The Life and Times of a Crazy Single Mom

The Pup Count

2007-09-24T21:42:00.000-04:00

We went to the vet today, and the official pup count is in. Remember when I said small dogs usually only have 2 to 3 pups for there first litter? Well, there are not 2 pups. There are not 3 pups. There are definately 4 pups with the possibility of 2 more, that couldn't be seen well on the x-ray making a grand total of pups due....6! 6!!!!!!!!! I mean wow, she isn't a big dog. She did mate with a Yorkie, who was smaller than her...so....
I just want healthy puppies. I have homes for 3 of them.....anyone want a pup???

Dogs and Puppies

2007-09-21T07:35:00.000-04:00

Our dog is pregnant. In fact, she is VERY pregnant and due the beginning of October. She's a little miniature Schnauzer, and awfully cute. My roommates mom is a very good friend of mine, and fell in love with our dog, and that is very fitting because it's because she had a Miniature Schnauzer that I fell in love with the breed. She had one, and he was the best dog, who unfortunately passed away after a very long good life. Then my landlords sister, knowing we wanted a dog, said she had a patient (she's a visiting nurse) who couldn't take care of her dog anymore and did I want it. I of course, with very little encouragement, said yes. Imagine my surprise when I found out she was a pure breed Miniature Schnauzer! Anyway, onto the pregnancy. Oliquig's mom was hinting around that she would love a puppy or two from our dog, and after a while, especially after she said she would foot the vet bills for the pregnancy, I said that would be great! My landlords sister had a very willing Yorkshire Terrier, and here my dog is, pregnant! She's going to have Schnorkies, and actually if you do a web search, you can find out what they look like, there actually is such a thing! Princess cannot WAIT until the puppies come, I keep telling her we are NOT keeping any hee! Being a small breed, she should only have two to three pups, and all are spoken for. Two to my roomie's mom, and one to my landlords sister with the very willing Yorkie. On Monday I find out how many she is carrying, and you can bet that when they are here, I WILL post pics! Have a great weekend everyone, I go to see my parents this weekend, always a good thing and yet hard, as you can tell from my last post. In celebration of my dog's impending motherhood, I posted a pic of Princess when she was first born, seems like only yesterday but wow it has been 6 years!

My Dad

2007-09-13T23:36:00.000-04:00

My Dad's Birthday is on Tuesday, he'll be 85. He has Kidney disease, and has been on dialysis since the beginning of the year. I read back in my blog to last Christmas, and saw how we were all hopeful that the dialysis would give him a quality of life , at least to some extent. It has not. Instead, we've watched him decline slowly and in degrees. He's in a nursing home now, because my 79 year old mother can't take care of him. He has no control over his bladder, he can't walk, and his mind is starting to wander. This was the man who would not "let" me win when he taught me how to play cards, which made the victory that much sweeter when I finally won a game on my own. He helped me with math when I was a young girl because I had trouble back then. He would use flash cards with me and tell me that I could do it, he knew I could because I was smart. Now when I go visit him, I tell him dad you can do it, just one foot down on the ground and you can get into your wheelchair. He calls my daughter by my name at times because he gets confused. This strapping man is down to about 120 pounds, and each time I see him he seems a bit more faded, a bit more tired. There are days he can't talk above a whisper, because he has no energy even for that. A few weeks ago, his doctor sat him down and told him that the dialysis was not doing what they had hoped it would, and that he wasn't sure how much more it could do for him other than clean his blood to keep him alive. His Minister of the church he goes to has been talking to him about letting go, and he has listened. He recalls when his mother was ill and how she chose to die at home with family around her, she did not choose to linger in a half-life state. Some days he thinks he will make the decision to end the treatment soon, and some days he thinks that just one more day, and he will be able to do more and walk with only a cane. When he does make the decision to go peacefully into that long dark night, and he stops the dialysis, it will be a matter of about a week, and he'll be gone. I love my father. I carry the memories of a million little things that make him "dad" to me. I have pictures of him in healthier days with Princess, both with irrepressible grins on their faces. Princess knows that grandpa is dying, and she deals with this grief in little bits, as only a 6 year old can. I deal with it in huge chunks, because I truly know what this means. When he does make the decision, I'll be there, as he goes into Hospice care. I'll tell him how much I love him, and tell him that he will never ever be forgotten. I'll tell him it's okay to let go. But what I want to do is run up to him and leap into his arms and have my big strong dad again. I worry about my mom. I worry about a lot of things. But most of all I love my dad, and I can let go too if I have to. But never let go of how much I love him.

