Had a Great Time with Family These Past Few Days
By Marsha
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
Midland, Michigan
September 9, 2016 12:00pm CST
My brother came to visit from Arizona on Sunday night and left yesterday to head back to AZ. He's not visited for two years and this time I asked for extra days off and was able to hang out some each day. We spent time at my other brother's home which is where we go for each holiday and other family events. Their yard is big, their home is large enough to allow the grand-kids to play without running over all the adults. Plus they have an above ground swimming pool when it's really hot.
My brother and his wife that hosted the rest of us were camping for Labor Day Weekend, and we were all waiting for them to return home that evening. My sister came in for the weekend and had to head back to Detroit as she couldn't get Tuesday off. We took my mom to my brother's home, but that chapter is now closed as it took her over half an hour to go down five steps. She's legally blind and I think she thought she was stepping into an abyss even though my brother stood on the step right below her and several of us held her with each move.
She'd done this many times over the past several years, but now that the dementia is progressing she's having a harder time with everything. Rather than take her out each day we all just went where she is living to visit for a few hours. Then we went back to my brother's home to eat and play cards and laugh and reminisce and enjoy each others company.
In July my one sister that lives in Virginia came for a visit, so we weren't all together for either of the two visits, but we enjoyed both of them anyway.
Maybe I can locate a picture of their pool another day, I've no idea which folder it might be in.
15 people like this
14 responses
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
10 Sep 16
With it being a school night and some of my siblings not being able to come or stay, we still have around nineteen of us there on Wednesday night. That's including six grandkids for my brother and his wife, the ones that host our parties at their home.
I saw where your daughter and husband were with you all summer long and have recently returned to Thailand again. Is your daughter still trying to work on a book of some type of your limericks?
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
10 Sep 16
@MarshaMusselman Regarding the limericks - I've told my daughter not to bother - I think it would be more bother than it's worth. She's very busy anyway.
2 people like this
@Happy2BeMe (99353)
• Canada
9 Sep 16
It is always nice when you get to spend time with family. Everybody is so busy with their own lives that it is hard to make it happen sometimes.
3 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
10 Sep 16
I usually request time off for most major holidays. Christmas our store is closed, so that one is easy, but the rest of the days we're open 24hrs. I do my best to get Thanksgiving, Easter and sometimes Mother's day off. The rest of the holidays I don't usually worry about unless someone is visiting.
When most family members working full-time jobs, it can be tricky to get the same blocks of time off during the same week, plus have the necessary money for travel fares and such.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
11 Sep 16
They have a pool and it's quite large. They used to have a hot tub too on the deck below but sold it earlier this year. It needed some repairs and I don't think they use it as much as they used to.
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
9 Sep 16
This is a picture of my brother from Arizona and my mom dancing to a country song. My mom hasn't done this in a long time. It reminded me I have a short video I took with my camera I can also share. I probably have to upload it to youtube first though? Do you happen to know if that's true?
3 people like this
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
9 Sep 16
@MarshaMusselman That's so sweet.
2 people like this
@sishy7 (27166)
• Australia
9 Sep 16
@MarshaMusselman Aww, I love your photos... The header with your daughters and this sweet one with your mom and brother dancing... Thank you for sharing them... 
About videos, I have never uploaded one on here myself. But your way makes sense to me. I've seen people upload videos here by putting the youtube link.
About videos, I have never uploaded one on here myself. But your way makes sense to me. I've seen people upload videos here by putting the youtube link.2 people like this
@LadyDuck (502729)
• Italy
10 Sep 16
@MarshaMusselman I am glad that she consider this place home. It's so important for elder people to feel at home.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
10 Sep 16
It's nice that after only three months she does consider this new place home. She was in the last place, which was more like a senior apartment building where they ate together and had activities, she kept wanting to go back home even though I'm sure by then she didn't really remember where home was.
Now she never asks to leave or go elsewhere.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
9 Sep 16
I see the pool in that picture. I remember when we stopped taking Mom and Dad to my sister's because it was so hard for my mom to get up the one step into my sister's house. I can imagine what 5 would be like for your mother. I'm so glad you all had a good time.
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
10 Sep 16
One of my sisters even had to help by putting her hand under or over my mom's shoe so she'd move it one step down. Years ago she had both hips and both knees replaced different years and exercised a lot after each one and for many years after that. Even so, the past few years have been a push to get her to do any walking with her walker. Because of that, I think it's hard for her to move her legs because her muscles probably do hurt.
I need to get better at being consistent with exercising my leg muscles too. Especially now since my knee has been bad for a few months already. My problem is that when I begin to feel better I don't continue to do the things that allowed my body to heal like exercise for specific muscle groups. I'm paying the price now, but I'm hoping that when my knees heal again, when the muscles surrounding them are stronger, that I'll continue doing various exercises so that I won't have these issues every few years or so.
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
14 Sep 16
@just4him Do your knees hurt from arthritis too, Valerie?
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
14 Sep 16
@MarshaMusselman I hope you can get the exercise you need so you don't have those issues. Today my knees felt better than they have in a long time, and it was so nice.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230365)
• Chile
14 Sep 16
So sorry about your mom. But there comes a time when we all have to move to smaller quarters. I´m glad you had fun with your family.
1 person likes this
@PurnaSharma (2562)
• Guwahati, India
11 Sep 16
Hope you enjoyed with your family.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
11 Sep 16
i'm glad that y'all spent some time with yer momma. 'tis hard'n 'em with jest the vision loss, i'm sure the dementia jest throws that 'nto a whole 'nother level :(
glad that so many were able to come 'n be together. 'tis a bit 'f a bonus when there's someone who's place's large 'nough to comfortably accommodate that many folks.
@garymarsh6 (24028)
• United Kingdom
10 Sep 16
It sounds like you had a great fun few days. It is nice to meet up with your family from time to time and sometimes it can be a right hoot! Sorry to hear about your mum.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
11 Sep 16
Thanks. My mom has been dealing with this for about eight years now, but only lately that she barely makes any sense. She sounds like she's telling a good story although none of the words mean to her what they mean to anyone else. We just go along with it when we can. It's especially hard when she asks a question and we've no clue what's being asked. And then out of the blue she will say one of our names and ask a legit question.
Hey, I've been meaning to stop by for a visit and somehow you beat me to that one.
@jillybean1222 (6406)
•
12 Sep 16
how wonderful to spend time with family. i'm sure it's hard with the dementia for all of you.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
18 Sep 16
SHe had a good, full life before the illness began. If she had her sight still it may have progressed slower, but each time she lost more of her sight the disease seemed to go to the next level. That was still when she was in her own home. It still took about a year for things to deteriorate even more. The first year after we moved her she did pretty good and we all took turns spending time with her playing cards and keeping her active.
@responsiveme (22923)
• India
10 Sep 16
That is a very nice photo...and Its great that you all enjoyed family time. Family time is most important for me
Sorry about your mother, I do know about her from our conversations, its good she has her kids to visit and care.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
10 Sep 16
Thanks, A, that's sweet. We are a family that always enjoy family time together. I don't usually know ahead of time soon enough to be able to ask for extra days off, but my brother called me so I'd have plenty of warning. I know there are some families that don't get together often enough and when they do there is disharmony, or some of the members stay away because previous miscommunication issues were never ironed out.
2 people like this
