Celebration

How To Have Diabetes And Survive The Holiday Celebrations

If you have diabetes, then the holidays could potentially hold some serious health challenges for you.

In fact, for many diabetics, the holidays can be a rather bleak and dismal time when it comes to managing their diabetes. This is especially true for diabetics who may have a family where it seems like everyone cooks and bakes from Thanksgiving until Christmas. The temptations to cheat are greater for them than at almost any other time of the year!

I grew up in an Italian family that celebrated the holidays with food, food and more food. The dining room table in my grandmother's house looked like a display case in a high-class bakery, from the day after Thanksgiving, until January 6th, the celebration of the "Feast of the Epiphany." And it seemed like everyone who came to visit, came bearing gifts of ... you guessed it! ... more food!

It would have taken a saint to avoid all the temptations!

But for the rest of the mere mortals who may live with diabetes, this type of temptation makes it hard to keep their blood sugar levels on an even keel.  Why?

Because during the holiday season, not only do eating habits change, but there is usually a dramatic increase in stress levels, more activities, and for some folks, a bout with holiday induced depression.

So we don't eat right because we are way too busy and, when we do eat, we want comfort-food to ease the pain. Yikes!!

Does it have to be so dismal for a diabetic during the holiday season?

Absolutely not. If you have diabetes, you can make it safely through the holidays with some thought and careful planning.

And it makes sense doesn't it? Once you've identified the things that are working against you during the holidays, you can prepare your strategy for successful management of your diabetes. Preparing for the extra stress, increased activity and food temptations, will allow you to not only survive the holiday season, but enable you to enjoy your holidays relatively guilt-free as well.

Here is a list of suggestions to help you formulate a strategy and help you to survive the holidays if you are living with diabetes:

• Make sure that exercise is an important part of your daily routine. Don’t let the cold weather or busy schedules keep you from getting the proper amount of exercise every day. Take walks, work-out, visit the gym ... any exercise that you prefer. Exercise will help you to keep your blood sugar levels even. And exercise will  also will help ease the stress that somehow is part of all holidays for everyone.
• Monitor your alcohol consumption especially if this is something you don't already do. Check with your health care provider if you are unsure before drinking alcoholic beverages.
• If you are plan on attending holiday parties, it's important to talk to your hosts before the event. Let them know about your diabetes and request alternative foods that you can enjoy. Foods   that are low in fats and can be prepared without sugar. Don't be afraid to suggest healthier  foods. With a few changes to any menu, you will be able to attend holiday parties and celebrate with your friends and loved ones while maintaining your diet.
• If you have a child that attends school and has diabetes, the teachers and aides need to be aware of, and learn to be sensitive to, the special health needs of your child. You can show them (if they are not aware of the restrictions in your child's diet,) that it is possible to plan classroom parties and events for children, with healthy snacks. Not only can foods be prepared with no sugar and low in fats that kids will enjoy but, most stores offer a wide variety of sugar free snacks and sweets. If necessary, offer to make some healthy food for the entire class so your child will not feel singled out just because he has diabetes. With a little pre-planning, your child will have a holiday season that is fun.

In regard to blood sugar levels, here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

• Your blood sugar levels will need to be tested more often during the holidays. Increased activity and stress can make blood sugar levels swing. You may not realize just how your activity is reflected in your blood sugar. Planning ahead of time, taking some extra insulin, or being prepared for a sudden drop in glucose, will save you some time and possible problems. (A child is more likely to have these blood level swings because of excitement, anticipation, and the joy of the holiday.) By checking readings often, you are prepared for the obvious changes that will occur in your blood sugar levels.
• Keep an eye out for low sugar level readings, even though you may think that eating something with sugar would normally elevate them. Excitement and over stimulation can cause a sudden drop of blood sugar levels, and it is best to be prepared for that event. Keep in mind that your body responds to excitement and stimulation in the same way it does to exercise.

The holidays can be a great source of fun and family enjoyment. Living with diabetes doesn't mean that you have to enjoy them any less. It just means that you will need to spend a little more time than others, pre-planning your days, keeping an eye on your blood sugar levels and monitoring your overall health. But the end result will be a happy and healthy holiday season.

National Adoption Month - What We Can Do To Celebrate (Part 2)

As promised yesterday, today we'll look at a couple of more suggestions for actions we can take to help the foster care systems in our communities, with their adoption efforts.

The foster care system is usually the first step in the adoption process for many kids, and so many of them have been waiting to be adopted for a long time. National Adoption Month is an excellent time to think about some of the things that we can all do, no matter where we live, to ease the burden of the system and help make a difference to a child.

