Road trips...

Oh, the dreaded long drive with a small child!  And even worse when the child is a diabetic!  We took a trip to Omaha last weekend for a wedding.  I was not looking forward to it!  Six and a half hours of driving followed by two nights in a hotel, a pre-wedding BBQ, the wedding and reception, dance, and all wrapped up with second six and a half hour drive home.  With 2 small children.  Lily actually does pretty well on car rides.  We did the "smart" thing and picked up a portable DVD player to help keep her entertained during the long drive.  Wow, was that a lifesaver!  Now if her little brother would have dealt as well with the long drive!  Leo actually threw a fit when we put him in the car to go grocery shopping this morning.  I don't think he's recovered yet.  My teeny little 16-month-old peanut is pretty strong when he's protesting something passionately!

I have to make this kind of short tonight so I can head to bed and get some rest tonight, but I just wanted to share a few things I learned during our trip:

1.  A six-hour-plus drive with 2 diabetics does not equal fun!

2.  A hotel with a good pool is a necessity at the end of that 6+ hour drive!

3.  Regardless of whatever vending machines and snack options a hotel has to offer, it is always a good idea to keep your hotel room well-stocked with fruit, crackers, cookies, or whatever other snack your diabetic child is willing to gobble up when she's low.

4.  Words that would not normally come out of a parent's mouth frequently come out of a D-parent....."you have to finish your cake before you can go dance" and "well, at least finish the frosting".

5.  It may be no use to cry over spilled milk, but sometimes you just can't help yourself!  Especially when the "spilled milk" is really a half-full tube of test strips and you know each one of those tiny little strips floating in the puddle at your feet is worth $1!

6. Summer/sandal-season is a great time to take a road trip.  Those bare toes come in handy when it's time to check a blood sugar and you're flying down the interstate!

My eyelids are getting a bit heavy now, so I think I'll leave it at that for the moment.  One more blood sugar check and I can turn in for a few hours before getting up to check again.  Oh, how I love my life as a D-mom!  Really, I do!  I just wish it allowed for a little more sleep!

Oh, and a few pics of my monkeys shaking their booties at the reception:

Not the best pictures, but the kids are cute anyway!