Beverly Rogers - Homebaked Wit and Wisdom from Mommas House: The Resurrection of Common Sense

HOMEBAKED WIT & WISDOM
FROM MOMMAS HOUSE

The Resurrection of Common Sense

Copyright 2012 by Beverly Rogers.

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-3318-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-3319-2 (ebk)

Contents

The Advocate: An Ode To
Health Care Professionals

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the Davis Girls Plus who provided the content. The compilation of ideas, activities and experiences from family and friends show up on every page!

C.B.C. gets the credit for the subtitle for From Mommas House. She deserves the shout out because she, along with Lilac Blossom and Jay P. receive more than their share of the homebaked wit and wisdom.

Thank you to my Uplifting Her partner who created the FMH logo. She is a visionary who coached me to complete the manuscript even through my times of feeling overwhelmed.

I praise God for the journey. It is only by faith that He could create me from the Davis marriage, carry me through health challenges, keep me through my senior years as a caregiver and yet, allow me to stay in my right mind.

We expect our homes to have a good foundation that can withstand floods, winds and damage. Our lives start with values and ideas from the family around usbuilding our foundation for character, personality and lifestyle.

I have great memories From Mommas House. It was a place to laugh, learn and love. It provided a foundation for life management skills lasting 70 years.

When a foundation-shaker like depression seeps through a crack, Mommas common sense remedies for health, wellness and relationships restores my peace. I am able to paraphrase one of her favorite scriptures, Weeping may endure for a night, but I can choose to be joyful and not cry for the next 3 days.

Having a good foundation helps me to remember who I am when there is no one around and when the lights are off.

My parents were deliberate in naming my sisters and me. They used the letter B for the first name of all 3 girls. People thought it was unique since the first name of both Mom and Dad was that same letter.

As the years past, Mom would often call the wrong B person when she wanted a chore done or was chastising for a chore that wasnt done. In a somewhat prideful tone, I would run through the names to see which one she had in mind. Her retort was always You know who I mean! So get that attitude out of your voice.

That meant do what she told you to do. Whichever B name replied was the person selected to perform the chore.

Absence Makes The Heart
Grow Fonder

High on Moms annoyance list was hearing one of us call the name Momma 100 times. Momma, can I? Momma, when will ? Momma Momma Momma.

One way to ensure she sent us away to get much needed peace without damaging our self-esteem was by using words that reinforced her love. Momma loved us enough to send us to our room to read, nap or play independently. Her favorite command was, Let me miss you.

My love for destination spas began very early in life. Even now, alone time is a necessity to clear my mind. My momma invented Spa time.

In the days of just one bathroom, she would ask us 3 timesobviously her favorite numberif we needed to go. After all requests were granted, she took Joy dishwashing liquid, Epsom salts, and her favorite perfume to a hot tub of water. For 1 hour, Mom soaked in the tub and read her favorite devotional while sipping a cup of tea flavored with lemon and honey.

You dared not even whisper the word Momma.

My fat cells are forever. They were plumped up from Moms basic food groups. A perfectly healthy breakfast was oatmeal, raisin, pecans, chocolate chips, butter and brown sugar. Granola? No. Even better. A fat, oversized home-baked cookie with a glass of milk.

To get us ready to meet the cold Wisconsin air, Momma served a can of mushroom soup made with milk along with a slice of whole wheat toast that filled your stomach, pumped your attitude and provided calcium.

To get us ready to race through a rainy Wisconsin morning, Momma prepared a can of tomato soup made with milk, served with a grilled cheese sandwich to fill your stomach, pump your attitude and provide needed calcium.

A good breakfast for health and wellness did not require traditional breakfast foodsonly healthy ingredients.

When my children were young, my best friend and I would discuss what we were preparing for dinner. A vegetable salad was always on my menu. After many conversations, she jokingly said that I didnt have to mention the salad because it was always there. It is confirmation of the old saying about how hard old habits die.

Mommas mottoa salad a day will keep fat away.

Our nickname for Mom in her senior years was Lil Moomy. When the girls talk about her advice for a good life, we call them moomyisms. We have lots of laughs over two of our favorites.

1. No matter your financial situation, always have money to get your hair and nails done even if you have to skim from the grocery money. When you look unkempt, your husband is watching women who look good. When you look good, you feel better about yourself even if he doesnt notice.

2. Every woman should have one husband and one child was Moms idea of a fulfilled life. After two husbands and two children, I tried to convince my sisters that happiness wasnt built on that belief. Life can be fine without either husband or child. Both sisters have one husband and one child.

Did I fail or did Mom succeed?

A mothers intuition is hard to escape. Adult children make attempts to keep parents out of their business, especially if it is affecting their health or well-being. In order to assess what motherly advice needed to be administered, Moms phone conversation would end with I need to see your face. Wherever we were in the continental U.S., we showed up within the week for a face to face conversation in Mommas kitchen!

Theres Not Enough Butter
In My Oatmeal

Mom could taste the difference between margarine and butter when used in recipes.

As she aged, she still enjoyed potato soup when it was the right consistency and had the right amount of butter.

Through her days of hospice, oatmeal had to be on the breakfast menu every morning. Even when she didnt feel like talking, Mom would let you know, Theres not enough butter in my oatmeal.