We have always wanted a dog, but have always been concerned about the time a dog needs to be a good member of the family. In the post we had to find a new home for a dog that we just could not handle because she was never trained properly. I am not the type of person to give up an animal for any reason. It was a tough decision, but for Ginger, it made the most sense. On a side note, the seemingly wonderful family that took her later turned her back into the pound as a result of the suicide of the Father of the family...She found another home, but she is a dog with a past for certain!
So we searched for a puppy for quite some time. Considered multiple breeds, Boxes, Lab, Retriever. We wanted a mid sized dog that was good with kids and would travel well. For months we just didn't find the right fit. I was working from home, so the timing was good, I'd be here to supervise and do initial training. One day I received an email from a volunteer group that fostered puppies and kittens. I saw a puppy that I thought was a female, couldn't tell the breed. I called to see when I could see the pup and was told they would be at the local Petsmart at 4 PM. This puppy needed a foster home today.
It was love at first sight. He was a boy and there was no telling what the heck he was or how big he would get. He had a tiny baby sister that looked like a Yorkie although he had only terrier traits. Donald came to the store and we adopted him on the spot. He was the sweetest puppy ever. We still don't know what he is. Speculation includes Sheltie, Australian Shepherd, Coyote, Dingo, who the heck knows?
13 months later. Parker is an amazing addition to our family. He travels with us, loves to go in the car, knows a few tricks, has almost no bad habits and he just fits. I never thought I could love a dog so much, but I sure do. The cats hate him, although I see them trying to entice him into a play fight quite often. Those cats, they act like they hate him and then try to draw him into their evil web of play, only to reject him bitterly. He falls for it every time.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
My Pets
The name of the blog isn't MrsDoolittletoyou for nothing. I am a Jill of all Trades, but at the end of the day I am a lover of all creatures great and small. Funny thing, an acquaintance recently found out I was an animal lover and she said, wow, really? I don't see that about you, I know you're not a kid person, but you do like animals? I cracked up. To clarify, I'm not great at hanging out with kids or kids activities but I adore my kids and their activities!
First and foremost I am a cat person. I'm at least a husband and three kids away from being a crazy cat lady. I also like a very clean house, and you can't have 50 cats and a clean house. So although some have suggested this is my future, I reject this. However, should I ever become wealthy by way of hard work or lottery, I will run a non profit animal shelter. No question. It's a thankless heartbreaking job, but there is nothing more I'd rather do that have enough money to support left behind animals.
So I have three cats. I used to have one cat, the amazing Gonka named by baby Sam at 18 months. I think she was trying to say donkey because Grandma that lived here had a collection of donkeys, but it came out Gonka and she insisted the kitten was a Gonka, and it stuck. He was a Gonka and there will never be another Gonka. I lost Gonka when he was 7 to pancreatitis. So then we got Sabrina and Sunny from a house in Lakeside. They had about 9 kittens in a cage with Mom, all calicos. We were getting one, but we couldn't leave with just one. I still remember those kittens in the cart at Petsmart while we bought all their supplies. We had to flea dip them that first day. I think we may have screwed them up for good. They seemed OK. They slept with us and there were no accidents. Over time, Sabrina became obsessed with Donald and bit neurotic and Sunny has IBS and vomits frequently. Buyer beware, free cats in Lakeside....
Neither of these cats bonded with me. I am the cat box scooper and filler of the dish only. Over the years they have gotten better, but I don't have a lap cat in these girls.
So two years later I shopped for my little boy, black and white cat. Gonka was a boy, black and white. I wasn't looking to replace him, but I was hoping for a cat with a similar disposition. 6 months of shopping. I found my sweetheart in Jamul, he was perfect. We went to get him. Perfect. Oscar Bear. Slept in the crook of my neck for days. Played like crazy. The girl cats hated him. Eventually they ruined him. He became the angry little brother they never wanted. He got way bigger than them. He has a woobie, a favorite little toy he cries to when he is alone. He has a life outside of this family. He drags stuffed toys from the girls rooms and sings to them in the middle of the night. I would love to snuggle with this cat. He loves toys and the dog.
