Teach Your Children Well

By now, you've heard the story of Karen Klein, the school bus monitor from Rochester, NY, who was viciously bullied by her charges.  When I watched the story on The Today Show, and then watched the You Tube video, I cried.  I was sick to my stomach, all the while trying to imagine what these youngsters were thinking when they said the vile things they said.  Then there's the latest incident, involving the 9/11 Memorial :  http://www.newser.com/story/148814/nyc-teens-trash-911-memorial.html

We strive to teach Murray to have respect for all (humans and animals), good manners, and most importantly, compassion and acceptance.  At the tender age of four, we still have some control over how he behaves.  But what happens when he's six?  Or ten?  Or fifteen?  We obviously can't control his behavior when we're not around.

I can only pray that the lessons we teach Murray now will carry forward...and beyond. 

What do you think?  Are the parents to blame?  Or, were they just being typical teens and pre-teens acting out? 

Beds

Let's go back in time, just for a bit.

When Craig and I first shared a home, we slept in a small water bed.  Yes, a water bed.  When the heater in the bed quit, we still slept there, with quilts covering the bladder of the water bed.  I didn't mind at all, because the smaller the bed, the closer we were (ahem).   After about six months though, the novelty wore off and I lost my patience with the damn thing (can we say freezing!).  We threw it out and used a previously owned, queen sized mattress that I had kept in storage.

Fast forward two years.  We decided that a new bed was in order, so we went shopping.  Craig fell in love with the queen version of bed heaven - cashmere pillow top - while I was happily testing the king sized version of bed heaven.  Thinking my money conscious husband would agree with the queen version - more room for snuggling - he surprised me, and together, we purchased the enormous king version.  I really thought I had won the lottery.

As it turned out, he's really not a cuddling type of man.  Boy, was I fooled!

After our first fabulous night sleeping in our huge bed, I woke to Craig delightfully declaring, "I need a map to find you!"  I'm still not sure if that's a compliment.

As much room as we have in the great giant bed, there is never enough.  I like to sleep with about twenty-two feather pillows and lots of air conditioning, while Craig likes to heat himself to death and steal half of my pillows.  I like to cuddle while I sleep, while Craig thinks nothing short of shoving me off of my side of the bed.  On early weekend mornings when Murray is finally invited into our bed, we might as well not sleep.  He kicks, he pokes, and he grunts and snores.  Then, at some point, Rudy jumps in with us. 

Despite this?  I wouldn't change a thing.  Plus, Craig still has his own space.  He can always sleep on the couch.

Sleep tight!
-M

32

It's been much too long since I've posted.  The reason?  Well, I'll get to that in another post.  For now, let's talk happy things.

Today I turned 32 years old.  Considering that two weeks ago I thought I was turning 31, it was quite a surprise.  Ha!  Denial is a force to be reckoned with.

Last night, Craig and Murray brought me a present, and today, I woke up to a special day at the lake with my good friend.  Because the weather wasn't the best, we made due with shopping, a soak in the hot tub and much needed girl talk.  It was such a relief to connect with her again; this is one of those days I'll cherish forever.  To top it off, I had lots of text messages, facebook messages, and a fabulous beach bag from my parents in law.  They completely get me.

I'm so grateful for God, family, and friends.  Stay tuned for updates more often.  I think I'm finally back on track.  Or, at least, I'm getting there.

Blessings to you,
M

The Four Year Old "Talk"

Oh help.

Murray:        (sigh) I wish I had a girlfriend.
Me:               Oh really?  What would you do with a girlfriend?
Murray:         Play with her.
Me:               (another sigh, this time, of relief)  That's nice.  Why do you want a girlfriend?
Murray:        Well, Mom, she showed me her butt.
Me:               (trying to stay calm)  Really?  Where?  When?
Murray:         I can't tell you where, but it was a few days ago.
Me:                What did you do?
Murray:         Well, I hid by a tree.
Me:               Good choice, Murray.  We shouldn't show our private parts, right?
Murray:         Right, but we can to our moms and dads, but not to our friends.
Me:               Yep, that's right!
Murray:         But, can we talk about a penis, a vagina, and a pink eye?


Oh help.

She's Here!

The newest addition to our family tree arrived on Tuesday, April 10th at 10:26 a.m.  Weighing in at 7lbs. 14 oz., I'm thrilled to introduce our niece and Goddaughter, Brooklyn:

 First picture

 Murray loves his new cousin

 Grandpa Doug is head-over-heels

 Murray is a Brooklyn hog.  He doesn't like to let anyone else hold her.

She has a dimple on each cheek, just like her Mom

The second I met her, I fell in love.  I looked at my sister, who couldn't stop staring at her miracle with a look of wonder. 

