Caring About and Caring for Animals Are Not the Same Thing

It's Responsible Pet Owner Month which, of course, I love.

There seems to be a really blase attitude in America when it comes to taking care of our animals.

Animals are living creatures, they are not disposable.

When you decided you wanted a pet, you made a commitment to that animal that you would not only love them, but also provide for them.

I'll be the first to admit that we've been through a few pets in our family, but you must also know this. When those animals were in our house, they wanted for nothing. Our animals are spoiled rotten, and also trained, socialized, and disciplined. I made sure to find good families for the animals that didn't quite fit in our home.

There is a difference between a pet not being a good fit in your family,

and a pet being neglected.

• That animal expects to be with you for the rest of his life, not until you move.
• That animal trusts that you will feed him everyday, not just when you can afford it.
• That animal thinks he'll always be your baby, not just until a human baby replaces him.
• That animal believes that you will show him right from wrong, not let him run awry.

Check out more ways to be a responsible pet parent here.

As Iowa is in February, it is snowing like gangbusters outside. I'm going to snuggle up next to my fireplace with as many of my furbabies as I can.

Have a great night!

Love Your Pet Day

Today is Love Your Pet Day a.k.a. Love Your Dog Day.

As everyone knows, I am a huge animal lover. Of course I'm not going to pass up the chance to do some lovin' on my furbabies!

Maxine--like having another puppy ...

Jinxy--the definition of bitchy, old, fat cat

Hayley--The Hubbs's "other woman"

Murphy--100% Mini Eskie & 100% Mama's Little Man

Julie--the coolest rabbit ever!

I love my babies--all of them. It's a joke in our house that Mommy's lap is like a revolving door.

The kids, animals, and my husband take turns getting loves all day.

As much as I love to snuggle, they can be a bit overwhelming.

But, seeing as today is a day set aside just for the animals, I think I might be able to put up with a few extra hugs & kisses.

Please, (we all know how I feel about neglectful pet parents) spend a little extra time with your fuzzy ones today!

Much love,

Celebrating Gal-entine's Day

I am in the middle of packing, vacuuming, folding laundry, and washing dishes. Can you tell I'm getting ready to go on vacation? And it's not just any vacation--Mommy is going alone. 

That's right. No kids. No animals. No husband. I'm celebrating a Gal-entine's day with my best girlfriend in South Carolina.

I am excited for two reasons:  1.) I should be able to pee alone. 2.) I have not taken a trip by myself in over ten years.

TEN. YEARS.

I am freaking out. I only have to take care of myself. Do you know how rare that is? I will not be pushing a stroller through a crowded airport. If I want to go to Cinnabon, I don't have to share. I only have to pack for one person. I am completely overwhelmed.

ML asked me what I wanted to do when I visited, and for a moment I was speechless. What did I want to do? Me and only me? You mean I get to do grown up things, and I don't have to schedule outings around meals and naps?

I am so far outside of my comfort zone right now. I have not spent more than a few hours at a time on myself for over a decade. This realization made me step back and think. As a mom, I have spent the last years of my life focused on my family. And that's not a bad thing, in fact, it's wonderful. But having said that, I've let taking care of myself fall to the wayside.

One of my goals this year was to lose weight, and get into better shape. I've been doing okay with that, but now I've realized that maybe I should add getting into better mental and emotional shape. For me, my emotional health depends on the relationships I have with others. The connections that I make with my girlfriends. I have to have a way to vent out my frustrations, and writing can only take me so far. The screen tends to not answer back when I ask it questions. (Although I do think my computer silently mocks me when I write stuff that is total crap.) Apparently, I need to spend more time fostering those connections, and spend time on me once in a while.

We shouldn't as moms let ourselves get so lost in our families that we forget the wonder and freedom of taking a vacation alone. So here I am, psyching myself up to board that plane--alone--and have a great and relaxing time. Wish me luck!

ML & me @ a Nicholas Sparks Book signing. Yup, we're going to see the movie!

Happy Valentine's Day y'al!

Much Love,

Beauty is Pain ... In More Ways Than One

My girlfriend, ML,  posted a blog today (here) about a horrific experience she had getting her eyebrows waxed when she was younger. And in the post, she asked her readers to share some of their awful beauty moments. I don't think there is a woman out there that can't think of at least one time (if not more than one) when she looked at herself in the mirror and thought, "What the heck was I thinking?!"

Just about everyone goes through middle school (and high school, and college, and adulthood for some) trying to figure out their identity. Where do you fit in? Are you a jock or a cheerleader? A nerd? A band geek? A drama weirdo? For girls, part of that identity crisis includes your look.

When I was in middle school, everyone started perming their hair. It was the 90s, what can I say? Well, to make a funny story sad, my family was poor. As in too poor to get my hair permed in a salon. So my mom and her friend thought it would be perfectly acceptable to buy a box from Meijer's.

My mom and her friend are Asian. At the time we had been in the US for about 10 years. I was the oldest child between both families. And definitely the oldest daughter. I have lots of thick, coarse hair. I was a guinea pig, to say the least, but I was so desperate for curly hair I let them do it. "What the heck was I thinking?!"

Four hours and about twenty "Oops!" later, my head was permed within an inch of its life. The end result was a frizzy (not curly) mess that left me looking like Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. Home perms are a huge no-no. Again, we were so poor I couldn't go to a salon, which meant I was forced to endure my Asian-fro puff until it grew completely out. There were a lot of ponytails and french braids in that following year.

I vowed never again. I would never perm my hair again. Fast forward about seven years. My family had moved from Michigan to Iowa. I had a whole new circle of friends, including two attending classes at Faust Institute in Storm Lake. Yup, that's a cosmetology school.

Anyone that's gone to (or knows someone that went) cosmetology school knows that you have to do so many treatments before you can graduate. Yes, I did get another perm. I know, I said I never would, but I was older, wiser, and able to get professional advice as to the best way to take care of my hair.

But, that's not the best part.

My girlfriend needed to sign off on a wax. I thought, "hey, why not?" Not just any wax. I decided to get a bikini wax. That's right. A bikini wax at a school. In all honesty, my friend had recently witnessed the birth of my first daughter. So, there was no mystery "there." In order to get graded on the treatment, an instructor has to sign off that it was done right. Hah. An instructor was supposed to inspect my bikini wax.

When we were done, my girlfriend left to get the instructor. The instructor (Oh Helen, we love you!), instead of coming to check out my privates, hollered from the front desk, "Poon, are you happy with it?!" I yelled back, "Yup!" And my girlfriend got an A.

The things we do for beauty. And education.

What crazy/horrific things have you done in the name of the glam?

Happy waxing,