Then we have the outside cats. These cats aren't mine. But, once upon a time 2 years ago a mama cat came here and had kittens.....more good stories there. More about pets too, we have several more to cover.
For now, can I just get ONE cat to sit with me????
First and foremost I am a cat person. I'm at least a husband and three kids away from being a crazy cat lady. I also like a very clean house, and you can't have 50 cats and a clean house. So although some have suggested this is my future, I reject this. However, should I ever become wealthy by way of hard work or lottery, I will run a non profit animal shelter. No question. It's a thankless heartbreaking job, but there is nothing more I'd rather do that have enough money to support left behind animals.
So I have three cats. I used to have one cat, the amazing Gonka named by baby Sam at 18 months. I think she was trying to say donkey because Grandma that lived here had a collection of donkeys, but it came out Gonka and she insisted the kitten was a Gonka, and it stuck. He was a Gonka and there will never be another Gonka. I lost Gonka when he was 7 to pancreatitis. So then we got Sabrina and Sunny from a house in Lakeside. They had about 9 kittens in a cage with Mom, all calicos. We were getting one, but we couldn't leave with just one. I still remember those kittens in the cart at Petsmart while we bought all their supplies. We had to flea dip them that first day. I think we may have screwed them up for good. They seemed OK. They slept with us and there were no accidents. Over time, Sabrina became obsessed with Donald and bit neurotic and Sunny has IBS and vomits frequently. Buyer beware, free cats in Lakeside....
Neither of these cats bonded with me. I am the cat box scooper and filler of the dish only. Over the years they have gotten better, but I don't have a lap cat in these girls.
So two years later I shopped for my little boy, black and white cat. Gonka was a boy, black and white. I wasn't looking to replace him, but I was hoping for a cat with a similar disposition. 6 months of shopping. I found my sweetheart in Jamul, he was perfect. We went to get him. Perfect. Oscar Bear. Slept in the crook of my neck for days. Played like crazy. The girl cats hated him. Eventually they ruined him. He became the angry little brother they never wanted. He got way bigger than them. He has a woobie, a favorite little toy he cries to when he is alone. He has a life outside of this family. He drags stuffed toys from the girls rooms and sings to them in the middle of the night. I would love to snuggle with this cat. He loves toys and the dog.
Then we have the outside cats. These cats aren't mine. But, once upon a time 2 years ago a mama cat came here and had kittens.....more good stories there. More about pets too, we have several more to cover.
For now, can I just get ONE cat to sit with me????
Thursday, June 17, 2010
My Girl
My girl turned 14 today.
I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I still vividly recall the day I found out I was pregnant. I was working at The Broadway dept store at the age of 25. I've never been so happy and scared all at the same time. Until that day having a baby just seemed like a great idea, now, suddenly I was going to be responsible for another human being. Wow, that makes it so much more real.
I remember the first sonogram. She or it at the time because we didn't know it was she was a little peanut with a tiny beating heart. Months later we found out she was a girl, this was a truly happy day. I wanted a girl so badly. Months later I would hijack Father's Day by having my water break at home during the final 7th game of the NBA finals. The Bulls were playing and her Dad could barely believe we had to leave for the hospital on Father's Day, much less in the 2nd quarter of the game. Fast forward 18 hours (we could have stayed home) I gave birth to Samantha Brittany. Ironically, on her birthday this year, another final game in the NBA.
Sam was the best baby ever. The worst thing she did was to give back a little bit of every bottle by way of spit up. She barely cried, had a regular schedule, got 2 to 3 teeth at a time and her gas was easily remedied with Mylicon. She was a joy, so happy and funny.
Cute story. I took her to my Grandmother's house pretty much daily. I worked weekends and nights part time so I could stay with her and help Grandma. We would run errands and go to lunch and hang out at the mall etc. Being a stay at home Mom was the bomb, easy breezy. I don't care what any stay at home Mom says, it was EASY! OK, but I digress. Sam would nap at Grandma's house daily, she had a crib there and her own room. She would wake up and stand in her crib and call out, "anybody......somebody.....anybody....." hoping one of us, or presumably someone would come get her. She didn't cry, she just called out. We would make her wait because it was so funny to hear her.
