Since we're off topic, I'm a points chaser too cuz I do all the business travel in the family. DH can get another card for you on his account as an authorized user. I've don't that with my hotel and airline cards.

And your day earned you a glass of wine!

Well yes, but just think about how well you're being paid for doing all this ;-)

My two kids are just getting to the stage where they don't need me quite so much, my parents are (knock on wood) healthy after needing a year of care, our house is finished so I'm not trying to do that at the same time as everything else, I've got the summer off (teacher) and I still feel busy enough, so yup, I hear ya. The multi-tasking woman is a force of nature.

Tibbrix, the good news is that for a few hours I wasn't obsessing over things I'd been obsessing about all day! And yes, caregivers are better than a sleeping pill.

Daisy chain, good points: I'm not in the middle of a build or reno, I don't have a new puppy, baby, business, or all three!

1929Spanish, DH is just jealous because I have more points on my card than he does on his. Now that he is traveling again, he wants to be sure he gets his "status" back. And we'll take another trip on the proceeds!

By the way, one of our other good moves besides hiring a caregiver was getting me an authorized-user card with my Dad's account, so I can easily go shopping for them.

Watching the Men's Rowing this morning just makes me want to head on out the lake in a little kayak and enjoy the blue.

I've had days like that and I empathize with you. Glad you could come here and talk with people who understand! I agree being an authorized user on a parent's credit card makes it much easier to help them with purchases and any necessary returns.

Ha! I think planning your next trip is an excellent diversion for you with all those responsibilities. Some days I can barely take care of myself. Karma will be good to you.

Give yourself a big pat on the back! Sounds like you're a great daughter, great mom, great wife, as well as a great member of society with time for volunteering. Bet you're also a great friend. ;)

No mom or daughter worth her salt doesn't know what you are talking about. I'm amazed you got your hair appointment in! I have neck issues and once told my PT that I wanted to someday row the lake near us -- it just looked so cool. She told me she didn't think I could ever do that. I haven't, but I haven't said never either. IF you were here, I would take you out and we would both row. Maybe a long time (you), maybe not (me), but I know a place with a great happy hour not far from there. ;-) Hang in there and glad your mom and dad are okay.

Yep, caregivers are great if your mom allows them in her house :(

My kids have moved out of the house (finally) and are both in career jobs that are actually using their degrees and they both have significant others but, just so you know, that doesn't mean the worrying stops.

Sometimes my days are one step forward and two steps back and other days I come out even and occasionally ahead.

I'm glad your parents are ok. What a relief.

I hope you are able to rest and have some time to yourself this weekend. Glad your parents are ok, and I can so relate to that part of your day. I often think how much more challenging things would be for me if I still had kids at home.

Blfenton, we tried for a couple of years to get a caregiver in. Mom's excuse: we have to clean up/declutter/redecorate/reupholster. (She once cancelled an appointment with a decorator coming with swatches to reupholster the chairs. Her reason? The chairs needed reupholstering before the decorator could see them. Can you say "perfectionist"?)

Anyway, after a stay in the hospital and rehab for several weeks last year, which almost killed ME going back and forth between nursing home and Dad at their home (meanwhile keeping the school year from imploding--this was before the IEP), we got the social worker to tell her "you can go home when you have care in the home". So, that was that! Is it always easy? No. But as Tibbrix said, it's better than a sleeping pill for us all. Right now, I can go to the hospital and home at night, and my dad still gets a hot meal, fresh coffee, and is safe. And, I have to say, Mom has not had to go to the hospital or ER in over a year, and that's huge, and I credit her caregivers 100%!

texanjana, Mom is still in hospital until Sunday for sure for another test, but I think they will send her home after. I really want to go to an event an hour away, but...I also have some work to do for my school volunteer thing! I got some done while she had a test today, but there's more. And of course, Olympics!

oh, and I actually would have missed my hair appointment, except I have a reminder alarm on my phone for it, and I went BEFORE I checked my voicemail about Mom. Don't worry, it wasn't an emergency. Besides thank goodness for caregivers, thank goodness for cell phones with features like reminder alarms, phone directories, cameras, email, internet!

Isn't having extra care to help out family members amazing? My grandmother put it best when my grandfather went into dementia care (long overdue): she said she could go back to being a wife and friend instead of a nurse and nag. Makes all the difference to the relationship.

congratulations on successfully managing such a crazy day!

bp - the best threads are the OT ones. Olympics and GW = good support group. Best of luck with your parents.

