Friday, Friends and Fun

Wow, today was a super busy but super fun day. I had the day off, from work anyway, but had a full day nonetheless. L1 is on the varsity swim team and they are getting ready to go to districts, so I spent the morning at the high school with other moms painting huge banners wishing them luck, which will be hung in the pool area and cafeteria. After that I headed to the Y for a swim and then to the salon for some highlights and a cut/style. I must tell you, I was quite disappointed that I spent all that money on my hair and it did NOT look half as good as it did on the good hair day I had on Sunday! And what did I have planned for tonight? Dinner with my hubby and three other couple friends that used to be our neighbors that we haven't seen in ages.
Yep, Murphy's Law ladies...

I hate Murphy!

Anyway, I decided that one of my New Year's resolutions was to make sure my husband and I reconnect with all of our couple friends. It is so easy to put your social life as a couple on the back burner when kids, work and life happen. I didn't want those friendships to slip away because they weren't ever nurtured. So, one friend and I talked and set it up for all of us to meet for dinner! We had a total blast chugging having margaritas and eating chips,queso and fajitas and just catching up. We laughed so hard that my cheeks and my rib muscles (intercostal muscles, for those of you who like the medical lessons)are killing me. I am doing Bike Thru the Forest and Hills in the morning(33 miles)and I probably won't be able to breathe from my ribs being so sore. Of course, that is if I can even get myself out of bed and onto my bike that early. Have I mentioned that I HATE mornings? I may just have to stay home with my hubby for a nice Saturday morning and enjoy some tea instead!

Bigger Does NOT Necessarily Mean Braver

In veterinary medicine, we often see what we call BD/LD syndrome, which is big dog/little dog syndrome, which usually means that a big dog decides to have a little dog for lunch. It usually is quite a devastating and sometimes fatal outcome for the little dog. It always makes me sad to see them come in, but in my house, I have what I call LD/BD syndrome, and the roles are reversed. I have 3 dogs, till next month anyway. But for now I have, Huck, the mastiff pup who weighs 110 lbs., Frankie, the beardie mix who weighs 52 lbs. and Jitter, the little princess chihuahua weighs 3 lbs. Jitter carefully navigates around making sure she doesn't get trampled by big paws accidentally, but boy does she rule the roost at this house. She controls the toys, the beds and the food bowls! She may be little, but she packs a mean growl! Just take a look.

She is pretty determined that Huck will not get the toy, nor the bed as long as she's around. They will do this several times a day and we always crack up. Sometimes, she will jump up and stand up on top of his elevated food bowl eating his food and growl if he gets near it. He will start barking to tell me to come and make her move so he can eat! Mastiffs aren't necessarily the smartest dogs around, but they more than make up for it being so darn lovable! Thank goodness for her, he really thinks he is just a little lap dog.

Vet Lesson 101: Is that one lump or two?

I have thought about what I want to do with this blog, and although my primary purpose is to entertain (both you and myself!), I have decided I would also like to educate. How many of you wanted to be veterinarians when you were kids? I thought most of you might enjoy seeing and learning about some of the more interesting things I see in my career. I LOVE LOVE LOVE what I do and of course I think it is fascinating! I love to teach about what I do. If you are at all squeemish, you may want to just skip this post, but if not, read on. The first lesson is learning what a cryptorchid is. A cryptorchid is a male dog or cat that has one or both testicles "retained". That means they are not in the scrotal sac where they should be, but can be found anywhere from just above the scrotum, right under the skin, to completely inside the abdomen. If one testicle is retained, he is a unilateral crypt and two retained is a bilateral crypt. Here is a picture of a chihuahua that I had yesterday that was a "unilateral crypt".




Notice that there is just one lump, where there should be two?

In this dog's case, his other testicle was completely inside his abdomen, which required a second incision next to his prepuce to go in and search for it. I found it tucked beneath his bladder. I am holding up the testicle that was inside the dogs abdomen. Notice it is still "attached" and also you can see the first incision where the normal testicle was removed.



It is very important to have cryptorchid dogs/cats neutered because the testicle that is retained is prone to torsion ( twisting so the circulation is cut off and very painful) and cancer (from the increased temperature of the testicle being in the body vs in the scrotum where it belongs and where it is cooler).