We moved to the current house when Sam was 18 months old. She immediately found her best little friend Isabelle, who is 11 months older. They got along famously except for the infamous day of the collar grabbing argument over sidewalk chalk. Isabelle's Mom and I watched, we wanted to intervene, but it was funnier to let them duke it out. Then there was the day Isabelle gave Sam a makeover while we thought Isabelle was helping Sam to use the potty. The image we will never forget, Isabelle in the hallway saying, Mommy don't panic, and then seeing Sam in the bathroom, standing on a step stool with terribly bright fuchsia lipstick applied horribly and a handful of hair on the ground. She actually got a haircut along with her makeover. We weren't mad. We still laugh about it.
Then we had the staples in the head. This was great timing because the office store Staples was running the ad campaign slogans saying, Staples, Yeah,We Got That. She was about 2, we taught her to say, "Staples, yeah, I got those". A couple weekends at Children's Hospital while we were dealing with an asthma diagnosis (you can thank Mom for that gene). Only a cold here and there, and few injuries.
Fast forward to now. My girl is a successful student, good friend, very cute, taller than me, fashion forward without being a snob and hilariously funny, even when I am mad at her. She's a good girl. I love her very much and I am so glad she is remarkably different from her Mom at this age.
Happy birthday Sam. You're a good kid. I love you and I am proud of you.
I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I still vividly recall the day I found out I was pregnant. I was working at The Broadway dept store at the age of 25. I've never been so happy and scared all at the same time. Until that day having a baby just seemed like a great idea, now, suddenly I was going to be responsible for another human being. Wow, that makes it so much more real.
I remember the first sonogram. She or it at the time because we didn't know it was she was a little peanut with a tiny beating heart. Months later we found out she was a girl, this was a truly happy day. I wanted a girl so badly. Months later I would hijack Father's Day by having my water break at home during the final 7th game of the NBA finals. The Bulls were playing and her Dad could barely believe we had to leave for the hospital on Father's Day, much less in the 2nd quarter of the game. Fast forward 18 hours (we could have stayed home) I gave birth to Samantha Brittany. Ironically, on her birthday this year, another final game in the NBA.
Sam was the best baby ever. The worst thing she did was to give back a little bit of every bottle by way of spit up. She barely cried, had a regular schedule, got 2 to 3 teeth at a time and her gas was easily remedied with Mylicon. She was a joy, so happy and funny.
Cute story. I took her to my Grandmother's house pretty much daily. I worked weekends and nights part time so I could stay with her and help Grandma. We would run errands and go to lunch and hang out at the mall etc. Being a stay at home Mom was the bomb, easy breezy. I don't care what any stay at home Mom says, it was EASY! OK, but I digress. Sam would nap at Grandma's house daily, she had a crib there and her own room. She would wake up and stand in her crib and call out, "anybody......somebody.....anybody....." hoping one of us, or presumably someone would come get her. She didn't cry, she just called out. We would make her wait because it was so funny to hear her.
We moved to the current house when Sam was 18 months old. She immediately found her best little friend Isabelle, who is 11 months older. They got along famously except for the infamous day of the collar grabbing argument over sidewalk chalk. Isabelle's Mom and I watched, we wanted to intervene, but it was funnier to let them duke it out. Then there was the day Isabelle gave Sam a makeover while we thought Isabelle was helping Sam to use the potty. The image we will never forget, Isabelle in the hallway saying, Mommy don't panic, and then seeing Sam in the bathroom, standing on a step stool with terribly bright fuchsia lipstick applied horribly and a handful of hair on the ground. She actually got a haircut along with her makeover. We weren't mad. We still laugh about it.
Then we had the staples in the head. This was great timing because the office store Staples was running the ad campaign slogans saying, Staples, Yeah,We Got That. She was about 2, we taught her to say, "Staples, yeah, I got those". A couple weekends at Children's Hospital while we were dealing with an asthma diagnosis (you can thank Mom for that gene). Only a cold here and there, and few injuries.
