A Work at Home Mom’s Blog

I had a birthday recently, and my brother and sister both called to ask me if I felt any older. I told them I didn’t, and really, I don’t. I already felt old, but that specific day didn’t make me feel any more so than I already did.

The only thing that does seem to make me feel older than I should is thinking about my oldest nieces being in college already. My sister had her first daughter when I was 11, though, so I became an aunt much earlier than most people do. Besides, my sis is 10 years older than I am.

Both of her oldest girls have good heads on their shoulders, and I think they will go far in life. I know they’re adults now, but I just don’t even want to think about them having kids. That would make me a great-aunt, and I’m definitely not ready for that. I hope they don’t have kids until I’ve got enough money to buy them lots of expensive stuff for their baby showers, like designer baby clothes and Bob revolution strollers. And heaven knows that won’t be any time soon, unless of course Hubby wins the Powerball jackpot.

I’ve really got to stop thinking about such things. Now I am starting to feel old.

I got a phone call this morning that I’ve been expecting for some time, but dreading nonetheless. My mom called to let me know that her brother, my uncle, had passed on.

Uncle Don was a really awesome person. I feel like I missed a lot by not getting to be around him more than I did. He lived kind of far off, so I only got to see him every few years when I was growing up. The last time I saw him was probably 6 years or so ago.

He found out that he had cancer a couple of years ago. My mom started going up to see him fairly often, and I planned to go with her sometime. But she started staying a week or two at a time when she went, and I couldn’t do that. So I didn’t get to see him the whole time he was sick.

Even though I didn’t get to see him much, I’ll still miss him. But at least he’s not suffering any more.

My brother and his wife set out on a plane today. This time they’re not enjoying one of those lavish Miami vacation packages, though. They were headed to Philadelphia so she could be treated for melanoma of the eye.

The last time I went to see my mom, my brother mentioned that she was having problems with one of her eyes. She was going to a doctor in Charlottesville, so I knew it was something out of the ordinary, but they hadn’t determined what yet. Then last week my mom called and told me what they had found. I always thought melanoma was always on the skin, but apparently not.

From what I understand, they’re attaching some sort of radiation device to her eye, which she has to wear for a few days. Then she will get to come home, but she’ll have to go back for checkups every few months for a while. If all goes well with that, she should be able to see a doctor that’s not so far away for periodic checkups after that.

I really hope everything goes well for her. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, and I’ll post updates as I get them.

I got good news from the Mom yesterday. My sister called and told me that she had just gotten back from her catheterization, and it went well. They cleared one blockage and said everything else could be resolved with medication. And then she asked me if I wanted to talk to Mom.

You could’ve knocked me over with a feather! I had no idea that she would be coherent enough to talk on the phone after that. But she was awake during the whole thing, and even got to watch it on a monitor. Ain’t modern medical technology grand?

More good news: She is supposed to be coming home today. I was so glad to hear that. From what I saw during my brief visit they were taking good care of her at the hospital, but there’s truly no place like home.

I’m glad that’s all over with. I don’t know if she’s on any restrictions or anything, but at least she will be at home where she can rest well and be with her beloved dog. And I can rest easy not having to worry about her having to have a bypass.

I got a message from my sister yesterday morning. Actually she left it on the machine Saturday night, but I didn’t retrieve it until then. I called to see what she wanted, and she informed me that our mom was in the hospital.

She quickly told me not to worry. Apparently Mom had been having pains in her shoulder, and my brother convinced her to go to the emergency room. They ran some tests and then sent her on to another hospital for admission. She had a heart attack when Pumpkin was a baby, so they either found something of possible concern or wanted to be cautious.

I went to see her yesterday. She looks good and was in good spirits. They’re doing a catheterization today to check out her arteries and break up clots if necessary, and will find out if any further action needs to be taken.

I hope all goes well and she gets to go home soon. The prognosis is good, but she’s my mom and I worry about her.

I am a big proponent of not envying others. But that’s easier said than done. This is especially true when it comes to my family. My brother and sister are both doing pretty well for themselves. The economy is affecting them just like it is everyone else, but they were better off than me to start with, and they still are. I’m happy for them, but I can’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy when they’re off enjoying Caribbean cruises and redecorating their homes while I’m barely scraping by.

It kind of helps to know that they envy me a little bit too. Both have been asking a lot of questions about my writing lately, wanting to know how they could get into it. Like me, they’re attracted to the idea of making money while working from home on their own schedule. I must admit that it is a pretty sweet deal. It would be even sweeter if I could get my head on straight and concentrate like I once did so that I could make more money, but I have faith that it will happen.

