(no subject)

[the_rck]

It's weird. I don't usually snack, but now that I can't really get food easily, I'm hungry a lot of the time. Cordelia's not very helpful with this-- Unless I can tell her exactly what I want and exactly where to find it, she's not going to bring me anything, and some things, like apples, are beyond what she's willing to do (she's scared to cut up an apple, and I haven't been able to eat them any other way for many, many years).

I'm also finding myself wanting tea more often than normal. Cordelia has refused, point blank, to make me tea, and I'm not sure it's worthwhile to force her to do it.

In a normal day, I have coffee and a banana (or an apple when I can get it) for breakfast. Then I have a sausage for lunch. Then I have some meat and a vegetable for dinner and, sometimes, some sort of treat-- a piece of cake, a small bowl of ice cream, something like that-- an hour or two later. I drink water throughout the day.

Right now, I'm even having trouble getting Cordelia to take away my dirty dishes, and she grumbles when I ask her to fill my water bottle.

I could probably retrieve some things myself as I have a little bag on my walker, but I'm trying to limit how much I use the walker because it hurts my hands and shoulders. Also, the way into the kitchen is littered with obstacles in terms of things like laundry baskets and Wii remotes that Cordelia should have put away. I got in there this morning, but I stepped on a Wii remote, and I got tangled in the handle of one of the laundry baskets.

I'm frustrated with Cordelia. She could be a lot more helpful than she is. It's well within her ability, and she's old enough to be responsible. I thought she'd be better on days when her friends aren't here, but she's not. Right now, she's out for a walk. When she comes back, I'm going to ask her to refill my water bottle and to move the remaining bananas into the fridge so they don't get overripe.

Comments

[kyrielle]

For foods that are shelf-stable at room temperature, could you have her put a variety of options near you/where you easily can reach, in 1-2 trips all at once, so that you could help yourself as needed? Would she bring you an apple, knife, and plate to cut on and then take the knife back to the sink, if she'd rather not slice it?

Not ideal, I realize, but it might help you get some of the food you want without having to trip your way to the kitchen.

[the_rck]

Someone on LJ suggested pretty much the same things.

I'm hoping that Scott will be able to pick up some stuff for me after work today (then I just have to keep Cordelia from eating all of it. We had a box of triscuits, and she devoured most of them). If Scott can't today, it will have to wait until Saturday some time.

Cordelia might be willing to bring me an apple, a knife and a plate. I'll see if I can get her to do that today.

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

I hear your frustration -- though as far as I can tell from my own kids, lack of helpfulness is age-appropriate at that age. But it still makes me crazy. But I think at that age kids don't entirely have the ability to imagine themselves into someone else's situation and empathize and take on what needs to be done -- that's still a set of abilities that doesn't come together until some time later on in their development.

Some thoughts:
If Cordelia won't cut up an apple for you, will she at least rinse one and bring you the apple with a knife and a plate? And, would it be possible to have Scott pre-load a bunch of snacks and things for you to keep in the living room? It might require a trip to the grocery store to find different foods that you could eat and that could be left out in the living room all day. But it seems to me that there must be some ways to make this easier on you.

**hugs**

[the_rck]

Unfortunately, Scott shopping isn't at all likely until Saturday some time. He's working twelve hours tomorrow (and has to go to bed half an hour from now) and will be too exhausted to shop after work tomorrow. Friday, he will have to go to bed early again so that he can in early on Saturday. Saturday will probably be only 4 hours (3 a.m. to 7 a.m.).

I might be able to get Cordelia to bring me an apple, a knife and a plate. I'll try that tomorrow.