Starting fresh

after a long absence from the blogging world I've decided it's time to come back. Things anyone who may remember me might want to know...

- My husband and a I doing great!

- i have quit my wretched job and I'm now back at school. I'm finishing my general studies at the local community college and will be hopefully moving on to UNM in 2011 where i hope to get a psychology degree.

- my youngest is a recent graduate of kindergarten and my oldest boy just finished the second grade! Both boys are doing awesome!

-My eighty three year old grandmother has moved in with us.

The last thing on my little list is what I'd like to chat about now.

Marion is my mothers mother, my grandmother, and my children's great grandmother. She is currently suffering from dementia. This of course is not expected to get better. Her memory will only get worse and her health will follow. Marion was not a good mother. Don't get me wrong, she had her moments, but all in all she was what most would call mentally abusive and extremely manipulative. As a grandmother, she was fun. She would give us candy at bed time, after we brushed our teeth, she would tell us stories, and feed us weird and amazing things. My aunt who has sacrificed the last thirty years of her life taking care of my grandma, is in poor health and can no longer take care of her. Needing to focus on herself and getting well, it was decided that my grandma needed to be placed somewhere else. The question was where would she go? My mother and other aunts and uncles couldn't supply the amount of supervision required to care for her. They have full time jobs and financial obligations that require they keep those jobs. The general consensus is that you cant leave her alone for more then an hour. So her children began the search for a nursing home. One of her biggest fears is being placed in a home. That's when Mike and i decided that we should consider having her move in with us. Mike doesn't have a job and I'm in school. Together we can help care for her, and keep her out of a nursing home. so that's how it happened. My grandma moved in with us. While she is demented to the point she can't be left alone, when she's in the moment she can really be "on". she loves visitors and people. She likes it when the boys bring her toys to look at and bugs to examine. She doesn't leave her room very often. she calls it her apartment, because she has her own bathroom, and a walk in closet with a microwave and mini fridge. My mother planted a garden outside her window and hung hummingbird feeders, which grandma loves and talks about all the time. She repeats herself constantly and can't tell you what happened yesterday, or for that matter five minutes ago. Some people might have a hard time dealing with that, but i just nod and smile.