Fast forward to now. My girl is a successful student, good friend, very cute, taller than me, fashion forward without being a snob and hilariously funny, even when I am mad at her. She's a good girl. I love her very much and I am so glad she is remarkably different from her Mom at this age.
Happy birthday Sam. You're a good kid. I love you and I am proud of you.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
So this last week....
How can anyone be so grateful and so challenged at the same time?
My class this month is history something, cultural diversity. I love history, I love diversity. I hate the liberal slanted book and professor I have. OK hate is a bad word. I'd prefer a more balanced approach to the topics, but in this case, the topics really dictate a liberal approach. I'm not entirely anti liberal. Everyone needs to be responsible for themselves. I know there is discrimination. I know minorities get the short end of the stick at times. Guess what? So do perfectly middle of the road average white folks! But we certainly can't call that foul discrimination. Women still earn less than men for the same jobs, minorities earn less. I get all of this. I chose NOT to use it as a crutch. I choose to make my own opportunities. I choose to have 4 or more jobs to make ends meet. I make a lot of choices that afford me opportunities that I really think others have, but choose not to take advantage of.
I am challenged with my multiple jobs. I'd love to have one job bringing in what I am used to making in a month. The fact of the matter is, that is not happening. So I am challenged. But I am totally grateful for the crazy list of things I do. I am still learning some aspects of a few things. I get crazy when I am not automatically great at something. This discomfort has been good for me no matter how much I hate it!
Point being, be grateful, be challenged and get uncomfortable to get ahead.
How can anyone be so grateful and so challenged at the same time?
My class this month is history something, cultural diversity. I love history, I love diversity. I hate the liberal slanted book and professor I have. OK hate is a bad word. I'd prefer a more balanced approach to the topics, but in this case, the topics really dictate a liberal approach. I'm not entirely anti liberal. Everyone needs to be responsible for themselves. I know there is discrimination. I know minorities get the short end of the stick at times. Guess what? So do perfectly middle of the road average white folks! But we certainly can't call that foul discrimination. Women still earn less than men for the same jobs, minorities earn less. I get all of this. I chose NOT to use it as a crutch. I choose to make my own opportunities. I choose to have 4 or more jobs to make ends meet. I make a lot of choices that afford me opportunities that I really think others have, but choose not to take advantage of.
I am challenged with my multiple jobs. I'd love to have one job bringing in what I am used to making in a month. The fact of the matter is, that is not happening. So I am challenged. But I am totally grateful for the crazy list of things I do. I am still learning some aspects of a few things. I get crazy when I am not automatically great at something. This discomfort has been good for me no matter how much I hate it!
Point being, be grateful, be challenged and get uncomfortable to get ahead.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Foursquare Rocks
As a local search expert, it’s on me to know it all. Because of this anytime a new site comes online, I sign right up and learn the ins and outs. Foursquare became known to me several months ago through industry contacts and the fact that I kept seeing Facebook friends “checking in” around town. Of course I had to figure it out. I want to check in too. I signed up, never checked in, didn’t find very many friends I already knew from Twitter, Facebook etc. So I kind of forgot about it until this week.
It turns out I’m not the only one that has discovered the total coolness factor of Foursquare. Entrepreneur Magazine has named Foursquare as one of the most brilliant ideas in mobile technology.
For “newbies”, and I am one, I have the badge dammit, here is the concept. You create an account, link it to your Facebook or Twitter and then just check in around town. I went to a Starbucks this morning after downloading the mobile app for my Blackberry last night. I couldn’t wait! I logged on using my mobile app and did a “check in”. Right at my fingertips was almost every local business within a reasonable distance. Starbucks was at the top presumably since I was there. So I check in. Chris is The Mayor. Who is Chris? But then I was notified of a special and I thought somehow I was made The Mayor of this Starbucks. No such luck but for a while I was wielding crazy power (in my mind). So it turns out if you are the Foursquare user who checks in the most at any given location, you are The Mayor. I’ve heard rumors that there are several bathrooms at Qualcomm that have Mayors. It may be that with one million users as of April that I may be forced to claim a bathroom somewhere because I just have to be Mayor of something!