Back....yet again!

2007-09-10T14:30:00.000-04:00

Well hello, I have been gone so long, and haven't been by to see any of you at all! Life has been ineteresting here, and when I have more time, I will certainly go into details. Here is a new pic of Princess, how she has grown!! Now missing a tooth and in first grade! Our dog is now pregnant, so puppies will be here in short order. Now I go to pick up Princess, see you all soon!

What The???? Revisited

2007-01-24T22:21:00.000-05:00

So the last time I blogged I was marvelling at the warmth of the day, this week, on Friday, the high is supposed to be 14!!! With a wind chill factor of 20 below!!!! Again...What the????? Oh well :-)

What the???

2007-01-06T13:06:00.000-05:00

I just went for a walk with my daughter and my dog. I live in the Northeast, and today, in January, it's close to 70!! This is very strange! While I am enjoying not having to layer up, I must say that this is not good, not for health, not for the trees, and not for the animals. They're all confused, trees are budding now. El Nino, you tricky thing you! Oh well, back outside I go to enjoy spring....er...I mean winter hee!!! Oh...and here is a pic of my budding rock star on Christmas, how cool is she :-) !

Happy New Year 2006

2006-12-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

So the Holidays have come and soon will be gone. This year has been interesting to say the least. It started rough, as we just moved in November and by January were not well set in at all. I felt that I was playing catch up all the time. My dad has been diagnosed with Kidney disease, and has been in denial about it for most of the year. He went into the hospital yesterday for his first dialysis treatment, no more denial dad, this is your life. He's in good spirits, and we hope that this will give him some quality of life back, so pray for us. My brother who is mentally ill has had a really good year, and he seems to have found a good place in his life. Then there is Princess, who has just turned 6, and is growing and learning at an alarming rate. She isn't supposed to be this grown up yet! She now sounds out every word that she sees, most times quite successfully. I went a little crazy with her gifts this year, but however rough this year started, it ended with me financially well off for a change. She has a kind heart, so I don't think one year of excess is going to warp her. I have much to be thankful for at the end of this year, Princess, my dad doing well at least for now, the rest of my family, and my friends who are as close as a family. So tomorrow we will celebrate, some of us with bittersweet memories of the past year, and some of us with a little bit of sorrow, but all of us with the knowledge that we are surrounded by those we love. Petty differences aside, we all accept each other, warts and all. And really, who could ask for more than people who know you at your best and your worst, and STILL like you!! Happy New Year everyone, celebrate safely, and celebrate with those you love. The new year is filled with promise!

Pictures Finally!!!

2006-11-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

Princess at Pumpkintown, I haven't been able for some reason to upload photos to blogger for a while, so here are quite a few of them!

Princess and friends at said Pumpkintown.

At the Science museum in Boston

The whole family at Dad's 85th Birthday party.

First day of school, she looks so grown up!

The end of the first day of school, she's all smiles!

Hope you enjoy all these pics :-)

The Good candy, The Bad bug, and The Ugly side of mothering

2006-11-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

The stomach bug made a visit to our house. Wednesday morning, Princess woke up saying "Mama my belly hurts". I, being the ever sympathetic mom, told her "it's because you ate too much candy last night, your going to school"! I started to realize this was not just an attempt to stay home when she refused to eat breakfast, Princesses favorite meal of the day. I started to wonder if perhaps I should have treated her a bit nicer, when she threw up on my kitchen floor. Don't you hate when you just assume your child is faking it?? In my defense, Princess is a VERY dramatic child, so it's hard to tell what is real and what is acting. I mean this kid could win an academy award with some of the things she has done! On the good side, Halloween was fun, this neighborhood is chock full of kids, so many houses were well stocked for the trick or treaters. Princess got quite the haul! Which she has had no interest in since Wednesday, probably because her mom told her that her belly hurt because she ate too much candy! Oh well. Candy is not an essential part of a child's nutritional needs. Eventually she will realize that the creamy chocolate goodness that is candy bars is worth another look. Today we are off to see The Santa Claus 3. Believe it or not, I really want to see this movie, which tells you I have been to way too many kids movies, as I actually look forward to them more than grown up movies, probably because I know more about them at this point! Anyway, have a nice relaxing Sunday everyone, I sure will!

