Tales of a Hectic Life

Monday, February 21, 2011

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Is There Anything

cuter

than a

baby kitten?

I seriously doubt it.

This is Indiana, named after the state from whence he came. We call him Indy for short. We picked up Indy and his sister, Cinderella (Ella), in Jeffersonville last night. Ella is a calico with a black smudge on her little nose. Anna picked her out first thing....over the two other beautifully marked calicos. I guess it was love at first sight! I picked out Indy here. It was a pretty easy choice since the other black and white kitten was a realllllly long haired fuzzball. Indy has the softest fluffiest fur. =) I love it! For some reason Ella's picture is not working, but I'll get it fixed soon.

For now....enjoy the kitten love.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

When Enough is Enough

It wasn't when Baker had an accident on the carpet...

...it wasn't when he spewed dog snot all over the house...

...it wasn't the begging at the table....

...it wasn't the constant trail of water coming from his water bowl...

...it wasn't the muddy doggy footprints...

...it wasn't when he chewed the kitchen chairs...

....it wasn't the vomitting on the carpet....and the rug....multiple times...

...it wasn't when he started snagging things from the counters and table...

...it wasn't even the barking every.single.time he was put outside.

Enough was him whining every morning around 5 am (sometimes around 3am as well)....always waking us and usually Libby as well. I need sleep! I expected the chewing and barking and accidents and messes, but getting up multiple times a night?? No. I did not consider that aspect of doggy ownership. (For the record, he was well over a year old and capable of going 7-8 hours without a potty break. A call to the rescue gave me the advice to "throw a shoe at him" when he tried to wake us up. Uhmmm....no, no I don't think so.)

So Baker returned to the rescue yesterday. He actually seemed very happy to get back. While we feel bad that it didn't work out, he was a spoiled rotten pup during the month he lived at our house. He packed on some much needed pounds, got good medical care, learned some fun tricks, and got lots of lovin'. I suppose the rescue may have benefitted as well since they basically got a sizable donation from us in fees and supplies. ;-)

I have no doubt he will be adopted soon; he's a good lookin' puppy! And we learned a valuable lesson - perhaps we are just not dog owning people. At least not dog-and-toddler-owning people. Not that I'm nervous about Libby being around dogs, but just the work it takes to make sure toddler and dog are both staying out of mischief. It's an exhausting, 24/7 job! In any case, there will not be another canine in the Smith house for many, many years. Well, not one that stays, anyway.

I don't miss the constant surveillance that Baker required, but I do miss the happy furry greetings.

So, we have decided to get a pet that doesn't need as much work - a cat. Independent, quiet (relatively), small, able to go extended periods without needing to be let out of the house. Yes, I think a cat will fit our lifestyle much better.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Tails of a Hectic Life

Baker is settling in well. Long gone is the lazy dog we brought home. I guess he was just depressed. He's certainly full of energy and mischief now! Overall he is a very good dog.

But here's the thing.

I like dogs.

I always had a dog (or two....and cats....and birds....and hamsters...and fish...and all manner of other small furry creatures....and some more feathery creatures....although some we ate....but I digress...) growing up.

But.

There's always a but.

I'm not sure I like having one in my house.

Like, FULL time.

Even one who looks at me like this.

He kinda looks like the good luck dragon!

And he really is a good dog.

I mean, sure, he does

...chew up toys...

...and leave (BIG) piles in the backyard...

...and always seems to be underfoot...

...and spreads doggy slobber and snot all over the house...

...and steals the girls' pillows...

...and blankets...

....but he's a dog so he's supposed to do that.

I don't mind it!

No, really!

I'm serious.

I expected it...

....put it on my "things to consider before getting a dog" list.

I'm a list person.

Although this was more of a mental list.

Anyway.

So Baker is basically a good dog.

He does have a few annoying habits that I'm really hoping will be corrected by a snipsnip next week, however.

Poor, poor Baker.

He's sitting on my feet as I type this.

But he's still a dog.

And dogs require time

attention

training

somebody home on a regular basis for potty breaks.

He is cute though, dontcha think?

And he and Libby are two peas in a pod.

Whatever that really means.

They torment each other all.day.long.

Well, when we are home anyway.

Bringing a dog home is alot like bringing home a new baby.

A very big baby.

With lots of hair.

Who chases the older siblings.

and knocks them down.

and chews up their stuff.

and steals their food.

and poops in the yard.

and

okay, maybe Baker isn't that much like a new baby.

heh

Anyway.

I don't want to send Baker back.

But

I'm not sure I want him in my house

Like, full time, either.

For the next 15 years.

Oi vey!

Oh, decisions

...Stay tuned...

Monday, January 17, 2011

Introducing....

...the newest member of the family....

...the one...

...the only...

Baker!

Anna started asking for a puppy for Christmas. Of course, our response was, "Absolutely not!" But then Earl got bit by the puppy bug. And I said, "Absolutely not!" Fortunately, he agreed. So we started stalking Craigslist and looking at all the dogs coming and going. A trip through PetFinder revealed the Kentucky Lab Rescue. We filled out the application, were approved, and made the trek to Winchester where we met this handsome guy, amoung others. Baker impressed us with his great manners and labby good looks so we decided to take the plunge into dog ownership. Assuming his gas doesn't do us all in first, I hope it will be a pleasant experience. I think adding a dog to the family is a far scarier experience than adding another kid.

