Accepting help

I think that one of the hardest things as a caregiver is accepting help with the job. If you're a caregiver, it's because it needed to be done, you saw that you were the one who can or should do it and you've got a picture of how it will be done. You try to keep control over the medical bills, doctors' orders and execution of the doctors' orders. Then you've still got your own life to try to keep track of, and you're still wanting to uphold the same standards in your life that you had before you were caregiving. Or if you're like me, you're still trying to meet some utopian standards of cleanliness, organization, health and financial stability that were unrealistic BEFORE the s*** hit the fan.

This week all I could do was get class stuff done at least 5 minutes before it was needed and make sure that Mom has what she needs at the nursing home. Nothing more got done. After a frustrating evening of no one getting dinner made because I got home late and I hadn't told anyone what to make, I broke down and subscribed to emeals.com. It's a subscription service that sends you 7 dinner menus a week, complete with recipes and a shopping list. Yesterday afternoon we headed to the grocery and bought the entire list. My boyfriend headed home and started on recipe #1 while I headed to the nursing home to see Mom.

The grocery excursion was a bit stressful. We usually don't buy that much at the store at once, but then we usually have no clue what to eat for dinner either! I found myself wanting to "tweak" the menu, but then decided that we'd stick to it 100% for a few weeks and see how it goes. The bill came to a bit over $100, which really isn't bad for 7 dinners for 4 people (and a few extras like milk and some books and plants for Mom). Dinner #1 was quite tasty. I helped a bit, but Boyfriend took the lead. Before I left this morning, I made sure the menu and recipe for tonight was sitting on the table.

This weekend is "catch up weekend". Lots of housework and grading to do. We're planning to take Mom to the mall this weekend. I think she needs an outing.