Monday, May 3, 2010

So I have this idea . . .

Or maybe it's more of an inspiration.  You see, last week on my knitting blog I participated in Knit and Crochet Blog Week. The idea was for yarny bloggers to spend a week posting about an assigned topic-of-the-day.  This way readers could hop around the knit and crochet blog community and get a variety of unique insights on a single topic each day.  It was great fun to participate, both in writing my posts and reading what my peers had to say.  Can you guess where this is going?

I started to think about how awesome it would be if we had a Diabetes Blog Week.  The more I thought about it, the more I really wanted to do it.  And I hope you want to do it too.  Because I'm excited to announce . . .


Participation is easy.  Below I've listed seven blog topics for next week - just in case you want to start drafting your posts in advance.  Use these topics as a starting point for your post each day and see where it takes you.  Write as much or as little as you like.  There are no right or wrong answers - just read over the topic and start blogging!  I've also included a wild card topic - use that if you find a day when you just can't think of anything to write about the chosen topic.
Monday 5/10 - A day in the life . . . with diabetes. Take us through a quick rundown of an average day and all the ways in which diabetes touches it. Blood tests, site changes, high and low blood sugars, meal planning, anything that comes along. This can be a log of an actual day, or a fictional compilation of pieces from many days.

Tuesday 5/11 – Making the low go. Tell us about your favorite way to treat a low. Juice? Glucose tabs? Secret candy stash? What’s your favorite thing to indulge in when you are low? What do you find brings your blood sugar up fast without spiking it too high?

Wednesday 5/12 – Your Biggest Supporter. Sure, our diabetes care is ultimately up to us and us alone. But it’s important to have someone around to encourage you, cheer you, and even help you when you need it. Today it’s time to gush and brag about your biggest supporter. Is it your spouse or significant other? Your best friend, sibling, parent or child? Maybe it’s your endo or a great CDE? Or perhaps it’s another member of the D-OC who is always there for you? Go ahead, tell them just how much they mean to you!

Thursday 5/13 - To carb or not to carb. Today let’s blog about what we eat. And perhaps what we don’t eat. Some believe a low carb diet is important in diabetes management, while others believe carbs are fine as long as they are counted and bolused for. Which side of the fence do you fall on? What kind of things do you eat for meals and snacks? What foods do you deem bolus-worthy? What other foodie wisdom would you like to share?

Friday 5/14 - Let's get moving. Exercise . . . love it or hate it? Do you have a regular exercise routine? Or do you have trouble finding your exercise motivation? How do you manage your insulin and food to avoid bottoming out during your workout? Today is the day to tell us all about your exercise habits, or lack thereof.

Saturday 5/15 - Diabetes snapshots. Inspired by the Diabetes 365 project, let’s snap a few d-related pictures to share today. Post as many or as few as you’d like. Be creative! Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures. Or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Sunday 5/16 - Dream a little dream - life after a cure. To wrap up Diabetes Blog Week, let’s pretend a cure has been found. We are all given a tiny little pill to swallow and *poof* our pancreases are back in working order. No side effects. No more insulin resistance. No more diabetes. Tell us what your life is now like. Or take us through your first day celebrating life without the Big D. Blog about how you imagine you would feel if you no longer were a Person With Diabetes.

Wild card - Blood Sugar Nirvana or Moronic Moment. Blog about the time you ate a meal that tends to spike you to the moon, but your perfectly calculated and timed bolus kept your blood sugar happy. Or tell us about that time your brain had a little diabetes-blip and you did something you think is “stupid”. (Because chances are, we’ve done it too!!) Go ahead, brag about your triumph or commiserate about your d-blooper. 
The key to making Diabetes Blog Week a success is YOU!!  Leave me a comment and let me know you're in!  Or send me an email with your name and blog address.  (Also let me know via comments or emails if you have any questions.)  I'll compile a list of participants and link it here so our posts are easy to find.  Grab the banner (please don't hotlink though) and post about it on your blog to spread the word.  Tweet about it to your fellow D-OCers.  Together we can make Diabetes Blog Week a success!

91 comments:

  1. I am very very in with this :D

    Sam (www.talkingbloodglucose.com)

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  2. I haven't blogged in ages but I think I'd like to do this to get me back into it! What a great idea. :o)

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  3. Karen, this sounds like a great idea. It might make me blog a little more than I have recently. Thanks for the suggestion.

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  4. Of COURSE I am in. This is so cool! Love it. I'm in.

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  5. What a great idea! I'm in

    Adriana

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  6. I'm in! I love this idea.

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  7. This is rad! I'm going to do it, and I don't even really have a blog yet. Just the proverbial kick in the pants I've been waiting for!

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  8. I'm in. It'll be tough on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday because I'll be in NY (meeting you!!!! :P ), but I may just blog early and set them to post on their own. :) If nothing else, I'll at least be in through Thursday. :)
    I love your idea!

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  9. Jumping on the bandwagon as well...it's more fun to do something when the rest of the DOC is doing it too.