Kindergarten Woes

2006-10-25T20:42:00.000-04:00

So lately, Princess has had a few issues in school. The teacher took me aside and told me that Princess was not listening, talking when she shouldn't, and wasn't keeping her hands to herself. This led to a discussion between Princess and myself on how I raised her with better manners than that and that she should be more attentive and nicer in school, and most of all listen to the teacher. Her behavior has improved some with some days of not so good behavior. I love the fact that she is of the age where she still tells me when she didn't have a good day behavior wise. I know that someday that will stop. That said, she came home yesterday from school after having a school trip to a local farm and told me she had been in time out that day. I asked her why, she told me " I pulled D's hair". When I asked her why, this is what she said:
"I was on the bus and K was talking to me and D wanted to talk to me but I couldn't ignore K so D yelled at me then later I was talking to Z and D wanted to talk to me again and I couldn't ignore Z so D yelled at me again, then later I was ready to talk to D but she was mad at me so I pulled her hair."
This I am SURE makes sense in a kindergarten way hee! I had to work hard not to laugh and ruin the whole stern parent thing. I then told her that if she did mean things to other kids she would soon have no friends, to which she wailed "I have no friends!", yeah, ok. Because people with no friends have two friends sleep over the weekend and go to Pumpkintown with them and meet up with other friends, and have two other friends who have already called dibs on the next sleepover, not to mention the whole D, K, and Z thing lol!!!
The world seen through kindergarten eyes is rich, a little frustrating, and full of learning. God I love these days, even when I have to be the stern parent!!

Life is so sweet sometimes!

2006-10-22T18:43:00.000-04:00

Today was one of those memorable Fall days when you look back in say, the dead of Winter, and go "remember that perfect fall day?", you can't ask for better! It actually started yesterday with Princess testing for her Green Belt in Tae Kwon Do, (she got it be the way) then when we came home, her two friends came over to play and stayed the night. So this morning I woke up to a gaggle of girls all raring to go. We added a few more mommies and there kids, and off we went to Pumpkintown USA which is a fun place for kids of all ages. They only charge a few bucks to go through it, more to cover their cost of running it, and once there the kids can go through and see pumpkin people and pumpkin buildings, plus various other activities. The kids went wild! They had a ball, and we mothers had a ball watching them. The sun was out this morning, the trees were at their absolute best, and not one of the children melted down at all. The mothers got to chit chat and the kids got to run around like wild things. Who could ask for more? We got hungry and went up to where they were selling hotdogs, cider both hot and cold, apples coated with all sorts of yummy things, and popcorn, and a few other things I can't remember. None of the food was overpriced and it was delicious! Can someone tell me why hotdogs eaten outside on a Fall day taste close to heaven?!? The only time they come close is when you cook them on the grill in the summer and eat them outside. We then went back into Pumpkintown, and did it all over again! The air started to get more chilled and the clouds started to roll in, and the kids were all looking a bit peaky, so we all said our goodbyes and left. We came home, Princess and I, to a house that smelled wonderful as I started a pot roast in the crock pot this morning, dinner and now we are winding down toward bedtime. We're tired, but in that satisfied "boy did we have fun" kind of way. There are days that you know you'll remember when the kids are grown and this is one of them. I hope all of you have these memories to cherish, they make life worth living!

October Blue....Skies That Is!

2006-10-09T20:33:00.000-04:00

I seem to find less and less time to blog lately, I apologise to those who actually read me. It has been an adjustment for me as well as Princess, this whole getting up early and getting to school. I must say she has adjusted better than I have! I am NOT, and never will be, a morning person hee! Mom and Dad visited this weekend, and we had a blast! It was certainly a beautiful weekend, it couldn't have been more perfect for Columbus day weekend. The weather was almost summer like, and the trees are starting to put on a show that can take your breath away. We headed for Kent Falls, a state park high in the Litchfield Hills of CT. It was a wonderful ride, down back roads (there actually is no major highway to take you up there) past beautiful streams and rivers, farms and fields. Mom and Dad enjoyed the ride, and even Princess kept her spirits up, considering riding in a car is not the most fun thing for 5 year olds to do! We got to the park, and it was beautiful! The falls, the picnic area, the hiking trails (straight UP might I add!) and the black flies. OK everything was beautiful except the black flies, I could have done without them! We had a picnic and then walked up to the falls and up the trails. Well folks, I am not a small woman, and let me tell you, going up the side of that fall dang near killed me hee!!! There goes Princess like a mountain goat, and there is me behind her, "pant....pant.... go ahead Princess......Mommie.....pant....will be right.....there.....pant!" I made it up three quarters of the way, I am pretty proud of myself!!! I hope to be less weight next year, and I WILL make it to the top then!! I have no idea what's up there, probably nothing, but there I will go!! All in all one of the best days I have had! Happy Fall everyone, may everyone make it to the top of the hill!!!!

