Birthday Moments, Happy Birthday Mama!

No matter how old I get, my precious Mama (Mother) Alexandra is always the #1 person in my life. I'm so blessed to have such an incredible Mother but now that her Alzheimers has advanced rapidly it's sad to see her declining so much. She was always so full of life, such a kind and talented soul who could do so much from cooking a fantastic meal, to playing the piano and teaching lessons. She was a church organist and  a choir director. She spoke two to three languages and traveled to many places. She excelled at Scrabble and was an amazing actress. Her house and backyard were immaculate and she always made everyone feel welcome in her home. She fed the birds, squirrels, and stray cats, She was a wonderful writer, a brilliant storyteller, and loved reading books. She owned adorable cats that she treated so well, and a greyhound dog too. She liked arts and crafts, baking, cooking, and exercising. A beautiful woman inside and out with a models figure. She was a dear and devoted friend, a loyal and devoted wife, and the best Mother in the world. I can't even list all the other outstanding things she did in her life but a short list includes her humble beginnings as a child living in Ukraine and Germany, to her later years in Rochester, New York hired as a church organist at only age 14 to play for several masses while still going to school, and helping raise her brothers and sisters, to being accepted as a student at Eastman School of Music and University of Rochester  and having top grades. She was such a devoted daughter to her loving parents too and helped them run their grocery store on Joseph Avenue.

Today I got to celebrate my Mother's birthday, May 26th. Although my Mother is in a wheelchair, and only can speak a few words, I'm so thankful to have her in my life even though she has advanced Alzheimers. It was such a blessing to come visit her today and bring her some homemade lasagna and a trifle dessert. Her next door neighbor made her a cake so there was plenty of food to share as a few of us gathered around the dining table to share a Birthday feast. The caregiver Ceceilia was there, my brother Mark, my friend Patty, and I, her daughter Adrianna. Her cat Sari joined in on the celebration too. Although my Mother didn't really know we were celebrating her Birthday, she still enjoyed herself.

What a birthday gift to still have my Mother, Alexandra. We don't have conversations since she can't comprehend words anymore, she's no longer my confidante or mentor, we can't take walks or bicycle rides, we can't pick flowers, or sing songs together or speak Ukrainian to one another, or take ballet classes but I can still look into her eyes, hold her hands, feed her meals, and give her hugs. She's still my one and only, brilliant, beautiful fun loving, kind, and precious Mother despite all her challenges and although things aren't the way they used to be, I'm so grateful for all the MOMENTS I still have with her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAMA...... ALEXANDRA!!!! WE ARE ALL PRAYING FOR YOU. YOU'RE GOD'S ANGEL!!

Diet Moments

Gosh....it's hard to diet these days. All around me, people are losing weight. They're so disciplined with their "keto diet," "weight watchers diet," "gluten free diet," "vegan diet" "30 day challenge diet," "paleo diet," "Mediterranean diet,"and a host of other diets. I envy them because I just can't get on track. Exercising isn't the problem, that's easy, bicycling, walking, pilates, yoga, skiing, paddle boarding....that's fun but giving up comfort foods isn't easy. Every time I challenge myself to give up something tasty, I find myself eating it the next day. That's why I'm writing this post. I'm pretending that 5 million people are reading this post and encouraging me to "eat strictly to survive." You know... living on healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, salads, and soups.

Gotta do it, gotta get into that size 2 dress I got for free on Friday. Such a lovely dress. I can zip it up half way and that's it, but with proper dieting, I plan on getting into that dress before my birthday in three weeks. Goodbye to all those comfort foods and hello to nutrient rich foods that shed the pounds. Rather be skinny now than indulge in foods that increase my dress size and make it impossible to get into a size 2 dress. So goodbye to burgers, cookies, ice cream, and potato chips and hello to salads, and smoothies. Summer's almost here, and the winter blubber fat must fade away.

Dieting Moments don't have to be difficult, after all "we are what we eat." So here's to eating right and feeling good. May we all aspire to be the best that we can be and be motivated to reach our goals.

HAPPY SPRING!