90 and with dementia means NO MORE DRIVING!

December 2012, Mom is 90 years old. With all six of us, her daughters

Don and I are the bad guys.

Yesterday while my mother was at physical therapy, we took her car from her garage never to be returned again!
In fear and trembling until she would notice that it was gone, we waited for her outrage.

This morning we were there fixing her outside light and when the car came up she said, oh! I saw that it was gone but since I can't drive yet...
But, I said, you really shouldn't drive any more, you might have an accident and then what?
She said as expected, I have never had an accident, you don't have to go with me, I can do whatever I want...
We were surprised and confused that she didn't get mad and more demanding about where the car was.

But, it happended today; While I was having lunch at my sister's, she called and asked about the car.   My sister said that she was not in charge and she had to talk with me.  So, I could feel my blood pressure rising as I told Mom that we had already told her that we had taken the car to be fixed. She retorted that she is not crazy and that we had not told her anything of the kind and that as soon as the doctor said that she could drive, she would be out there driving because she has always been a safe driver!

Friday she returns to the doctor for a checkup of her 3 month old knee injury of her knee which has prevented her from driving since.  We hope for a letter from the doctor saying that her since her knee does not show signs of recovery, she should not drive any more - or something to that effect.  Hopefully the doctor will write a letter to say that she should not drive.

Her regular doctor just wrote a letter to that effect, referring to her dementia, but we don't want to show it to her since she denies that she has dementia.

We will be returning to Ga in a couple of days and then my sisters, who live here will have to continue to deal with her about this.  They are so good to be taking care of her! 

But we are the bad guys!!

Now I am going over to her house to play dominoes with her.

One week later:

She is giving all the sisters a hard time about her car being gone and that we took it without consulting her.  Of course if we had consulted her, she would not have let us take her car.  

       She hung up on me when I called her yesterday and told her the car was    not fixed yet.
         She went to her doctor who told her not to drive because her injury has not healed.  She still says that she can drive.

So what now?  We should just tell her the truth: that we took her car because we don't want her driving any more...  My sister that is her caregiver because she lives 2 blocks away says to continue as it is.  She is getting advice from her daughter who is a lawyer.

Want to share any advice?

Straight or Curly hair?

I have had curly hair all my life and ahve been straightening it for about a year now with a flat iron.  I like it but sometimes I think it makes me look old.

When the humidity gets high it is impossible to keep.  So when I saw this picture in my In Style magazine, I thought, I can try this!

Hayden Panettiere medium bob haircut.

I love Hayden's long hair in Nashville, so I wonder whe she took this photo.  Her hair is so natural!  Of course I have to work to get my hair like this, but I'm trying!

Next time I will add a picture of me with my hair like this to see what you think!

Easter 2013

We celebrate new life!

Don's peach tree in our back yard

The sun shines through giving us hope.

The sun after a stormy day.

A Happiness Diary for Lent

My cousin, Margarita Mooney, Sociology Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill wrote her blog about the Gretchen Rubin’s best-selling book, The Happiness Project,  

Reading the book led her to write a gratitude Journal about her own life, appreciating the good things in life.
I think it would be a great Lenten project.  I like to do positive actions for Lent.  Two years ago, my Lenten project was to always use a seat belt.  it was so hard!  But, I still use the seat belt mostly toda.

I hadn't really decided what to do for Lent this year so this would be great!  Thank you Maggie!  I'll let you know how it goes!

What are you doing for Lent this year?

Gluten Free eating

Last Fall on a trip to St. Simons Island, we listened to the book -Wheat Belly by William Davis.  We were amazed at the facts and statistics about how wheat can be harmful to our health.   We understood just  enough to lead us to make the decision to attempt a gluten free lifestyle.  We don't think that we have Celiac Disease, but we wanted to see if we could be more healthy without wheat. 
Let me explain that we are not white bread eaters, except for Cuban bread.  We have been eating whole wheat pasta and whole grain bread and crackers for years.  (Except that the whole grain saltines are gross!)  We also watch Doctor Oz and decided to do the gluten free lifestyle.

Here is a picture of some cookies that I made yesterday using gluten free flour.

We made the decision, not for a weight loss tool, like many are doing.  We wanted to see if maybe we wouldn't have some of the maladies that we were suffering from.  I myself know that I have an "addiction" to bread and white flour products.  I am constantly looking for something to snack on.  I binge.  When I eat one (cookie, or bread product) I can't stop...   But now now!!

