The Goat Rodeo entourage got a little bigger

Well, my dear sweet readers, you met "Dobby Dog" in a previous post.  He's a very protective, high strung, ankle-craving, not at all social 5-year-old Chihuahua.

That dog FLIPS OUT when anyone comes into or out of our house (or even approaches our home from a 5 block radius).  He's a sweetheart, but he's not that bright.  He failed puppy class because the only behavior he learned there was to CLIMB UP MY SHOULDERS and perch there shaking because he was so terrified of the other dogs.  An owner of a (gigantic) dog in the class laughed while my dog scaled my shoulder and said, "That's not a dog.  That's a squirrel."  And that's how the dog got one of his middle names (his full name is Chiawoohaha Hurley Squirrel).  

Chi aka "Dobby dog" on his hind legs staring at the neighbors
because my kids dared to leave the house and he seems to feel he is single-handedly responsible for their safety.

He was sweet (to us and us alone.  Everyone else who exists in the world is a deadly predator in his mind), but not that bright to begin with.  It appears our 5 lb, barking, shaking wonder canine left what little brains he had somewhere along the way during the move.  I suspect that, scattered along rest stops between there and here I'll bet you can find the last of this dog's brain cells.

Upon arrival at this house, he decided to try to play leap frog  and red rover with the cats who have claws and very little patience.  Being the dog of little brains that he is, he didn't get the message.  He did, however, get attacked again and again and again.

We thought, perhaps, a friend would help.  After taking into account all his quirks and special needs, we came up with a list of things we wanted in a new dog and headed to the shelter.  Then we headed to the next shelter.  And the next.  After shelter-hopping for a while, we found a very sweet 4-year-old female chihuahua this past weekend.  She was spayed yesterday and we picked her up yesterday evening.

We discussed a long list of possible names (all Harry Potter-related, of course) and settled on one.

And so, I would like to introduce:  Mischief-Managed

Mischief-Managed

Note that, in the background, you can see Peek-a-booDuck, one of our cats, who tells me she will never forgive us for bringing another dog into this house.

Am I the only one who gets the urge to adopt ANOTHER dog just so we can name it I-Solemnly-Swear-I-Am-Up-To-No-Good?

Am I Suffering From Insomnia Or Just A Lack Of A Sound-proof Padded Room?

I have insomnia.  I've had it for over 20 years.  For me, that means it takes me a while to fall asleep and I wake frequently in the night.

The past few nights have been HORRIBLE.  I'm getting hardly any sleep.

This weekend, though, I came to a realization.  I'm so freaking exhausted that my insomnia isn't even the problem.  It might take me a while to fall asleep, but, once down, I would stay that way if not for EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS FREAKING HOUSE.

The other day, my big girls spent the night at a friend's, so I crashed early with the two youngest.  You might think, "Oh, early to bed and only 1/2 the kids in the house, that's a recipe for a great night's sleep."  You, however, would be so very very wrong.  

Here's how my night went:

• 7:30 pm: Start to doze off while reading to the kids.
• 8 pm: Kids in bed
• 8:01-8:30 pm: Do all the end of the night hustle and bustle (put up the dog, lock the doors, etc.).
• 8:35-9:45: Toss and turn and not fall asleep even though I was falling asleep on the couch just an hour before.
• 9:50: Fall asleep.
• 11:  Wake up for no known reason.
• 11:20 (or so)  Fall back to sleep.
• 12: Baby's awake and screaming.  Go get her.
• 12:45 Put baby back to bed.
• 1:30 Finally fall back to sleep.
• 3 am: Cat pounds at the door to get out.
• 3:00-3:02 Try to see through the dark if it's a smart cat who can actually get the door open or the stupid cat who will just pound on it for an hour without ever getting out.  Determine it's the smart cat and wait for her to work her magic.
LOLCAT BREAK:



Yeah, it was EXACTLY like that.

• 3:03: Cat gets out.  Get up and close the bedroom door after her.
• 3:10: Start to drift off to sleep when stupid cat then decides she wants out too.  After she bangs on the door, get up and let her out.  Leave door open.
• 3:15 Smart cat returns and loudly opens the bedroom closet.
• 3:16 Yell at the cat and put a box in front of the closet door.
• 3:17 Cat then scratches loudly at box.
• 3:18 Throw a sock at cat.
• 3:18.32: Cat loudly jumps on box and attacks.
• 3:19: Curse at cat while putting shoes on top of the box to hold it closed.
• 3:20-3:30: Cat tries to knock shoes off box making insane amounts of noise.
• 3:31: Toss cat in hallway and close door.
• 3:40 (just as drifting off to sleep) dumb cat returns and wants in.  She is, not, however smart enough to actually GET IN, so she scratches at the closed door.
• 3:41: Let the damn cat in.
• 4:02 am (just as drifting off to sleep yet again), baby wakes up.
• 4:03-4:04: Hope baby will go back to sleep, until you hear her yell, "Potty!  Potty!"
• 4:05-4:10:  Take baby to the bathroom, throw together another diaper and put her pajamas back on.
• 4:11:  Pray baby goes back to sleep easily.
• 4:12:  Decide there's no G-d
• 4:13-4:50:  Bring the baby to your bed and nurse her.
• 4:51:  Baby is up for the day and you don't have any big kids to help with her.
•  5am-11pm:  Be a general bitch out of sheer exhaustion

Yes, that is EXACTLY how my night went.  I thought to myself, "My insomnia isn't my problem.  The kids and cats are my problem.  I don't need Ambien.  I need a sound-proof padded room."