School Days and Tears

2006-09-17T20:47:00.000-04:00

September is here, ok so I missed blogging about the first day of school, but I have been so very busy! Getting up earlier to make sure Princess is on time to school is new for me, and morning is not my strong suit hee! That morning, we woke up, and Princess was so very excited and asked to get dressed right away for her first day. So off we go to get dressed and have breakfast. I put on her back pack, packed with a snack and her notebook and pens and pencils, and went to the neighbors, who has a child in first grade. We walk down together as we live about 5 minutes walking distance from the school. Both Princess and friend were excited for the first day. We parents walked behind as the two girls walked in front of us, chatting as they walked. Princess looked so very grown up, I found myself getting very teary. Where did my baby go!! Who is this child, so grown up, so beautiful and confident! Will she still need me? All these thoughts went through my head. I know that as a single mom Princess has been in full day daycare since she was 7 weeks old, I know she has been in pre-school. But none of those things involved this child who is no longer a baby, who is my very big girl!! Kindergarten represents such a new time in her life and in mine. That first day ended for Princess as exciting as it began. She came home full of stories of her day and her teacher and the new kids she met. I breathed a sigh of relief, she still tells me everything! Each day, is the same, she comes home and tells me about her day. I can get used to this, I have years before she stops talking to me. I watch her everyday with eyes aglow over her new experiences. I have pictures of baby Princess, in front of me is my big girl. I am so very proud of her!!!!

Summer, An End And A Beginning

2006-08-14T08:19:00.000-04:00

One of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen this Summer
Same as above.

I love Summer. Sure, there are days that are too hot and too humid, and this year we have had way too many of them. But the days are longer, there is always something fun to do. The beach, picnics, barbecue, any and all outdoor activities, visits with friends, and so much more. At this time of year, close to the end of the summer, I find myself with so many feelings swirling around inside of me. I love Autumn too, so I find myself looking forward to it, with all its fairs, beautiful trees, and cool days. I love the smell of the air at that time. But I also find myself mourning the loss of the longer days and all the summer time fun. I also start to think of new beginnings, this year is a big one, Princess starts Kindergarten! I also think of endings. I can feel blue and happy at the same time. I tend to cram as much activities in a day as I can, knowing that soon there will be fewer opportunties. I don't know if anyone else knows what I'm talking about, this feeling inside. It is unique to this time of year for me. So I will take every day and make it one more special day of the Summer, mourn the losing of the long days, and look forward to Autumn with all it holds, all at once. Happy-sad. That describes it.

Sadie Comes To Stay

2006-08-01T16:21:00.000-04:00

For the longest time, Princess has been asking for a dog. I love dogs, I was just wondering about time, and how were we going to make sure it got taken out enough, etc etc. Basically, I was putting off the inevitable. I had finally decided that in about a year, we would get one. My next door neighbor is a visiting nurse, and she knew about the dog situation. She came home the other day saying that one of her patients was ill and had a small dog that needed taking care of. Half poodle and half terrier. I said ok let's see if it is good with children. She came to visit, and never left. She is wonderful with children! She has the sweetest personality, and when the mats that my neighbor had to cut out are gone, she'll look beautiful . Her name was Shadow, but none of us liked that, and she ended up as Sadie Sunshine. Princess named her. I can't believe how much I already love her, she has come into our lives so easily, as if she knew that this is where she belonged. As you can see by the pic, Princess is so happy! So welcome Sadie, we didn't even know we missed you until we had you!