I just loved reading about your day. I know from past reads that you are one busy woman anyway and have to say it wore me out just reading it. Raising kids, caregiving, etc is for the younger that's for sure. I'm amazed we did those things some days in the past as I'm not sure I could do it now. But you do what you've gotta do as you just proved.

Outside playing, my busyness seems to come and go. But there's nothing like a day spent with other women and my kids' peers to remind me how good I really have it. My kids are healthy even though they're a lot of work (and they aren't little!) my parents are mentally and mostly physically healthy and alive and nearby if frail and 90+, I have a pretty supportive DH, my living room does not have a foot (or 6!) of water in it, I can kind of choose my hours, I don't run my Roomba with a new puppy in the house (has everyone seen that story?) etc.

robo, your grandmother is very perceptive! With the caregivers I can go back to being a daughter mostly. My next step is to hire a maintenance service to look after the house (things like checking the gutters and basement and tending to the issues that arrise), because I spent a week mentally berating a sibling for thinking that "that leak isn't so bad" while I sucked up gallons of water with my floor machine. I don't mind the cleaning as much as the berating: one is execise, the other is bad for my spirit. Yes, another option would be to move them out of the house, but who are we kidding?

Today, of course, brings a new issue: the hospital wouldn't do a "full admit", but "admit for observation". Argh. Medicare and I have a love-hate relationship. I don't do that kind of bookkeeping well.

Oops, I correct myself: today brought another issue, the weekday caregiver never showed up. The agency manager did come by and prep a little chicken, so when I learned about it this evening, I went over with our rice pilaf, heated it up with the chicken, added salad, and Dad and I watched Olympics while he enjoyed his late supper. And or course I joined him for a brownie a la mode! I had to leave him, but did give him his life-alert button to wear, got breakfast ready so all he has to do is put the little pitcher of milk in his walker basket and roll over to the table. But I just realized I forgot to prep the coffee...well, my brother will go over mid-morning and Dad will tell him how to make it.

oh bpathome - I feel bad for you. Been there done that. We have my mom on a wait list for a memory care facility as she has Alzheimers and I am looking forward to becoming a daughter again rather than the caregiver.

Bpathome, YES, I saw that Roomba story, and while it made me laugh uncontrollably, I felt awful for the people who had to clean up the mess!

Turns out, I left my phone at Dad's, so I popped over (well, "popped" is a relative term!) and brought some hot coffee in a thermal cup for him. And, big news, Mom came home this afternoon, and the caregiver should be there around dinner time. I sent my brother to get carry-out dinner.

blfenton, I hope a good facility, with loving staff, near you, is available soon! ((Hugs))

outside, I think they need a Scooba after the Roomba!

Thanks for the update. It's always nice when things are back on an even keel and the worry lessens a little.

Bp, I'm glad your mom is home and hopefully the caregiver thing becomes more reliable so you don't have to keep checking on it. I am astounded by all you do . I know that sometimes it just seems like all you can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other (or keep putting that O2 mask on as many people as you can before you pass out :) but it sounds like you're doing an amazing job of keeping your family together. Remember to delegate when you can (even if it means the soul destroying berating). What you do isn't easy but others will usually assume you have it in hand unless you demand they help. Keep demanding (and smiling when you can).

Mom is home, and feeling better. The caregiver arrived shortly thereafter (the weekender is due to arrive today). DS made progress on his course (now he's only 5 weeks behind instead of 7. Brick-and-mortar school starts in 4 days with a packed-tight schedule, so he still has a lot to do.) The volunteer projects are where they should be, so that's good. An allergy has kicked in, must be from the school building (construction dust? Mold?)

Today I'm going to relax with my two favorite household chores that haven't gotten done in the last week (or more): vacuuming and laundry. No, really, they're my faves. And a good excuse to procrastinate one more day on my least faves, floor-washing and windows (all those panes!)

The thing about vacuuming and laundry is that they are mindless so you start thinking about all those things that have to be done and the worries start to kick in - at least that's what happens to me. Hopefully you can turn off your brain.

It sounds like yesterday was a 2 steps forward kind of day - YEAH!

Blfenton, I like laundry and vacuuming because I can see immediate progress and accomplishment, and I don't really think about anything at all lol! I think I will also bring out my Flylady Control Journal so I can use my purple dry-erase marker to check of tasks as I go, and see more accomplishments.

Mom is having trouble timing her meds. The new pill says not to take within 2 hours of other medication or food. Well, come on! She takes something every couple of hours, whether food or med. So I called her Primary Dr to ask her to talk to mom, and maybe her other prescribers, to get her to take the new one. It's on,y for 30 days to alleviate the problem she was hospitalized for.