Here is a picture of both testicles after removal.




Notice the difference in size between the two testicles? The smaller testicle is the one that was inside the abdomen. It does not grow to the normal size due to the increased temperature inside the body, and it is also very reddened.

Of course, it is important to have all dogs not intended for breeding purposes to be neutered. It is done, not only to control the pet population, but also to avoid other problems like: behavioral aggression, prostate disease or cancer, tumors around the anus called perianal gland adenocarcinomas, and perineal hernias, just to name a few.

So there you have it, now you know everything you needed (or not) to know about cryptorchidism. If you have any questions, just let them fly! And let me know what you think about the lessons. Maybe it isn't your cup of tea! Pun totally intended!

A picture is worth a thousand words..

or at least one blog entry. I'm running short on time today, so thought I would show a few random pictures of my boys that make me smile.

Did you know that Prince Charming had a cell phone? This is L1 as Prince Charming in Cinderella a couple seasons ago. Isn't he so handsome?




I am sending this one to Big Mama for her next Fashion Friday blog. G has always been a super sharp dresser!




There's playing in the mud...


and then, there's just plain wallowing IN THE MUD! We actually had to throw out absolutely everything on his body. He had to strip down outside, get hosed off and then go inside for a shower!

Life with 3 boys, it's never dull, that's for sure!

Of Mice and Men (or rats and boys!)

L2 loves rats. He has four of his very own. He started with two females, but when one passed away, he begged his dad to buy him a boy. So, now he has a mama and a papa rat. In November, they had 8 babies. They are very very cute once they get hair. Anyway, he found homes for 6 of them and he kept 2 boys. I neutered the papa rat so we won't have any more babies. When you neuter a male, you must wait several weeks before they are actually sterile before you can put them with a female. He keeps the baby boys in a separate cage. Unfortunately, the boys keep getting out of their cage and I worry they will get in with their mom, and you know, have retarded innerbred babies. I told him that I would neuter the two boys and then he could connect the cages with tubes so they could freely go from one cage to another. At first, he wanted me to neuter them today so he could connect them tomorrow. Before I even mentioned the waiting period after neutering he says, "Oh yeah, I can't connect them yet because they will still have baby formula for a while." That kid cracks me up sometimes.

This morning he came down and told me that he woke up three times in the night, and all three times he had a rat on his face. That may just freak you out, but he hand raised these babies from birth and they just love him. They have to escape the cage, jump off the dresser, cross his bedroom floor and climb his bed to get to him. Now that is some major rat love there my friends. I have to tell you though, I do have a wee bit of anxiety when I see him with the rats and think of the movie Willard. I'm really glad that none of his rats are named Ben!

Six miles is a waste of a good hair day

Today started off like any normal Sunday. My hubby and I got up and fixed a big breakfast for the kids and once they started eating I went to get ready for church. I was showered, lotioned and perfumed and then something that so rarely happens, happened. The stars were aligned, the temperature and humidity were just right, and I noticed immediately upon tossing my head back after upside down blow drying, that it was, indeed, going to be a good hair day. I had to find that perfect ensemble to wear that would showcase my superb tresses. It was SUCH a good hair day that before I walked out the door, my husband even commented, "wow, your hair looks really good today." Now ladies, I ask you, how often do you have THAT good of a good hair day? I rushed home after church to see what great things I had scheduled for the day, somewhere I could proudly display my perfectly flowing mane. Perhaps, a luncheon with some great gal pals, a business get-together with my husband and his boss, a family photography setting, an interview for the More Magazine model of the year? Alas, the ONLY thing on my schedule for the rest of the day was a long run planned ahead for me by my coach. Thanks Matt (you are a real kill-joy)! Now, knowing that I sweat like a fat man chasing a runaway m&m when I work-out, and that a run would absolutely destroy my good hair day, I did not want to go. I put it off till the very last possible moment of daylight, just hoping I would get that unexpected call to go have dinner with a long-lost pal, or meet the book club gals at Starbucks, anything. With my head hung low, I trudged to the bedroom to change into the requisite running gear and pull my hair back in the usual boring ponytail. I then proceeded to go out and run the farthest I have ever run in my life...6 miles! Though I was totally dreading the run and was just sure I would die halfway through, or at least just past the time where my hair had reached the point of no return, it wasn't too bad! Forgetting about my lost coiffure and instead proud of my accomplishment, I stepped inside the door drenched and with my hair plastered to my head. My husband had to comment, "too bad you had to run because your hair looked so good before!" Thanks honey (through gritted teeth). If only I had thought to have him take a picture of my locks before I left. A record of the fact, that I indeed, once had a good hair day since it may be a very long time before I have the cosmic karma on my side again.

