Puppies turn eight weeks old.

The fliers are up and the Newspaper add is set to run on Sunday. Now all we have to do is wait for the New Human parents of our puppies to call. Last night Mike decided to introduce them to the leash. Clancy and Clarissa decided that there was no way that the puppies were going for a walk without them so Mike took them and I took two of the puppies at a time. We thought that they would follow Mom and Dad but they couldn't have cared less. They walked to the neighbor's year and played in his leaves while Mike walked Clancy and Clarissa . Though they didn't walk far , they all used the outdoor potty so I was pleased. The time outside seemed to help them sleep too. This morning when I got Mike up at five they were just waking up and their box was. clean. Not wanting to let an opportunity to not have to clean the box this morning pass, I grabbed all four and took them out back with Clancy and Clarissa. They evidently don't like a messy box either as all four were happy to use the back yard. Clarissa didn't quite like the idea of them out there chasing her as she did her early inspection of the yard but I am sure she will get over it. I didn't keep the puppies out once they were done as it was forty degrees. Once back in I rewarded them with their breakfast, then an hour later I took them out again. Sure enough they understood what I wanted. Now I am not saying that they are by any means housebroken yet, but their box is still clean and it is after one.I will soon take them out again and who knows. One thing is for sure though, If I get them housebroken, the price will go up or I will be buying six dog licence next month !

Sometimes having a big brother who is recovering for surgery on his feet and a big sister can be a good thing !

Robby's first ride on The Top Thrill Dragster

99% perception

I will count yesterday as a productive day. Not that I got massive amounts of work done but the couple small things that I did get done were ones that I have needed to get done for awhile. One of the main things was that Mike and I took the hours that it took to pose the puppies and try to snap pictures of them ,for "for sale" fliers ,before they got up and walked away. We gave up on getting one picture with all of them and reduced our expectations to one half decent picture each. I figured that this would be a challenge but I had no idea. Clancy and Clarissa, though not trained perfectly, do follow basic commands like "sit". This word in puppy means spin, jump, run, anything but hold still. We started this little task at about six o'clock and decided to pick out the best of the many imperfect taken at almost nine. Some would say that it was a waste of time but my perception is that the flier is done so I put one in the plus column.

Sometimes you just have to take the small victories when you can get them !

Life has been too busy

These last few weeks have been busily flying by. So much so that I have left many blogging topics go. I really have realized this and have not intended to let them go but the days have been ending with my to do list longer than it was when the day began.

One topic that I can not leave out is thanking everyone for their prayers for Michael. As previously posted he had an appointment with Doctor D on Saturday. The X rays looked better this time and he did get the pins out and the non weight bearing cast off. He was, as anticipated, put into the removable air cast which he can walk on. He will probably be in this cast constantly( except for showers) for two months or so.

Because he got the cast off, as promised we went to Cedar Point yesterday for the last day of the season. The weather was chilly (mid 40's to mid 50's) but there were quite a few people there. Michael still qualified for a handicapped pass so the kids got to ride quite a few of the most popular rides without having to wait in line. A few made them come back at specified times but other than the Maverick at an hour and a half return time, most were ten to twenty minutes. A more memorable moment , though was Robby's first ride onTop Thrill Dragster, Roller Coasters, All the Rides, Cedar Point. Robby has wanted to ride this for awhile now, so his delay was not due to fear but rather he was too short in the past. Now though , thanks to his orthotics he is tall enough for all of the big boy rides. I have pictures that I will try to post soon. For now I have to start working on that to do list before it turns into a to do book.

Seven weeks old today

Happy seven week Birthday to the four cutest puppies I have seen since their parents were puppies. In honor of this milestone Mike and I took all four plus Mommy to the veterinarian yesterday to get their check ups and first shots. They made quite an impression in the waiting room as the four were in a pet carrier and were not real happy with the arrangement. Once in an exam room all five were worn out and took a nap. One by one the puppies were taken for a through exam . I did not expect any problems in three of the four puppies but the fact that Masomora was a bit flat a few weeks ago still concerned me. Upon his last check up I was told that he would probably remain flat and could have problems due to this condition. With a little therapy and a bit of Love he is no longer flat and though still the runt at four pounds twelve ounces, he has rounded out, walks fine, and even beats up on the others.

