Staying Positive

My mom turned 79 early this year. With the celebration came the realization she would need more than her loyal home staff to manage her needs. Being retired and the most eligible among my siblings, I have taken on the task. And I have relocated to Cebu to manage as best as I can my mother’s affairs. 

I blogged about the mixed emotions my siblings, my friends and I go through when dealing with the care of a parent who, once was so independent, is now experiencing memory lapses. (The Quest ; Still Mommy; To Everything Turn Turn Turn).  A year ago, I would call her daily to check how things where. I also flew to Cebu at least four times a year to keep her company. And when she had to visit my siblings in the States, I would be her travel companion.

To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn

Not too long ago, friends and I would spend hours on the topic of child-rearing techniques.  The topics range from the best way to sooth a colic baby; how to prepare delicious meals for picky eaters;  proven approaches to easing the pains of separation anxieties; teaching methods to improve memory; sure-fire tactics on how to deal with rebellious and moody teens.

With our children all grown-up and living their own lives, my friends and I still spend time talking about the same things but this time we speak of our mothers and not our children.  Just like children, our mothers have come to need care, need understanding, need patience, need company, need help.

The Other Way Around

One morning, I decided to hitch a ride with my daughter. She had called for a cab to take her to work and by joining her, I would be spared the effort of having to walk to a nearby house of a friend.

In the short ride, my daughter exclaimed out of the blue, “Come to work with me mommy.”

I laughed at the request and told her that her boss would surely be alarmed if he saw a grey-haired lady sitting at the back of her desk busy making cut-out dolls.

In the short ride, we both recalled the many times she went with me to the office and the activities she did to keep from being bored: taking one document from me and bringing it to my staff at a near by room; punching holes and collecting the punched out dots; using the dater and pretend to be busy stamping away a stack of newspaper; and, best of all going to the canteen for some snacks. On top of that, she had to make herself as invisible to the boss as possible— a tough challenge not to call out loudly, “Mommy, come here.” Or “Mommy, I need to go.”



Soon I was at my friend’s house. I bid my daughter good-bye as I got out of the cab. As her cab sped away, I wondered if there will indeed come a time when daughters or sons will be allowed to bring their parent/s to work. The most compelling reason for doing so: the parent’s caretaker was sick or had not returned and there was no one who could spend time with the parent. It’s the same major reason why parents bring their kids to work.

Several companies now provide daycare centers for the children of their employees. Would companies in the future provide elderly daycare centers for the parents of their employees?

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What do both kids and the elderly have in common? They are usually served oatmeal. And rightly so. It's healthy, it's rich in fiber and can be mixed with a variety of fruits and nuts. Its preparation is only limited by ones imagination.

Now here's a recipe that will not only delight both the young and the old but everyone else in between.

Mookies

recipe found in Sunset's 1997 Recipe Annual Edition
It says that Pam Afpinall, a coffee shop owner, was experimenting, trying to make the best oatmeal cookie around. Her customers picked the cookie made using this recipe. It resembled a muffin, so they called it a "mookie."

* Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups regular rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sweetened shredded dried coconut
1/2 cup raisins
* Instructions:
Mix butter and brown sugar until thoroughly blended.



Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.



In another bowl, combine oats, flour, salt and baking powder.



Blend oat mixture with butter mixture.



Stir in walnuts, coconut and raisins.



Pack cookie dough into an ice cream scoop (4-ounce size) or 1/2-cup measuring cup. Scrape dough level with rim and empty onto lightly oiled baking sheets, spacing dough about 3 inches apart.



Bake at 350 degrees until cookie edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. If using one oven, switch pans halfway through baking.



Cool cookies on a rack, serve or store airtight up to 2 days.