The Puppy's Report Card

Not only do I have children with special needs, but my animals seem to be in this category as well.

We noticed that my oldest daughter's cat was having difficulty in "her" litter box.  My daughter said "Sophie" was having repeated accidents and it was bothersome and annoying.  Well, we found out that Sophie is actually a boy and we changed his name to "Mike" and he's a big boy.  He stands up to pee and when he does, he sprays outside his litter box, thus, causing an accident.  I made a new box out of a Rubbermaid tote and it solved the problem. Mike's behavior has improved, his attitude has improved.  Our attitude toward Mike has improved.  He's a joy to be around.

Now on to Khloe.  Khloe was found by the river.  My oldest had to bring her home.  Khloe is a beautiful kitten who is more ADHD than my youngest daughter.  It's profound.  Khloe's fixation is toilet paper and paper towels.  She shreds them.  We were trying to figure out why.  Cat pica is common in kittens who were weaned too early.  I figure this is the root cause.  We also noticed that Khloe will only drink out of the kitchen faucet.  She refuses to drink out of the water bowl, a  round, metal bowl.  We recently discovered that when she needs a drink, her behavior becomes worse and she seeks out toilet paper and paper towels!  Aha.  It's like a sign!  As she runs for these products, we head to the sink and she stops what she's doing and runs to get a drink!  Problem solved.  For now, anyway.  She can't always drink only from the kitchen faucet. 

Now on to the puppy.  the puppy is an 18 pound Chihuahua.  Yes, I said 18 lb Chihuahua.  She went to the vet recently and the vet said she failed her report card.  She has a cherry eye, she is obese (ya think?) and she has a fatty tumor (Hernia).  She also has hip dysplasia.  I asked what the fix was for this, as it can lead to serious problems.  She looked me right in the eye and said "Diet and exercise, that's all".  Ahhhhh.  Alright.  Well, I went straight to the store and found some joint pain tablets for dogs.  Kiki has taken two, just two, so far and her play time has doubled, before she got tired.  In fact, I got worn out before she did.  That's with TWO tablets.  I am shocked.  Absolutely shocked.  It's such a relief for us!  Sweet sweet Kiki will be feeling better soon!

We will start walking outdoors as soon as the weather stabilizes.  It's too chilly out yet.  My hope is to have her down to about 12 lbs by fall, if not 10 lbs.  We shall see! 

When you have pets, you need to take the time to figure out what their needs are.  They are like little toddlers who can't tell you where it hurts or why they are having repeated accidents.  They just hiss and fuss, bite and whine when things aren't quite right.  When things go well they cuddle and snuggle and purr. Try to be patient with them.  They deserve this from you. 

~Maggie

We Love Colors Too!

My kids and I are crazy about bright colors.  We love anything colorful, from funky nail polish to clothing right down to the laces of our shoes.  When I had the opportunity to try out some fun shoe laces from the kind people at WeLoveColors.com I knew I couldn't pass it up.  They have 51 colors of shoe laces available for sale! 

They sent me solid green, green and yellow variegated and solid neon yellow.  Hope fell in love with the neon yellow. 

 

This size is perfect for her little white sneakers that we can decorate with fabric paint to match the laces.  (This is another project for another day!)  She absolutely loves her new laces and I absolutely love the serves from WeLoveColors.com!  I think you will too!

They have so many other fun and colorful products!  They sell socks, tights, leggings, too many to list!  Go check them out!


Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for review from Giveaway Service website. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. Reference ID: pm23451391cd1399019fa0421129066bc6

Functioning with Chronic Pain: Part 1 Getting up and out of Bed

I've decided to do a series of living with chronic pain.  the reason is because I have chronic pain from arthritis and fibromyalgia and the day to day chores can be daunting.  I want to share what makes my days go a little easier.  My days aren't perfect, but I do my best.
 
 Today's post is about getting up, out of bed AND being productive.  Sometimes this is the most difficult part of living with chronic pain. 

I will admit that there are days when I don't get out of bed except to go to the bathroom and to eat.  Those are my really bad days.  When you have chronic pain, it's ok to excuse yourself once in a while and have a "stay in bed and watch tv/read/sleep day.  It really is.  You don't want to do this too often because your body needs activity, but once in a while, when the pain is too much to handle, you have someone to watch the kids or take care of the animals, or whatever is needed, take a mental health day and stay in bed. 

Most days, though, I want to be productive.  I don't want to be laying in bed.  I'm sure if you have chronic pain, you do too.  I want to get up and get things done.  However, I find out if I do too many things, I pay for it later.  You have to learn to pace yourself.  I'm still learning this from many past experiences. 

