Monday: I was able to volunteer at Independence Place. We made fairy night lights for them to sell at their spring craft fair. I can't tell you how much I love being with these very special people.
Tuesday: Nice day at home. Got some things I had been neglecting done.
Wednesday: I was kind of teed off all day Wednesday. I have class every Wednesday morning but Mom asked me to clean her freezer for her that afternoon. (She had put a 6 pack of glass bottles filled with seltzer water on the top shelf of her upright freezer , thinking it was the fridge I guess, which had burst showering the entire thing with glass shards and seltzer. She rarely uses the freezer so there is no telling how long it had been like that) Long story short, Mom takes naps every afternoon and if I waited until class was over she would be ready to sleep and it would mean I was cleaning her freezer at about 5. (You have to understand that cleaning it Wednesday was critical to her because that was an arbitrary day when she decided it needed to be done, even though she needed/wanted nothing that was in the freezer) So I skipped class which made me a tad unhappy, then I got to her house and she had started "cleaning" before I got there instead of waiting, creating more of a mess. It took me much longer than it should have because I had to clean things twice just to clean her "clean up" before I actually could clean the freezer. I guess the positive for the day is that the job is completed until the next incident. Another positive is just some laughs My Beloved Sister and I had over a bizarre question she asked me. Mom wanted to know why I was making candles in glass bottles and why I put them in her freezer?!?!?!?!
Thursday: Another day at Independence Place making Boho bags for them to sell in May. It is wonderful to have someone come up to me at the end of the day and tell me how much they love me. Like I have said before, it's a special place for very special people.
Friday: By 6 we were headed to the lake. Traffic was abysmal since schools were out and Spring Break was beginning. I think every school kid in Alabama was headed for the beach. Our normal 45 minute drive took nearly 2 hours, but it did give us a lot of time for conversation. Anyway who cared that it took so long because we were driving to the lake!
Saturday: Laura (Son2's very special friend) spent the night with us and I got to enjoy her company. It was really nice to have another female around.
Sunday: Did I mention this was a Mom free weekend. (Apologies to My Beloved Sister who had to pick up the slack )
I am sorry I am laughing, but I live your life.
ReplyDeleteI know you do so laugh away! I have to laugh or I will pull what little hair I have left outta my head!
DeleteI heard from a friend driving from Birmingham down here to Baldwin County that the traffic was really bad. I'm guessing the beaches are packed now. The weather is stellar too. Hope you enjoy(ed?) your lake time.
ReplyDeleteI am sure the beaches are jam packed. We knew when we left after 3 traffic would be horrid so it was really no big deal. It truly did take us well over an hour to drive about 25 interstate miles.
DeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteThat is the first sunshine I have seen today, and it just about knocked my eyes out. What I want to know is why DO you make candles in glass bottles and put them in the freezer? That must have been a nightmare to clean. I thought a Coke in a can was bad when it blew in the freezer. I now have a new image and a reason to be glad it was just an exploded can.
Well, I am sorry for your mother and the problems she visits on you and your sister. Thank goodness for a sister close by.
I am still trying to figure why/when and how I made those candles in the seltzer bottle. It was a funny thing to talk with My Beloved Sister about though.
DeleteYour response gave me a good loooong chuckle that continued on and off for at least ten minutes as I thought about it again.
DeleteWe are still laughing about it too, especially since I am not a candle maker at all.
DeleteHooray for the positives which keep us sane(ish). And hooray for having a sister to laugh with.
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how many times ish is the only thing keeping me from jumping off the metaphorical cliff.
DeleteWhat kind of a crazy person makes candles in glass bottles and puts them in her mother's freezer? Anne, you should be ashamed of yourself (I think Mom needs a full-time caregiver). My son's birthday cake is in the oven. I'll try to remember to take photos when I make the frosting and then I'll post my mom's recipe.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Thanks Janie! Our next step is to get Mom some in home care. She is going to be griping and fighting all the way.
DeleteAnne,
DeleteI don't believe in threatening an older person, but maybe the mention of a nursing home or some other facility might keep her cooperative and less gripe-y. Maybe if you give her the choice of a person or moving elsewhere, she might see the wisdom of in-home care.
Mom does not like change (nothing new, it is the way she has always been) so any change is going to be unpleasant.
DeleteThe recipe for the chocolate frosting is up on my blog.
DeleteLove,
Janie
Thanks Janie!
DeleteI like how you can be positive. My parents did some odd/said off things later in life as well. I sense my mother in law is going to be difficult. She already at 76 needs things "just so" and for incomprehensible reasons.
ReplyDeleteI know everyone has their own peccadillos that the world overlooks, but Mom seems to be a little more rigid than most. I wish you much luck!
ReplyDeleteMy parents became like that as they aged too, AND my brother who was living at home with them. Maybe it is a sign of old age and we will all get like that too. I sincerely hope not but I don't know that we have much say in the matter. It's good that you can share your trials and tribulations with your sister though. Anna
ReplyDeleteI think it just happens as we age, and I am so happy for My Beloved Sister so that I can laugh with her through our mutual frustrations
DeleteFor what it's worth, I wouldn't "threaten" your mom with a nursing home to convince her to accept in home care. A nursing home may be coming soon enough any way.
ReplyDeleteI will not threaten her at all. We are in the process of having to make some decisions she will not like, but some changes are on the way one way or another.
DeleteIn no way was I implying you should threaten her! My neighbor did not like what her daughter was suggesting, so the daughter said it was going to be one of two ways. My neighbor chose the lesser evil to her, exactly what the daughter suggested.
DeleteI understood it like that Linda. It is such a difficult phase. Mom still wants to be the mother and life has changed so drastically for her that she just can't be/do what she used to.
DeleteI am sorry you had to miss your class and clean up a mess on top of it! But that's what you get for making candles in seltzer bottles and putting them in the freezer! (((HUGS))) May I ask you a question? Is it not possible for your sister to be the one to respond to your mom's needs on the days when you have a class?
ReplyDeleteMy mother had the beginning stages of dementia - there were times when she didn't know me, times when she'd call me at the office and claim that the faucet came on automatically and she couldn't turn it off, or call me to say that the cleaning lady (me!) didn't come to clean the house that day, etc. They were trying times, to say the least.