Sunday, September 30, 2018

Today, We Were Overwhelmed With Gratitude


A couple of our neighborhood family members travel throughout the year. Lisa and I are the ones they rely on to house and pet sit. They live across the street so it's super easy to take care of their house and our fur-nieces. We always love the extra time with our fur-nieces and of course, they loved being spoiled by their Auntie Lisa's.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

I'm Fairly Certain This Won't Be Our Last Trip To The Orchard


I don't like to rush time. I'm not one to say, "I can't wait for Fall" or "I can't wait until the holiday season." But, I will admit, without shame, that I'm not heartbroken Summer is done and over with. We had a lot of heatwaves. The humidity was miserable. At certain intervals, we had to limit outdoor activities with the kids. It. Was. Just. Too. Hot.

Friday, September 28, 2018

According To Our Kids, We Were Very Naughty Dog Moms


I had rather big plans for this past week. I took the "week off" to tackle my non-work stuff Bodacious Dog Mom To-Do List. Unfortunately, I was hit with a bout of strep along with a sinus and ear infection. Despite my efforts to get through the week as planned, that didn't happen. Not even close. By Wednesday, I canceled the special Girl's Night we had planned for Saturday and admitted defeat. My Bodacious Dog Mom To-Do List would not get done this week.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Happiness Isn't In Having What You Want But Rather In Wanting What You Have


A few years ago,  a woman I've known for well over 20 years was in the process of selling her home. Over the years, she and the hubs had posted many photos of their kids, parties they've had, and other general daily life photos. It was obvious from the photos that their home was very big, elaborate, and had a considerable amount of private waterfront property.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Sometimes, You Have To Put The World On Mute. Heal. Take Care Of You And Your Family.


I haven't published a blog column in the past couple of days. I would love nothing more than to say it was because I was tackling my Non-Work Stuff Bodacious Dog Mom To-Do List. We made the decision last week that I'd be taking this week off to do just that. You can read about that here. Unfortunately, that's not the reason why...

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Another Potential DIY Dog Mom Project Is In The Works


A couple of years ago, I made Lobo a crocheted Gotcha Day PomPom Hat. It had been years since I crocheted a hat. It came out a bit Wabi Sabi, but it was adorable and Lobo loved it. After posting the photo, I got a lot of messages asking if I was going to make more. Some even asked if I would consider making hats with matching scarves. At the time, I wasn't sure.

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Lisa Made A Fabulous Dinner This Evening On Her New Grill


Today was the big day. Lisa finished putting her new grill together. She sported a smile from ear to ear. For dinner, we dined on grilled steak, chicken, and yellow squash. Lisa raved about how much better this grill was and the difference between the grates from her last grill and this one. I radiated with pride.

Friday, September 21, 2018

I'm Letting Go Of The Fear. I Need To. I Want To.


One of the biggest struggles of being a blogger/author is that a lot of people take things personally. They tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to anything that's written and/or posted on social media streams if it hits too close to home. A portion of that knee-jerk reaction is to have an emotional response. From that point on, a slew of negative stuff transpires in the form of nasty messages, gossip, confrontation, etc.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Lisa Was Beyond Excited About Her Surprise Gift Today


I'm not going to lie. Since publishing the blog column about Lisa's dying grill over a week ago, it has weighed heavy on me. Lisa loves to grill year round. Our family loves grilled food. When I wrote that blog column, only 1/2 of Lisa's grill worked...if that. After 5 years of wear and tear, Lisa was unsure if we'd be able to get one more grilled meal out of it.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Sometimes, You Gain A Sense Of Understanding At The Oddest Moments


Lisa rushed home from work today because Sophie and Lobo had their regular vet appointment at 3 p.m. I was working on blog columns at the kitchen while waiting for custom orders and other DIY Dog Mom Projects to dry. Lisa and I gave each other a rundown of our day in less than 2 minutes time. When Lisa Left with Sophie and Lobo, something peculiar happened.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

I Am Taking Next Week Off To Tackle My Non-Work Stuff Bodacious Dog Mom To-Do List


Towards the end of last week, I published a blog column about taking a few days off to completely tackle my non-work stuff Bodacious Dog Mom To-Do List.  Originally, I was going to take tomorrow, Thursday and Friday off to do this. However, I have a couple of custom orders to finish up and a bunch of work stuff to do. Taking those 3 days off was not an option.

Monday, September 17, 2018

I Finally Understand Why Lisa Very Seldom Visits Facebook


I started this blog over 3 years ago. I made it public a year later. In May of 2016, I published a blog column titled, 'Take It Or Leave It...Messes And All." This was my vow. To my readers. That as a Work at Home Dog Mom and the author of this blog, I wasn't just going to share the good stuff or the successes or only the great photos. I was also going to share the messes. The not so great photos. The moments when life completely sucks. When I'm sick. When we're not at our best.

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Our Kids Depend On Us. We Want To Make Sure That We Are Prepared.


Under our Big Bodacious Dry Erase Bulletin Board, we have 3 wooden bone shaped leash/apparel holders that Lisa and I made earlier this year. Each has 2 hooks. This has been the setup since our Big Bodacious Painting Project back in May. When Lisa hung the leash/apparel holders, I made sure that we had 4 leashes. There's a reason for that. If we were to ever need to leave our home in a hurry because of a fire, break-in, or devastating weather element, we want to make sure we have leashes for all of the kids.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

15 Ways That We Have Simplified Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Over The Past Few Years


A few years ago, our life was beyond crazy busy. Aside from working a bazillion crazy hours, we were running Bodacious Biscuit Love, our family was getting bigger, and we were participating in events almost every weekend during the warm weather months. Lisa was also making out of town deliveries after work. In addition, we had some other stresses in our life. Most of that was brought on by various family and friends. Stupid. Drama.

