count his own carbs, do the math and give his own insulin unsupervised.  I don't think first grade is too early to start working on that.  I am extremely lucky to have such a great team helping me with Benny - I know many parents of children with diabetes who aren't as confident about the care at school. 

Right now, Benny will only buy lunch once or twice a week.  Hopefully it'll go well and if not, we'll make any changes needed.  So here we go - another diabetes milestone.  You'll forgive me if I don't celebrate by digging in!

A Colorful Question

We have a pretty cool skyline in Charlotte, but there's only one building that makes me ask a question. When I look at the Duke Energy Center I always wonder, why that color?

The Duke tower is the only one in town that lights up - it's our New South version of the Chrysler Building.  It opened in 2010 and was almost immediately nicknamed Voltron (I believe by @DesireeKane or @MeckClt).

I see it on my so-early-it's-still-dark commute but I rarely know what the colors signify. We get that it's blue when the Panthers play and yellow for the big Chiquita job announcement, but it was red this morning. Is that for the Heart Association? Red Cross? Turns out it's World Aids Day. I assume that's what the color is for.  There's no way to know.

I've been posting about this on Twitter on and off for a while now. This week I finally got smart and asked Lisa Hoffman, the social media specialist for Duke. Here's what happened: 

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@StaceySimms @LisaHoffmann Is there a list of the Duke Energy bldg light schedule? Why is it white/lite purple today? Thanks!

 @Briandfrancis @staceysimms It'd be cool if the building had a twitter account that tweeted the requesting organization and reason for light

@StaceySimms@briandfrancis Great idea. And they should jump on that before someone creates a fake one. @VoltronClt anyone?

@Lisahoffmann@staceysimms @briandfrancis Wells Fargo controls the lights, but I'll see what I can find out.

 @Melissa_Lynne @LisaHoffmann @staceysimms @briandfrancis we were just talking about that this morning at work. We wanted to request blue and yellow again.

@TheKevinLock @LisaHoffmann @staceysimms @briandfrancis I know who has the answer to this.

@TheKevinLock @LisaHoffmann @staceysimms @briandfrancis Also grabbed @VoltronCLT before someone more nefarious did. Happy to turn it over for official use

@Lisahoffmann @staceysimms @briandfrancis @TheKevinLock I'm inquiring w/ WF to see whether or not they're interested in regularly sharing #voltron sched.

@TheKevinLock @LisaHoffmann @staceysimms @briandfrancis I've talked to one rep. No calendar but Twitter is intriguing. She's taking it to committee

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I hope this doesn't die in committee, or get over-thought. It's just a fun part of Charlotte with the potential to be even more engaging.  

(I knew I should've grabbed @VoltronClt as soon as I wrote it out!)

 

The D-Mom Bag

You're familiar with the mom bag? The clown car of accessories, it holds everything you need and more.  Throw diabetes supplies in the mix and.... here's what you get:  

 

(sorry the video's a little hot - I complained to my AV guy, but then he had to go make dinner. We're pros. Really)

What do you schlep around? Love to hear from you - even if it doesn't involve diabetes.

I Love Lines

The eggs made us true believers.

Back recently from 5 fun days at Disney World.  Yes, my kids made me ride the Tea Cups and of course we had a blast at Animal Kingdom, but what I really want to tell you about is a phone app called Lines. There are a billion Disney advice websites, blogs and now apps. This one is a companion to the popular Unofficial Guides to Disney and their website Touring Plans. These people are absolutely crazy - and I love them!

Part of the fun of planning a vacation is reading up about where you're going - especially when it's something huge like Disney. I'll check books, blogs, whatever. I read the Unofficial Guide for a few minutes a day for weeks (really) and checked out the crowd calendar on TouringPlans. But the big breakthrough came about a month before we left, when I discovered Lines on my iPhone.

Here's why it's brilliant: in addition to the plans and information, they have a chat feature. Ask a question, any question, about Disney World and you'll get an answer in minutes.  Staffers pop in and out but for the most part, it's just people who are very passionate and knowledgable about Disney.

You don't have to participate; just reading the chat is helpful.  Never would have known about Jedi Training Academy without Lines. Thanks to the info, and the provided sign-up plan, my 6-year old fought and defeated Darth Vader. (We're so proud).

I also got great advice about food, rides, fast passes and bug spray. We were the heroes of the Chip and Dale Campfire because we brought Off, thanks to Liners' advice. Even the Disney Cast Member (that's what they call staff) was happy to use some of ours! By the way, the campfire is a really fun, nightly event - and it's free.

After a few days, tired of our in-room granola bars, my husband started asking for a "real" breakfast. He had laughed at how often I was checking the phone, but now he wanted me to ask "my friends" where we could get a good omelet. My daughter also asked to see the fancy Grand Floridian and Polynesian hotels, so here's what I wrote:

Want to check out Grand Floridian on our way out tomorrow. Easy place for coffee? How about the Poly? Kids asking for a walk-thru.

