Tag Archives: parents

Mar22

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

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Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Today is a special day because it’s my mommy’s birthday!! As I’m sure that you guys have gathered by now, my mom is basically my best friend. We love to hang out together, cook, watch movies, go shopping, pet dogs, and play Scrabble. My mom is easily one of my favorite human beings on the planet and everyone who has the honor of knowing her feels similarly. It’s hard not to!

I am so thankful for having a mom who is as funny, smart, wonderful, and perfect as mine. Not to mention how caring, supportive, and encouraging she is. I can always count on good ol’ JANE to be there when I need to talk and am appreciative to have a mother who is a fantastic listener. No matter how my mom and I spend our time together, I always enjoy it because I am seriously in the best of company when I’m with her. I love you so much, mommy!

Happy Birthday!! ❤

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Jan9

The Tides Will Turn; Helping Elderly Parents Get The Best Life

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When you’re young, you rely on your parents for everything. Food, money, shelter, and love. As you get older you start to provide for yourself or you find other sources to provide these needs. You get your love from a husband or boyfriend, you find your own income, and you buy your house. But as your parents age, they may become less independent, and this can be difficult to deal with. It can be hard to see your parents lose who they used to be. They need your help now, they need you to, at least in some ways, look after them. If you don’t do this, as your parents get older, they might struggle to get the quality of life that they deserve. What can you do to ensure that they get the life you want them to have?

Pay Them Back: Over the past few years, you have probably found that your parents contributed a lot to your life, financially. They might have paid part of your college bills, helped you buy your first home, or put down the deposit on that new apartment. They may have acted as a guarantor and ensured that if you couldn’t pay your bills, you wouldn’t be left out on the street. It’s possible that they never asked for anything in return, they never requested that you pay them back.

However, one day they might need money from you, particularly after they retire. They might need to borrow from you to maintain their home. Or, they might need help moving to a different location. You should be willing to help them financially in this type of situation. You might be surprised how difficult this decision becomes as you get older. You might have your own financial commitments and needs. But, you just have to remember what they did for you and how much you really do owe them.

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Help Them Move Forward: At a certain age, it’s not practical or sensible to live in a home with two floors. You need to think about moving to a bungalow and before you make this decision for yourself, you’ll have to help your parents make the same choice. Many parents will push against this idea and keep a home they are used to for as long as possible. They don’t want to feel old and won’t tell you that it might actually even hurt to walk up and down the stairs. At that stage, you have two options. You can help them change the home to make it more suitable. Or, you can help them move, but they will need your support either way.

You might even find that the best option for them is a retirement home. This should be their choice unless they aren’t fit to make it. In that situation, you might have to step in. Be aware that there are plenty of nursing homes like Anglican Care that provide luxury accommodation to elderly parents. You just need to help them find the right place for them to live that will suit all their needs. Please keep in mind that this is a highly sensitive topic to bring up to your parents and should be handled with care. Look into tips for navigating the assisted living discussion as well as asking friends who have been in a similar situation for advice. This is something that should be talked about as lovingly and gracefully as possible.

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Keep Them In Your Life: Last but not least, your parents will need more than just emotional support. One day it will be up to you to ensure that they stay an important part of your life. You’ll decide when you see them and when they see their grandchildren. It’s crucial that they feel connected to your life and who you have become. Otherwise, you might find your parents suffering from depression and other emotional issues.

Something that can be really helpful is setting a schedule for visits. It will give both parties something to look forward to and establishes a routine. It could be a family lunch every Sunday. Or perhaps bringing the grandchildren by for some weekly Bingo if your parents or loved ones are residing in Assisted living and memory care facilities. That would surely be a treat for all and the residents too to see little ones joining the game! Set a schedule, commit to it fully, and see the emotional benefits before your eyes.

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Dec29

New Coat Heaven!

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New Coat Heaven!

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! On Christmas day I died and found myself in New Coat Heaven. If you read yesterday’s Monday Update: Holiday Haul Edition, you’ll know that my parents gifted me with a gorgeous new coat. If you didn’t know that – then now you know! I am so madly in love with my new beauty from Target that I just had to give it some extra special attention in today’s post. Take a look at this bad boy:

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^^^ Swoon. ❤

I’ve had my eyes on this stunning knee length coat from Target for over two months but it was quite expensive so I never would have bought it for myself. While my mom and I went on one of our monthly Target excursions, I pointed the coat out to her and tried it on. I modeled the coat, expressed my desperate interest, and then hung it up and put it away so we could continue our shopping. That shopping trip was Operation: Planting the Seed.

And believe me, the seed in my mother’s brain was planted, alright. When I was gifted with the Corella Deville coat on Christmas day, my mom told me that the day after our outing she went out and bought it for me for one of my presents. She said that if she didn’t do it right away then she would have forgotten the size I needed and she didn’t want it to get sold out. What a lady! ❤

I’ve been planning outfits in my head around this knock out of a coat for days now. The unveiling of my new winter garb will take place on New Year’s Eve, when Kyle and I go out for a date night to ring in 2016. I’m going to pair it with a beautiful, knee length, floral dress along with a killer pair of heels and of course, a bright red lip! Be on the look out for pictures!!