Friday, September 14, 2018

I'm Thinking About Taking A Few Days Off To Tackle My Non-Work Bodacious To-Do List


I often make mention of my infamous To-Do List. Actually, it's officially called my Bodacious To-Do List. I probably should insert "Dog Mom" in there somewhere, but that's for another day. At the beginning of the year, the Bodacious To-Do List was a single list. It contained both work stuff and non-work stuff. Since tackling our Big Bodacious Painting Project back in May, the Bodacious To-Do List expanded. It's now two lists.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

This Pet Bed Was Perfect For Our Plus-Sized Kitty Fur-Nieces


One of our neighborhood family members has a barn filled with goodies. Over the past several years, he's been downsizing and selling a lot at flea markets, yard sales, and online. Several times a month, he fills his truck with treasures and leaves the following morning to sell his goods. He always lets us know when he's bringing a truckload home. Lisa rummages through it for unique pieces to repurpose. Sometimes, he'll save a piece or 2 out because he knows we'll adore it. Some pieces we'll repurpose and sell. Others we keep.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

I Raise My Coffee Cup


I have posted this photo several times over the past few years. It's my visual of a frequent social media post that replicates "raises my coffee cup." Yes, this is me. Holding up my coffee cup. Today has proven to be one of those days. I got up at 3:30 a.m. I slept great on the overnight. I had a cup of coffee. Two cups of coffee. Had all plans to embark on a productive day.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Has It Been Five Years Already? Yes, It Has. Gah!


When a big ticket item breaks in our Bodacious Dog Mom household, I have a horrible habit of saying, "We just bought this a couple of years ago." More than likely, that's not the case. A perfect example is an awesome grill I bought Lisa for one of our anniversaries.

Monday, September 10, 2018

Next Year, We're Purchasing A King Sized Platform Bed.


I took this photo in March of 2015. Lobo had joined our family as a foster the day after his surgery to remove his hind leg that January. In February, we adopted him. At the time, our bedroom was in the back room. Our bed was on a frame. Although the bedroom was small, it was warm and cozy and decorative and everything that a bedroom should be.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Food Porn Photos. Real Food. And, Spending 40 Hours In The Kitchen Per Week.


Within the last week, I wrote a blog column about a flaw in my homemade dinners. In short, a few years ago, I realized that we were spending an obnoxious amount of money on food per month. That's because Lisa and I were relying on takeout 3-4 times per week for our dinner. For the longest time, we had a standing joke that our kids ate better than we did. I spend hours making their meals of lean meats, fresh and steamed produce, diced up fruit, and homemade dog treats.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Dog Mom Gone Wild


This evening, we had another fun neighborhood family date night. This time around, it was at an outdoor local eatery. Hank's Dairy Bar. It's less than 5 minutes down the road from us. We've been planning this date night for a while now because our favorite local entertainer was performing 5-8 for open mic night.

Friday, September 7, 2018

Total Knock Out Twice In Two Weeks


The past couple of weeks have been difficult for me. I've fallen a little behind on work stuff. I haven't spent nearly as much time as I should in the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Project Room. My To-Do List has gotten longer and longer and longer. On multiple occasions, simple tasks like making dinner and doing the dishes have been extremely challenging.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

We Got Our Big Thunderstorm Of The Summer Season


Lisa and I have a standing joke that we live under a dome. During the Summer months, areas around us are hit with massive thunderstorms. They either go around us or fizzle out before hitting our area. This year areas around us have gotten hit bad. To date, 6 tornados have touched down in our state. We hear the thunder and see the lightning, but the storm is miles away.  Our area has remained untouched. However, once a Summer, we get hit with one severe storm. Today was the day.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

I Bid Farewell To Summer Produce A Little Early This Year


Our kids eat a lot of produce. We include it in their meals and give it to them for snacks throughout the day. Raw. Steamed. Roasted. They love it. Of course, they have their favorites. Raw carrots are at the top of the list along with watermelon, green beans, apples, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Our Next DIY Dog Mom Project Includes A Small Whiskey Barrel Cut In Half And A Round Piece Of Wood


Every once in a while, a unique piece makes its way into the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Project room. We either stumble across it or our neighborhood family member, Bob, passes it down. I'll be the first to admit, when I first lay eyes on it, I think, "What the hell am I going to repurpose this into?" Sometimes, the piece sits there for a week or so while my brain scrambles for ideas. Other times, the inspiration hits almost immediately.

Monday, September 3, 2018

I Am Not Proud Of Our Dinner This Evening...


Even though it was a long weekend, we were super busy the entire time. Between tackling small projects around our home, spending a copious amount of time at my desk and in the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Project Workshop, and Lisa cutting and sanding wood in her woodshop, we had very little downtime. Today, I finished our wooden 2018 Bodacious Fall Signs. I posted them online and then worked on blog columns for the remainder of the afternoon. Lisa prepped food for our kid's dinner and made several batches of homemade dog treats for their snacks.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

The Kids Don't Like It When I Do This. And, They Let Me Know.


We've had an exceptionally hot and humid Summer. Not only have we had a multitude of heatwaves, the humidity levels have been through the roof. It's the type of humidity that will make paper feel like fabric. Because of that, we've had to rely on our air conditioners more than usual. Around the clock. I can count on one hand how many times we've been able to open the windows this Summer.

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Simple Is Best. That's Who We Are.


Over the past decade, I've compiled a short list of Mommy of Human Kid/s bloggers that I read several times a week. They've made my favorites list because they're candid, down to earth, simple, and they share the messy stuff. Although their lives and situations are completely different, they share that common ground throughout their blog columns. Another common ground I've noticed over the past few years is their aversion to high-end kids' birthday parties.