The Mom Song

A friend of mine recently sent me this video. It is so hilarious. I feel like this is the way I talk to my kids, pretty much every day, only louder and less pleasant! I am sure they would agree. I also seem to have memories of my mom speaking to me the same way. Enjoy!

In The Dog House

I don't know exactly WHEN it happened, well, I guess it did start with my first mastiff, then I got a chihuahua rescue from work, then I got a beardie mix rescue from work, then the mastiff died and I got another one, then she died and I got another one, and now I am getting yet another one. All that to say, our house has now become The Dog House. Everywhere you look, there is evidence that dogs live here, sleep here, eat here, play here and definitely are being spoiled here! Just see for yourself:











Now, since I do REALLY love my dogs, I guess this is something I tolerate in order to have them. My house will never make the pages of Beautiful Homes. I am sure that all of you dog lovers out there can relate. But, as if it isn't enough of a sacrifice of space and time cleaning up their hair, drool, poo, toys, and the money to feed them, they have to destroy things as well. That one is a little lot harder to take. I guess with the hugely successful film/book about the destructive lab named Marley, nobody, especially a dog owner, should be surprised by their ability to destroy the indestructible. Over the Christmas break, since I did not want my poor dogs kenneled up in a cold, sterile concrete room without the comfort of home, I got a pet sitter to come to my house 4 times a day. FOUR!! In the 8 days we were gone, Huck, my english mastiff, chewed up 8 windowsills. One for every day we were gone I guess.





I can't say definitely it was him, but since he is the one that can most easily reach my windowsills, and he is the puppy of the three, I think it was him. Still, I love them almost as unconditionally as they love me. I love them so much in fact, that I can't wait to get another one! I mean, look at this face, how could you not want one of your very own?




Just don't ask my husband that!

An Invitation

Hi Faithful Blog Readers (that's a joke since I have been blogging all of 5 days now! LOL)

My friend J, over at txmomx6.blogspot.com, is going to have a book blog discussion on the book, The Shack, by William P. Young. All of you who are already faithful readers of her blog know this already, but I wanted to extend the invitation to those of you who may not be aware.





Here is a short synopsis of the story by Windblown Media:

Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, ostensibly from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever and quite possibly your own.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!

The book blog discussion is set to begin on Feb. 1st. You can join us here. You don't have to discuss it, you can just read along with us and read the discussion questions, or join in whenever you feel like it. I think it will be a great learning experience. I just finished the audiobook myself, but am looking forward to rereading it and finding out what others think. Hope you can join us. I wanted to let you know now so that all of you had the time to go out and purchase the book if necessary.

Happy Reading!

I Have a Screw Loose

I think there is a conspiracy going on. If you have a newer model car/truck/SUV, I think the mechanic's mafia sets out to rig your car to need repair work done. I think they have undercover people in all the places your car may visit, just to ensure that something does happen so that you need to go straight to the garage and have several hundred dollars of repairs done.

For instance, I took my car to the car wash the other day. I asked for both the exterior and interior wash/clean. The only thing wrong with my car when I got out and gave the keys to the car wash attendant, was it was dirty, very dirty, ( I have 3 boys and 3 dogs, need I say more?). Anyway, when they were all done with it, it looked so pretty from the outside. Then, I got in and it smelled so clean and fresh and then I looked down at my console and saw this:










Now, not only is it not really that clean, but there is clearly a huge screw and washer where there wasn't one before, and not only that, but where was it supposed to be? and what was going to happen if I drove home with a missing screw? was my bumper going to fall off? my tire? my seat suddenly recline? It was just downright disconcerting.