Anyway, Baker is a one year old fox red Dudley lab. He lacks pigment in his face so his nose and eye rims are reddish pink. It doesn't mean anything except he can't be shown (not an issue) and he may be prone to getting his nose sunburnt.

So far he's been a very good boy. No accidents, no jumping, no barking, very little chewing...hopefully it will continue!

Friday, December 31, 2010

Resolutions Revisited

The neat thing about having a blog is that I can look back and see what I was thinking or going through at different times. With the end of 2010 in sight I have been contemplating our changes and thinking about what I will resolve to do differently in 2011.

Last Year's Resolutions.....

to exercise. I'm making it a goal to spend some quality time with the elliptical at least three times a week. I'm really lucky to have a great best friend to be my accountability partner in this. (Oh, hey Courtney? I don't owe you a dollar tomorrow!)

Well, this started out promising.....until I pulled a muscle in my back shoveling snow, leaving me unable to even move without searing pain. Exercise?! Are you kidding me? Walking was enough of a challenge! (And oh, the irony! Because right at this moment I am in back pain. Not to the incapacitating extent of last year, but I have that definite twinge that threatens complete mutiny if I move the wrong way.)

to keep my house clean(er). I do not like to clean, but I love a clean house. What a conundrum! With some well placed additions that brought new life into our living room this weekend, I'm inspired to keep our house looking showroom-perfect......okay, okay....probably not realistic. I'm just hoping to keep the toys from overtaking everything.

This one has been kicking my butt all year. I'm trying, I'm really trying. The problem is the other three people who share my space have not made this resolution. And also, have you ever realized that you clean and clean and clean and the house looks sparkling and wonderful......and then by the end of the day it looks like a tornado (ahem, LIBBY!) has gone through the house. Frustration, I tell you!

to choose my food, and my family's food more wisely. Last year I waged a war on high fructose corn syrup and trans fat. With the help of Whole Foods, I was able to substitute many of Anna's favorite, sugar-laden foods with healthy(ier) alternatives. Best find? Late July's double chocolate cookies. Sooooooo good!

Yeah, so, I failed at this. While meeting the following goal, I had to let some things go. Unfortunately, nutrition has been one of them. Full time work, two kids, a husband, a house to tend, and graduate classes....take out and freezer meals have been a mainstay, I'm sad to say.

pursue further education. I've put off getting my Master's for the past decade. To wait longer will only mean I'll be dealing with more kids, more responsibilities, less time and money, etc. So I'm looking into graduate program possibilities. Nothing definite yet. ;-)

I am currently enrolled in Eastern Kentucky University in their graduate program. I'm not altogether sure when I'll graduate...after this past semester I'm only going to take one class at a time. My sanity will be intact to thank me later.

make a concerted effort to pay off debt. We are blessed to so far not be drowning in debt, but with the purchase of a new vehicle (that is, at this moment, in the shop getting put back together from my catastrophe last month...) we are now back in car payment territory. Our visit outside lasted only a few short months, but the grass really was greener. I doubt we'll be able to pay it all off in one year, but hopefully no more than two. Remind me of this when I start dreaming of blue skies and tropical, sandy beaches come June.

Ha hahahahaha, HAHAHAhahaha.....oh, excuse me. Wow. Had I only known when I wrote this last year. Within a few weeks we had signed a contract to have a house built and put our on the market. Then in July we discovered that our car was, in fact, totaled. So now we have not one, but TWO car payments, as well as school loans, a bigger mortgage.....yeah, the list can go on and on here. And forget June, I'm already dreaming of blue skies and sandy beaches....or at the very least, one week with no Kentucky and no small Smithlets in sight.

So there ya go, folks. 2010 didn't go quite the way I had anticipated, but I suppose nothing ever does, and we have felt truly blessed all year long. I have a mindful of ideas and wishes and dreams ready to put into place for 2011. Really, I want more time to focus on my kids. It's just simply hard to find the time to do everything I want to do and to do it well. As the pastor of my church said, it's "hurryitis". I need to hurry through everything, because that's the only way I can cope. Of course, that leads to me doing nothing well, feeling awful about it, and being stressed. All.the.time.

But 2011 is a fresh start! I will only be taking one class, so I'm praying for time to have more movie and game nights, more leisurely trips to the zoo, more bike rides on beautiful evenings, more silly dinnertime conversations, more snuggly bedtime stories with sweet, bath-scented children, more time to sip iced tea in my backyard and to visit with the neighbors, more time to enjoy a good book.

I am praying and hoping for simply more time to enjoy.

So if you come to my house the mail might be piled up on the counter. The floors may just have crumbs from breakfast. You might have to step around some toys in the living room. We may be eating our freezer ready meals on paper plates. And you may see a load of folded laundry on my couch. But hopefully there will not be two stressed out parents trying to hustle two cranky kids through the motions to toss them into bed each night just to get a breather before collapsing themselves only to repeat the same thing the next day.

Oh, and exercise. Yes. That has to be on the resolution list, right?

Happy New Year's, everyone!