I Never Thought I'd Want Or Need THIS Kitchen Appliance, But...Here We Are.

Our kids love the homemade meatball dog treats that I make. I'd like to start creating more homemade recipes for this type of treat. A wide variety using various lean meats and veggies. Especially for our kids although it's a little tricky. You can read about that here. But, I'm sure I can come up with more suitable recipes for them aside from the simple version I made for Lobo's Gotcha Day earlier this month.

I Have No Shame In Admitting This Cartoon Made Me Cry

Early this morning, I was wakened out of a sound sleep by a couple of weather advisory texts. The first, a high wind warning from 2-9 p.m. today. The second, a wind chill warning. The temperatures are going to drop. Between that and the wind, they're predicting temps to plummet down to 25 BELOW zero.

10 Sounds That Will Wake Our Kids From A Sound Sleep...

Every now and then, I come across a repetitive meme on one of my social media streams. Even though I've seen it dozens of times, it still makes me giggle. It's the one mimicking a dog napping sound when the door opens or the doorbell rings or something else. The dog doesn't budge. However, when they hear a cheese wrapper...forget it. The dog is suddenly alert and bolts to where the cheese wrapper is heard.

We Are Finally Back On Schedule....

Over the past couple of weeks, I've received quite a few emails and private messages about DIY Dog Mom Projects. And, people have also approached Lisa and I both personally about the same thing. The big question from all has been, "When are you going to post new DIY Dog Mom Projects that are up for grabs?"

Poopie Bags And Dog Biscuit Crumbs

Every other week, Lisa washes the hoodies and jackets we wear outside when taking our kids out. Yesterday afternoon, she decided to tackle this chore. Of course, before throwing any of our apparel in the wash, Lisa checks the pockets. Our jackets and hoodies are no exception. I usually title this moment as, 'You Know You're A Dog Mom When..."

Today Was An Ordinary Day And It Was Rather Great

I honestly can't remember the last time we had an ordinary day. For us, an ordinary day consists of having very little to do. No plans. No projects. Being able to exhale. Ignoring the chaos beyond the walls of our home. No stress. Getting work and other miscellaneous stuff done early enough in the day so there's plenty of time to relax and be in the moment.

The World Will Not End If The Dishes Are Not Done Or We Eat Cold Sandwiches For Dinner

One of the many things I've learned as a Work at Home Dog Mom is that my day can shift from going as planned to not going as planned within seconds. Yesterday was a perfect example of that. The culprit? Mother Nature.

Here's The Recipe For My Super Simple Homemade Meatball Dog Treats

For Lobo's Gotcha Day yesterday, I threw together a simple homemade meatball dog treat. The inspiration behind that was the Bodacious Turkey Veggie Meatball Dog Treats that I created a couple of years ago. That recipe has lots of good stuff in it including carrots, apple, sweet potato, and cheese. I also included a grain free version.

Happy 4 Year Gotcha Day To Our Sweet Lobo!

Today is Lobo's 4 Year Gotcha Day. For his Gotcha Day gift, he wanted a matching hat to the one I crocheted for Lisa last month and a matching scarf. For his dinner, he wanted my homemade dog treat meatballs. For dessert, peanut butter cheesecake cupcakes. Mission accomplished.

What Did Lobo Request For His 4 Year Gotcha Day Gift?

We're almost all the way through the first month of the new year. So far, it's been a mix of great stuff, challenges, and finishing up some small projects around our home. We've kept busy. The challenging part has been dealing with the cold flu plague that made its way into our home over 2 weeks ago. Lisa is almost completely better. I'm still battling congestion. But, the show must go on. And, that includes celebrating Lobo's 4 Year Gotcha Day tomorrow.

I Will Never Forget Yesterday's Morning Coffee Chat Time

Lisa works outside of the home Monday through Friday. On those mornings, I get up between 3:30 - 4:00. Lisa gets up at 4:15. I make her coffee, a hot breakfast, and I pack her work lunch. While I'm doing that, she takes the kids out and makes their breakfast. Shortly after, the kids get a morning snack. At that point, Lisa gets ready for work. I sit at the kitchen table sipping my first cup of coffee. We get in a little chat time before she heads out the door at 5:30. After Lisa leaves, I begin my work day.

We Always Prepare. Nothing Ever Goes To Waste.

It appears that we're out of the woods from the winter storm that hit us last night through most of today. The heavy wet snow started around 10 p.m. Saturday evening. It changed over to sleet and freezing rain a few hours later. The winds picked up. Through most of today, the storm alternated between rain and freezing rain.

My Recipe For Homemade Soft Baked Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats

It's been a long time since I've created a new, homemade dog treat recipe. Yesterday, while prepping for the big winter storm that's going to hit us tonight through tomorrow, I decided to bake several batches of homemade dog treats. On a whim, one of those batches was a new recipe I threw together. My inspiration was the little bit of fresh pureed pumpkin I had on hand after making some loaves of homemade cinnamon swirl pumpkin bread.

Okay, Mother Nature. We Are Prepared. Now, We Wait...

There is a massive winter storm heading our way. It's one of those unpredictable storms. They have no idea if we're going to get all heavy wet snow, sleet, freezing rain or a mix. What they do know is there will be lots of wind and the possibility of widespread power outages. And, on Sunday night through Monday night, the temperatures will dip below zero. They're predicting temperatures to be between 15 and 30 below zero due to the wind chill.

