Monday, February 29, 2016

The Tickle On My Feet Wasn't A Bug


While tackling a little housework this morning, in the form of vacuuming, the smallest of our Pet Pillows had found its way under my desk. I thought nothing of it. In fact, shortly after sitting at my desk, my flip flopped feet were enjoying the cushioned comfort. I thought nothing of it as I contended with several work emails and deadlines.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

The Kids Don't Always Make Room For Me


I've mentioned many times before that we have a home office. Our home is a 3 bedroom. One of those rooms we use as our actual bedroom. One is used for the biscuit room. The other, and largest out of the 3, is the home office. It's big enough for 2 desks, a love seat, a doggy bed and shelf that displays some of our antique treasures from flea markets and family heirlooms. It's comfortable. My desk faces outward towards the living room.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Mom Is Home And The Kids Are Happy


This was the scene five minutes after Lisa arrived home from her overnight trip to New Hampshire. To back up a bit, I dozed off around 1 a.m. Coco was sound asleep in our bed. Sophie and Lobo stayed on the sofa with me. I dozed off after reading a few chapters in my book. Around 3 in the morning, Lobo woke me up. He was nudging my hand because he wanted me to hold him. After we got all situated, and Sophie moved closer, we fell back to sleep.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Our Kids Don't Like It When Their Mom Is Away Overnight


Yesterday was the first time in a while that I missed writing a post. Two days ago, a dear friend of my wife's family lost his battle with cancer. On the overnight, Wednesday into Thursday, I experienced one of the worst wind storms of my life. I sat on the sofa, flashlight in hand, listening to the wind. It sounded like a freight train going down our street. On top of that, we had a severe thunderstorm warning. At one point, I stood on the front porch, barefoot, to witness Mother Nature in all of her fierce glory. The sky lit up.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

My Heart Is Heavy Today...


One of my favorite quotes of all time is by Nietzsche. It reads, "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." It's a quote I reflect back on often...especially days like today. A dear man, one very close to my wife and her family, lost his battle with cancer today.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Being A Foster Parent Isn't Easy, But It's Worth Every Second


The first time we fostered was back in 2014. One kitten. She was from a feral litter. She had resided at the pound for a while, however, fostering was necessary to get her acclimated to home life, human touch and everything between. We named her Emmy. For almost a week, we spent lots of time with her. The first day she hid from us. Within a couple of days, while laying on my tummy, Emmy would sit on the upper part of my back and play with my hair. It didn't take long for her to warm up to human touch. She loved it.

Monday, February 22, 2016

That's Just How We Roll


We've never discouraged our kids from letting us know they'd like a taste of whatever we're eating. They're courteous little beggars and will wait patiently. I attribute that to them knowing they'll get a little taste of whatever we're eating. Tiny nibbles. Most of what I cook or bake is both pup and human friendly.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

This Is Our Home And We're Happy Here


Some things are better left unsaid. I've highlighted a few of those here. I probably should write a sequel. The list is getting longer. The most recent is, "You two should buy a home. I don't understand why people want to rent." Or something along that line. It's usually followed by the benefits of being a homeowner.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

I Tackled My List And The Bottle Of Wine


Last night I slept for 7 solid hours. I worked until midnight. Read for an hour. Closed my eyes. Out. This hasn't happened in months. I woke up around 8. Refreshed. Rested. Lisa made my first cup of coffee and. I took the first few sips at my desk. About 10 minutes later, I sat back in the chair and thought, "Nope. This isn't what I want to do or where I want to be." I needed a break from my desk and the virtual world. I paced around the kitchen for a few minutes. Sat down at the table. Lisa was making breakfast for the kids. That's when I made the decision. I was going to spend the day tackling The List.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Random Rant: Give It A Rest Keyboard Warriors


My patience for keyboard warriors is quickly spiraling downward. It's at the point of almost being nil. I extend my middle finger to those internet trolls who have nothing better to do than continuously spread negativity, look down on others and offer their hateful opinions when they have no idea what's going on. There's a lot of them out there. And, as of late, they're attacking the pet parent community.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

This Dog Mom Drinks Wine, Swears And Burps Out Loud


I recently stumbled on comical Facebook page created and maintained by a group of "Mommy Bloggers" who drink wine and swear. I've visited their blog site and, of course, it specifies "REAL moms connecting with other REAL moms." I drink wine. I swear. I've been known to wipe my mouth on my sleeve. I burp out loud. However, upon visiting their site, I immediately feel shunned. Door closed.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The Search For A New Sofa Has Begun


Our sofa is 22 years old. My parents purchased the sofa, love seat and matching reclining chair back in 1994. When my parents divorced in the late 1990's, my father took the love seat and reclining chair. In 2012, during my mother's process of downsizing, she gave the sofa to us. We borrowed a friend's pickup truck and, with the help of Lisa's parents, loaded the sofa in. That was no small feat. It's a reclining sofa. Heavy. Awkward. Back then, reclining sofas weren't made to disassemble for easy transport and carrying into the house.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

I Was Homeless. I Was Hungry. I Was Rescued.


Sometimes when I watch our kids eat, I get teary-eyed. Lisa is usually the one who feeds them. She takes their many Rubbermaid containers of prepped meats and veggies out of the refrigerator and fills their bowls with whatever had been prepared the day before or that afternoon. Sophie sits at the counter watching with her tail wagging. Lobo is there too with his favorite toy at his feet. Coco paces the kitchen a few times before joining Sophie and Lobo. I'm watching all of this from the kitchen table.