Wordless Wednesday: It's a zoo out there

This week's episode of Wordless Wednesday was brought to you by warm weather, the local zoo and cute kids.

Today was probably the last nice day of the season.  It was 80 degrees and relatively sunny.  However, a cold front is on its way.  So we celebrated the last nice day at the zoo with friends.

Wordless Wednesday: He's got a thing for her.

Click to see in its full glory.

While at the zoo, the male lion came over and just stared at my daughter.  He refused to move away from her.

I said, "That lion has a thing for her."

My son said, "Maybe he will give it to her."

Confused, I asked, "What?"

To which my son replied, "That thing he has for her."

Oy vey, that boy!  

Wordless Wednesday for Oct. 6, 2010

The Week In Links: 8/10 edition

What's this? Could this be a post unrelated to moving?

Well, what do ya know, it IS.

Once a week, I'm going to try to do a round up of links I found interesting. Take a look and see if you share my interests. Click them all. Glance at them and walk away. Click the ones that sound interesting. It's up to you.

Have Fun Teaching

Work sheets, coloring pages, videos, songs, and more

So many kids are going back to school. This is a great resource for those with kids in school, those who homeschool and those who are teachers.

Next in the list of linky goodness is a lolcat. This will be the initiating cat--boldly going where no cat has gone before, this blog. I can annoy assure you, though, that these won't be the last. This, right here, would be me:

Spearmint Baby: DIY project-Turn Your Junk Into Something New

Neat idea for using spray paint to give items a whole new look

True, that doll is creepy, but I find her oddly less so when spray painted blue. I think I'll have to use this idea to decorate the kids' room in the new place.

Funny Kid T-shirt

I want that for every one of my kids.

While we're on the topic of funny kid t-shirts, let's add this to the wishlist:

Kosher Ham: Winnie the Jooh

They don't make this big enough for the big 2, but I want one for all the kids.

We have a Chanukah bear which we always jokingly called, "Jew Bear" and I like to insist, "He's Pooh Bear's cousin. You know they're related because they have the same last name."

How a 13 Year Old Gained 16,000 Fans In 96 Hours

A touching story of a grandson's love and dedication to his grandfather (and frustration with the despicable things going on with his lack of care)

I was far more interested in the story than the actual mechanics behind how he was able to gain so many fans.

Liam's Pictures From Old Books

Exactly what the title says

Official Keep Austin Breastfeeding Flash Mob

Breastfeeding supporters literally put on a song and dance about breastfeeding.

This is fantastic. I love seeing the families taking part in this who don't look a bit self conscious.

I Am A Wall

Ani homa. Ta'ali.

A friend posted this article from Aish and I love the message. I often need to be reminded that sometimes, silent support is all that's needed.

Regretsy: View In A Room NSFW

This is, quite possibly, one of the best "View In A Rooms" ever.

It is naughty, so you've been warned.

Annie (1982) You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile

A friend got this song stuck in my head. Now I've repeated the favor. You're welcome.

Smoking In the Car Is Child Abuse

Some people won't like this, but it is what it is.

I just don't understand why most of the article frames the argument in terms of a personal health decision when earlier, it makes it very clear that it affects others as well as the person smoking.

In the second grade, I spent three months suffering from severe bronchitis. I was on more medications and had more blood tests than I could count. I was miserable. My doctor's notes about the illness say, "Parents are heavy smokers."

Jimmy Marguiles cartoon August 3, 2010: Which Structure Insults Ground Zero?

I've always liked his cartoons and this one is, once again, too true, but it makes me so sad.

And, on a related note, Jon Stewart had a fantastic rant on the topic wherein, he declares, "I give up."

...love Maegan: Refashion a Tank Top Into a Carry-all DIY

I must try this.

This little guy is just too cute and too relevant:



Make It : A Wee Wonderfuls World
Contains the pattern for a very cute mermaid.
I'm dying to try out the pattern to see if I can make one. Maybe this is something even my biggest girls could try out.

WIC: How Does Formula Compare to Breastmilk?

I found this thanks to Blacktating on Facebook. This is a WIC poster which presents breastfeeding as the norm, not the exception.

Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling in Graduation Speech

"But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave."

This relates quite a bit to our reasons for homeschooling.

Challah Crumbs: Aleph Bet Crafts

It can be tricky to find Jewish-themed crafts, so I'm particularly thrilled with this site.

One To Grow On

I wouldn't classify this as "Crazy neighbor" at all. In fact, this is what I've been saying for years.

For Oklahoma City Zoo animals, debris can be deadly.

This article broke my heart.

Savage Chickens: Hulk

It just made me laugh.

The Thinkers

This picture from Awkward Family Pet Photos is far more awesome than awkward.

And thus concludes this week's round up of linky goodness. I hope you found something to peruse.