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  10. I don't usually blog about diabetes, but I think I'll participate! Great idea!
    http://laurennygard.blogspot.com/

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  11. I'm in! Its a great idea I'm hoping it'll help me blog more often and join the diabetes blog community. I'm looking forward to it.

    Thanks!

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  12. great idea. definitely in. seems like the writing's going to be the quick part...looks like I have A LOT of reading to look forward to!
    -sisiay
    http://www.dontfeardiabetes.com

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  13. This sounds like an awesome idea!

    I was planning a "Day in the Life" post, anyway, so that's perfect.

    I don't know if I'll make it every day, but I'll certainly try.

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  14. i'm definitely in!!

    clickofthelight.blogspot.com

    x

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  15. I'm in too Karen!! This is awesome!

    http://olivejooice.wordpress.com

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  16. I'm in for sure! Great idea!

    sarahbetes.blogspot.com

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  17. Wow, Karen! What can I say that hasn't already been said? You're brilliant girly! It's like a mini-NaBloPoMo for the DOC. Love, love, love it!

    In case you couldn't tell, I'm in!

    http://laynenp.blogspot.com/

    ~Layne

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  18. I'm in like Flynn!
    Kelly K

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  19. That's an awesome list of D-bloggers. I just checked them all out. I'll be a reader this time. Someone has to do it.

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  20. We are in at the DiabeticDuo
    www.thediabeticduo.com

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  21. Thanks for the kick in the pants, Karen. I really need to update the blog, but just haven't been feeling it. Just one small caveat...I'm going to need you to come up with blog topics AFTER next week too. Deal?

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  22. I'm in! www.cyntheuhh.wordpress.com
    -Cynthia

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  23. Sure! Sign me up! Also, you're a very clever gal :)

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  24. I'm in too. Some of those are pretty heavy topics!

    Thanks for organizing.

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  25. I already "signed up" on twitter, but I suppose I can officially do it here, too. Sounds like a great way to start off my D-blog. =)

    http://arnoldandme.blogspot.com

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  26. I want to do it too! Thanks for starting this Karen!!!

    Andrea S.

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  27. Great idea. Definitely count me in. Anytime I can get inspiration to blog, I am all in.

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  28. Count me in.

    www.mydiabeticheart.com

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  29. Me too! Me too! I wanna play!

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  30. Rock. On. Great idea! I'm so there.

    http://thecornerboothcc.blogspot.com/

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  31. I found you through Twitter! I'm IN!

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  32. What a great idea!! I'm in!

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  33. Count me in...

    http://strangelydiabetic.blogspot.com

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  34. I love this idea especially because of research I am doing with a student on why people write health blogs and what they benefits are to themselves and others (family and friends, healthcare professionals, or people with the same disease). I hope I can lurk here.

    I am also interested because another student and I submitted an entry to the DiabetesMine.com competition - Sukar Ala Sukar: A Website for Diabetes Education for Saudi Arabian and Middle Eastern Children, http://scr.bi/9aGeKY. We have a little in the proposal about social networking for support, but, reading this, I wonder if there can be benefits to asking children with diabetes to write blogs in a shared space. I would be very interested in people's insights on the potential benefits of blogs for children - and any examples if you have seen them on other sites.

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  35. Sorry, posting again. I'm in! I forgot to put the address in the last comment. :)
    www.sweet2thesoul.blogspot.com

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  36. I am not sure I can get the time to blog every day but I will give it a shot!
    www.iamyourpancreas.blogspot.com

    Jen

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  37. I'm in!

    www.type1diabetesblogger.blogspot.com

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  38. I'll do it! I love hearing others' stories.

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  39. Sounds great... I will give it a whirl :)

    mydiabeticchild.blogspot.com/

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  40. I'll try it out - but mostly I'll be excited to read everyone else's posts!

    whatadayitis dot blogspot dot com

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  41. I am so in. :)

    ourdiabeticlife.blogspot.com

    Thanks!

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  42. This sounds like fun. I would like to try!

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  43. Count me in!

    http://mrsharershollow.blogspot.com/

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  44. I've been meaning to start blogging about the role of diabetes in my life for some time but keep putting it off. Your "challenge" has given me kick I needed to get things going. I look forward to reading others' posts. I wonder if there is some way that they can all be collated?

    My new blog: TheDiabeticMan.blogspot.com

    niko

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  45. I'm in!!!

    betabuddies.blogspot.com

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  46. This Pregnant Type 1 Diabetic is in!


    www.rplahcinski.blogspot.com


    Rebeca

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  47. This sounds like a great idea... count me in!

    www.deathofapancreas.com

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  48. Thanks for the great idea! I'd love to participate. I just started my blog...ON THURSDAY. The timing couldn't be better.

    http://diabetesalmighty.blogspot.com/

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  49. I'm going to give it a good try!

    www.damdiabetes.blogspot.com

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  50. I'll do it! =]

    http://dandelionsdaisiesanddiabetes.blogspot.com/

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  51. I am DEFINITELY participating with this!