I'm Feeling Human Again. Now, It's Time To Prepare For A Massive Winter Storm

Tuesday and Wednesday are a complete blur. I spent both days on the sofa with a fever, aches, chills, dizziness, and feeling extremely weak. My only accomplishments for those 2 days was taking care of our kids, showering, walking from the living room to the bathroom, and making breakfast and packing Lisa's lunch for work. That's it. For the remainder of the time, I snuggled and slept on the sofa with our kids. 

Yep. I'm Down With The Sickness.

I woke up this morning with chills, aches, and head and chest congestion. Yep. Lisa was right. I knew it was coming. This will mark the 5th time since 2017 that I've gotten sick a week after Lisa has gotten sick.

You're Getting Sick. No, I'm Not. Yes, You Are.

When I was a child and throughout my teen years, I remember my Mom being able to tell when I was sick. It used to irritate me to no end. I'd be feeling fine. No symptoms. My usual amount of energy. Out of the blue, she'd say, "You're getting sick." Wait? What? Sure enough, a few days later, I'd have a fever and some form of sickness like bronchitis, a double sinus infection, the flu or, in one instance, Mono.

More Lessons. More Wisdom.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, Lisa and I get to enjoy our morning coffee together. We're usually up before 7 a.m. To us, because we have 4 kids, that's sleeping in. During that time, we sit in the living room. Lisa sits on the reclining chair. I sit on the sofa. We usually dive into lengthy conversations.

We Need To Be Super Creative This Year When Making Gotcha Day Gifts For Our Kids

I usually have my wall calendar made out before the new year begins. Up until today, the new 2019 calendar was sitting on my desk. Blank. The 2018 calendar was still hanging. Yep. I completely slacked with that task.

'Tis The Season For Tissues, Cold Medicine, And Feeling Yucky

Last weekend, Lisa was feeling run down and had a little congestion. I knew at that point she was getting sick. When she gets sick, that's how it starts. On Monday, she had the chills, a headache, and her chest congestion got worse. That trend continued through Tuesday and Wednesday. This morning, I finally put my foot down.

I Made A Promise To Myself This Morning And It Had Everything To Do With A Text I Received Yesterday

Lisa hasn't been feeling good as of late. She was a bit rundown over the weekend. On Monday she had the chills and a headache at work along with head and chest congestion. Yesterday, she wasn't feeling any better. Originally, I was going to make homemade pizza for dinner, but then I decided to make some serious comfort food for the soul.

20 Rules That Changed When I Became A Work At Home Dog Mom

I took this photo a couple of years ago. I was trying to sneak from the kitchen to our home office with a snack. I assumed all of the kids were napping. But. Nope. Despite my best efforts, I was busted. Within a few seconds, all 4 kids were at my feet.

At The End Of The Day, It All Boils Down To Maintaining Balance.

A friend of mine is a really great baker. Her specialty are pies. This woman can bake you a pie that will send your eyeballs rolling to the back of your head and probably needing a cold shower afterward. Her pies are that great.

This Is What Happens When We Try To Leave Our Home For A Few Hours...Together.

It's not often that Lisa and I sneak out for a few hours away from home. Together. But, when we do, the kids seem to know hours in advance. It doesn't matter how discreet I am about putting on a bra, a skirt, a pair of earrings, slathering on a bit of lip gloss or freshening up my nail polish. They know the difference between my date-night tinted lip gloss and my stay-at-home tube of Carmex.

How Did Kitchen Nightmares And Gordon Ramsay Surface During A DIY Dog Mom Project Discussion?

I published a blog column yesterday about our decision to get back to our DIY Dog Mom Project roots. You can read about that here. Getting back to those roots isn't just limited to the DIY Dog Mom Projects that are created in the woodshop or the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Project Workshop. It also involves what happens in our Bodacious kitchen.

It's Time To Get Back To Our DIY Dog Mom Project Roots

We've been making DIY Dog Mom Projects for a few years now. In the very beginning, Lisa would cut and sand pieces outside. The basement woodshop didn't exist. On my end, our kitchen table was the place where I painted and put details on the pieces Lisa created. Now, that's all changed.

I Was Inspired To Crochet. So, I Did. And, I'm Not Stopping.

Last month, I crocheted a double thick winter hat for Lisa. The inspiration behind that derived from two sources. The first was the super adorable hat I crocheted for one of Lobo's Gotcha Day Celebrations. The other, what happened last winter when we ended up getting over 2 feet of snow during a March snowstorm. 

15 Habits That Have Made Me A More Positive And Productive Work At Home Dog Mom

I have no shame in admitting that I despise the first few weeks of the new year. It's more notably known as the "New Year, New Me" time of year. A lot of people make New Year's Resolutions. They set the bar too high. They are under the impression that there will be this miraculous transformation between December 31st and January 1st.

Take A Few Minutes Each Day To Compliment Someone, Extend Gratitude, Etc...

Earlier today, I made a huge lasagna dinner complete with appetizers. We had a couple of our neighbor friends over to share our New Years Day feast. We had a great time all the way around. About 10 minutes into the festivities, something was said that completely lifted my spirits.