Wordless Wednesday ~ Camp Kakhamela 50 Year Celebration!

Camp Kakhamela is celebrating it's 50 year anniversary this year, with a party at Richmond's Olympic Oval on Saturday, Sept 15th, from 11:30am to 4:00pm. Anyone who has attended this diabetes camp, or is family or friends with a past attendee, staff member, counselor, or member of the medical team is welcome to attend! To preregister, visit www.diabetes.ca/campk50.

A Few of My Favorite Things

August is "Advocating for Another" month and WEGO Health is running another of its great blog carnivals as an opportunity for bloggers who dedicate their time to caring and/or advocating for another to share their thoughts and ideas on the subject. With a preset list of topics in 4 different categories, hundreds of bloggers will contribute daily posts to the carnival between August 21st and 28th. 

Day 2's prompt is entitled, "These Are A Few of My Favorite Things." So here we go....my 5 favorite things about Dyl!

1. His sweetness. Dylan is the ultimate sweetheart. He is kind, generous, loyal, forgiving, affectionate, and always knows exactly what to say or do to make someone smile. He has a unique ability to see everyone and everything in a positive light. Since toddler-hood this has been one of his greatest qualities. He is a terrific friend, a loving son, and will make a very special husband one day.

2. His open mindedness. Be it food, an activity, a new book, or even a movie, Dylan is always open to trying new things. 

3. His sense of humor. Quirky and silly, Dylan is always cracking jokes and keeping us smiling. 

4. His courage. As mentioned in yesterday's post, he is unbelievably courageous. Never caring what others think, he is comfortable in his own skin and very sure of who he is. 

5. His ownership of his disease. He has taken ownership of his diabetes since day 1 and has never looked back. He learns everything he can about type diabetes, he talks to other type 1 kids and adults, he advocates for JDRF, and he does not hide his diabetes. EVER.

Advocating for Another Day 1 ~ Portrait Post

August is "Advocating for Another" month and WEGO Health is running another of its great blog carnivals as an opportunity for bloggers who dedicate their time to caring and/or advocating for another to share their thoughts and ideas on the subject. With a preset list of topics in 4 different categories, hundreds of bloggers will contribute daily posts to the carnival between August 21st and 28th. 

Day 1's topic is entitled Portrait Post, and asks bloggers to "write a descriptive portrait of your child/ren. Share qualities that make them, them – and include an image! (A photo or creative work of them!):"

As soon as I read the topic, I knew what I wanted to share. I have mentioned previously that Dylan has recently taken up vocal and instrumental performance and participates in a weekly performance class. Twice per year the kids have a live concert, in which they perform for their parents and peers. Two months ago, in June, Dylan performed a haunting cover of Coldplay's "Fix You" in front of a live audience of approximately 250 people. 

As a parent, I think I was more nervous for Dylan than he was. Unlike his ability to easily learn music for instrumental play (he plays the sax and the guitar), he's not a strong singer. And "Fix You" is not an easy song to sing. Most kids chose faster paced rock songs, or newer pop songs by idols like Taylor Swift. Not Dyl. He wanted to sing "Fix You" because he knows it's one of my favorite songs, and a song whose lyrics remind me of diabetes and my "inability" to fix my son's disease.

Courage is one of the qualities that I most admire in Dylan. He has an ability to do whatever he wants without any regard for what others think. And not in an arrogant manner. He is simple sure of himself. Self consciousness? He doesn't have it. Timidity? No, none of that either. Self doubt? No way. He is uber-comfortable in his own skin. I only WISH I had that level of confidence.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Monopoly Anyone?

I saw this posted on Facebook a few days ago, and just had to share. If anyone knows who created this, please let me know!!

Officially a Warrior!

Yesterday I completed my first obstacle race, and wow did I ever have a blast! The 5.5km Warrior Dash is an obstacle race literally perched on the side of Mount Seymour, one of Vancouver's local ski mountains. Traversing up and down the rugged terrain, competitors battled the heat, the incline, and each other, while tackling a dozen obstacles along the way.

