Celebrating Caregivers - MY MOM!

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When I think of caregiver, I immediately think of my mother. I will never forget the day I answered the door to see her holding homemade vegetable soup through my post partum delirium. Tears came to my eyes when I thought about someone loving me enough to cut up and cook vegetables just so I could have enough good food to eat while nursing my baby.

I may not be post partum anymore, but my mom often brings tears to my eyes with her selfless care of not only me and my children, but our entire family. Just last night we were over at her house. She and Dad fixed us dinner. It's sad, but we are often motivated to visit by free food. A leftover from my college days I suppose. Mom and Dad left at the same time we did. They had to drive over to my grandparents house. Mom goes once a week and organizes all my grandmother's myriad medications in a massive pill box so she doesn't forget to take her meds. Before my mom did this, there were many missed doses, and even some double doses. Scary!

My kids get hurt and/or sick. A lot. For some reason their rambunctious nature and my relaxed parenting ends up in countless bumps and bruises. Throw in a few ear infections, fevers, the flu, a tonsillectomy and you can imagine the trips to the pediatrician, the E.R., to Scottish Rite, etc. Mom always does whatever is in her power to help me. She'll come to the house and stay with the unhurt kid while I take the sickie to the doctor, hospital, etc. A lot of time she'll come ride with me to doctor appointments. This saves me the torture of having two toddlers in an exam room during the inevitable hour long wait for the doctor. Mom keeps one kid occupied in the waiting room or in the car. Most of the time I can actually read a magazine when I only have one kid to occupy in the waiting room. Bliss!

Mom also has amazing decorating sense. This has proved invaluable in the last four years of my married life. You see, we can't afford diddly squat. But mom has accumulated much in her married years. Enough to decorate most of my house! She has the knack and the stuff! She painted my nursery so I wouldn't smell the paint, and surprised me with a painted bedroom and bathroom when I came home from being out of town. I am in the process of changing Phillip and Selah's room over from nursery to big kid room. Guess who has their knick knacks at their house to paint??? You guessed it! What would we do without Mema!?