Today was yet another one of those days that I feel I played interference between the toddler and her climbing/getting into things and the dog with her chewing. I seriously think they have figured out some way to communicate with each other. While I get something out of the dogs mouth, Lucienne is climbing up onto the table and dumping out the contents of my wallet. I turn to get her down and put everything back and the dog is getting into something else. As I pry it out of her mouth, Luci has found a stool at the sink (placed by Audree) and is playing with the water. I turn it off and dry her off only to find the dog has returned from the toyroom with yet another Pet Shop half destroyed. While I pick up all the pieces, Luci is climbing up the stairs to find what Audree is up to. And so it goes, and goes, and goes.
On another note, in the middle of this constant stream of destruction, I had a not-so-steller mother moment with Audree. I hate when that voice in my head is saying that I need to stop talking yet my mouth just keeps going. It all really starts with my wallet. Audree saw Lucienne getting into it and really wanted to join in the fun. I think, what's the harm in letting her play store with my cards so I let her have my wallet warning her that I expect everything back in it when she's done (mistake #1). Audree happily plays her game while I run back and forth between the dog, not watching exactly what she's doing with it (mistake #2). Later in the day as I'm picking up around the livingroom and diningroom I find my empty wallet...and nothing else. No cards (I never have any money in it so that's not really a concern). When I ask Audree where everything is she gives me that really cute, innocent, doe-eyed look that she has down to a tee and says, "I don't know".
I'd kind of had it with Luci and the dog and unfortunately Audree suffered the consequence of my frustration. I told her that without the contents of my wallet I would no longer be able to buy anything or to drive anywhere. Christmas would have no presents, birthdays would be non-existant, we were never going to go anywhere, ever again. No vacations, no playdates. She is of course in tears but I just keep going (in my defense, I wasn't yelling, just bringing down her world in a calm, orderly manner). The sad part was that I didn't really have any important cards in my wallet to begin with. My credit cards and license were safely attached to my key chain. Health cards and temple recommend in my purse. It was just full of the "point" cards from various stores and other things I haven't used for months, even years.
We looked for the cards all day. We cleaned the toyroom and her bedroom. We took apart the couch and moved all the furniture. It was as if she ate them, although more likely that the dog had eaten them. They were all gone. Just disappeared in thin air. It was actually kind of weird because she had no recollection of what she did with them and we couldn't find them anywhere.
I finally just gave up. I knew they weren't that important and I'd already cancelled Christmas so there wasn't too much to be done. Plus I'd burned off some steam with all the cleaning so I was feeling a bit better.
Within ten minutes of the girls being home from school Evelyn comes up to me with Audree's big book of Dora stories and asks why all my cards are in the pages. Then it all comes back to Audree who says, "I remember now, I put them in my Dora book."
Mystery solved. Christmas and birthdays are free to go ahead. We'll leave the house. And I score a point in the mother-of-year competition I'm surely in the running for.
Tuesday 25 September 2012
Sunday 16 September 2012
Dog vs Cat vs Bike
One of my birthday gifts this year was a dog bike leash. I LOVE it. What a great way to exercise Paris at a pace that will actually tire her out. For the most part she pulls me...and when I say me I mean me, my bike and the bike trailer with Lucienne and Audree in it. Sometimes I have to break going uphill. It's great!
However, she still loves a good squirrel chase. Dogs we can get by without too much hassle and cats, as long as they're not moving and a fair bit away are fine but oh, how she loves squirrels. And I'm pretty sure there are more squirrels that live here than people. I've found that as long as I see them first or about the same time as her I can get her attention and counter balance her pulling sideways on the bike.
The other day I was coming back from the girls school and a squirrel got too close. She gave a huge tug and snap went the bike leash. What I don't understand is that the attachment itself is a very sturdy, strong metal contraption and the leash is a thick rope. However, the pieces that attach the dog to the rope and the rope to the attachment are flimsy little plastic bits. As I was assembling it I thought how silly it seemed and wondered if it would really hold. Well, that day I got my answer. The flimsy piece of plastic didn't just break once that day, but twice. Almost like she realized that if she gave just the right tug she could be set free and get that squirrel.