We've also published a growing list of adoption resources. Feel free to let us know if you have any additional adoption web sites you would like us to add to the list.

• The foster care system is always in need of families that can provide respite care to other foster families, or to do emergency foster care. Emergency placement can mean having a foster child in your home for a short period of time, anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days. Contact your local child and family services organization to learn how to obtain a foster care license.
• Become a Court-Appointed Special Advocate/CASA worker. CASA workers are volunteers that work with the court and the foster homes to see that the children are not lost in the system and that their needs and wants are heard. For more information check out the CASA website.
• If you are affiliated with a group or organization, why not pool your resources and buy Christmas presents for  children in the group homes in your area. Make the gifts personal for each child. Call the home and ask staff for specific recommendations for the kids.
• Some churches and religious groups, sponsor collection drives for various causes, both locally and abroad. Why not ask your religious leaders about ways to support foster care kids at various times throughout the year.
• Share what you have learned with others. Let them know that in the US alone, there are an estimated 523,000 children in foster care, and  more than 119,000 of them are waiting to be adopted.

As we celebrate with our families this holiday season, remember that there are thousands of children in foster homes awaiting adoption. If there is any one thing that each of us can do, then together we will begin to make a difference.

Remember, even the smallest action we make is better than no action at all.

National Adoption Month: Adoption Resources

There are many resources available to those considering adopting a child from foster care.

Listed here are just a few of them to help you get started. If you know of any additional resources that you would like to see listed here, please add them in the comment area, and we'll check them out.

1. North American Council for Adoptable Children - www.nacac.org
2. Children's Welfare League of America (CWLA) - www.cwla.org/programs/adoption
3. Adopt America Network - www.adoptamericanetwork.org
4. National Adoption Center - www.adopt.org
5. Adopt Us Kids - www.adoptuskids.org
6. Rainbow KidsChild - www.rainbowkids.com
7. Child Welfare Information Gateway - www.childwelfare.gov/
8. International Adoption - www.adoptassoc.com

Tips for Surviving the Holiday Shopping Madness

Today, in the US, it is known as "Black Friday." And, all across the country, folks will rise early and head to their favorite shopping spot, to begin their yearly shopping odyssey. They will trek for miles, to the stores and shopping malls, to grab the best bargains they can find, all in the name of holiday shopping.

Shopping for gifts during the holiday season can be a major headache and a stressful activity. But you already know that.

So, here is a list with some simple and straight forward guidelines and tips, to hopefully assist you with your holiday shopping endeavors this year.

• First and foremost, create a shopping list of everyone you need to purchase gifts for.
  • Next to their name, add a note about things like:
    • Clothing sizes
    • Favorite music
    • Favorite colors
    • Any other information you think is important
  • Then list one to three gift ideas for each individual.
  • It would be best to make your Christmas shopping list as far in advance as possible, in order to give you more time to find the right gift, and potentially save you some time as well as money because, you can now look for specific sales for any items you are looking to purchase.
• Once you have your list completed, the first place you want to begin shopping is either online or via mail order catalogs.
  • Shopping online and through the mail is an easy, convenient and flexible way to buy Christmas gifts.
  • You can do your shopping at your own leisure while maintaining your daily schedule.
  • Often, you will be able to purchase items cheaper if you buy them at the merchants website rather than buying them in a physical store.
  • Look for online merchants that offer free shipping.
  • Some online merchants will offer to mail the gift directly to the person for whom the gift is bought for, instead of to you.
• When shopping online don't forget to check eBay if you know exactly what it is you're looking for and you are familiar with using the eBay auction website. If you have not used eBay before now, and you want to pursue this route, ask someone you know who is familiar with purchasing from the auction site, to help you.
  • There is a always a chance that you'll find that hard-to-find gift.
  • Sometimes you can get a popular gift item that you are looking for, at a reduced price.
• Don't forget to be sure that you leave yourself adequate time to deal with any possible shipping delays or delivery issues when ordering gifts from catalogs or from online merchants.
• If you choose not to actually make any gift purchases online, it would be wise to at least browse for gift ideas and to do some comparison shopping online so you will have a better idea of what prices to expect when you do go out to do your Christmas shopping.
• When it's time to actually start shopping at retail stores, your best bet is to try and do this as far in advance as possible before the Christmas holiday.
• Watch for the stores that open for business earlier than normal and try and take advantage of the earlier hour or two if possible.
• Try and go shopping on a weekday morning instead of the weekends and evenings, when the malls and shopping centers are the most crowded.
• To save energy, try and plan your driving and walking routes to all the stores in the area you expect to be shopping.
• To try and help save a bit of money during the holidays, keep up to date with all the shopping circulars for all the major retailers in your area on a weekly basis.
  • Believe it or not you can easily find the local flyer for most large chain stores online within their own website. This is a major plus if you don't get the newspaper delivered to your home.
• It's also a good idea to look for some online coupons for any gifts you are sure to buy. You can easily find these coupons and information on great sales and hot deals by visiting some of the Internet sites that are specifically dedicated to helping consumers get great prices on just about any product.
  • You can locate these online websites by doing a simple search on Google or Yahoo for the words hot deals, coupons and fat wallet.