9:41pm on 10/29/11 by NCmom

Get on the monorail & go over. You can walk through no problem. You can get coffee at garden view tea room.

9:47pm on 10/29/11 by Magic

Either would be nice. Grand has a lovely lobby. they do have a fast food type place and the cafe. Poly is nice and has a place for coffee upstairs right by Kona Cafe. If you stop at Poly, go out by the Volcano pool and look across the the Castle. wishing I was there.

9:55pm on 10/29/11 by jpaugels

Husband chimes in w/where can we get a good omelet without a reservation in WDW? (I told him Waffle House when we get home!)

9:57pm on 10/29/11 by NCmom

GF cafe has an omelet and other YUMMY breakfast items, like orange cranberry pancakes. It does not require a reservation

11:38pm on 10/29/11 by Kdenson

Thanks again. We are enjoying breakfast at the GF cafe right now!

8:39am on 10/30/11 by NCmom

 

They also provide ride wait times and will tell you how crowded each park is. I'm telling you though, the genius here is that these folks have created a vibrant, active community - and thankfully, they're very happy to help the rest of us.  Much appreciated, Liners!

 

This is our most desperate hour. Help us, Benny!

Once Upon A Time...

November is Diabetes Month and today Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation kicks off something new - the first annual type 1 day.  Makes sense. After all, it is 11-1-11! You can find out more about JDRF and T1Day here. There's tons of info, videos, etc.

We're marking Diabetes Month with a pretty cool project - a family storybook.  Wish I could say it was my idea, but Becca Bernstein thought of it.  She's the social media marketing manager for Picaboo, a digital photo company. They're getting great buzz for their Love & Life Stories.  These unique books tell the story of something in your life - an amazing trip, a family tradition, even a biography or memorial of someone you love.   Becca's read my blog and she asked if I would be interested in sharing my family's story of diabetes. As you probably know, my son, Benny, was diagnosed 5 years ago, at 23 months.

Ever since he was old enough to ask for bedtime stories, Benny's wanted the last one of the evening to start the same way, "Once upon a time there was a little boy named Benny."  We make up a different story every night, usually about him being a super hero or an amazing skate boarder or a world traveler.  

I decided to write a little boy named Benny story that I could share and I based it on some of our favorite diabetes books for kids.  While it's meant for the elementary school crowd, I hope you enjoy reading it.  It'll be on the Picaboo website later this month.

I love taking photos.  I'm the mom driving everyone crazy snapping away during school events and at football practice.  I give family albums as my Chanukah gift every year to my extended family and I've used several different companies to make them.  I really enjoyed Picaboo and I plan to use it for all my albums this year. 

They're giving me one copy of Benny's book for free, but they didn't ask me to say anything nice (or not nice!) about the site.

If you want to shop around on Picaboo, they're offering a promo code right now - "Fallback" - click here for more info.

Can't wait to share the book later this month!

Been Booed? Bleah.

Does anyone enjoy this?

It started a few years ago. You come home to this Halloween sign and a bucket of candy and maybe some little toys or glow sticks. You're instructed to enjoy the goodies and buy some more so you can then "Boo" one of your neighbors.  When I see it all I think is, great, now I have to go out and buy something. Also, great, now we have more junk and candy in the house.

I love Halloween.  We've had the kids' costumes set for weeks - an angel and a storm trooper (thanks for asking).  We let our son with type 1 diabetes trick or treat and eat candy.  The best part is  going through the kids' giant stash when they get home. We say it's for safety, but it's really so Slade and I can grab any Reese's (him) or coconut/chocolate stuff (me).

The "You've Been Booed" just strikes me as another errand to run, more money to spend. I am sure it was created by a retailer - you can buy specially made up "Boo" packages at Target.  I know, I know, Rudoph the Red Nosed Reindeer was created by Montgomery Ward and we all love that.  But Ward's didn't ask you to run out and buy the newest, special edition Reindeer Games (just $19.99!).

We were going to really go Scrooge on this and ignore the Boo sign when we got one this past weekend.  But I forgot - if you don't put the sign on your door, you just get Booed again! So we got a 2nd bucket yesterday.  My kids were dying to run around the neighborhood and deliver their own package, so I let them.  Don't tell: I didn't buy anything new. We just took the 2nd bucket and passed it off as our own.

Hey, a new Halloween tradition - Boo regifting.  It'll be like fruitcake, we can all just pass around the same one!

 

Birthday Style

My birthday is today and I don't mind telling you I'm 40. It's funny to look back to the last "big one." On my 30th birthday, I was 3 weeks away from having my first child - things have changed a bit!

Between my recent back troubles, crazy early hours, husband with a restaurant and two busy kids, there's not really time for philosophical reflection. So I thought it would be fun to share what I've learned during the past decade but not about anything too serious.