    Thanks for giving me something to blog about!

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  52. I would love to participate in Diabetes blog week and I think it is a great idea. I hope I can still participate even thought I'm a little late on signing up

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  53. This is a great idea! I sent your blog to my sister to give her ideas about what to write and what she can read from others during the week. Her 14 month old was diagnosed this Feb & she started a new blog- http://thenewnormallife.blogspot.com/

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  54. I just sent you and email, but I would love to be included. This is a really good idea.

    Thanks!

    2greeneyedgirls.blogspot.com

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  55. Karen! Look at this! I'm the SIXTY FOURTH commenter? Holy crap sister! WAY TO GO!!!!

    I'm in, for sure! I'm just glad I caught wind of this before it was too late!

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  56. Hope it's not too late to join in! :)

    http://neuroticcity.blogspot.com/

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  57. i'm in! just posted my first one now..

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  58. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  59. I'm in! My daughter has type I. Not sure I'll make it every day but I'll try. Thanks for hosting!

    Amy

    @ Tiny Blessings
    http://amy-tinyblessings.blogspot.com

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  60. Karen, I am in!

    Gina

    http://diabetestalkfest.com/blog/?p=286

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  61. This is a great idea! You can count me in also. My blog, Trials & Tribulations of Being a Type 1 Diabetic is at www.kellywpa.wordpress.com.

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  62. OK, I'm in. I don't usually blog every day, but I'll try.
    Jerry
    http://t1d-runner.blogspot.com

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  63. If you'll have me at this late stage, can I be in too?!

    Monique
    www.moniquehanley.com

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  64. I'm in too...just found out so hopefully I can get day one in!

    http://autoimmuneisland.blogspot.com

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  65. This is a great idea! I would like to participate. Thanks!

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  66. Alright Karen - I'm in - I was a week ahead when I said I was too late. So, I'll be preparing my bit everyday - since I've had no prep time (I blog best under pressure - just like studying for exams at school ).

    Here's the link for my Diabetes1.org blog -http://www.diabetes1.org/blogs/Annas_Blog/Day_1_A_day_in_the_life_with_diabetes

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  67. I'm in sounds like a wonderful week of blogging. I have been doing a very bad job in finding the time to blog lately and this is just what I needed....Thanks

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  68. I'm a little late to the game today, but I'm totally in! :)

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  69. Oh, I might be a little late, bit I think I'm going to have to join in!

    http://liliesandlions.blogspot.com/

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  70. I'm either a little late or right on time! I'm in, too! Nice because I've been blog brain dead. Thanks for some motivation. :))

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  71. This was so much fun! I really enjoyed reading all of today's posts...kind of reminded me that we're not alone in this.

    So weird how it all sounds normal!!!! Normal to balance, count, beep, check...So Amazing!

    Thanks :)

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  72. oops, forgot to put a link to my blog..

    www.semiorganizedchaos.wordpress.com

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  73. Hi Karen - well - seems Diabetes1.org isn't liked by Blogger - as my posts can't be reported in your "Recent Posts from Diabetes Blog Week Participants" - so will go this route for future postings for the remainder of the week. If you figure out the problem - let me know - I'm all ears.

    So, here again is my blog post for Monday, May 10th, 2010 - http://www.diabetes1.org/blogs/Annas_Blog/Day_1_A_day_in_the_life_with_diabetes

    Back to finishing up Day 2 - the terrible lows!

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  74. Day 2 - Making the Low Go - I rarely get low - but I do have memories of some of my fav "treats" when I was a wee little thing ...
    http://www.diabetes1.org/blogs/Annas_Blog/Day_2_Making_the_low_go

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  75. I'm going to try to do this. My daughter was just diagnosed 2 months ago and I have just began to blog as an outlet.

    My blog title is "A work in progress..." and it can be found at
    http://htimm.blogspot.com/

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  76. I'm a little late, but I'm jumping into the game. Over at http://wherecandyismedicine.blogspot.com/

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  77. Hey, I would love to join in Diabetes Blog Week. :]

    I know it's late, but I'll join!!!

    My Blog is:
    Insulin Pens Don't Have Ink
    find me here:
    http://donthaveink.blogspot.com/

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  78. This is great! I'd love to participate:
    My Blog is: How Sweet the Sting

    http://howsweetthesting.wordpress.com

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  79. Nice to have found your happy band and what a great idea :) (not many of us diabetic bloggers in the UK)

    Every Day Ups and Downs

    http://www.everydayupsanddowns.co.uk

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  80. Alright, I'm hopping on the Diabetes Blog Week bandwagon too. Better late than never, right? I hope I'm still welcome!

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  81. I'm in. Started Monday but forgot to announce it.

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  82. Late to the party (story of my life!) but ready to dance til dawn!

    My blog:
    sugarcheckmommy.blogspot.com

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  83. Brilliant web site, I hadn't noticed bittersweet-karen.blogspot.com before during my searches!
    Carry on the fantastic work!

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