As with most things during the Christmas season all it takes is a bit of organization and pre-planning to help make the holidays a much happier and less stressful time of year.

Some Early Preparations for a Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 7)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and within a matter of hours, your house will be transformed into a home filled with love, prayers of thanks, and of course, your scrumptious Thanksgiving feast.

Today, your focus will be on the final preparations for your home in anticipation of  your Thanksgiving guests. Needless to say, these final preparations will probably be easier for those without small children in the home.

Don't worry ... just do what you can today, and what you can't do today can be accomplished early tomorrow morning before any of your guests arrive. You will probably be getting up early to put the turkey in the oven so you can do a couple of things then.

• If you are having Thanksgiving dinner in a separate dining area of your home, you will want to set the table today.
• Decide where your guests will store their coats when they arrive. You will want to make sure that the area is cleared out and room made for the extra clothing.
• Do you have a guest bathroom? If so, today is the day to give it a good cleaning and then make it off-limits to the family. Otherwise, your focus will be on cleaning the bathroom used by the household.
  • Hang your guest towels
  • Put in a can of air-freshener
  • Replace the soap (Liquid soap is an option)
  • Make sure there are enough rolls of toilet paper stored in the bathroom
• If you made your gravy ahead of time, today is the day to take it out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator so it can defrost.
• If you ordered any special deserts from the bakery, you might want to go as early as possible in the day to pick them up before the bakery decides to close for the Thanksgiving holiday.

As always, if you have responsible family members around the house, do not hesitate to delegate some of the chores.

Well, that's all that you can do until tomorrow. You've completed all your preparations for your Thanksgiving dinner and all that's left is the actual cooking itself.

And because I wouldn't expect to see you here tomorrow, let me be the first to wish you and all your loved ones, a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Some Early Preparations for a Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 6)

Okay, so it's Tuesday and Thanksgiving is now 2 days away.

There's not really that much more to do if you've been following along with our preparation for Thanksgiving dinner lists and preparing yourself for this big day for the last month or so.

There are only a few things for you to accomplish today:

• Review your menu and separate list of ingredients, and make sure that you've got everything you need.
• Go and do your final food shopping
• Write out a schedule for cooking everything going on the table. Start by writing down the time dinner is going to be served and then look at the cooking time for each dish.
  • Include the exact time something goes into the oven or microwave
  • Include anything that will need to be reheated before going to the table

That's about all you need to focus on for today. You've got it all under control my friend!

You are now on cruise control from this point tforward. There are just a couple more things left on the list so don't forget to come back tomorrow.

Some Early Preparations for a Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 5)

In exactly 3 days, your home will be filled with your Thanksgiving dinner guests, and you will be serving a bountiful feast to friends and family.

And since this is the Monday before the big day, your major focus should be on the turkey. Refer to the article How To Defrost A Turkey for more information. But in general:

• Make a note of the exact weight of your turkey
• Decide how you plan to defrost the bird:
  • To defrost the turkey in the refrigerator you need to figure about 24 hours for every 5 pounds (so a 15 pound turkey will take 3 days to defrost)
  • To defrost the turkey in cold water, figure about 30 minutes per pound
• Refer to the article How To Defrost A Turkey for more information on how to safely defrost the turkey (I know I said this already but, this is very important information!)

This is a good time to take care of some of your own needs like:

• Getting your hair done
• Having a manicure
• Shopping for that last minute outfit to wear on Thanksgiving
• And if you have children, help them with a Thanksgiving craft project or two, that focus on giving, to help them understand the true meaning of the holiday. Check out the articles that we posted earlier for some suggestions.
  • Thanksgiving Craft Activities For The Kids
  • Some Thanksgiving Decorations You Can Make
  • Some Creative Thanksgiving Activities
• Make any last minute phone calls to invited guests

Don't forget to check back tomorrow.

Some Early Preparations for a Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 4)

Well, it's almost here. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving!

I really hope that if you've been following along with this series of Thanksgiving preparation lists, you've accomplished a lot already. Remember the goal is to help you stay organized as you prepare for the big day, so that you are less stressed out, and therefore able to enjoy the celebration of giving thanks with your family and invited dinner guests.