So we have been mostly gluten free since October 25.  I lost 5 pounds right away.  When I went to the doctor's for my yearly checkup, the nurse and the doctor commented on how I weighs less that last year.  I was a victim of the 2+ weight gain each year....
 I admit we ate wheat during several family get togethers but only for one or 2 days.  When I got my best friend's Christmas package of yummy cookies and cakes, I did indulge but most of it went to the freezer.  The kids sure enjoyed us sharing it!  Since I haven't given up sugar, I still gained weight over the holidays, but only 3 pounds, not the usual 6.  I'm almost back to the weight I lost.

In the beginning of our gluten free lifestyle, I was looking for all kinds of substitutes.  I went to the Indian market and bought (white) rice flour, chick pea flour, barley flour, and coconut flour.  We checked out books from the library for gluten free recipes but they were too complicated.   I was totally grossed out by what xanthan gum is made of, but I bought it anyway.   

Why do you have to mix so many different kids of flour?  Of course, the recipes don't call for the flour that I had bought at the Indian market.   I did try .... with almond flour and we stored the extra in a vacuum sealed container which Don didn't reseal.  After 3 days I saw mold growing on it.  Later we read that you have to freeze what you don't eat right away.  That is why gluten free bread is only sold frozen.  

We found a gluten free pizza dough mix and tried it this week and it was good!  It tasted the same as pizza and the package said all whole grain.

It is a process...

Baby Girl Coming!

Expecting my fifth grandchild - a girl!  But then other nieces and friends are having girls too.  
Being retired, I love spending time with my grandchildren!  I help out as much as I can.  I got inspired and wrote a poem.  Everyone whose read it likes it.  What do you think?  
Should I take out the part on the poop and pee...

Savoring the moment with Isabella

 

New baby girl’s coming…

She’ll be here any day

We’re ready, we’re waiting

Can we be more prepared

What will she look like

How will she change us

Will I know how to treat her

Will I know how to feed her

What will I call her

How will I dress her

When will I see her first smile,

When will I hear her first word

Will I know that she likes me

When I clean her poop and pee

What will she do when I rock her

How will she feel when I hold her

Will she cry more than sleep

Will I know what she needs

Will she make me feel sad

May I never get mad

Will I know how to please her

Play with her, enjoy her

Will she fuss all the time

Oh, I know she’ll be mine!

What can I give her

All my life I will have her

I know I’ll never leave her

And, Oh how I’ll love her!!

New year's Resolutions - Really!

I want to work as "hard" as last year...

I was looking at last year's resolutions and can't believe how much time I spent last year writing about it.  I even called this time "a compulsion".  I think it is because I had just retired and felt that I had to make the best of each moment.  I still feel that way but am much more relaxed about it.  
What are your 2013 goals?

I do like that last year I wrote 2 different types of resolutions but I want to be more specific...

TO BE in 2012:  Working on these personal goals  

Healthy habits 
Sleep well

Awareness when eating
Increase in spirituality
Nourish and develop more loving relationships 
Consider options for my Swim business (swimbea.com)

Nancy from Blissed out Grandma wants more energy in the new year.  Me too!

In 2013 I want TO BE:

More healthy: swimming, and get rid of my hip pain
cooking different options, (without processed flours) 
Ignoring "bad" food when not at home
Sleeping without "drugs"
More God aware
More loving

Eat more lobsters!!

TO DO in 2012: 

Playing with the grandkids

Traveling / Visiting family and friends

Fishing / Beach bumming

Writing / Reading

Crafting/ sewing Pictures - using old ones and taking new ones

Making jewelry, beading

Organizing - have to do it...

More TEA PARTIES!

TO DO in 2013, I want to continue with these same TO DO goals.  I didn't do jewelry making and not much organizing nor traveling, but plenty of playing, fishing and beach bumming, some crafting and sewing.  I wrote alot until October...
Now we have an ipad for pictures and a new camera that fits in my purse, I want to take lots more pictures. 
NEW: 
Learn about apps, "data plans", and getting an iphone 
Sell lots more Swim with Miss Bea dvd's
Learn to make an ebook about kids Swimming 
Get a ping pong table
And make more blogging friends!  
Organizing - have to do it... 

BE ORGANIZED!

           I'll strive to live in the present moment 

even if sometimes it's just too hard!!