So as I turn 40, here's what I've learned - about style. Yep, no diabetes, no health news, no community events. Just please remember, these tips work for me, but they're coming from someone who could go to work in her pajamas!

1. Listen to your mother - get your hair out of your face and put on some lipstick. I still struggle with that last, to the point that when I do put lipstick on during the day I feel like a different person. But I've compromised with tinted lip balm (I like Neutrogena a lot). I'm one of those people always putting on chapstick and at least this way I look more like a grownup than Suzy Chapstick (see I am 40!)

2. Stick with what works. I've been using the same moisturizer + sunscreen since I was 22. I've switched around but always come back to the Eucerin line. Admittedly, I have stupid sensitive skin but this is a great, inexpensive drug store line that my dermatologist also likes. I use the daytime sunscreen/moisturizer and the evening one that says it fights wrinkles. Wear your sunscreen! I am starting to make sure I cover my neck now too. Yikes.

3. I have never seen the need for an eyelash curler, but every makeup artist I've worked with has clamped one on me. I have one but I never use it. I switched to brown mascara for a while, but now I'm back to black. As long as you avoid that fab-80's blue I don't think it really matters. Did anyone ever get anything out of clear mascara?

4. If you straighten your hair, spring for the good flat iron. I have giant wavy hair and I've used the $18 ones. Finally bit the bullet and bought the high end. Yes, it was close to $100 but I've had it for 3 years now and it's made a huge difference. I spend less time doing my hair and it stays very healthy. No, I will not post a picture of myself with "before" hair.

5. Just once, treat yourself to a personal shopper or some kind of consult. I got this as a birthday present in 2007. Not that I'm counting the days since! The consultant (at Belk) put together outfits I would never have touched and while there were some crazy rejects (a billowing skirt, some Easter egg colors) she guided me into some great looks and advice that I still use every day.

6. Find a great tailor. I used Walid Nassar at Myers Park Tailorsor the folks at Belk Southpark when I shop there. You've heard this before, but it makes a huge difference and often only adds $10-$15 to the cost of clothes. I love Wally at Myers Park because when I lost my baby weight (plus about 10 pounds!) I brought quite a few pairs of pants to take in. Finally, he offered to call my husband and tell him to just buy me some new clothes! These days I'm back in the struggle of keeping that weight off, so I may have to visit him to let some of those pants back out.

7. Great shoes that hurt your feet just aren't worth it. I love heels and usually wear a 4". But I've learned that if they don't feel great, they just sit lookin' pretty in my closet. I'm not a shoe-snob. I buy most of my kicks at DSW or Off-Broadway and have no brand loyalty. I found a black-tie Nina shoe that feels so great I bought it in three colors. It's the kind of shoe I'll wear once or twice a year, so who's going to notice? Don't tell!

8. Finally, a bit of confidence goes a very long way. I think that's my favorite thing about getting older. At this point, I know who I am and I've got nothing to prove. I hear that keeps getting better for most women as we get older. Can't wait!

Honestly? I'm not crazy about the number 40, but who wants to go backwards? I feel great, I'm happy with the way I look and I love my grown-up life (thanks, Kelly Ripa).

If you're kind enough to leave me a birthday greeting here, add a style tip to the list! Love to hear what you have to say.

Hooked Up

Got a diagnosis on the back issues I've shared here: herniated disc. Ugh. My doctor is very optimistic that I'm already healing and we're just going to manage the pain while I improve.

One way I'm doing that is with a TENS unit. I'm not wearing it all the time right now, but for the first few days, I had it clipped to me 24/7. Benny took one look at it and said, "How come it's not wireless like mine?"

It actually looks more like a giant meter than an insulin pump but it's got me thinking about what it might be like to walk around with diabetes gear.  Benny's had his pump for so long that it's routine for him, but for me, wearing something all day long took some getting used to. 

My recent girls-away-early-birthday weekend outfits were dictated by what I could clip the TENS unit to: no dresses and no pants without a substantial waist (it's a big clip). My clothing choices were already limited because with the back & leg pain I couldn't wear heels. I realized I have one pair of dressier pants I can wear with flats. If this continues, I will have to hem some pants, or go shopping!

I now have some serious respect for dress-loving little girls who wear insulin pumps and of course, all you grown up pump-wearing ladies. I thought about that clip every time I got dressed, packing for the trip, going to the spa (I decided to leave it off) and when I got ready for bed.  Can't even imagine what it's like to wear a pump and a CGM!

(Too much flash on this picture, but you can see my new accessory really well. Me and my friend Nina in front of the amazing Grove Park Inn fireplace.)

I know enough to know I don't really know what it's like to wear a pump full time, of course. It's sort of like when those dads-to-be strap on the fake pregnant bellies. They get an idea of what's going on, but it's not really the same because they know they can just take it off.

I've been happy to remove the TENS a couple of times a day - and I'll be really glad to be rid of it for good soon. Wish I could say the same thing about the need for Benny's pump. Someday, right?