Everybody loves a Snickers!

Meet little miss Snickers.  She's our newest foster dog.  She's actually a puppy.  She's about 3 to 4 months old.  She was rescued during a drug raid at a dog fighting house.  She's half pit and half lab.  Since she isn't full pit, she was most likely scheduled to be used as a bait dog.  The animal control officer said there were puppy bones in the yard.  Well, she doesn't have to worry about that any more!

We've noticed that she's extremely shy, but really sweet.  She'll spend some time at our house learning some manners then hopefully she'll find a great forever home.  If you're interested, check out Hope Rescues.

Hello Everyone!  It's Random Tuesday Thoughts thanks to the Un Mom!

• Why is it that when dogs puke, they always go to the carpet or the expensive area rug instead of the hard floor?  Especially when it's that yellow bile stuff that makes an instant stain?
• Why does everyone in the family think it's my job to put their shit away?  Even the dogs leave their toys all over the place.
• Why can't people get the hint?  I put their shit on the steps (after having picked it up from wherever it was) so they can take it up when they go.  Do they take it up?  After days and days it's still on the steps.
• Why won't my brain think random thoughts right now?  I seemed to have lots earlier.  Must be the movie in the background (kid home from school watching movie).  I can't concentrate!
• Check out the Un Mom for more Random Tuesday!

Beautiful Neighbor

I'm not sure what type of spider this beautiful lady is, but she is busy building her web near our driveway.  Unfortunately, she picked an awful location.  She's building on the basketball goal.  The boys love to shoot baskets while waiting for the bus in the mornings, so I doubt she'll stay there.  Plus it's a pretty exposed location.  The small breeze was making it really hard to take the picture.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for Aloha Friday!  A day to relax and answer simple questions.  No stress!

My question is:  Do you worry about having red wine with red meat and white wine with fish and chicken?  Or do you just drink the one you feel like drinking?

I'm not worried about convention here.  I just drink the one I want to drink. 

Thanks for playing!  Visit An Island Life for lots more Aloha Fridays!

WTF Wednesday

Welcome to WTF Wednesday.  Go see Hit40, it's her baby!

WTF is it with enuresis (fancy medical word for wetting the bed)?  I've got 2 kids with the problem and I'm sick as hell of washing sheets!  The urologist says "no Goodnights".  But is he the one doing my laundry!  WTF!

WTF is it about kids and fighting?  Why can't they be in the same room for 15 minutes without fighting?

WTF is up with Blogger?  All of my followers are gone.  Maybe it's just my blog.

Maybe I'll add some more later today.  But for now, I've got kids to get out of the house!

Have a great Wednesday!

Shameless Attempt!!!

OK, have you seen any cub scouts cuter than these?  If so, don't tell me.  These are my 7 and 8 year-old cub scouts.  One is a Bear Cub, the other a Tiger Cub.  They are selling popcorn.  If you live in the US and haven't had a cute kid come by your house and offer to sell you popcorn, feel free to email me and I'll tell you how you can order from these guys!

The online orders will be shipped directly to you, so I won't have to drive to your house from Illinois!

K.  That's it.  You won't see a post like this from me until next fall when we do it again!

House Full of Boys - 2

Here's another clue that I have a house full of boys.  This one, and his big brother, decided to go down to the "creek" behind the neighbor's house.  The "creek" isn't actually a creek at all, but a drainage ditch running through the neighborhood carrying away all the herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, etc., from lawns and any other yucky stuff that gets washed down the storm drains.  Do these boys worry about that at all?  Nope.  They just get in there and smear the mud and muck all over their faces and arms.  Do they think about the bacteria or the chemicals in that water?  Nope.  They just have a great time!   Just don't tell their microbiologist/college professor dad.  Or I'll be in trouble for letting them go!

 They started to come in with their wet clothes and muddy shoes but I made them go to the hose first.  Mean mom.  And when I asked what they were doing, they said playing army (of course).

I wouldn't trade my crazy, messy boys for anything.  But it would be nice to have a little more quiet and a little less mud occasionally!

Aloha Friday

It's Aloha Friday!  A day to answer a simple question.  

My question is: would you host a birthday party for 22 first-graders at your own house?

I ask because I'm beginning to wonder if I'm crazy.  We've got a big party here tomorrow.  But hopefully everyone will stay outside in the bounce house I've rented!

Check out An Island Life for more fun Aloha Fridays!

Random Tuesday

Thanks to rxbambi for the random thoughts.  I guess I'll do it too!

• How is it that rxbambi has the little flower thingies as her dots on lists and I can only figure out how to get regular dots?
• I wonder how Happy is doing in his new home.
• How did I ever agree to have a birthday party for 20+ first-graders at my house?!
• I'm happy that the Blues games are starting back up and that I have tickets for tonight's game.
• I'm taking the soon-to-be-7-year-old with me to the Blues game. (we only have two seats so we have to take turns!)
• My stomach hurts.  It always does these days.
• I wish Mean Owen would do another post.
• I'm starting to feel guilty about the laundry and house work that has to be done.
• When will I ever find time to find my Dharma?
• BTW, I also know that if you put bowls and cups in the dishwasher right-side up that they fill with yuck and have to be re-washed.  But no one else in my house does either.
• That's it.  What are you thinking?

Goodbye from Happy Gilmore

Hello Everyone.  This is Happy Gilmore.  It's with a heart filled with both sadness and excitement that I must say goodbye to you and to my foster family.  Yesterday Barb took me to the adoption event at PetCo and a couple there looking for a companion saw me and fell instantly in love.  They had to fill out an application, of course.  And Jackie and Kim had to check them out to make sure they'd provide a safe and loving home.  We found out this morning that they were approved.