The first time was luckily in a quiet neighbourhood after I had dropped the girls off at school. I had to get off my bike and football tackle her as she came running by. The second was at a busier intersection with nowhere really to leave the bike with the girls in the trailer (no sidewalks, we were riding on the road), plus the crazy-dog-running-into-the-road factor. A car saw Paris break free and graciously stopped and offered to stay with the girls while I chased my crazy dog. My only luck this time was that we were at the end of the 5 km bike ride and Paris was a little bit tired. I didn't have to chase far and I didn't have to tackle her.
Needless to say at home I fashioned a more sturdy attachment and it seems to be holding much better. And trust me, she's tried.
So tonight Mom and Erica were coming for a visit. I thought it would be smart to take the dog out for a quick ride to get some pent up energy out before Murphy and Georgia came for a visit. Rene discovered a lovely little trail not too far from the house that goes through some treed areas in behind some houses. It's a nice change from biking on the road and sidewalks all the time. And the bonus, I have never seen a squirrel back in there.
However, today we encountered a cat. It was hiding in the bushes and neither of us saw it until we rode right by it. I would have just continued riding but Paris had a different idea...she decided to jump on it. One of those living-in-the-moment decisions that dogs seem to live their lives by. However, being attached to a bike means that she took me and the bike with her. I have never heard such a drawn-out painful yelp/howl than this afternoon. We were a tangled mess of person, dog and bike (no cat, it ran). When I finally was able to get up from under the bike and unhook Paris from the bike I was scared to look at her. She slowly got up but hung one of her front paws in front of her at an angle that made it look like it was broken in two.
I've watched enough Dog Whispers to know that I shouldn't make a big deal out of it. I gave her a quick once over to make sure there wasn't any bleeding then walked away, silently panicking. Thoughts running in my head: how much is this vet bill going to cost? How am I going to get home? Stupid cat.
I walked a bit to see if anyone was in their yards that I could borrow a phone from then walked back to Paris to take a better assessment. The fact that she was still sitting in one spot with her paw lifted was not a good sign. I touched her paw to see if she would cringe and she didn't. As I walked away again, wondering if I could carry her back to the road, she slowly stood up and walked toward me keeping her hurt leg up. Rene's co-worker lives just at the entrance to the path so I thought if I could get her to walk there I could call Rene to come pick us up. As we walked she gingerly put her paw down and gradually put more weight on it as we went. By the time we got to a phone she limping. I knew it hurt though because a squirrel ran through the yard and she merely glimpsed at it.
Rene rescued us and thankfully she seemed fine as she bounded around the livingroom chasing Murphy and Georgia. I can see at least 4 bald spots on her leg from where it must have got caught in the chain and yanked the fur out.
The real test on how I handled the situation (from a dog's point of view) will be how she reacts to me attaching her to the bike again. And I'll probably be a bit nervous the first few bikes too. Even though I wasn't hurt I'd rather not be pulled off again.
However, she still loves a good squirrel chase. Dogs we can get by without too much hassle and cats, as long as they're not moving and a fair bit away are fine but oh, how she loves squirrels. And I'm pretty sure there are more squirrels that live here than people. I've found that as long as I see them first or about the same time as her I can get her attention and counter balance her pulling sideways on the bike.
The other day I was coming back from the girls school and a squirrel got too close. She gave a huge tug and snap went the bike leash. What I don't understand is that the attachment itself is a very sturdy, strong metal contraption and the leash is a thick rope. However, the pieces that attach the dog to the rope and the rope to the attachment are flimsy little plastic bits. As I was assembling it I thought how silly it seemed and wondered if it would really hold. Well, that day I got my answer. The flimsy piece of plastic didn't just break once that day, but twice. Almost like she realized that if she gave just the right tug she could be set free and get that squirrel.
The first time was luckily in a quiet neighbourhood after I had dropped the girls off at school. I had to get off my bike and football tackle her as she came running by. The second was at a busier intersection with nowhere really to leave the bike with the girls in the trailer (no sidewalks, we were riding on the road), plus the crazy-dog-running-into-the-road factor. A car saw Paris break free and graciously stopped and offered to stay with the girls while I chased my crazy dog. My only luck this time was that we were at the end of the 5 km bike ride and Paris was a little bit tired. I didn't have to chase far and I didn't have to tackle her.
