Almost two weeks ago, my mother-in-law (MIL) had to have surgery, so the whole family flew to Florida to help take care of her. Here's how some careful planning and realistic expectations helped me survive my staycation in Florida...
First up, it's super important to have realistic expectations when faced with situations like these. Here are the facts. My MIL had to have eye surgery. She would be in a lot of pain, and for at least the first three to four days after surgery, she would need all the help she could get. I knew going in, what my role would be. I was there to serve her, cook meals, and try to make her as comfortable as possible. I knew I also needed an extra dose of patience and love...well, because that's needed a lot when dealing with one's MIL. Plus, I would be doing all that while still being a wife and taking care of my energetic and playful seven year old! A vacation this was not. We had to have a plan.
Second, we used our surroundings to our advantage in devising a plan. Since my MIL lives in a beautiful gated community with amenities like a pool and tennis courts, we knew Buddy Roller would get some fun and exercise. In the mornings, we played tennis or basketball, and even though it rained a lot, we were still able to use the pool most afternoons, in between rain showers.
Third, it's really important to share the burden of caring for someone, and I'd like to think The Hubs and I did a pretty good job. Don't get me wrong, there were some tough days which we expected going in, but we had each other. While I cooked the meals and tended to Buddy Roller, The Hubs was amazing with taking his mom to and from the hospital for her surgery and follow up appointments, and he was great at changing her bandage everyday as that stuff makes me really squeamish!
Fourth, since this was no vacation, and because we knew we would be spending a lot of time indoors, we were prepared and packed some pretty important reading books and board games to pass the time. Books like Truly Madly Guilty, A Well Tempered Heart, and Small Great Things were great choices for me this trip. For Buddy Roller, we packed Loser, and many a night was spent playing the best board game ever...The Settlers of Catan. Even my MIL was able to play when she was feeling better towards the end of our stay.
And finally, we counted every small blessing of which there were many. It is a blessing that as a teacher, I had the time off to be able to do this. It's also a blessing that The Hubs, who started his company more than a decade ago, was able to work remotely and help take care of his mother. It rained every day we were in Florida, and I saw this as a blessing in disguise. It would almost be torture if every day were beautiful and sunny, and we had to stay indoors taking care of my MIL. So the rain was truly a blessing because we didn't feel like we were missing out on much. We actually used that time when it rained to play board games as a family and read some really good books.
Twelve days later when it was time to head home, we were happy to have the time with my MIL and help her in her recovery. Thankfully, we all made it without hurting each other. Well almost...
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