I really am in New Coat Heaven and I’m so thankful for the amazing gift compliments of my mom and dad! Who received new clothes for Christmas? What about new jewelry or accessories? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec28

Monday Update: Holiday Haul Edition

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Monday Update: Holiday Haul Edition

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Welcome to this week’s Update: Holiday Haul Edition! Lil Red made out like a bandit this Christmas and it’s still not over! I still have presents to receive from my sister and my best friend later this week. But so far, the loot has been fantastic. I feel so spoiled because I’ve never had a boyfriend during the holiday season and Kyle and his mom were nice enough to give me some amazing presents. Take a look at what I received on Christmas according to each person:

My parents:

I am SO in love with the gorgeous coat that my mom and dad got me. I’ve been eyeing this jacket from Target for over two months now and I’m so happy that it’s finally mine! My mom got it for me the day after I tried it on in front of her in October and has been hiding it for my surprise ever since. What a lady! I also received a generous donation to the Lil Red Foundation as well as a fresh supply of my favorite beauty products from The Body Shop and Trader Joe’s. Thanks, mom and dad!

My brother and sister-in-law:

From Peter and Megan I received my first Adult Coloring Book, complete with colored pencils and a sharpener. My sister and I have been interested in these for a while so I’m so excited to unleash my inner child and crack open the coloring book with her. I also got a Groupon for two free admissions to a Paint Nite. In Ohio, there are certain bars that offer a night of drinking and canvas painting and I’ve heard that they’re so much fun! It will be the perfect date night for me and Kyle!

The most special gift I got this Christmas, however, was the rosary that Peter and Megan brought home for me from their honeymoon in Italy. It’s my favorite color and it is also blessed by Pope Francis from when they had the honor of meeting him. How cool is that?!

My other brother:

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From my second oldest brother, Andrew, I received another generous donation to the Lil Red Foundation. You can’t go wrong with cold hard cash!

My boyfriend:

My darling Kyle spoiled me rotten this year with some of the most fantastic gifts ever!! He gave me an entire family of stuffed animals from Despicable Me – one of our favorite movies. I also got a stuffed Moogle from Final Fantasy, which I’m pretty stoked about! To continue with the Minion theme, Kyle got me the most comfy pair of Minion patterned fleece pajama pants, which were unfortunately in the washing machine while I was taking my haul photos! Rest assured, they’re cute. 🙂

Kyle did a wonderful job of picking me out some beautiful accessories as well. I was so surprised when I opened the boxes of gorgeous jewelry, which included two stunning bracelets and a necklace. Kyle also knocked it out of the park with a burgundy and grey infinity scarf (Which I’m wearing right now!) and burgundy and black trimmed gloves. I can’t wait to wear my new scarf with all of my favorite sweaters and pair my gloves with my new coat from my parents! Thanks, babe – I love you! ❤

My boyfriend’s mom:

I was so humbled by the lovely gifts that my boyfriend’s mom treated me to. She got me the absolute cutest ornament for my tree of a little penguin ice skating. I made sure to put it right by my human skater, which I got at a figure skating competition in New York. Mrs. Kyle’s Mom also gifted me with some luscious bath and body products from Philosophy. I’ve never used their products before but have always wanted to so I was SO excited to try both of them out! Spoiler alert: They’re amazing and they smell heavenly!

As much as I enjoyed receiving all of these beautiful presents, I enjoyed giving everyone the gifts I picked out special for them even more! I am so thankful for all of the goodies that I was gifted with but would have been just fine with only having the quality time with my family and loved ones. My Christmas this year was one of the best ever and I can’t wait to continue the celebrations this week with my sister and darling best friend!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Holiday Haul Edition! How was everyone’s holiday? What was your favorite gift that you received or gave? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov28

Thanksgiving Fun

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Thanksgiving Fun

Helloooo everyone and happy Saturday! I hope all of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving and Black Friday if you participated in the madness! I had a great holiday in my neck of the woods. I got to spend it with my crazy family and handsome boyfriend and it was a blast!

I woke up bright and early to help my mom cook our Thanksgiving meal. I hate to brag but I made a pretty mean stuffing and green bean casserole! The morning went by quick and then by the time I knew it my sister, Kristen, was ready to get picked up to join in on the festivities. As you can see by this picture, I was having a ton of fun:

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Kristen and I spent the afternoon finishing some cooking, snuggling, having girl talk, and watching season four of American Horror Story. I had the best time being able to spend the afternoon with her back at the home front because she moved into her own apartment recently and I miss her like crazy! Thankfully, we took enough sister pictures with each other to last a life time so I’ll have a lot of pics to look through and smile/laugh at.

My boyfriend, Kyle, spent the afternoon with his family and joined us for dinner at five. By four thirty the countdown began and we were all checking out the window and staring at the food we were about to devour for a solid half hour or so. Finally, my sweet Kyle came rolling in but rolling was more like hobbling because he sprained his ankle really badly last week and is on crutches. So once Kyle was safely inside my house and seated it. was. ON!