The other thing that happens every single time I take the car in for the oil change at my mechanic, is that I get about halfway home and my car sputters and dies, in an intersection, when I need to be accelerating. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. What they don't know is that I am somewhat car savvy (and yes, I know that that was a bolt, not a screw, but that word did not lend itself to a good blog post title). I put on my blinkers, pop the hood, get out and reattach the air intake to the air filter. They always knock it off when they change the air filter? accident or deliberate...hmmm? But what about all those people who aren't gearheads? Of course, they go straight to the garage and pay hundreds of dollars to the mechanic to repair something that actually takes about 2.3 seconds to fix.

And what is up with the car companies manufacturing cars so that nobody but dealer mechanics can work on them? My handy dandy hubby is very mechanical. He used to be able to fix anything wrong with one of our vehicles. Until the mid 90's or so. Now, a computer is needed to run the diagnostics on a car and even simple things like a fuel pump are put in locations such as the gas tank, so that it makes it impossible to fix them yourself. It recently cost us $700 to replace a fuel pump that costs about $150. He recently told our sons that all their cars were going to be 1970's models so that he can do all the work on them himself, or better yet, teach them how to do it! I sure hope all their friends think a 1975 pale yellow Ford Pinto Hatchback is a super cool ride!

Who Knew (Yo Quiero Taco Bell)

L2's birthday was last week. Having a January birthday so close to Christmas is hard. He never knows what he wants because he just got everything he wanted for Christmas! So after asking him like a billion times what he wanted, he finally told us that he wanted ...

a unicycle...

2 nights before his birthday.

TWO!

Did you realize that unicycles are coming back in? Apparently, they are because several of his friends got one for Christmas! I thought only clowns liked unicycles. Who knew? Anyway, since it was only 2 nights before the big day and Just where do you buy a unicycle, is there such thing as a unicycle store?, he was not going to get his gift on his big day. He also had never made up his mind what he wanted to do on his big day, so being the fantastic , always superfun mom that I am, I planned nothing. He gets up the morning of his birthday and I am up, which is one of his gifts, because I DON'T DO MORNINGS, and I tell him Happy Birthday with as much hoopla as I could muster at that time of the morning. I had set 2 of his other presents on the kitchen counter so that he could open them and his birthday card before school. He opened the first one, a cool rock t-shirt, then the second one, a pair of running shoes (on his Christmas wish list) and then had the most crest-fallen face I have ever seen on a birthday boy. My heart sank and my smile faded. I said, what's the matter? Don't you like the shoes? and he just sighs and shakes his head, like, oh mom, you have so much to learn about what a teen boy really wants. So much for birthday glee before school. That afternoon we asked him, where would you like to go for your birthday dinner? (Our tradition) No where he sighs. So what do you want then? Crab legs I guess. So we fix crab legs and he eats them half-heartedly. By now, his melancholy mood is wearing on us. We cut his cake and still, nothing. We print out the picture of the unicyle that will be arriving for him, because we didn't tell him we ordered one, nothing. So, his dad offers to take him shopping. No set limits, just let's go and see what you would like to have to make you feel extra special on your birthday. L2 decides on Super Walmart. They walk all over the store from one end to the other and

This is what he comes home with:


Big smiles, jumping up and down, shouts of these are so cool, where are the tortillas and cheese! Who knew all he wanted was Taco Bell? To think I could have made his whole day if only I had run out to Walmart the night before his birthday and spent a whopping $18 for a quesadilla maker. Apparently, I DON'T know ANYTHING about what a teen boy wants! I will note that for G's birthday when he becomes a teen.


Here he is with his BIG present that came yesterday. He was pretty excited about it too!

A dose of reality

Alright, I admit it, I am a reality show addict. This is the best part of the year, when all of the reality shows are starting a new season. Well, now and again in September, of course. Anyway, my week is filled with watching every single episode starting on Monday nights with The Bachelor, followed by True Beauty. Tuesday nights are American Idol and The Biggest Loser. Wednesday night is American Idol again and Thursday night is Survivor, though it won't be starting till after the Superbowl...whatever! Then, whenever Dancing with the Stars starts its new season, I will be DVR'ing that as well. Of course, there are many more reality shows out there, but these are my current faves. And, yes, thank you very much, I DO indeed have a life, but this is my late-night outlet for unwinding.