Needless to say at home I fashioned a more sturdy attachment and it seems to be holding much better. And trust me, she's tried.
So tonight Mom and Erica were coming for a visit. I thought it would be smart to take the dog out for a quick ride to get some pent up energy out before Murphy and Georgia came for a visit. Rene discovered a lovely little trail not too far from the house that goes through some treed areas in behind some houses. It's a nice change from biking on the road and sidewalks all the time. And the bonus, I have never seen a squirrel back in there.
However, today we encountered a cat. It was hiding in the bushes and neither of us saw it until we rode right by it. I would have just continued riding but Paris had a different idea...she decided to jump on it. One of those living-in-the-moment decisions that dogs seem to live their lives by. However, being attached to a bike means that she took me and the bike with her. I have never heard such a drawn-out painful yelp/howl than this afternoon. We were a tangled mess of person, dog and bike (no cat, it ran). When I finally was able to get up from under the bike and unhook Paris from the bike I was scared to look at her. She slowly got up but hung one of her front paws in front of her at an angle that made it look like it was broken in two.
I've watched enough Dog Whispers to know that I shouldn't make a big deal out of it. I gave her a quick once over to make sure there wasn't any bleeding then walked away, silently panicking. Thoughts running in my head: how much is this vet bill going to cost? How am I going to get home? Stupid cat.
I walked a bit to see if anyone was in their yards that I could borrow a phone from then walked back to Paris to take a better assessment. The fact that she was still sitting in one spot with her paw lifted was not a good sign. I touched her paw to see if she would cringe and she didn't. As I walked away again, wondering if I could carry her back to the road, she slowly stood up and walked toward me keeping her hurt leg up. Rene's co-worker lives just at the entrance to the path so I thought if I could get her to walk there I could call Rene to come pick us up. As we walked she gingerly put her paw down and gradually put more weight on it as we went. By the time we got to a phone she limping. I knew it hurt though because a squirrel ran through the yard and she merely glimpsed at it.
Rene rescued us and thankfully she seemed fine as she bounded around the livingroom chasing Murphy and Georgia. I can see at least 4 bald spots on her leg from where it must have got caught in the chain and yanked the fur out.
The real test on how I handled the situation (from a dog's point of view) will be how she reacts to me attaching her to the bike again. And I'll probably be a bit nervous the first few bikes too. Even though I wasn't hurt I'd rather not be pulled off again.
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Our Dear, Sweet Roxy
I'm not sure how to write this post. I'm so sad. Our sweet Roxy was hit and killed by a car sometime in the last couple of days. I suppose it was inevitable. We live at a fairly major intersection and she was so cocky with cars. Many times I had to look away as she crossed in front of our house, forcing cars to slow down or come to a complete stop as she sauntered across.
The last time we saw her was Sunday just before we left for Addison's birthday bash. When we came home late that night she didn't come in. I hated it when she didn't come in at night and would often go whistle for her in the wee hours of the morning if I was up to nurse. Usually if she didn't come in at night she would be there to greet Rene in the morning but Monday morning, still no Roxy. During the day there was no Roxy flirting with pedestrians as they walked past our house or fraternizing with the mechanics at our neighbouring garage (they actually referred to her as their garage cat as she was frequently in talking to them as they worked on the cars).
There's only been one other time she has disappeared for that long and I figure she was stuck in a garage or shed or something. Monday night prayers included keeping her safe and helping her get out of wherever she was if she was trapped.
This morning we got a call from the SPCA. My first thought was great, someone has found her and taken her in. That's happened to us once before as well. She was taken in as a stray and thanks to her microchip we were able to be contacted and get her back. Unfortunately, that's not what they were calling to say. Someone found her on the side of Broadway, wrapped her in a towel and brought her to the SPCA offices. I'm grateful for kind people who go out of their way to show kindness and respect to animals, especially when, perhaps unbeknownst to them, they are beloved pets.
