Making Everybody Happy

To make everybody happy, I needed to pull off four things today: attend Easter mass; set up an egg hunt for the boys; cook and serve brunch to the entire family, including dad; and visit mom.  The tricky part was everything had to happen before noon.

Dad and I usually visit mom between noon and one on Sundays.  But today he was going to my brother's for lunch.  So if dad was going to have any holiday time with the boys, it would have to be before visiting mom around 11:00 A.M.  That meant, in order to attend mass, we would have to go before the egg hunt and brunch.  Our only option was the 7:30 A.M. mass, because I drew the line at getting up early enough for the 6:00 A.M. service.  As it was, since any Easter mass draws a big crowd, we needed to be at church by 7:00 A.M., which meant getting up at 6:00 A.M.

Mass ended at 8:30 A.M.  We rushed home to find everyone waiting in our driveway, having arrived early. Fortunately, I had already hid the eggs.  So while the boys hunted, Jim and I quickly prepared a brunch of egg casserole, maple bacon, french toast with mixed berries, orange juice, and coffee.  After everyone cleaned their plate, it was time to visit mom.

It was our first visit since mom's move to the fourth floor.  We checked out mom's new room and I got an update from the staff.  Mom was awake and sitting in the dining room.  But she had no idea who we were and the little talking she did made no sense.  By the time we left, dad was in tears, which is why he should never visit mom alone.

After we got back home, Jim helped me with the dirty dishes while Emily watched the boys and Mike worked on the company's website.  After Jonah's afternoon nap, the Jorgensens headed home.  It's now 4:30 P.M. and I'm ready for bed.  (Oh, I forgot to mention earlier that I couldn't sleep last night.  It used to be if I cut off caffeine intake by 6:00 P.M. I had no problem sleeping.  Apparently, I now need to cut the caffeine much earlier.)

But while today's schedule was absolutely crazy, I'm glad I was able to help my dad and put smiles on the boys' faces.  Besides I have two days off from toddler care this week to help me recover.  Tomorrow is the last day of Easter Break, and Friday Emily is taking a personal day.  That means I can now spend much of April 29 indulgently watching the Royal Wedding broadcast.  Happy Easter to me!