After all four were examined Dr. Tom informed us that all four, not three but four, were perfect. No birth defects, no heart murmurs, nothing ! They are all perfect specimens of the Cocker Spaniel species. Mike and I both attributed their perfectness, especially Masomora's , to their being blessed the Sunday before St. Francis' feast day and of course prayers coupled with St Francis' intercession.

The sad part comes now that it is time to start looking for new homes for all four. I hate to see the days , when they leave , come but I know that six dogs are just too many.

For now I will just rejoice in our miracle of their health and know that God will play a major role in finding their forever homes.

Puppies go outside for the first time today

Tonight was the night for the puppies first trip outside. Mike and I took one out at a time so we would be able to keep an eye on them and document this milestone with pictures. Two of the four even caught on to the purpose of going out . Nelly was the most nervous about the whole thing and would not move away from Mike or my feet. Masamora was the bravest and chased a couple fallen leaves. We all had a great time ,

Masamora chases leaves
Iggy was pretty brave also

Izzy takes a break

Nelly hides between Mike's shoes

Puppy first

All four of the puppies have started to climb up on the whelping box in an attempt to get out. Here is the whole quad caught in the act.

The day after this picture was taken Izzy ( Isabella,third from the left) made it all the way over. Much to her dismay we have since turned the short side to the wall.

Mom's favorite???

Though all mother's are, from time to time, accused of playing favorites among their children, most do not. However sometimes there is merit to those accusations.

Thanks Aunt Sondra !

Prayers please

Just a quick note this morning to ask for prayers for Cindy's present situation. After working her shift at the veterinarian's office yesterday she was informed that the vet and his wife/ office manager decided that it was too much work ( for someone who wants for us to believe in him when he promises that he will commit himself as our president ) to comply with the schools program. They stated that though Cindy did nothing wrong, all the requirements and training that is necessary for compliance, are taking too much time. Hindsight is twenty twenty in that from the word go there have been signs that they were not wanting to comply but wanted to be able to say that they they were supporting today's youth. Cindy is quite upset over this but has options. Her strong computer skills have already landed her an interview at a doctors office and the nursing home which previously offered her a job told her teacher that if she changed her mind, their offer would still be there. I am sure she will do OK but could use your prayers that she finds where she is supposed to be. I could go on and on but I find myself very bitter and suppose that it is best for me to keep my mouth shut. I know that God will use this experience for good, somehow, I just have to trust. Maybe a prayer for me would be a good idea too. Thanks a bunch !

Brought to you by our resident Computer man

I have some milestone puppy pictures on my camera that I intend to post sometime soon.

Also I want to thank all who are praying for Michael and let them know that not only are we also praying, but Michael is doing his part in bumping up his calcium intake. Last night Sparkle had three almost half gallon containers of Bryers ice cream on sale for ten dollars. Though they didn't have vanilla strawberry swirl like Michael asked for, none of the other three stores closest to me did either so I bought three other flavors. Cherry vanilla, strawberry cheesecake, and caramel chocolate covered pretzel. Michael ate half of the carton of cherry vanilla last night and another quarter of it for breakfast this morning. He took a pepperoni sandwich with pepper jack cheese ( he usually skips the cheese but Pepper jack is one of the few that he will eat ) two string cheeses ( another that he will eat from time to time) and Kraft crackers and cheese in his lunch. He refused the idea of buying milk to drink and stuck with grape juice. If he can keep this up for a week and a half, not only should his bone graphs take but he should have calcium to spare !

All of this news and I almost was unable to post. Last night my computer died ( would not boot up or anything ) I did look up a few things on the kids computer but don't care too much for theirs so only did what was necessary. I didn't want to use the lap top either so I figured I wouldn't do much online for awhile. I went to the store to get the stuff that Mike was supposed to take to work today for their lunchtime party, and some pop for Cindy to take for a similar party in Government class. When I called home to ask what brand Cindy wanted, Mike told me that he had fixed my computer. I replied " I thought you would " Amazing how he can diagnose and fix these things so quickly. I don't think I said Thank you yet so here it is.... Thank You Mike,I appreciate all you do !!!!

Look for puppy milestones later today or tomorrow .