I burst into tears as soon as I was off the phone. Thankfully Audree was up in the toyroom playing so I could have some time to compose myself. I got through a shakey conversation with Erica then had to go right into a Primary meeting that was being held at my home.
Next was calling Mom then Rene. I wasn't sure if I should call Rene at work about this but I couldn't picture myself holding it together breaking the news to him and the girls all on my own.
After dinner, we sat the girls down and told them. Lots of tears as we reminisced about the funny cat she was. Rene will miss her jumping on the bathroom counter every night as he was brushing his teeth for a pet and chat. I'm going to miss our nightly snuggles, she was almost always on my side of the bed to sleep, purring everytime I moved. Amelia is going miss her early morning companion - many mornings they were the only two up. Audree is not going to miss how Roxy would lie mid-stairs, not letting her get by by playfully swatting at her legs and feet. Evelyn is going to miss how she shadowed us whenever we went to the park, or library or anywhere in close proximity. I once had to put her in our bike trailer while we travelled to and went into the $ Store because it was too late when we discovered her following us. Or ask if the vet office could keep her for 1/2 an hour while we went to a chiropractor appointment because she was hot on our tail. Lucienne doesn't know that she'll miss how while I nursed her to sleep Roxy would jump in the crib to keep it warm (she wouldn't sleep in there unless there was potential of Luci going in). None of us will miss finding dead carcases of mice, birds, moles and other little animals in varying degrees of eaten decay around the front yard. I also won't miss having to close the window on a summer evening while trying to sleep to block the sound of squeaking from Roxy's midnight snack. Rene will miss chasing her through the house with a live mouse in her mouth and having to trap it in the toyroom. Paris will miss chasing her through the house and sniffing out all her hiding spots. I'll miss how she patiently waited for us to finish showers so she could get in and have a drink. Evelyn will miss trying to fall asleep with a tail in her face. None of the girls will miss her kneading (but I will). We will miss seeing her trying to get into the second story bathroom window while the girls were getting ready for bed, wondering how on earth she managed to get up there in the first place. Rene will miss her next Father's Day when he doesn't have a dead mouse brought into the house and dropped at his feet (she did that for the past two Father's Day but never any other day). The girls will miss her scattering all their Squinkie balls
throughout the house and chasing remote control cars. We will miss her greeting us as we pulled into the driveway by climbing on top of the car. Our neighbours will miss her inviting herself into their homes and cars. Strangers will miss her jumping on top of their cars as they stop on the side of our road to talk on their cells (twice I had to run out and get her off a car before they pulled away). Garfield (the fish) will miss his cat kisses as she drank from his bowl (even if there was fresh water out she would only drink from the fish bowl or a toilet).
She was an adorable cat. The minute we saw her at the shelter we knew she belonged to our family. We had visited three times looking at cats and could never come to a consensus, until a volunteer went to the back and brought her out (she wasn't even up for adoption yet) and it was love at first sight...for all of us.
We love you Foxy Roxy and miss you. Keep the mice out of heaven until we get there.
The last time we saw her was Sunday just before we left for Addison's birthday bash. When we came home late that night she didn't come in. I hated it when she didn't come in at night and would often go whistle for her in the wee hours of the morning if I was up to nurse. Usually if she didn't come in at night she would be there to greet Rene in the morning but Monday morning, still no Roxy. During the day there was no Roxy flirting with pedestrians as they walked past our house or fraternizing with the mechanics at our neighbouring garage (they actually referred to her as their garage cat as she was frequently in talking to them as they worked on the cars).
There's only been one other time she has disappeared for that long and I figure she was stuck in a garage or shed or something. Monday night prayers included keeping her safe and helping her get out of wherever she was if she was trapped.
This morning we got a call from the SPCA. My first thought was great, someone has found her and taken her in. That's happened to us once before as well. She was taken in as a stray and thanks to her microchip we were able to be contacted and get her back. Unfortunately, that's not what they were calling to say. Someone found her on the side of Broadway, wrapped her in a towel and brought her to the SPCA offices. I'm grateful for kind people who go out of their way to show kindness and respect to animals, especially when, perhaps unbeknownst to them, they are beloved pets.