2006-07-24T18:21:00.000-04:00

Walking the tide pools

Sand art

On the way to Prudence Island

At the sailing lessons watching the cousins dog

Just one of the spectacular sunsets!!!

Here are some pics of Prudence Island. Below is the post about my vacation, enjoy :-)

Prudence Island, a timeless vacation!

2006-07-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

Well I'm back, this is the first time I've had time to post since my vacation....Ok that's not entirely true, this is the first time I've had the energy to blog. It is NOT easy to get back in the swing of things when you've been on an island where time seems to flow differently! We would get up when we wanted and go to bed later than normal, because the days seemed to fly and before we knew it, it was after 8 at night. Most nights we didn't eat before 9, and even the kids seemed to realize that this was a different world. During the day there was swimming and sand art, sailing lessons and catching of crabs and mussels. There is nothing better than gathering mussels during low tide then cooking them up right after, so fresh and delicious! The crabs were not the eating type, but they were the gathering type, we went after them to see how many we could catch before letting them go. I even caught some, just to prove to my nephew that I was NOT too girly to catch them! In hindsight I wish I had just let him laugh at me, a crab pinched me and it hurt hee! On cloudy days (we had a few but no rain thank goodness) we hiked around the island and took pictures of the "haunted house", a very old abandoned house. I don't know if any of you truly believe in hauntings, I do, and I can honestly say there was nothing hostile around that house, but the kids got a kick out of knocking on the door to wake up the "ghosts". Those cloudy days were nice, the deer came out then, so we got to see many of them, something Princess couldn't get enough of. The sunsets were breathtaking, and the kids even went evening swimming in their clothes, something every kid should do at least once! At night you could sit on the porch and watch the bats go after the bugs. I cheered them on as they decreased the mosquito population! It was a vacation I truly did not want to end, but as with all good times, it finally came to an end, and we were both sad to leave. Oh well, it just makes the memories sweeter and the anticipation of another time at Prudence Island something to treasure. Now...Back to the real world!!!

Vacation Away!!!!

2006-07-07T22:42:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I leave for vacation, so I will talk to you all in a week :-)
I can't WAIT to plop down on the beach hee!!!

Happy 4th!!!

2006-07-03T08:48:00.000-04:00

Nothing is as good as a day at the beach, or so Princess thinks :-)
Waiting for the fireworks, anticipation brightening her eyes.
Finally, here they are!!!

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope everyone's weekend is going as well as mine. Yesterday we went to the beach, and surprisingly, there was no traffic on any of the highways we took to get there! I kind of felt like I was in the twilight zone because one of those highways usually has lots of traffic! We got to the beach, and there were people there, but not as many as I thought there would be. The water was wondrful, and we had a blast! The day before that, Princess and I went to a house party, because the house is really close to where our town does the fireworks. It was nice to be at a house party and not in the throngs of revellers I am sure were actually at the site. The fireworks were spectacular, and Princess was literally the life of the party. She just passed her orange belt testing in Tae Kwon Do, and would do all her moves on demand. She danced the night away, and we didn't get home until about 11 that night, and she was in a good mood, which is NOT usual when she is up so late. Tonight I have a barbecue planned for friends and we'll light up some of our own fireworks. Tomorrow, the actual 4th, we really don't have anything planned but going to a friends pool. All in all, a relaxing, wonderful, happy weekend. I love those! Above are a few pics for you!

Ah the sweet sweet summertime starts!

2006-06-20T22:02:00.000-04:00

I had a wonderful weekend! I went to visit bro and sis in law and their kids, and let me tell you, we had a blast!! They have a new pool, which I made good use of this weekend, as did Princess. I don't think we got to bed before 10 at night (hey that is late for me now hee!) which did make Princess a bit of a bear when she woke up. But she was able to pull it together each day and have a good time. My last post spoke of the crazy people in my life, well I also have wonderful people in my life too, which my brother his wife and kids are part of. I know that whatever happens, they have my back, as I have theirs. Roomie is another good one in my life, she is always there as are other good friends I have. So in between the soap opera which surrounds me, I also have those that stabilize me. I often think you have to have the weirdness because without it you wouldn't recognize the good. Here are some pics of the weekend, enjoy!

Here is the great Mentos and diet coke experiment, 4 mentos and a 2 liter diet coke, and you get instantaneous flume o' coke in the air! So cool! If you want to see more of the diet coke and mentos thing, go here.

