Hello friends. I'm back home today after spending five days at my brother's house in NJ helping with my mama. My sister and brother-in-law (my mom lives with them) had the opportunity to take a big wonderful trip, some of it work related for my brother-in-law, and I hope they enjoyed every minute. We had my mom spend that time they were away at my brother's house.
Caregiving is not easy and my sister and her family do so much on the daily for my mom. I'm thankful my siblings and I are a team as we try to make the best decisions we can for her. The 9th decade of life comes with some hard things and we want to treat her with the same sort of tlc she has given to us all our lives.
While at my brother's I decided to try and meet Kym's everyday image photo prompt challenge. I spent a lot of time in the house sitting and commenting on the Olympics with my mom, coloring, reading, and thankfully getting out for a walk every day too.
It was gray. Every single day. Gloomy gray. Not raining, but not a full minute of sunshine either. As a result most of these pics are gray too. Here are the most recent prompts, some of which required me to get a little bit creative-
middle-at work-shadow-weathered-pink-current project (quarterly)-sweet
middle-my brother lives on a river and there are a lot of ducks and geese wandering the neighborhood. Some are swimming, some are sitting on the frozen water, and some are moseying down the middle of the street like they own the place.
at work-tree trimmers were at work removing branches from power lines in the area. This guy gave me a peace sign when I went by, but I missed catching it with my camera. Story of my life.
shadow-honestly this was the hardest of all the prompts because the sun was out for approximately 3.4 seconds while I was in town. It was gray gray gray all day every day, so you have to look hard to see my shadow in this one.
weathered-a tough one. How about the great outdoors? It's looking a little rough after weeks of snow on the ground.
pink-my sister-in-law has quite the green thumb and the most robust Christmas cactus I think I've ever seen. It's just about finished blooming, but still has a touch of pink showing.
Note to file: get a Christmas cactus
current project-my mom enjoys coloring so we did a lot of that while watching a lot of Olympic coverage. Pretty sure I could give commentary now on curling, women's slopestyle snowboarding, and the Nordic combined.
sweet-my brother and sister-in-law are big on healthy eating and exercise so while sweets are not banned, they're not available 24/7 like some places I know. ahem. This is a good thing, right? Every afternoon about 3 PM my brother made my mom and I a cup of tea and there was always a little cookie to go with.
My mama loves sweets so we had small desserts a couple of nights. A brownie bite and a spoonful of ice cream were the perfect combination.
I've spent a lot of time thinking this week about how lucky we are to have in-laws in our family who love our mom and are willing to do whatever needs doing to make her feel safe and comfortable. What a gift.
My husband likes to say it's "cloudy and gray 'til May"... because it usually is. But as long as snow isn't falling I try not to complain too much. You did great with the prompts! I definitely recommend getting a Christmas cactus; I have 3 and I love them. They're easy to care for and mine actually bloom a couple of times a year.
ReplyDeleteI know it has to be hard, being a caregiver for an elderly parent. I've not been to that phase yet; my dad was still married when he passed away, and though he had dementia, his wife was able to still handle him being at home. Growing older is such a beautiful and sad thing, right? I love that your mom colors! That's such a great way to keep her brain engaged.
ReplyDeleteWhat a special week to spend with your mom. Your brother and his wife are angels too -glad she is so taken care of!
ReplyDeleteI can relate to the caregiving as my dad struggles to care for my mom. It was so nice of you to go out there so your family could travel. I enjoyed your photos, the geese are funny!
ReplyDeleteMy little Christmas cactus is very droopy and I can't figure out what's wrong with it!
ReplyDeleteGreat work in getting the photos for the prompts! It truly is a blessing to have so many hands to help out with your dear mom. God bless your sister and brother in law and all of you for your care. Love the geese in the 'middle' of the road. :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like everyone was happy, your sister and brother in law had chance to take that trip and have a break and you got to spend time with your mom!
ReplyDeleteThose geese look like they have the run of the town and it did make me smile. It looks like you had the same weather we've had here for the last month and a half. I want some sunshine which lasts more than an hour at a time. Yum to the sweet treats!
Growing up in Ohio, I do remember how dark and gray winters can be. I used to say we had two weeks of summer weather at the beginning of August. Period. I much prefer the nearly constant sunshine in Florida. I have a coloring app on my phone and I usually color one picture a day. It is so relaxing. Kudos for your mom finding the same with her pictures and colored pencils! She is blessed with caring children and you are all blessed to still have her in your lives (I know you know that). I lost my mom to cancer when she was just 65. I didn't have the privilege of caring for her in her later years. That said, welcome home. I'm sure you were missed by everyone at the lake!! Thanks for catching us up!! xo
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I could live somewhere that was gray a lot. I don't do well without some sunshine. You know we've just lived through 3+ years of taking care of Mark's mom (she was in her late 90's when she passed in 2024) and then Mark's brother and his wife (died February 4 and March 4 of 2025). When I saw where you were (in a previous post), I said a prayer for you! Caregiving, even for those we love, isn't easy.
ReplyDeleteSo...I'm guessing it was gray while you were away! LOL Bummer there wasn't at least a little sunshine and some (Carolina) blue skies:) So much to enjoy in this post. I so want a Christmas cactus! They are always so pretty. I've noted that as well:) And how nice to have tea every afternoon at three. Do you think your hubby can continue that for you now that you are home??
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you got to visit with her and help out. Glad your sister and brother-in-law had a nice trip. Love the ducks. That looks like a fun post. Your pictures are perfect. Yum on the dessert. That is true about having in-laws who can help out.
ReplyDeleteThat really is a gift to have the whole extended family willing to care for your mom. My family is originally from Pittsburg and my aunt talked about how gray it was all winter. I'm catching up on blogs after my trip to NYC.
ReplyDeleteWell done on getting your photos taken. I'm glad you had a good time with your Mum. Yep geese think they own the world - except when the swans are telling they don't lol.
ReplyDeleteThis time with your mom is a gift for you both, one I'm sure you will always treasure! Your mom is so blessed to have children and family who not only love her but are there for her in such meaningful ways! I love the way you and your family embrace this time and celebrate your mom in small and big ways!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gift for your mom to have you there and so kind of you to do that. I love how you and your siblings work together to care for your mom. Enjoy your weekend being back in warmer weather!
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are glad to get settled back at home but it sounds like a nice week and you and your siblings and in-law sibs are wonderful! That cactus is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing grey around her is my hair, caring for someone is exhausting
ReplyDeleteLove the geese walking down the middle of the road. They do have a mind of their own and seem to feel entitled, don't they?
ReplyDeleteLove the coloring you and your mom were working on. I'm glad things with your mother's care are going well with you and your siblings, and in-law siblings. All of that is such a wonderful blessing to everybody.
Welcome home!