Now that you’re done here, go check out that article, but come back soon.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2010/june/206722.html
It turns out I’m not the only one that has discovered the total coolness factor of Foursquare. Entrepreneur Magazine has named Foursquare as one of the most brilliant ideas in mobile technology.
For “newbies”, and I am one, I have the badge dammit, here is the concept. You create an account, link it to your Facebook or Twitter and then just check in around town. I went to a Starbucks this morning after downloading the mobile app for my Blackberry last night. I couldn’t wait! I logged on using my mobile app and did a “check in”. Right at my fingertips was almost every local business within a reasonable distance. Starbucks was at the top presumably since I was there. So I check in. Chris is The Mayor. Who is Chris? But then I was notified of a special and I thought somehow I was made The Mayor of this Starbucks. No such luck but for a while I was wielding crazy power (in my mind). So it turns out if you are the Foursquare user who checks in the most at any given location, you are The Mayor. I’ve heard rumors that there are several bathrooms at Qualcomm that have Mayors. It may be that with one million users as of April that I may be forced to claim a bathroom somewhere because I just have to be Mayor of something!
Now that you’re done here, go check out that article, but come back soon.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2010/june/206722.html
Friday, June 4, 2010
Some Advice
How many reading this blog are little red hens? Meaning, it's just easier to do it yourself than teach someone else how to do it. Or maybe you like doing it and you don't want to let it go. I'm all about teaching so I don't have to do and letting go and having independent kids. I want street smart kids who can figure stuff out. But I know, it is often easier to do it myself than teach. OK so question, my kids get almost straight A's......does it really seem like a good idea to clean the bathroom mirror with Windex and toilet paper? What happened to the common sense instinct in my children? This is not a blog. I really want to know, are my kids:
A: Missing this gene
B: Growing this gene now
C: Getting this gene when they turn 18
D: ????
A: Missing this gene
B: Growing this gene now
C: Getting this gene when they turn 18
D: ????
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
How many roles do I have
The answer, easy. Too many. But that's OK for now. I can't or won't give any of them up.
My latest - board of directors member for Bella Luna Educational Fund. I'm very excited about this one. I love non profits and I know I can make a difference.
I'm still working as a senior analyst using Google Analytics and Omniture. This is old hat and I love the work with numbers and stats. Fascinating stuff even if it bends my brain from time to time.
The new stuff is the resale company. http://www.suresellre.com/. SureSell Real Estate is a new company with a great USP. 100% commission, $95 per month fee and $195 per transaction. This is the way the real estate business is heading. Good luck to the Zips and Keller Williams of the world charging an 80/20 split or worse. It's simple. It's easy. Smart agents will make their way to us and quit leaving money on the table.
So what else is new? School is almost out. UGH. That means I work from home and the kids are, you guessed it, home! We'll find a way to make it work and I will find a way to take days off so we can take Parker Puppy to Dog Beach!
Until Next Time!
My latest - board of directors member for Bella Luna Educational Fund. I'm very excited about this one. I love non profits and I know I can make a difference.
I'm still working as a senior analyst using Google Analytics and Omniture. This is old hat and I love the work with numbers and stats. Fascinating stuff even if it bends my brain from time to time.
The new stuff is the resale company. http://www.suresellre.com/. SureSell Real Estate is a new company with a great USP. 100% commission, $95 per month fee and $195 per transaction. This is the way the real estate business is heading. Good luck to the Zips and Keller Williams of the world charging an 80/20 split or worse. It's simple. It's easy. Smart agents will make their way to us and quit leaving money on the table.
So what else is new? School is almost out. UGH. That means I work from home and the kids are, you guessed it, home! We'll find a way to make it work and I will find a way to take days off so we can take Parker Puppy to Dog Beach!
Until Next Time!
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