Group pic post race

Competing in a team of 4, with 3 truly awesome ladies, we donned neon clothing and arrived ready to tackle the mountain for our 10:00 am wave start. By the time we checked in, picked up our race kits, and checked our gear, the temperature was already nearing 25 degrees, but nothing was holding us back!

The first of many uphills...notice the magic
carpet lift behind us as we run up a ski run?

Up and down the mountain we zigzagged, oblivious to the burning in our legs and lungs, focussed only on the next obstacle and water station. Pulling ourselves over walls, wiggling under barbed wire, and climbing over cargo nets, no obstacle too high or too hard. 

Completed the last obstacle and the finish line is in sight!

Finally, after over 5km of running, we neared the final 2 obstacles - a couple of leaps through fire, a quick crawl through a mud pit, and we crossed the finish line to receive our finisher's medals and await our hose down.

Crossing the finish line after a terrific race!

What an incredible morning - I can't wait for the Super Spartan in September!!

Thai Lettuce Wraps (Paleo)

It's been so long since I posted a recipe, I just had to share this one. With my new paleo eating, and since I do the cooking, my family has been eating paleo dinners without even realizing it (shh). Last night we had an amazing paleo meal of Thai Lettuce Wraps.

I found the recipe at Everyday Paleo, a fabulous site dedicated to paleo cooking, and had to test it out. I was a huge hit, so I will definitely be making it a 2nd time! Serves 5-6.

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 bunches Thai basil leaves or sweet basil leaves

3 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 tablespoons coconut aminos

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1-2 teaspoon hot chili

Juice from 1 lime

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Several butter lettuce or other large green leaf lettuce leaves for the wraps

More Thai basil leaves and chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Procedure

In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.  Add the bell peppers and onions and saute until tender. Remove the bell peppers and onions from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, brown the ground beef. While the ground beef is cooking, whisk together the coconut aminos, fish sauce, lime juice, hot chili sauce, sesame oil and garlic. Add the bell peppers and onions back to the pan with the ground beef, pour in the sauce, add the Thai basil leaves, and stir just until the basil leaves are wilted. Turn off the heat and you are ready to serve. Fill lettuce leaves with big scoops of the meat mixture topped with chopped cilantro and more basil leaves for garnish. Top with more hot chili sauce if you want it spicier.

Nutritional Information (per serving) Calories 367, Fat 26.9g, Cholesterol 84.8mg, Sodium 331.2mg, Carbohydrates 8.9g, Fiber 2.9g, Protein 22.6g 

The original recipe can be found here.

Paleo Eating & Diabetes

As a parent of a type 1 child, I am acutely aware of what foods my son puts in his body. Every food contains its own nutritional value and, as a parent and caregiver, I try to maximize Dylan's nutritional intake to ensure that he is as healthy as possible.

So a few months ago, when I heard about the Paleo diet in a CWD (Children with Diabetes) discussion group, my interest was piqued. It appeared that type 1 kids who ate predominantly paleo were reducing their insulin requirements by 50% or even more! The skeptic in me immediately doubted the validity of these claims. However, as I started researching, I found more and more scientific evidence to support this way of eating, not just for type 1's, but for everyone. Then I learned that a number of my coworkers (and some of the healthiest and fittest people I know) have been eating Paleo for years.

For those who may not have heard of Paleo before, it is a dietary plan based on the eating patterns of man during the Paleolithic Era. Basically, only foods available during that hunter/gatherer time are permitted. Commonly consumed items are fish, grass-fed meats, vegetables, fungi, nuts, seeds, and fruit. Excluded foods are grains, dairy, legumes, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. Still not sure I understood completely, my next step was to read "Quantum Paleo" by Dr. Doug Willen and really get my head around what the diet actually entailed; what foods were "in," and which were "out."

After careful consideration, I've decided to try it out. Willen suggests a 21 day trial period, which is what I intend to do, starting today. During the 21 days, I will eat entirely paleo, but expose my family, including Dylan, to a variety of paleo meals and see how it goes. If I like it, I'll stick with it permanently; if Dylan likes it, I will start him on a complete paleo diet as well.