Now, you out there who are reading this blog and say that you do NOT like reality TV, you are just in DENIAL. If you read blogs and/or have a blog, you are indeed into reality shows, just without running visuals, except for the occasional picture/video here and there.

So, here is my quick synopsis on what each reality show is about:

The Bachelor: Jason (this time a cute single dad of a 3 year old) is trying to schtoop as many girls as possible find the woman of his dreams to marry. The catch this season is that the girl who turned him down on The Bachelorette has decided she made a mistake, so she returns to get him back. So UNFAIR for those poor other women who really love him!

True Beauty: ten, supposedly gorgeous, people compete for the $100,000 and a spot in People Magazines 100 Most Beautiful People issue. What they don't realize is that they are not only be judged by their outer beauty, but by their inner beauty as well. If you ever doubted how completely caddy really beautiful people can be, then just watch one episode of this show. Hosted by the VERY beautiful Vanessa Minnillo (former MTV and ET host) and also Cheryl Tiegs (former model) and Nole Marin (fashion editor at Elle).

American Idol: Does anyone in the world NOT know what American Idol is about? I didn't think so. Back for season 8. They seem to be showing more of the talented singers this time and not QUITE so many of the total losers. So far, it seems like a very talented season.

The Biggest Loser: Super sized contestants compete for the title of the biggest loser by losing the most weight while on the ranch. They are split into groups working with two hard-core trainers, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper. One of two contestants who don't lose as much weight each week is voted out. I love, love, love to see these people transform themselves by good old fashioned diet and exercise.

Survivor: 16 victims, um, contestants will captivate and aggravate us in “Survivor: Tocantins — The Brazilian Highlands,” which debuts Feb. 12. This is one of the most “rugged locations” ever as the castaways will “battle scorching temperatures, torrential downpours, and dangerous wildlife.” This season, the castaways will be divided into two tribes from the very beginning and each tribe will immediately choose one member to leave behind. That means making a solid first impression will be essential. I personally applied to be on this show several times. They did not choose me. Their loss! Of course, there are 50,000 applicants, but hey, don't I stand out? I sent in a video of me neutering a dog, maybe that scared the male producers!

So, you now know what I will be doing every evening Monday-Thursday! Is there anybody out there more of an addict than me?

Pick of the Litter

This weekend, my friend J, her mom, L, and I went on a roadtrip to pick out our puppies. At this point, I need to give you a little background. I am a mastiff dog lover and owner. Six months ago, I got a little male mastiff puppy that we named, Huck. He's my lap dog.











Anyway, Huck had an infection in his leg when he was a puppy so now he has a malformed knee. At this point, he gets around fine on his leg, but since he is going to be a big boy when fully grown (at least 165 lbs), I don't know how long he will be able to walk. Right now, there is nothing I can do surgically for his leg. So, because he is such a GREAT dog, I decided that I wanted to get one of his parents' puppies from the next litter, you know, just in case. His mom got pregnant again accidently six months later. She needed a c-section, so I did the c-section in exchange for the pick of the litter. She had 4 boys and 4 girls on December 19th. at 11:30. at night!


So, they are now 4 weeks old and boy are they oh so cute and huge!!












I chose this male, the biggest pig boy of the litter. His name is Dudley. I think he's quite studly!



Just look at this face! Isn't he so cute?

I get to go and pick him up on Valentine's Day!

I am so excited!

The Starting Line

Welcome to my new blog. Why should I blog you may ask? I asked myself the same thing and my answer was Just Give It a Tri. Everyone else is, so why not? Of course, I don't think I am the creative writer that all of the other bloggers that I read seem to be. So, I will make an honest attempt for a time and see what happens. I'm hoping it is as fun to do as it is to read others. If you are reading this...thanks for giving it a tri. And, I spell it tri, since triathlons are a big part of my life.