If you need to review the lists of preparation activates, here are the links where you can find them:

Preparation for Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 1)

Preparation for Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 2)

Preparation for Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 3)

Now today, let's look at what you want to be focusing on this last week before Thanksgiving:

• Straightening up the house to receive your guests. This is a good time to tackle the big jobs ... things like:
  • Shampooing the  rugs
  • Polishing the furniture
  • Washing/waxing the floors
  • Cleaning the windows
  • Cleaning the bathroom
  • Replacing curtains
  • Cleaning out the guest bedroom
• Review your shopping list for any items you may have waited until the last minute to buy, including things like:
  • Mixed nuts
  • After-dinner mints
  • Sherbet for the fruit cup
  • Specialty coffees and teas
  • Spices for cooking, including salt and pepper

Seeing to these things now, still gives you plenty of time before Thanksgiving.

And remember, some of these cleaning tasks might take a couple of days to complete so the sooner you get these projects started, the sooner you will get them done. Oh, by the way ... now  is a great time to exercise your delegation skills to involve other family members to help with the house-work!

Check back in a couple of days as we begin the daily count-down to Thanksgiving day.

Some Early Preparations for a Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 3)

So here we are, just about 2 weeks away from the big day.

Hopefully you've been getting things ready up until today. If you haven't started your Thanksgiving dinner preparations yet, then go back and review parts 1 and 2 of our preparation suggestions:

• Preparations for Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 1)
• Preparations for Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 2)

Now today, let's look at what you should be focusing on, 2 weeks out from Thanksgiving dinner:

• Continue to work on your shopping lists. By this point in time you should have a pretty good idea who is coming for dinner. If not, then take the time this week and call anyone on your list, who has not responded to your dinner invitation. Set a firm deadline for answers if you need to for the sake of your own sanity!
• Start planning your seating arrangements. You might have to revise your chart in a few days or so if you are still waiting for invitations to be confirmed. This is the time you also need to consider if you are planning on a separate table just for the children and how to arrange the adults (whom is comfortable sitting next to Aunt Matilda ... etc.)
• Make your shopping list for beverages.
  • EggNog
  • Liquor
  • Dinner Wine
  • Soda (Coke, Pepsi, etc)
  • Milk
  • Coffee Creamer
• And finally, see what is on your menu that can be prepared and stored in the fridge or freezer, starting this week. For example, some gravies can be made ahead and frozen.

If you try and get some of these things organized now, while everyone else is out of your way, you may find that you will still have time as Thanksgiving draws near, to take some personal time for yourself without feeling guilty!

Some Early Preparations for a Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 2)

The last time, we looked at the preparations you should be making now for this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

Lets follow that up with the things you need to be focusing on three weeks before the Thanksgiving celebration.

• One of the first things you need to look at is the size of your table. Is the table big enough to accommodate all of your guests?  What are the options if more space is needed?
• And do you have enough chairs for all of your guests?
• Check your supply of dishes. Do you have enough ....
  • dinner plates
  • dessert plates
  • coffee cups and saucers
• Go through your silverware and be sure you have enough knives, forks and spoons for everyone.
• Decide on the linens you will be using.
  • Do you have a tablecloth that fits the table correctly or do you need to buy a new one?
  • Will you want to use linen napkins or would you prefer to get some of the nice, holiday-theme, paper napkins?
• Check your supply of glassware.
  • Have enough water glasses?
  • How about wine glasses?
• And how about your cooking and serving items? Let's look in the kitchen for these items before you go shopping this week:
  • Roasting Pan: Based on the size of the turkey you will need, (1 ¼ pounds per person,) do you have the right size? Will that size roasting pan fit into your oven?
  • Do you have enough pots and pans to handle all the cooking? Look at you menu and then look at your pots and pans ... do you need more?
  • And while you're looking at the menu, make sure you have enough serving bowls, especially the large ones.
  • Now for the serving items ... check to be sure that you have:
    • Well-sharpened knives
    • Trivets, or hot-plate holders
    • Sauceboat
    • Gravy pitcher
    • Bread basket
    • Sugar bowl and cream pitcher
  • Last but not least ... a coffeepot or two. (one for decaffeinated coffee)

Sorting through these items now, while Thanksgiving is still three weeks away, will help to insure that your stress level can be held to a minimum ... at least in regards to the dinner preparation.

Things like trying to fit a turkey, on Thanksgiving morning, into a roasting pan that is way to small, will set your holiday off in high stress mode ... and that is never the best way to have a successful Thanksgiving dinner celebration.