Give yourself extra time to get ready for work in the mornings, you can't just jump out of bed and quickly get ready.  Sometimes it takes a little extra time in the shower, or a little extra time getting dressed.  This is ok, just plan for it.

Give yourself a little extra time to prepare something to eat.  I take many medications in the morning that I can't take on an empty stomach.  If you do too, you want to eat something.  For me, it's something as easy as a piece of peanut butter toast or a breakfast granola bar.  Just something so that the medications aren't floating around in there all alone. 

Be patient with yourself as fibromyalgia and medications for it can cause brain fog.  This means you may have a hard time finding the right words to say in certain situations.  This is very embarrassing for me when I'm doing my public speaking or out socially with friends.  I've come to say things like "I've started a new medication that causes brain fog, so please excuse me if I mess things up a little or seem a little at a loss for words, I really am".  It usually gets a little laughter and a few nods of understanding and it breaks the ice a bit. 

Pacing yourself comes in handy when going out with friends or family.  I find that by the time evening rolls around, I'm completely and utterly exhausted.  Going out socializing is often the last thing on my mind.  On days that I have something planned, I try to either sleep in a little, if I have that luxury, or try to sneak in a little afternoon nap.  If these things are not a possibility, I try to keep that day light in activity, knowing that I'll be going out later on.  I also make sure I'm dressed comfortably, as fibromyalgia has made it impossible for me to wear heels any more or really tight clothing. 

I have learned to slow down, but at the same time, I want to enjoy life as much as I can.  I don't dwell on what I can't do, but appreciate what I can.  So you can't go out and dance the night away, you can go out and have dinner with a friend.  You may not be able to endure a loud concert like you used to, (I can't), but you can enjoy an evening at a piano bar.  There are ways to adapt and enjoy life even with chronic pain. 

It's a diagnosis, not the end of the world. 

~Maggie

A Child's View on Life (No Kid Hungry)

Hope came home from school one Friday and announced, "My backpack is REALLY heavy and I don't know why!". I knew what was in it, because I had a bit of a heads up, but I was just as excited as she was to peek inside to see what made it so heavy. I told her it was a gift!  When she saw it was food, she laughed and said, "Mama, it's food!  a gift of food!"  Now, each week, when she gets off the van, she comes running and says, "I have my gift!" 

Hope is part of the No Kid Hungry program. This means that on Fridays, she brings home a grocery bag of food items to provide her with a healthy lunch on both days (and some cereal and a juice box for breakfast).

The theory is that 1. it will take some of the pressure off of her parent(s) in the costly grocery bills and 2. because she's eating healthy over the weekend, by Monday, she will be a happy, healthy little girl, sitting in class. It helps to ease my mind so much, to be a part of this incredible program.

It's not difficult, either, to donate to this wonderful organization, nor does it take much time. If you see the logo in the grocery store or a local restaurant, give an extra $1 or $2 to the fund. If you like more organized events, sign up to volunteer in some capacity. I'm on a limited income and we find many ways to give back to this wonderful program that helps us.

If your child gets free or reduced meals at school and you aren't getting help from the NKH program and need help, talk to your child's guidance counselor and see if it's available in your school. If, for some reason, it's not, perhaps another program is.

Childhood hunger should be nonexistent. We can't help if we don't know.

Click here to donate. Just a dollar can provide up to 10 meals. 10!

Can't donate? Volunteer your time.

Or be an  Advocate.

 

~Maggie #TeamNKH #NoKidHungry

This is not a sponsored post.  I feel passionately about NKH and want to share my thoughts with you. 

The Benefits of Argan Oil (Review)

I may have mentioned this before, but I absolutely love Argan Oil. You probably have seen products in the stores that have Argan Oil in them.  This is a wonderful product that helps in so many ways.  I love trying these products and I'll give you a little bit of an education as to why. 

Arganoils.com is a very informative website explaining quite a bit about Argan Oil and it's benefits.  Far more than I could cite here. 

This product that I'm reviewing for you today, 100% Pure Argan Oil by gopure is a premium grade Argan Oil that is a natural moisturizer for hair, face, body and nails. 

I like to use it as a detangler for my hair after I wash it.  My hair is long and tangles easily.  A little of this product works fabulous for this!

I use it on my dry dry skin, this winter wrecked havoc on my face and I use it where I'm the driest.

I use it on the back of my hands, where it's super dry.  A little each morning and night keeps my hands soft and younger looking. 

I use it around my eyes (being careful not to get it in my eyes) to help with the crows feet that are starting to pop up.

I use it around my cuticles to keep them from becoming shabby looking.

I use it on my heels, before bed, to soften my dry and cracked skin.

You will find that this makes you feel amazing.  I do!

If you want your own amazing Argan Oil, head over to Amazon!
#ARGANOIL
*This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own*

~Maggie