They’ve asked for advice on getting started with something like I do, and I’ve given them some ideas. I’m not at all selfish when it comes to that, whether it’s them or someone who is scraping by like me. I’d love to see them get started working from home and be successful. Maybe it would even help motivate me to do better. Jealousy is not always a bad thing, you know.

Things are always kind of funky on a holiday week. But this past one has just taken the cake.

Hubby went to the doctor with a sinus infection late last week, and the doctor gave him some antibiotics. All well and good. Then on Sunday Pumpkin’s stomach started hurting her really badly. She was in tears at one point, and we almost took her to the emergency room. But the pain subsided somewhat, and it wasn’t in her side, so I decided just to take her to the doctor on Monday.

I sent her to school, only to get a call around 1:30 from her teacher. Her stomach was hurting again, so I went and picked her up. Her appointment was a few hours later, and I took her in. She said the only thing abnormal she could find was a lot of gas, and told me to give her half of a chewable Mylanta as needed. But she also told me to make a follow-up appointment for 2 or 3 weeks later, and if she was still having problems she would refer her to someone else.

I thought I was done with the doctor for a while, but I was wrong. Hubby woke up on Wednesday with his sinuses much worse than they had been, he was weak, he had the runs and his back was hurting. The first thing that crossed my mind was the F word: that’s right, flu. He refused to miss work to go to his doctor, so I called the urgent care place where my and Pumpkin’s doctor is working now and made him an appointment for after work. And of course I had to pick him up from work and take him up there so I could help him with the paperwork.

Fortunately it wasn’t the flu. The doctor said that he needed different antibiotics for his sinuses, because those weren’t doing the job and they were probably causing the stomach and back problems he was having.

All of that combined with only one day of school this week (one snow day and three days out for Thanksgiving) has not been conducive to me getting any work done. Once again I’m behind. But I’m only half a report away from getting caught up, so I guess I can’t complain too much. I’m doing better than usual I suppose.

Oh, one more thing: I’m going to be having some giveaways very soon. I’ve never done this before, but I’ve been blessed with some stuff to give away to some lucky readers. So stay tuned!

I got a call from my big sister yesterday. That’s a very rare occasion, and at first I thought maybe there was something wrong. But no, she just wanted to talk to me about my ADD diagnosis.

She said she had suspected that she had ADD for several years now. She asked her gynecologist about it a few years ago, because that’s the only doctor she goes to since she doesn’t have insurance and is healthy overall. But the gyno told her that she would have to go to a psychiatrist to find out.

I told her that she either go to a family doctor or ask her gyno about it again, because I didn’t have to see a psychiatrist. Then we got to talking about the medicine I was on, and how one of the side effects was weight loss. She didn’t like the sound of that much. But if I were her size, I might not either. She’s never been one to need to go on a diet or take fat burners.

She did say one thing that makes a whole lot of sense: We probably inherited ADD from our dad. He was one of those people who was always on the go, could never sit still for long. He was forever starting projects, and sometimes they would get finished, but often they wouldn’t. Our mom, on the other hand, usually follows through on things. So does our brother.

My big bro always did have more in common with mom. Big sis was more like Dad, and I was the oddball of the bunch. But I guess I probably get at least a portion of my oddness from my dad.

Gas isn’t exactly cheap, but it is much less expensive than it has been. So as soon as I get the bills paid and have enough money to get groceries and fill up my tank, I’m going to try to head up the road and see my mom.

It’s a shame when you have to put a dent in the budget just to make an hour and 15 minute trip. But that’s the way it is now. That’s one of the biggest reasons I don’t see her much any more. That, and when I am able to go up there she’s usually either at my sister’s or uncle’s. When I mentioned coming up soon, I about half expected her to say she was going to be gone with sis and family on one of those Disney cruises.

But last time I talked to Mom, she said she wasn’t planning on going anywhere any time soon. So maybe this coming weekend or the next I can get up there. Maybe Pumpkin and I will spend the night. We need to make the most of our trip, because who knows when the next one will be.

My cousin had a baby last week. It’s a little girl. I hope I get to go see her before too long, but I don’t know how soon I’ll get up there. She lives near my mom, and as infrequently as I’ve been visiting her lately, it may be a while.

I’d love to be able to get her something really nice and cool, like a Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair. But the best I’ve been able to do so far is pitch in on a gift card for her. And I haven’t actually pitched in on that yet, even though she already has it.

I’d see all of my family more if money were no object. But unfortunately it is. I’m looking forward to the day when I can just pick up and go wherever, whenever I want to. I don’t know when that day will be, but I’m trying to keep the faith that it will come.