Monday, February 15, 2016

My Day Was Spent On The Sofa With The Kids


Today, I had plans to tackle the pile of work at my desk. Breaks would be spent doing housework. Maybe, just maybe, I'd squeeze in some writing time. An hour after waking up, I knew none of that was going to happen. Thank you, Mother Nature. Two days ago we had windchill temperatures of 15-30 below zero. Today, our weather consisted of mild temperatures in the 60's, torrential downpours and wind gusts close to 70 mph.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

A Sweet Valentine's Day With The Kids


Lisa and I have a love hate relationship with Valentine's Day. We embrace the sentiment, but we don't get caught up in the obnoxious commercialization. Neither of us presents the other with a pricey token of our love and affections. We keep it simple. Sweet. Delicious. This year was no exception.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Sophie Was Smitten With The Cable Guy


Since the wind storm last week, our internet has been out of whack. It would go down for an hour or more then perk back up. While up, it took a long time for pages to load. This was a problem for me as 99% of my work is done online.

Friday, February 12, 2016

Our Kids Are Not Plants


Remember the movie '28 Days' starring Sandra Bullock? It was released in 2000. The beautiful Sandra plays the role of Gwen. In the beginning of the movie, Gwen arrives at her sisters wedding drunk. At the end of the movie, after 28 days in rehab, there's one scene where it mentions about getting into a relationship. The therapist offers a suggestion. Get a plant. If you can keep the plant alive for a year, you're ready to start dating.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

What's The Difference If I Watch You Pee And Poop, Mom?


Whether I'm working in the home office or in the kitchen baking biscuits or prepping for dinner, at least one of the kids is at my feet. I'm continuously looking down when I move around the kitchen or going from one room to the other. I don't want to trip over one of the kids. The kids follow me. When I decide to work from the sofa, they hear me sit. Seconds later, I hear the army of paws and jingling of their tags. I soon have all 3 kids on my lap.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

I Don't Care Who Dies In A Movie, As Long As The Dog Lives


Lisa and I have similar tastes in movies. Choosing one or two for movie night isn't usually a problem. The only time we clash heads is when Lisa wants to watch a movie involving a dog. I can't do it even if there's a happy ending because I know, at some point throughout the movie, there's going to be a sad scene.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

12 Obvious Signs We're Crazy Dog People


A few months ago we had company over for dinner. Although we've known them for awhile, it was the first time they visited. I watched with amusement as one of the guests brushed off the chair before they sat down. Several times I caught them glancing around our home. Shortly after dinner was served, one of the guests said, "Wow. You really like dogs, don't you."

Monday, February 8, 2016

Please Take Me To Work With You, Mom


Lil' Lobo is the smallest of our 3 kids weighing in at about 8 pounds. He's photogenic. With a biscuit in hand, we can pretty much bribe him for any photo shot. Lobo doesn't mind wearing apparel or hats or posing for themed photos. Our other 2 kids, this isn't exactly the case. Coco hates having his photo taken, will turn his head, and refuses to wear apparel. Sophie is a good sport with wearing apparel for a minute or two, but gives me THE LOOK when I attempt to take a photo or two.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Random Rant: Stop Bragging About Your Hefty Tax Return


Today I read a somewhat lengthy post from a Mom of two human children that pissed me off a bit. Long story short, she got a hefty tax return back and bragged about it. People replied. A lot of the people who replied don't have human kids. Most are pet parents. Some dedicate their life to animal rescue. They work a full time job in addition to a part time job. A handful work two full time jobs. The majority of the replies to her post were probably not something she had anticipated. This was obvious in her most recent post.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

My Tiny Trails Of Thoughts Make Me Giggle


Yesterday, despite the fallen trees and power lines from the heavy wet snow, our power stayed on. Between work meetings and the daily grind, baking for the 'Smooches For Pooches' Valentine's Day fundraiser began mid-afternoon. After a day and a half of baking, we've got a good amount of heart shaped biscuits baked. Two more days of baking should do it.

Friday, February 5, 2016

You're Drunk, Mother Nature. Go Home.


So far, this winter has been odd. I know, I know, it's New England. Expect the unexpected. However, the past couple of months have gone beyond the sporadic New England winter weather. Today was no exception. For the past few days they've predicted snow. No big deal. A few inches. Maybe six. I didn't pay too much attention to the weather reports.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Valentine's Day Fundraiser. Work. Daily Stuff. And Wine.


A couple of weeks ago (give or take a few days), a wonderful lady from Kenway's Cause reached out asking if we'd be interested in doing a Valentine's Day fundraiser for them. Last year, we did a small fundraiser for this organization to raise money to purchase rawhide bones for the Hartford shelter pups. And, over the past year and a half,  we've sent them lots of Bodacious Biscuit Love. We adore this organization and and they've done a world of good stuff for the pups and kitties in need.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

I've Got This. I Needed This.


Last week proved to be tumultuous. To refresh your memory, the above photo depicts my physical, emotional and metal state by that Friday. With one exception. I wasn't topless. I recovered over the weekend. Yesterday, I sent an email virtually throwing in the white flag. I wasn't the best writer to fit the position. It pained me. I don't like to decline work that fits into my already crazy schedule. However, I wanted to be honest and upfront. Once the email was sent, I felt a bit of relief. I fully expected a thank-you-anyway reply. Or none at all.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

I Have Become The Crazed Dog Mom


I spotted this yesterday. It was posted by a Mom of human kids. She's a well-known mommy blogger. Many people liked, shared and commented on it. As I read it over I thought, "I can relate to this." However, I didn't like or share or respond. My voice as a dog Mom isn't often welcomed in their world. How could I possibly relate to this when my three kids have fur, poop outside and are easily amused with a peanut butter filled bone?

Monday, February 1, 2016

I Hung Up. The End.


Last year, shortly after we adopted Lobo, I had reconnected with an acquaintance of mine. It had been several years since we had chatted. After a few messages, we took a bit o' time out of our afternoon for a phone chat. I was excited to hear their voice after such a long stretch of time.