Remember a while back, when I said Olivia was a pretty compliant, easy-going kid? Yeah, well karma just came and bit me in the arse. Holy mood swings, Batman!

I don't know what's going on with her (besides the fact that she's a 13 year-old girl), but I'm about at my wits end. She's sullen, she's mouthy, she's on the phone all. the. freaking. time. But what's really pissing me off is her failure to check her blood sugar.

Up until a week or so ago, I'd ask her every time I saw her eating something and before every meal, if she'd check. She'd say yes or no, depending, and everything was fine. Suddenly, though, I'm getting this attitude.

"Did you check?" I'd ask.

HUGE, HEAVING sigh, pffffing of the hair and a long, drawn out, sarcastic "Yessssssss, Mother, I diiiiiiiiiiid."

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As a member of the media, you might think that I would get riled up about news stories all the time. Strangely, though, I don't find that to be true. So I guess it's no surprise that when I do get moved by a story, I get really moved.

There's not often much information in the e-newsletter from Diabetes Health magazine that pertains to me, but I look forward to reading it nonetheless. I usually scan the headlines and teasers, and maybe read a story or two. I sometimes forward it on to my mom and two aunts who help their 90-year-old type 2 mom with her diabetes management.

Today's newsletter, though, had a story that I read several times. The headline, Psychologically Dependent Type 2s Use Too Many Test Strips?, intrigued me; the story, on the other hand, made the fire rage. (READ MORE)

Due to an insurance screw-up, we were only able to get 200 test strips last month and Olivia blew thru them in about 2 weeks. She'd had a good 10 days of rollercoaster blood sugars and was testing sometimes 15 - 20 times a day. She also has a tendency to re-check her blood sugar within 2 or 3 minutes after coming up low. Besides being unproductive, it uses up test strips at a furious rate.

A while back, someone was generous enough to send us a Precision Extra meter and 200 test strips. It was an incredible gesture of generosity and one I am still thankful for today.

During the day, the Precision is fine. It uses a lot more blood than her usual One Touch Ultra Smart, thus earning it the nickname "Vampire," but it works well and, with all those extra test strips, was a godsend when we ran out of One Touch strips. (READ MORE)

It's 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Mother's Day, and I have yet to check my sugar today.

It started this morning when No. 1, who is 8, ordered me to stay in bed. I knew what was coming, and even though I suspected a not-so-yummy breakfast in bed, I obliged. To his credit, I got oatmeal, which is my staple breakfast. But, I didn't get a fasting sugar. Heck, I didn't even brush my teeth first. I just did what I was told. I knew it would be the only time today that anyone pampered me.

You see, we're preparing our house to put on the market. Yes, we're definitely missing a few screws to try to sell in this market, but with a new job in a new city, we kind of have to.

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"What's the best diabetes advice you've ever been given," Kerri asked the other day.

As a health writer, one of the perks of my job is that I get to talk to experts. One of the questions I often ask is, "What is the best advice you'd give someone with diabetes?"

And of all the interviews I have done, I think the best response came from Linda Dale, RN, CDE, Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Outpatient Diabetes Eduction Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Diabetes Center. The article was about testing your blood sugar.

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* I brought Charlie and my daughter to my soccer game on Sunday. Charlie, super duper shy, kept his cap down over his eyes and gave reluctant high-fives with bouquets of orange leaves rather than hand while I introduced them to the players on my team. A well-concealed smile formed with his chin firmly against his chest when he heard the Brits talking strategy, because to him, they sounded just like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. "Anyone have a pump?" one of the players yelled, squeezing a soccer ball. Charlie's eyes widened and his head popped up like a Jack-in-a box as he bit his lower lip with a coy smile and adjusted his shirt to reveal his blue pump.

* A co-worker told me that the worst thing about the pump is that it makes it easy to eat a lot of bad foods because you can just hit a button for insulin. That's something her friend with diabetes does. I can think of a few worse things about the pump. (READ MORE)