Princess enjoying Auntie's pool!

Princess and the pre-school graduating class of 2006!

What is summer without a little watermelon?

Princess and a buddy from Taekwondo.

Life is a soap opera, or is that soap bubble!

2006-06-12T14:49:00.000-04:00

Ever have some people in your life you just wonder about? I have a few of them let me tell you! I have a good friend who used to live above me in my old house, I think I have written about her and her husband, the alcoholic. Well they're still trying to make it, and have started marriage counselling. But before that happened, good friend (We'll call her goodf from now on) started hanging out with another friend (we'll call her messed up or ms for now) who has a tendency to fall out of your life and back into it whenever it suits her. This is fine if it's just you, but when there are kids involved too, well kids wonder why ms and her kids are now no longer in the picture anymore. I stopped seeing her after her last episode, because Princess was feeling a bit sad that she didn't see ms's kids anymore. So, since I can't change ms's behavior, I chose to absent myself from her life early enough that Princess would not remember the hurt. It's not like you can get in touch with her when she disappears as half the time her phone isn't working. So there you are. Anyway, I digress. Goodf and ms have started hanging again. Now goodf, when her life is shit, tends to try to soothe it by doing things that make her forget how painful her life is, like going out every single weekend with ms and staying out all night. This might work when you are younger and single, but when you're married and have a child, this tends to make things worse as far as your relationship goes. Ms thinks nothing of this, as she pretty much does what she wants and no matter what her husband and kids need. Goodf's husband though, he gets bent out of shape. And even though he is an alcoholic, I have to side with him on this one, goodf needs to work things out at home if she wants to save her marriage, or she needs to get a divorce if she thinks it isn't gonna work. But to go out with ms every weekend and when she is out with her to see HER EX BOYFRIEND WHOM SHE ALMOST MARRIED when she is out, WRONG WRONG WRONG!! But you see ms is good and convincing people to do what they know is wrong. On top of that, ms had the nerve to have goodf ask me to do her hair for a pageant (yep she AND her daughter do beauty pageants, no offense to those who do them, but why not teach your impressionable 4 year old that looks are the ONLY things that is important, my god) when she hasn't bothered to pick up the phone and call me in over a year. Then today, I get an email inviting me to her daughters (the beauty queen) birthday party next weekend. Not going needless to say. I want positive people in my life and in my daughters. Not those who bring discord with them all the time. I live in a soap opera, and I'm the sane one, which isn't really saying much!!!

Check It Out

2006-05-25T23:02:00.000-04:00

Have you guys ever checked out greatschools.org? It's a very informative site that lets you see where your child's school stands in many different aspects. Check it out, I did and feel better about where my child will start Kindergarten. The test scores are slightly low in this school, but the feedback from parents was for the most part positive. Soon we'll have kindergarten orientation, and then.....The world opens up for Princess, what a wonderful time in her life!!

What a Wonderful World!!!!

2006-05-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there, and to you "mister" moms too!! I hope your day was as wonderful as mine was. Princess presented me with a picture she drew of me in a field of flowers, a butterfly with her handprints as wings, and a wooden butterfly that she painted at an arts and crafts store that my roomie took her to, pictures above. On top of that, roomie made me a delicious breakfast with the help of Princess, then I went out with a whole bunch of mommies to a wonderful buffet dinner at a restaurant called Adams Mill. All in all, I felt loved and so happy that I was blessed to be a mom. I called my mom (who was supposed to be at my brothers house but because of the rain did not go, I will visit her soon) and had a wonderful talk with her. On this day of all days we are equals, a nice place to be with her. I ended the day with a trip to Target, how much better can a day get??? I hope all of you are as blessed with friends, relatives, and a child (or more) who think you are the center of the world, at least for one day :-)

Easter and family. Both wonderful.