Disappointment

Michael had his almost eight week post op visit today. He had his air cast in hand ready to get the non weight bearing one cut off and his pins removed. He had plans of walking out of the office never needing to use his crutches again. After all he has been dependent on them the biggest part of the time since April. He was in the room and the medical assistant was plugging in the saw , when the student doctor came in. We all thought he was trying to be funny when he yelled " stop the presses" He then asked if Doctor D had told Michael that his cast was coming off. We answered yes. he then said " he told me so too " OK he was kidding, wasn't he? No he sure wasn't. It seems that the x rays showed that the bone grafts had not attached to the bone. Michael and I both verbalized " that stinks" at the same time. Mike tried to calm us both. Dr. D came in and said two more weeks. I tried to bargain it down to one to no avail. We left with long faces. Cedar Point's last day of the season is the twenty eighth and the cast would not come off until the thirtieth. On our way home I tried to comfort both Michael and myself, but just couldn't do it. Once home I decided to call the office and see if I could move his October thirtieth appointment to Thursday October twenty fifth. I called but the girl said she could not do that but took pity on us and said she would move our appointment up two days to Saturday the twenty seventh. This would work, I thought. Now all we have to do is pray that the graph will take , push dairy products for added calcium , and pray some more. Please join us in prayer. Michael has been such a trooper over the past seven months and still has such a ways to go , one last trip to Cedar Point where he could ride some rides and walk through some haunted houses would do his spirits a world of good !

The Mom song

I seen Anita at Women of Faith a couple years ago and loved her. Aunt Sondra sent this to me YouTube - which I had to share! Hope you enjoy !

Just thinking

This past weekend I ran into an elderly woman in the store who was accompanied by a young school age child. In today's world you never really know, but the child was calling this woman Grandma so I assumed that she was. It seemed like they were going down all the same isles as I was so they kind of caught my attention.One thing that sort of stood out was how this woman didn't seem "grandma like" at all but rather "Mom like". At one point Grandma was asking the child how to spell different words. In the next isle Grandma was lecturing about how important school work was. Another isle was grandma "explaining" why the child could not get fruit loops instead of bran flakes. Grandma then promised a small carton of chocolate milk if the child ate her vegetables at dinner that night.

Before I go any farther, please let it be known that I was not anywhere near what you would call close to my grandmothers.One grandfather died a month before my birth and the other, though I was very close to him, died when I was seven years old. There were twenty seven grandchildren born to my maternal grandparents ( plus quite a few more joined in by marriage) and twenty born to my paternal grandparents. Though I was by no stretch of the imagination close to being a favorite, I can honestly say that my parents were my parents. I can't ever remember my Grandmothers caring if I ever ate a vegetable or not. I understand that in this day and age many grandparents are raising their grandchildren , which is sad to me, but the conversation at the store indicated that Mom was raising her child. My question then is why is Grandma acting like mom ? I ask myself to no avail, is it because Mom has pushed her responsibility off on Grandma or is it just that Grandma doesn't get how these things work. Grandma is supposed to be the one to sneak a cookie when Mom says no . Grandma is supposed to be fun. Grandparents should never worry about spoiling her grand kids that is their job.

In my opinion kids need a grandparent figure as much as they need parents. Don't we all need someone to cry to from time to time? Someone to soothe us with a cookie when we are feeling down? Maybe I am the nutty one but Grandparents should not be teaching their grandchildren any lessons other than that Grandparents were put here to spoil them !

Sign me the mean one, so my kids grandparents don't have to be !

Sometimes your the windshield....

Sometimes your the bug !

Chalk me up as the bug today. It may have something to do with Saturday , Sunday, and Monday's weather hitting record breaking highs in the nineties, Tuesday's rain, and today's high of not even sixty. It could also do with my hemoglobin setting steady at six. Wouldn't it be nice to just be able to pop an iron pill , go back to bed and sleep away days like This?

Clancy's Birthday

Clancy poses with Mike and the kids while he awaits his liver dinner

Clarissa, Izzy, Iggy,Masamora,and Nelly join the crew for a picture

Five DQ cup cakes and two doggy carrot and cheese frozen yogurts

( the puppies were given their rice cereal)

Clancy unimpressed with his candle !