Congratulations, sis.  We are extremely happy for you and love you both to pieces!




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More on Golden Retrievers - Meet Emma

Emma, the pup on the left, is a rescue puppy from a commercial breeder in Missouri, and our current foster.  Retrieve A Golden of Minnesota (RAGOM) rescued 29 female Golden Retrievers last weekend and brought them to Minnesota. These sweet dogs had one purpose in life:  to be bred and give birth to puppies.  They lived in dog runs, small crates, and had little contact with humans.  They were never socialized, making them terrified of people.  Following is a bit about her experience at our home:

3-25-12:  Six month old Emma arrived today, safe and sound after an exhuasting and terrifying journey. We knew nothing about her, but the volunteers at RAGOM had a team of vets waiting for the entire crew. The gals were triaged upon arrival in the Twin Cities early Sunday morning.  To say that she's frightened is a gross understatement.  The only way to get her to come out of her crate is to leave the room and let our foster Molly, and resident Rudy, work their magic.  Both big dogs are gentle and patient with her.  In fact, since she's only been around other dogs, her comfort lies in the presence of Rudy and Molly. She hides from people with her nose in the back corner of her crate.  Molly sleeps near her and watches her with a look of empathy and concern.  Rudy lords over the two of them from his perch on the couch.

3-26-12:  Emma won't eat, but she did finally take a drink of water this morning.  I was so happy to see her getting at least something in her system. 

3-27-12:  Sweet Emma loves to play chase and wrestle with the big dogs.  She's mastered the stairs and enjoys being outside. She follows Rudy and Molly everywhere.  Craig and I picked her up and sat with her tonight.  She let us pet her, but her little heart was beating a mile a minute and her muscles were very tense.  We will do this for short stints several times a day so that she gets used to us.  We also put our worn t-shirts in her crate so that she can get to know our smell.  At this point, it's extremely important to let her come to us.  Positive reinforcement only.

3-28-12:  Emma is still a flight risk, which is common for gals like her.  She walks around the yard with a trailing leash on, for her own safety.  She's eating and drinking like a champ, and has even decided to explore a bit.

3-29-12:  Big day today!  Craig and I hauled Emma to the vet for a wellness exam.  She checked out beautifully and is in great health.  Since some of her litter mates were diagnosed with ear mites and whip worms, she was treated for both as a precaution, even though all tests came back negative.  Better safe than sorry.  She's currently resting in her safe place (her crate).  I'm sure she's exhausted.

3-30-12:  Emma went to see our fabulous groomer.  She had a bath, trim and brush, and ear cleaning.  We can tell that she feels much better, both physically and emotionally.  She's still scared of people, but she's making progress.

3-31-12:  We had an impromtu backyard BBQ tonight, and Emma did great!  She played with the other dogs until everyone was worn out.  At one point, I picked her up and put her in my lap, gently petting her. Though it took a while, her body finally relaxed.  Baby steps.

4-1-12:  Emma is now taking treats from our hands, and coming in and out of her crate on her own (we leave the door open when we're home).  She has learned her name and knows that only good things come from people.  She's still skittish, but that's better than terrified.

4-2-12:  Wow!  This morning, Emma made leaps and bounds!  She explored the entire house on her own, played in the backyard (complete with a case of the zoomies) and wrestled with Rudy.  She even found her voice today, and we couldn't be happier.  Her barking and howling shows that she's becoming more confident.  She still has a long way to go, but the puppy in Emma is really starting to emerge.  We've discovered that she loves to hoard anything she can find.  Yesterday, while I was sorting socks, she slowly came close, gently took a sock out of the basket, and then proudly pranced away to her crate.  Later, when she was playing with Rudy, I went to retrieve the sock.  Much to my surprise, I discovered a pile of things:  Two more socks, a balled up paper bag, two dish cloths, a match box car, and a dollar bill. Plus, she had several stuffed toys and a ball in there (she's allowed to have the ball and toys, just not our things).  She was obviously counter surfing when I wasn't paying attention.

4-3-12:  I was rewarded with gentle licks and sniffs again today. We wanted Emma to have some play time without us scaring her, so Craig invented the perfect toy.  He drilled a hole in a tennis ball, attached some rubber to the rope, and tied it to the tree at "dog" level.  It was a hit!  She spends lots of time chasing it, batting it, and tugging it.  Murray and I like to sit outside and watch.  She's pure entertainment, this girl! 

 She's still pretty camera shy, so it's hard to get a good picture.

Rudy and Emma.  Emma really felt the need for some comfort, so she linked paws with Rudy.

**I am a volunteer for Retrieve A Golden of Minnesota.  I was not compensated for this post.  All opinions are my own.**