Meet Kim

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Hi! I’m Kim. I am a stay-at-home mom to four beautiful and exhausting little people: Ava, Ella, Dallin, and Jack. I am also married to a pretty awesome person named David. I love reading books until the wee hours of the morning, writing journal entries, blog posts, and random bits of poetry, and sometimes I do yoga in my closet – which is usually the only quiet place in my house. I am also pretty Type-A and I am addicted to charts. I am constantly trying to devise a better system for doing anything and everything. I time myself every time I unload the dishes and once I attempted to catalog all of the toys in the kids’  playroom (**nerd alert** ). I also happen to be a Mormon. My faith influences every aspect of my life, most especially the way I strive to parent.

But writing is my very favorite pastime. It’s a creative outlet, and I think all moms need a creative outlet in one form or another. So I’m setting out on a yearlong quest to become a more peaceful person – as a mom, wife, and member of my community – and I’m documenting that journey here.

Care to join me along the way?

 

 

11 thoughts on “Meet Kim”

  1. Kim,
    Last night I read your article on page 84 of the January/February 2016 “Diabetes Forecast” magazine. You need. a Dexcom Continuous Glucose monitor for your two diabetic boys. The device detects and displays their blood glucose levels every five minutes. It sounds an audible alarm if the reading is too high or low. Visit http://www.dexcom.com to learn more. You will thank me later for this tip.
    Richard

  2. Kim,
    I found you in Diabetes Forecast and liked what I read. I am a Type 1 diabetic for 45 years. Since the 70’s, I have written and published freelance articles in a dozen national magazines, mostly about sport and diabetes. My objective was to motivate young diabetics to be anything anyone else can be. I would like to send you one of my best articles, published in 2013, in Softball Magazine. It tells my story. I’ve also been in Diabetes Forecast a couple times and once in the JDRF website. I can send them all to you online if you wish. I am from Tempe, and still play, coach and umpire slow pitch softball, yes…sometimes in Gilbert! Last April, I entered one of my poems in the Tempe Writing Contest. I won a special recognition award because it was so unusual. My family attends SunValley Community Church. If you will send me your email address, I will send you the article I mentioned above. I promise to not load you up with a bunch of junk emails!

    1. Hi Richard! Believe it or not, the boys do have CGMs. They just take them off all of the time! It’s frustrating. They are so young. We are hoping that as they get older and see the benefit of keeping them on, they won’t be such turkeys about it. lol!

  3. Hi Kim,
    I read your article in Diabetes Forecast. My son was diagnosed at 20 month with type 1. Your article touched me deeply. It took me back to the day our world was turned upside down. Faith has carried me through the past 23 years. My son will soon be 25. He is strong, healthy and a joy to be with. One of the greatest blessings that has been a result of my son having diabetes is my job. I am now a health care assistant taking care of children with diabetes in our school district. Every parent has the right to leave their child at school knowing they are in good hands. I want to encourage you to let your readers know to ask school districts to provide this service for their children. Advocate for your children!

  4. Dear Kim and Family, My name is Donna Painter. I am a 58 yr old grandmother of 4 boys. On March13th, 2015, my oldest grandson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Travis was 4 at the time. He is now 5 and can tell me more and teach me plenty. “You should know this by now gwammom”. I am a slow learner, guess it comes with age.LOL. I now check his bs, give his insulin, and count his carbs. He is my hero. He is so brave. There are many like us, learning, living each day with this and oh so PRAYING for a cure. I remember asking God, why him? Why not me? My daughter and his father have learned so much in less than a year. I am so glad I picked up this 2016 Diabetes magazine last night. Be strong. Together we will beat this, for our children; grandchildren.

  5. Hi Kim. I’ve never been on a “blog” before! I read your article in the Jan/Feb Diabetes Forecast magazine. I also have 4 children and the oldest 2 have type 1 diabetes, one diagnosed at age 4 and the other at age 6. They are now 22 and 21 years old and doing great! They have pumps and CGM’s. When I read your article it brought back so many memories. The kids are both away at college….but I still wake up around 2 a.m. every night, briefly, and go back to sleep……my body can’t forget the routine. Your article was very well written and it sounds like your family has adjusted well to the challenges you all face. Just wanted to let you know you aren’t alone…sounds like you are on top of it all…and the future holds no limits!

  6. just read your article in Reflections in Diabetes Forecast. Though I am a generation or so older than you, I identify. My youngest was 3 at diagnosis, and her sister’s diagnosis one year later was a bigger shock. Those girls are now mid-30’s, both moms themselves now. And, a constant subscriber to Forecast, I have had two Reflections published plus another article at Christmas time a couple years ago. You CAN do this. I think what shaped my attitude from the beginning was that we were hospitalized on the children’s cancer floor because it was the only bed availabe. After seeing all those kids, it seemed Type 1 DM was not the worst thing in the world. When the endocrinologist came in to see us, he disdainfully asked me why my 3 year old was in PSs, then said “She is not sick, she just has diabetes. Put clothes on her.” Made me mad at first that he was so flippant, but he was right. She wasn’t sick, just diabetes. Though diagnosed at age 3, she has only been hospitalized once for DKA, just a couple days. The second one was not even hospitalized at diagnosis since we already “knew what to do.”

  7. Hello Kim,
    You leave me speechless. I have been a T1D for 50 years on April 13, 2017, this year. I Turn 56 this March. I have been very blessed over my life time. I have started a Foundation Life Change Connection, on Facebook or web address, lifechangeconnection.org. This is something I do. Not a job, or paid position in any way. I do come to Goodyear AZ on occasion. I would like to meet you and your family in person. Just to discuss diabetes. If you say no. I understand. You can message me on Facebook. Neal Blomenkamp, Gering, NE Hope to hear from you.

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