I'm still alive!

Princess is now back with her grandparents while her mom and dad are out of country for work this summer. She eased right back into our family unit in no time and we really enjoyed having her with us. Beckett pink puffy hearts Princess and woke up ever morning asking if she was still at his house. The feeling was quite mutual on P's part. We hope to have Princess come over again soon for some playdates! I updated about some of her adventures on her very own blog, www.princessthepit.blogspot.com, so be sure to visit it sometime.

I am in survivor mode trying my best to manage school, work, and the small shreds of my personal life. In life, I am a very stubborn and determined person which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the situation. Luckily, these work in my favor for school and as it stands now I have a 100% average in both of my classes. Yes, I am a full on nerd and proud. I'm staying up every night until midnight to keep up with the class readings and online discussions and earning every bit of extra credit I can. My family has been a blessing in taking Becks on Saturdays so I can cram in about 6 hours of uninterrupted work. I've taken one exam so far and nailed it- 100%. I have another exam on Friday and while I know realistically I won't get a 100% on it, I am aiming for a high A. It's been a difficult pace to maintain and I'm looking forward to July 9th (last day of summer school) so I can have a break before I juggle 3 classes and work full time in the fall on top of being a mom. OMG what was I thinking? Hopefully in my off time I can drive a few transports and take a few photos so this blog doesn't look so neglected.

Hope summer is treating you all well. Enjoy a few pics of the brat pack and my awesome new plates!

L, XL, XXL

Ack!

Today is the big day- my first day back in school (online courses) in oh, what, 10+ years? I am d.y.i.n.g to get out of work to get home and log in to see what homework I have. I'm taking some very fast paced summer school courses while dealing with my SPD kid, and the beasts. Ack! Sleep? Who needs sleep?

I'm also counting down- 3 days until Princess comes for an extended stay. I'm a wee bit nervous because trying to re-introduce 3 dogs makes me super paranoid. Max and Princess have not played in oh, years. Yes, years. It was always too much for me and P's mom to do meet and greets with my brats with baby Becks running about. Guess I'll just jump off the deep end!

Edite: For those of you curious, I'm heading back to hopefully become a special education teacher.

Don't do this

We all have them, friends and family who let their babies/children climb all over and essentially harass their dogs. Some think it's cute, some think it's perfectly normal, and some think their dogs actually enjoy it. They don't. And what might not bother them today might become a huge issue as they age.

Teaching your little one how to respect a dog's space is going to prevent them from a dog bite plain and simple. I don't care how tolerant (and tolerance is not enjoyment) your dog is, what happens when your baby comes over to say my house and attempts to treat them like one of their own? My dogs would surely correct your baby and rightfully so. Said correction would come in the form of an open mouth full of teeth attached to a 125 and 90 pound dog. You would freak out and blame my dogs wouldn't you? But aren't you really the problem here? Didn't you inadvertenly teach your child this was appropriate behavior? To keep your child safe around ALL animals, you must raise them to respect them all. Anything less and you will have failed to teach your child potentially lifesaving skills.

Things you should not allow your child to do (no matter how cute that photo op is):
Hug a dog around it's neck
Use a dog as a pillow
Pull on ears, paws, or tails
Touch a dog's food or water dish while they are eating
Remove a toy or bone from a dog
Lay on top of a dog
Attempt to ride a dog
Never touch a dog while sleeping
Do not lay on dog beds and or dog crates
Do not put your face in a dog's face
Do not chase a dog
Do not tease a dog with food or toys
Do not eat snacks while walking (at my house, you might lose a finger if it's something Mack wants)

These are just some of the no nonsense what ought to be common sense rules I use to keep Becks safe as well as my dogs.

ps- when most kids come to my house, my dogs go to their safe space with a yummy treat. Cranky seniors do not like "those" kids. It's a win win situation and they appreciate me looking out for their best interests very much.

pps- you should all read this and share it far and wide
http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/5388/fatal-dog-attacks-why-lessons-are-not-being-learned/

Photo dump

Just so you all don't think I have been slacking in my animal rescue adventures, here are the babes Beckett and I have recently transported. Last weekend, we drove back and forth to Oklahoma on 2 different days to transport 3 dogs and 3 cats. Thank god for my in car DVD player and McDonald's playgrounds.

That's Pasha the American Bulldog. She was found as a stray caring for Pumpkin, the 5week old puppy, who was NOT her biological offspring. She was super protective of her, so sweet little Zelda the puppy mill franchie had to ride in the front seat with me in a soft carrier. Pumpkin likes to nurse on Pasha's chest where her hair swirls. Amazing story, isn't it?

Babies and Beasts oh my

Don't think my lack of blogging as of late means my home life has been blissful. It's been anything but.

Let's see, Mr. Mack decided to eat something inedible yet again unbeknown to us. You'd think we'd be winning the war, but alas, he decided to eat some bed stuffing in a super secret way that left us clueless until it was too late, i.e. the puking had began. How can a bull in a china chop tear his bed so there is a little flap he can put back into place making the bed look 100% boggles my mind. That basically sums up my month of March. This obstruction was nothing like the one he had 6 months ago, so we racked up over $4k in bills shuttling him to and from the e vet to his regular vet before going in for exploratory surgery. Thankfully this time he was covered by pet insurance which helped us recoup about 80% of that back. I however, will not get back those sleepless nights, nor will I lose the wrinkles he gave me this go around.

Becks we have discovered has some special needs. Gosh that sounds so depressing when in reality it's not really a big thing. Ironically, I enrolled back in school to finish a degree so that I can become a special needs teacher, all prior to B's diagnosis. Becks has SPD which is Sensory Processing Disorder. Essentially he is a sensory seeker which explains why as an infant he *never* wanted to be still and or sleep. I accepted I had a high needs baby, but to be able to look back now I see how his lack of a properly functioning regulatory system probably was a factor. The best word to describe Becks is MORE. Yes, the all caps is necessary. B likes to run harder, climb higher, laugh louder, go to whatever extreme he can to fill up his sensory cup. Where for a time I thought I just had a toddler who was bolder than most it turns out he is going to need some help filling his sensory cup in other ways so that we (and his teachers) can avoid the dark side of SPD sensory seekers- the anger overload tantrum that comes when the cup isn't filled. Hour plus long tantrums filled with rage, violence, room thrashing, call CPS someone is killing a child in that house, a rage that no one can diffuse or soothe away, not even mom. We have sought professional help and will soon be on a journey filled with occupational therapy, private schools, psychologists etc... No one said motherhood was easy.

Well you know how some say God only gives you as much as you can handle? I might not be big on the whole concept of God, but I do know if anyone was going to be tossed some major hurdles to jump it might as well be me. What can I say? I've always been a fan of the underdog, I get more out of giving than I ever do receiving, I'm a champion of the abused, misunderstood, and neglected. So this is my new path which comes with it's own unique challenges. At the very least I feel validated that my struggles with Becks are not imaginary or not the result of me being an under qualified mom. Love the built in mom guilt!

Enjoy some pics of my loves.

Record snowfall in Texas!