Our Thanksgiving feast at casa de la Mushenheim was delicious! There was stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, and green beans for days. There was also turkey for the non-vegetarians in the household, AKA Kyle, my dad, and my brother. I annihilated two extremely large plate fulls of side dishes and was about ready to burst at my seams afterwards…So worth it.

After dinner, we lazed around the house and enjoyed some coffee and pie for those who could handle eating another bite. We then decided on going to see Mockingjay Pt. 2 in theaters which was a lot of fun. Or as much fun as it can possibly be, considering I’ve never read the books or seen any of the movies. But Kyle, my mom, and Kristen are big fans of The Hunger Games series so it was nice to see all of them have a cute little holiday outing even if that meant just sitting along for the ride. The movie theater was pretty empty too so we got awesome seats and were able to put our feet up and comment on the film without annoying the other moviegoers too much!

Once we returned home from our movie excursion, Kyle and I headed back to his place and went right to bed. I ended up sleeping in until noon yesterday which seriously never happens anymore – it was great! I had such a nice time on Thanksgiving and I was so happy that my boyfriend was able to be there to join us. ❤

So there you have it, all of my Thanksgiving Fun from this past Thursday! How was everyone’s holiday? Who scored some amazing Black Friday deals? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May30

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!!!

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Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!!!

So today is my mom and dad’s 34th wedding anniversary! Hurray! Congratulations to my wonderful parent’s for being able to put up with each other for thirty-four whole years and are STILL going strong! I honestly think that’s such an amazing accomplishment considering we live in a world where long standing marriages are becoming increasingly rare. I genuinely believe that I have the best parents that a gal could ask for, so I for one am so thankful that their marriage has been so successful! Thirty-four years is a long time, but here’s to a million more happy years together in a perfect, blissful, and slightly annoying union! Last night my family went out to dinner to celebrate my mom and dad and as their anniversary treat to themselves they both ordered a drink that wasn’t water! Big spenders! Both of my parents are the farthest thing from lavish when it comes to celebrating the milestones of their marriage, so a nice and low key dinner was the perfect way to celebrate their special day. It was a really beautiful time. Happy, happy anniversary mom and dad! Good job!! I love you both so much! ❤ ❤ ❤

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^^^ Cutest. Couple. EVER!

I hope all of you wonderful readers continue to enjoy your weekend! Does anyone have a special occasion that they’re celebrating this weekend? Does anyone have a birthday or an anniversary coming up? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct26

A Thank You Letter to my Parents

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A Thank You Letter to my Parents

This is a special thank you letter to my mom and dad. A thank you for them being so accepting of their extremely unique looking daughter. My mother took me to get all of my piercings done from the time I was fifteen until I was eighteen and old enough to get them done on my own. If you’ve read my original post Body Mods, you’ll know that I’ve gotten pierced and repierced over thirty times, and my mom was there for more than half of these. My dad was never really thrilled when I’d come home with a new piercing, however he’d rarely let me know it. And when he did, it was as nice as he possibly could make it, which usually just involved asking me if I was ever going to take any of my metal out. Not only was my parents cool with my body mods when I was younger, they were also fine with taking me to the hair salon to get my hair dyed and styled into my signature bright red semi short hair. Words can’t really express how much this means to me now. The fact that I was only a teenager but my parents were giving me the freedom to express myself and look the way I want is something I don’t thank them for enough. I should really start. My mom and dad treated me like an adult in the sense that I was able to make decisions on my appearance completely on my own. I’ll never forget all of the times my mom and I would come waltzing into the tattoo shop and being greeted by all of the guys working. My piercer absolutely adored my mom and we visited him frequently enough that my mom would drop the classic phrase of “you can be my adopted son” whenever we would see him. It was always so fun for me to see my mom chat and laugh with all of these pierced and tatted up guys as if she was the mother of all of them. Watching her interact with them and pass no judgement on any of them was amazing. My mom is sixty and my dad is sixty-six and I really think its cool that both of them are totally okay with having a daughter who looks like me. Most people my parents’ age are very set in their ways which tend to be more traditional. When I came home with my newest tattoo yesterday (see the article Body Mods! Part 2 for more information on that), my mom was so eager to see it that she was genuinely upset when I told her I couldn’t take the wrapping off for another two hours. My dad was amazed when he found out his little girl sat through five hours worth of pain to get it done, “how in the hell did you do that?!” There’s so many parents in the world who wouldn’t be okay with their kids opting for a more unique look. And there’s probably a lot of parents who don’t agree with my mom and dad’s acceptance of my appearance. But that’s okay, to each their own. My mom and dad accept me for who I am because I’m my own person and I like what I like. And most importantly, nothing will change the fact that I’m their little girl. My gratitude to my parents for everything knows no bounds, and I am so beyond lucky that I have them. If you guys haven’t read my newest Body Mods article, this is my newest tattoo which I got this weekend:

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Take the time to thank your parents for something they did that you really appreciate. Has there ever been a time where your parents shocked you with how cool they are? What was something that your mom or dad did that you’ll never forget? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Sunday. -Sarah