I burst into tears as soon as I was off the phone. Thankfully Audree was up in the toyroom playing so I could have some time to compose myself. I got through a shakey conversation with Erica then had to go right into a Primary meeting that was being held at my home.
Next was calling Mom then Rene. I wasn't sure if I should call Rene at work about this but I couldn't picture myself holding it together breaking the news to him and the girls all on my own.
After dinner, we sat the girls down and told them. Lots of tears as we reminisced about the funny cat she was. Rene will miss her jumping on the bathroom counter every night as he was brushing his teeth for a pet and chat. I'm going to miss our nightly snuggles, she was almost always on my side of the bed to sleep, purring everytime I moved. Amelia is going miss her early morning companion - many mornings they were the only two up. Audree is not going to miss how Roxy would lie mid-stairs, not letting her get by by playfully swatting at her legs and feet. Evelyn is going to miss how she shadowed us whenever we went to the park, or library or anywhere in close proximity. I once had to put her in our bike trailer while we travelled to and went into the $ Store because it was too late when we discovered her following us. Or ask if the vet office could keep her for 1/2 an hour while we went to a chiropractor appointment because she was hot on our tail. Lucienne doesn't know that she'll miss how while I nursed her to sleep Roxy would jump in the crib to keep it warm (she wouldn't sleep in there unless there was potential of Luci going in). None of us will miss finding dead carcases of mice, birds, moles and other little animals in varying degrees of eaten decay around the front yard. I also won't miss having to close the window on a summer evening while trying to sleep to block the sound of squeaking from Roxy's midnight snack. Rene will miss chasing her through the house with a live mouse in her mouth and having to trap it in the toyroom. Paris will miss chasing her through the house and sniffing out all her hiding spots. I'll miss how she patiently waited for us to finish showers so she could get in and have a drink. Evelyn will miss trying to fall asleep with a tail in her face. None of the girls will miss her kneading (but I will). We will miss seeing her trying to get into the second story bathroom window while the girls were getting ready for bed, wondering how on earth she managed to get up there in the first place. Rene will miss her next Father's Day when he doesn't have a dead mouse brought into the house and dropped at his feet (she did that for the past two Father's Day but never any other day). The girls will miss her scattering all their Squinkie balls
throughout the house and chasing remote control cars. We will miss her greeting us as we pulled into the driveway by climbing on top of the car. Our neighbours will miss her inviting herself into their homes and cars. Strangers will miss her jumping on top of their cars as they stop on the side of our road to talk on their cells (twice I had to run out and get her off a car before they pulled away). Garfield (the fish) will miss his cat kisses as she drank from his bowl (even if there was fresh water out she would only drink from the fish bowl or a toilet).
She was an adorable cat. The minute we saw her at the shelter we knew she belonged to our family. We had visited three times looking at cats and could never come to a consensus, until a volunteer went to the back and brought her out (she wasn't even up for adoption yet) and it was love at first sight...for all of us.
We love you Foxy Roxy and miss you. Keep the mice out of heaven until we get there.
Tuesday 4 September 2012
Back to School
You know you're getting old when you frequently say: look how tall you're getting, I can't believe how time flies, what was I coming up for?, where did the summer go?, etc, etc.
But seriously, where did the summer go? It's the first day of school and I feel like we didn't do anything this summer. I was thinking of going on lots of day trips to the beach and splash pads and zoos and cousin visits and parks and hikes. Mind you, this was when I thought I would have the car six of the eight weeks of summer which turned out to be about one week. One of Rene's coworkers was kicked out of the carpool for being constantly late and then overtime happened which his other carpooling buddy has no interest in doing. So, I was left to searching out things to do by foot.
Anyway, back to the first day of school. It's not a very exciting morning here, which I'm going to take as a compliment and that my girls love spending time with me at home. Evelyn was in tears most of the morning. I think we over prepared her for grade one. I just remember the transition being really hard for Amelia. The room isn't full of toys anymore and there's way more desk work. We totally under prepared Amelia and so went too far the other way with Evelyn.