I've been here with my foster family for exactly 5 weeks.  They picked me up on a Sunday afternoon and brought me to meet my foster sisters Ginger and Sassy.  I have a feeling that Ginger will miss me.  I'm not so sure about Sassy.

Since I've been here I've taken lots of walks around the neighborhood.  I've even taken a walk up to Four Muddy Paws for a bath and a treat. (I've also had at least 3 baths at home.  These people must really think I'm dirty!)  I've been to rxbambi's house to play with her dogs and to take a dip in the pool.  I went to visit a prospective family but they brought me back.  And I've spent many hours curled up on the couch in the den or the loveseat in the hearth room taking naps and enjoying the peace and quiet of a home. 

I'm grateful to my foster family for letting me spend these weeks at their home.  I would have been loved and cared for at Hope Rescues.  But I'd have had to wait for my forever family in a kennel environment rather than in a home.  It's nice there, but it can get loud with all the barking.  And though the employees love us, they have pens to clean and lots of dogs and cats to feed.  So their play time is limited by that.

I know my new family will love me and give me all the attention I deserve.  They could hardly stand the idea of waiting until today to pick me up.  Barb and two of the boys will be taking me to Alton soon where I'll be meeting my family and saying goodbye to Jackie and Kim.

Thanks for reading my first and last post.  Maybe someday my new family will post of picture of me on their own blog (unless they are sadly blogless) and I can sneak in a post.  Until then, goodbye.

Happy Hour Friday

Thanks to rxbambi and otin for hosting Happy Hour Friday.  Since I usually can't go to my hubby's happy hour (or literature review, or choir practice, or whatever they decide to call it today) since I'm home with kids, it's nice to hook up here!

First of all, the picture here is of Happy Gilmore, our foster dog.  He makes me happy.  But since we've had him now like 5 weeks, I'd be even happier if he'd find his forever home!

• Dogs make me happy.  They are always doing something funny.  Sassy's growling now at the door.  That's her signal that she wants to go out and it makes me happy.
• I'm happy that Spooky, my cat, forgives me for taking him to the vet yesterday to get microchipped.  I'm afraid he'll get out and if he does, I want him back!
• The sun shining today makes me happy.  And I'm especially happy that it's not too stinking hot.
• It makes me happy that my sis invited me to hang out with her at the pool the other day.
• It makes me happy that I went to my sister's house to hang out with her and that we decided not to feel guilty about it.
• I'm happy that it is almost time for hockey games to start.  We share season tickets with Bambi and her hubby and I love to go to a fight and see a hockey game break out.
• I'm happy that my babiest kid is about to turn 7.

That's about it.  I'm off to take the dogs for a walk (that will make them happy).  Check out the happiness at rxbambi and otin.

How much poop can a Happy dog poop?

Hey Ya'll.  This is Ginger.  (I say "ya'll" because I was born in Alabama.  It's a great word).  If you google "how much can one dog poop?" you don't really get a good answer.  One answer to how much a puppy can poop in a week said about one cubic meter.  Who would know that???

It's a relevant question right now to my person, Barb.  She's really getting tired of Happy Poop.  He's a really cute dog and all.  And I tolerate him pretty well (Sassy doesn't really like him.  She growls at him and wishes he'd find his forever family and get the heck out of our house).  But he still poops a lot in his kennel.  He's not even kenneled that much.  Just when Barb has to go out for a bit.  She's never gone more than a couple of hours.  And she always gives him a chance to empty out before she goes.  And some days he doesn't get kenneled at all.  

We just got back from the vet.  Spooky and I were both due for our annual check-ups.  I don't think we were gone more than 45 minutes.  But Happy's kennel is full of poop.  And he's already pooped twice today!  Where does it all come from?

She wouldn't kennel him if he could be trusted not to eat the cat litter.  And he loves to chew on the people toys.  So he goes in his kennel when he's not being watched.  Really, it's not that much.

So I wonder, does he poop in his kennel because he's mad that Barb put him in there?  Does he realize that she is getting tired of washing the little bathroom rug and the blanket that have been used alternately as bedding in his kennel?  Does he not realized that Barb has a butt-load of laundry to do and if she is always washing his bedding she can't get everyone else's socks and underwear clean?

If anyone has a suggestion, please leave a comment.  Not feeding him isn't really an option (although she has started giving us our breakfast after her workout on MWF mornings.  That means we have to wait until 10 AM to eat!).

And if any of you are in the market for a really cute beagle boy who poops in his kennel when he's mad at you, please fill out an application at hoperescues.com

Go Fly a Kite

Last Sunday my hubby had a great idea.  "Why don't we go to the university and fly kites?", he asked.  So that's what we did.  We loaded up the grumbling, nay-saying kids, told them they would have a great time, and headed over to the university for some quality family time.  

The wind, unfortunately, wasn't really blowing strong enough for the majority of our kites.  We had with us one small superhero kite and 3 larger ones.  The superhero kite flew beautifully.

 The other ones were more of a challenge.  

This wouldn't cause a problem among 3 boys, would it?  They could take turns holding on to the one in the air.  When they weren't holding that one, they could try to get one of the other ones into the air.

Looking at these pictures, 

with kites in the air and smiling faces, you'd think it all went as planned.  

No whining, no crying, no "No fair! He's been holding it for 6 minutes!  I only got 5 minutes!", no "This is stupid! When can we go home?"

But if that's what you thought, you're wrong.  Why do we bother to try to have quality family time?  It never works out that way.  No one ever seems to be happy just hanging out together and having fun.

Well, at least in the pictures we look like a happy group of people having a great time flying kites.  That's how I'll choose to remember it when I look back at the pictures in the future.