Mom can be as grumpy as an alley cat and mad as a wet hen,
because the food at assisted living still “SUCKS!”
But when I ask her to smile for the camera, she does.
This day, mom was a bit mad when I visited. The caregivers wouldn’t give her ice cream after lunch. She complained that lunch, the food, was awful. So, being the good spy daughter, I went to the kitchen area to investigate. When I asked caregiver “Sara” about the situation, she smiled.
“Your mom wouldn’t eat her lunch. She spit it out on her plate. Then she asked for ice cream, but I told her she couldn’t have ice cream unless she ate some protein or something good for her.” (Mom is a borderline diabetic, so they make sure she isn’t eating too much sugar.)
Okay, then. I asked Sara to make mom half of a ham sandwich, which she did. Then I presented it to mom.
“Mom, you need to eat this. Eat some protein. Then you can have your ice cream.”
Mom took the plate, removed the top slice of bread, and proceeded to dine on an open-face ham sandwich, with butter, no mayonnaise. (Don’t ever put mayonnaise on her sandwich. Or lettuce. Or tomato.)
She ate most of it.
Then mom asked for and received her ice cream. Vanilla with bits of chocolate. She ate it all.
I didn’t have to ask mom to smile after that.
This is a bit early, but I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mom’s out there. My brother is coming for a weekend visit on Friday, so there is sure to be additional smiles. We’ll be taking mom out on Sunday for “real” food. And I will be taking time off from the internet to enjoy family.
Mary J Melange 
Poor sweetie. I think I might be just like her when I reach her age. I already prefer dessert to the main meal 😉
As do I, Joanne. I’ll be banging my fork on the table, demanding chocolate cake!
We are going to be a force to be reckoned with 😉
You bet! We could be a tag team and drive the caregivers crazy.
I love that your mom still has some feistiness in her! I hope to be like that, too! Oh, wait….I already am! 😀
You go, Lois! Always express your inner feistiness…it will keep everyone on their toes.
I’m glad you can get your mom to smile, Mary. I’m also glad that she can still set some limits. One of the benefits of being an adult is having ice cream when you decide it’s time for ice cream. If we miss each other, have a great weekend and wish your mom a Happy Mother’s Day.
I’m also very glad mom still smiles. I will tell her Happy Mother’s Day…after she has her brandy manhattan and ice cream.
Your mom looks like anyone’s gramma, doesn’t she? Bright eyes and all fuss, you can just see it. I dunno, why don’t we let the diabetic lady have some high-protein fro-yo and then if she’s still hungry, she can have some ham? Man, I don’t want anyone makin me eat ham. lol
I don’t know if mom would eat frozen yogurt, but that might be worth a try.
So nice you can enjoy time with your your Mom and she with you. I no longer have mine but I enjoyed her while I did!
Wishing you a very good weekend, Mary J! Have a great time and enjoy the “real” food!
Thanks Herman. I shall enjoy family and food!
As I type this, I assume you are enjoying time with your brother and your mother.
Happy Mother’s Day to you … indeed we all mother … humans, pets, siblings, friends, and the role reversal that comes with aging parents.
My brother has gone back to D.C., but we spent two a half days with mom and each other. 🙂
That’s a great photo of your mum. I hope you all had a fabulous Mother’s Day with lots of icecream. 🙂
Mom has been having a struggle since last Wednesday. She had a fever that has worsened her dementia. Mother’s Day weekend was nice as far as my brother being home and getting to spend time with him and mom, but it could have been better.
Oh, no. I’m sorry to hear that. I hope things improve soon. Hugs. ❤
I’ll try to send you an email this weekend and give you an update.
This tugs the heartstrings. There is so much not said, but implied throughout the loving, exasperating, exchange.
It’s funny, so many of the aides tell me how much they love my mom, even though she does exasperate. But I think that means that her spunk is still alive and that’s a good thing.