Amelia isn't great with change to begin with so her not looking forward to going back to school is a given. Last year it took her a couple weeks to get into the swing of things but she was hugely disappointed that her grade had been split and she wasn't in her BFF, Charlotte's, class. This year I contacted the school to request they not be split but came away with a decision to make. Turns out we'd have to decide if she would have the same teacher for three years in a row or be in Charlotte's class. Since this has more to do with her than with me I let her make the decision. I'm so glad I did. It means that she went to school today already knowing what to expect. She choose to have a different teacher and that we would make an extra effort to have Charlotte over for more play dates. They are two peas in a pod though so it's going to take more than being in separate classes to tear these two apart.
The other day we were talking about heaven and how we probably knew each other before we came here. We talked about how the people we meet are placed in our path for a reason. When I asked her if she thought she and Charlotte were friends before and that there's a reason why they gravitated to each other in JK she got a cute smile on her face and I could see a lightbulb go off in her head. I hope they have the type of friendship that lasts a lifetime.
Anyway...away they went. I'm happy that we have the same bus driver as the last two years and it picks up and drops off in front of our house (I really try to not take that for granted because I know how lucky we are).
I must say that although I missed them it was a much more pleasant day. No fighting. I had some downtime on my own while Lucienne napped and Audree watched a movie. Audree and I baked some chocolate chip cookies for the girls when they got home (might as well start off on the right foot).
The girls came off the bus happy and excited. They both have great teachers this year that should be a lot of fun. It's weird not knowing what they do for the bulk of their day now. Soon they'll be all grown up with their own lives and I'll be sitting at home wondering where my babies went. How time flies.
But seriously, where did the summer go? It's the first day of school and I feel like we didn't do anything this summer. I was thinking of going on lots of day trips to the beach and splash pads and zoos and cousin visits and parks and hikes. Mind you, this was when I thought I would have the car six of the eight weeks of summer which turned out to be about one week. One of Rene's coworkers was kicked out of the carpool for being constantly late and then overtime happened which his other carpooling buddy has no interest in doing. So, I was left to searching out things to do by foot.
Anyway, back to the first day of school. It's not a very exciting morning here, which I'm going to take as a compliment and that my girls love spending time with me at home. Evelyn was in tears most of the morning. I think we over prepared her for grade one. I just remember the transition being really hard for Amelia. The room isn't full of toys anymore and there's way more desk work. We totally under prepared Amelia and so went too far the other way with Evelyn.
Amelia isn't great with change to begin with so her not looking forward to going back to school is a given. Last year it took her a couple weeks to get into the swing of things but she was hugely disappointed that her grade had been split and she wasn't in her BFF, Charlotte's, class. This year I contacted the school to request they not be split but came away with a decision to make. Turns out we'd have to decide if she would have the same teacher for three years in a row or be in Charlotte's class. Since this has more to do with her than with me I let her make the decision. I'm so glad I did. It means that she went to school today already knowing what to expect. She choose to have a different teacher and that we would make an extra effort to have Charlotte over for more play dates. They are two peas in a pod though so it's going to take more than being in separate classes to tear these two apart.
The other day we were talking about heaven and how we probably knew each other before we came here. We talked about how the people we meet are placed in our path for a reason. When I asked her if she thought she and Charlotte were friends before and that there's a reason why they gravitated to each other in JK she got a cute smile on her face and I could see a lightbulb go off in her head. I hope they have the type of friendship that lasts a lifetime.
Anyway...away they went. I'm happy that we have the same bus driver as the last two years and it picks up and drops off in front of our house (I really try to not take that for granted because I know how lucky we are).
I must say that although I missed them it was a much more pleasant day. No fighting. I had some downtime on my own while Lucienne napped and Audree watched a movie. Audree and I baked some chocolate chip cookies for the girls when they got home (might as well start off on the right foot).
The girls came off the bus happy and excited. They both have great teachers this year that should be a lot of fun. It's weird not knowing what they do for the bulk of their day now. Soon they'll be all grown up with their own lives and I'll be sitting at home wondering where my babies went. How time flies.
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