Another Puppy first..... Eating Doggy style

When last in the Vet's office , due to the puppies chubbiness, we were asked if we were feeding them anything in addition to them nursing. I responded that we were not but we discussed when and what. About a week ago the time had come so I bought some baby rice cereal , as advised, mixed it with watered down milk and offered it to them. Though they each tasted a small amount,they were to say the least unimpressed .

Clarissa was also unimpressed with this. She jumped in the box and ate what was on the plate, nursed them and was gone.

I decided to hold off on the next offering and forgot about it. Then the last few days, I have not noticed Clarissa nursing at all. The puppies seemed satisfied so I didn't think much of it until Saturday night when we got home from Cedar Point. As Mike was getting ready for bed, where the rest of us had already found our ways, Clarissa was acting odd. Here she had decided that it was time to wean so she was trying to feed the puppies bird style. This did not go over well and the puppies were crying which woke me. Mike told me what was going on so I got up and mixed some cereal. The puppies loved it ! Yesterday I went and got Puppy food to start to mix with the cereal and they really like this. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

When the weather man forcasts an eighty five degree sunny day for a Saturday in October in Ohio.....

And a family who enjoys amusement parks but, is not one who enjoys huge crowds , ride waits of three to five hours, nor waits of half an hour to forty five minutes to get a drink.... Said family should rethink Cedar Point's Hallow weekends for said weekend.

I was amazed when we pulled in the parking lot. It was full all of the way back to the gates. I can't ever remember the parking lot being this full, though there were overflow spaces back behind the gates on the marina side available when we arrived, those soon filled up too. Due to Michael's feet surgeries and Mike's back problems their doctors have authorized handicapped parking passes so we kept on going. We got a handicapped parking space in Row twelve which must have just been vacated because even this parking lot was almost full. While walking to the main gate I seen a couple others which were filled before I even walked past. We stayed for a little over six hours and seen The Chris Linn show . ( I have seen him many times and still highly recommend his show) The kids got Michael's special needs pass stamped and rode The Maverick ( they were given an hour and a half come back time while the actual wait was three to four hours ), and we walked through some " freight zones". Cindy and Robby did a freight zone / haunted attraction while Mike and I took Michael ( who's wheelchair was not accommodated on said attraction ) to see a couple Edgar Allan Poe dramatic readings ( again I have seen these three several times and though they are all OK, I recommend The Tell Tale Heart)

We all used Michael's pass to ride the Ferris wheel ( about forty five minutes to an hour wait ) and called it a day. It was still over seventy five degrees when we left at a little after eleven O' clock. I will be checking the Cedar Point website within the next couple of days as I believe attendance had to be a record. We plan to go back in two or three weeks when Michael has the pins out of this foot but I think we will go on a Sunday next time !

Happy Third Birthday Clancy

We love you !

Due to Mike actually having a Saturday off , Clancy will spend the day with his wife and puppies while his human family visit fright fest at Cedar Point.
His traditional doggy birthday complete with liver and doggy desert will be tomorrow. For those of you who don't think I am totally nuts for celebrating my pet's birthdays, I will try to post some celebration pictures then .

Thanks Wayne !

Thanks to my brother in law for calling last night to inform Mike that there is a 40th Anniversary Hot wheels set out. Though most of these sets, in our area, were taken directly from the palettes and never even made it to the shelves, Mike and I were successful in locating a couple sets . One was in Warren where Mike went after leaving early for work this morning to find that, though it was supposed to be held for him, it was gone. Once at work Mike called Austintown who had two. They would not hold one so as soon as I got Michael on the bus ( five minutes after Mike called to tell me they had it) I put Robby and his back pack in the car and headed there. We got one and made it home for Robby to get out of the car just as his bus was pulling up. It all worked out great and now I have a good start on Mike's Christmas shopping. Thanks again Wayne, I appreciate it !

Michael's foot

Michael had his almost six weeks since his surgery visit today . He got his stitches and one pin out but since he had the infection a few weeks ago , the doctor is leaving the two other pins ( the ones coming out the back of his foot)in for two more weeks. The good news is that in two weeks, not only will the pins come out but the cast will come off and be replaced by an air walking cast . Amazingly I hadn't realized that on Friday it will be six weeks since his surgery. We looked at the calendar and realized that he will have the last two weekends that Cedar Point is open without pins or a permanent cast. We may just be able to fit a couple coaster rides in this season.