2006-04-25T20:59:00.000-04:00

Spring here, things are blooming, including my mood, I seem to be in a much better one. I had my whole family and then some to my house for Easter, it was wonderful. My dad has kidney disease, and is close to needing dialysis. He has good days and bad days, and lately the bad days have outnumbered the good. Three days before Easter Mom was certain they wouldn't make it. Dad had some bad times, and was very week. He had wet the bed and she called me as she was cleaning the sheets. My mom is hard to deal with in the best of times, and my dads sickness has not brought out the best in her. She has never been a care giver, not even to her own children, so being one to her spouse is not natural to her. That said, I felt very sorry for her. Dad is rather oblivious to what is going on, his mind is not as sharp as it used to be, and he is the eternal optimist. It's mom who faces the reality of having her husband die. She wasn't sure dad would be strong enough, and was not wanting to drive up for Easter as she felt that her nerves couldn't handle it. Underneath it all, I could sense a fear, one so great it overwhelmed her. Her husband, her life mate, her rock, her right hand, is sick and no one can tell her if he has a few months or a few years. This on top of being a woman who would have been better suited to a career than she ever was as a home maker. Don't get me wrong, she cooks like a chef, kept a house that could have been in Better Homes and Gardens, threw the right parties, knew the right people, but none of it made her truly happy, because she was born in a generation that told women that they couldn't have both a home and a career, however hard that is.
Well, this post is not about Mom, it's about Easter. When mom told me they couldn't come up, I told her I understood and whatever she felt she could do was ok. Then I thought about it, well as far as driving is concerned, I could go pick them up from the ferry dock, if dad was week we could help him up the stairs and even give him a tray in the bedroom, at least family could go see him up there and he them. As far as him getting sick while up here, well my sister in law is a nurse and could certainly keep him together to get him to the hospital. I told her all this, and she started to cry. Which made me cry. The long and the short of it, I picked them up from the ferry dock, dad was in such good spirits he ate like a champ, and even smiled through the fatigue that hit him after supper. This was a tonic that both mom and dad needed right now, and I am SO glad they came. At this point, I take no family get togethers for granted, because I don't know how many more of them we have with all the family here. I cherish them. This summer, if all goes well, I'll have a get together for the whole family again, a big old barbecue in the back yard. I plan for the get togethers even though I know this may not happen, especially when dialysis starts. But if I stop planning, I feel like that's giving up on dad, and I won't do that.
Don't miss any opportunity to see your family. As much as they anger you, and piss you off, or make you cry, because you will miss them when they're gone.
Not so upbeat huh, but if you look close, you will see a lot of love and joy in this post. Just look real close.

Mom's house is FULL of surprises!

2006-03-23T21:57:00.000-05:00

Hi, it's me :-) I know I know, I am NOT a good blogger, as I tend to go away for a long while and then come back. Part of that is sheer laziness, and part of that is that big ol winter doldrums syndrome. I know I talked about that before. Also another part of it was a cold from HELL that would NOT let me go!! I still have a rough voice from it, it lasted over two weeks!!!
Anyway....
I went home to Long Island this past weekend to see my folks. Dad is not doing so well, he has kidney disease and will need dialysis at some point, but for now he's holding his own. I was supposed to go see them weeks ago, but then the cold from hell hit, and that was that. The last thing dad needs is me getting him sick with something that may not be gotten rid of easily, especially with is weakened immune system. He looked great though.
We got there Saturday, Princess was so excited and told a friend of mine that her Grammy and Grampy were the best ever. We spent a pleasant evening, even went to the mall with my brother. Princess has discovered the joys of Starbucks hot chocolate. Have any of you had it? It is to DIE for!!! They make it with real melted chocolate and steamed milk! I think that is one thing that will be special at Grammy's house only or with her Auntie, because getting my kid hooked on Starbucks at her age leads me to think of years of expense hee!
The next morning, we got up and Princess wanted Cheerios for breakfast, so I as a good mommy went and poured her some, not really paying attention, when I heard and felt a "plop" fall out of the box. I looked, and IT WAS A DEAD MOUSE PEOPLE!!! I screamed, mom thought I was hurt and was trying to figure out what happened, dad was concerned, and so was Princess. I finally was able to say "there's a dead mouse in the cereal box!", which made mom, dad, and daughter laugh at me hysterically! Mom said "Well we've been trying to catch that mouse for weeks, then a few days ago we saw no sign of it, I guess it crawled in the cereal box" Which I replied " NO REALLY?!?!? " It was pretty funny! My mom and dads house it old and surrounded by nature, and sometimes those field mice start to think it might be good to come in where the food is bountiful. Princess then had to call all of my friends and Roomie to tell them about the Mouse Incident!
Anyway, there is never a dull moment at moms house let me tell you!!
So how was YOUR weekend???