83 days left till Christmas !

I seen this posted in a store where I went to buy a loaf of bread of all things. At first I just blew it off with a thought of how everything is being done sooner and sooner anymore. But I just couldn't seem to get it out of my head. I usually buy Christmas gifts through the year when I see things on sale or reduced and then go Christmas shopping in early to mid September when the kids go back to school. I then put everything in Lay a way where the store holds it until the beginning of December while I make small payments. This method has worked well for years. However last year Wal Mart and many other stores dropped their lay a way . I have been told that too many people were having massive amounts of sale items put in Lay a way ( TVs on the day after Thanksgiving )and never coming back for them. Of course they lost a five dollar lay a way fee but the store was still loosing money so everyone lost. In their defence, Wal Mart stated that with most everyone in today's society using credit cards or cash advance services that there is no need for a Lay a way.

With no lay a way option I have not rushed out for my yearly trip yet, though I have picked up a few things here and there. This sign got me on my toes though. I started thinking and talking to Mike who could honestly care less who gets what as long as I do the shopping .

I have made some progress in that Cindy is now done and Michael has given me some ideas, though they include things like a thirty some dollar RC helicopter that is made out of cheap Styrofoam. ( I can see this lasting two hours tops) Robby simply told me that he didn't know what he wanted and that he liked playing X box games like The Halo s ( obviously we already have them !)

I went to Toys R us yesterday to look but still came up blank. Mike suggested a gift card but I don't care for those. Sure as I buy one for Toys R Us the same thing at Wal Mart will be twenty dollars cheaper , or K mart will be the only one to have what they decide they want. Cash or savings bonds are OK for them to receive from relatives ( actually they love and prefer them ) but opening cash from Santa on Christmas morning just doesn't seem right.

I guess I will just keep going and I am sure that I will find the perfect gifts. I will just have to make sure that I have enough money when I do as well as a place to store it . Oh why oh why can't stores see that I need Lay a way !

Magazines

Robby's schools annual magazine sale started last week. I personally have always liked this fundraiser as it is actually selling a product that someone may want. I for one hate when any kids ( especially mine) come to me with a brochure full of ten dollar a roll wrapping paper , praying that I will buy some so that they can "earn" a dollar store trinket. In the fourteen years that I have had kids in school two of my favorite fundraisers have been Market day ( though the food is priced considerably higher than say Sam's club, at least it is something that we will use) and The magazine sale.
While flipping through the magazine order book I seen the double your order clause. This little gem will double the amount sold if the orders are turned in by a certain day. This seemed like a good idea so I decided that was the way to go. Unfortunately I didn't realize how early I had to have my order ready. I realized Sunday that Monday was the day so I sat down to decide.
The kids love Nickelodeon magazine so that was a no brainer but I needed three more for Robby to have a chance at a Money drawing. I thought I could turn to Mike but it turns out that Max PC through this company does not include the demo discs which Mike would not be happy to give up for a year. He also mentioned Model railroader but the price through this company is considerably more than an offer that we got in the mail. I asked Cindy about Seventeen ( which she got last time) to be told that she liked it but really wanted Mad Magazine , which of course was not offered. Finally I decided to renew my Family Circle,and try Family fun , which I have read in the doctor's office and was impressed with the wonderful, easy crafts. I needed one more.... I looked and looked and there it was.... For the first time this company has added Faith and Family. Though I have never read this magazine, I hear a lot about it in other blogs and from other people. Yes, my list was complete. I filled out the forms , wrote a check and sent them in. This was the last I thought about it until last night when Mike asked what magazine I ended up getting for him. Ummmm I didn't, was my reply. I agreed to order his Max PC with demo discs online. Cindy then asked if I ordered Seventeen since Mad was not available. I told her no that she said she didn't want it . After a Short discussion, I agreed to buy Mad online but informed the family that we were done with a capital D. I am now a hundred fifty dollars poorer and will be bombarded by magazines in a few short months. Maybe I should have just spent ten dollars on some sponge Bob wrapping paper !