Puppy Training

This is best advice I have heard recently...had to share...

The best advice ever given a puppy owner is to take a newspaper, roll it up, secure it tightly, and leave it on the coffee table. Then, when the puppy piddles in the house, chews up a slipper, or breaks any other house rule, you simply take the newspaper and bang it on the top of your head repeatedly, while reciting the phrase, "I should have been watching my puppy!" Author Unknown

Love it and couldn't agree more...

I Love My Children

I love my children....really I do. Even when they drive me absolutely starking raving loony....I love my children. We worked really hard at becoming a family. We started down the infertility road only to hit a roadblock in the first mile. That was OK...in fact that was really good for us, because the detour we took gave us these beautiful children we have. Both of our kids are adopted, in open adoptions. We were blessed with not only 2 healthy, great kids but we got the added bonus of an "adopted extended family". That is the beauty of open adoption. I love my children's birthmothers. They had the love and self confidence to commit the utmost unselfish act...placing their firstborns in an adoptive home. I saw first hand the love in their eyes on the day our children were born. I also saw the pain on their faces when we brought our children home. For a woman to have that much love in their heart and withstand that much pain, it is the ultimate "Mother's Love". On the day our son was born I told his birthmother that I couldn't take him away from her, that I could see how much she loved him. She told me that is why she wanted us to have him...she loved him that much. Even today, it brings tears to my eyes. People are always amazed that we have an open adoption, even in today's society when almost all adoptions are open. They ask me how I am able to keep in contact with our birthfamilies. I ask them "How can I not? What right would I have to be so selfish when they were anything but selfless?" I am eternally grateful to our children's birthmothers. They allowed me to become a Mom....they gave me the Greatest Gift any human being can give another. How can I not love them? How can I not allow them into our childrens' lives? How can I not consider them a part of our family?

RIP

Rest In Peace....fair washing machine. You have had a good life. You have been a hard worker, on the job at least 3 times every day! You have kept our clothes stain and odor free...for the most part....and I know how difficult this was with all the boy clothes and the dog blankets. You have flailingly served us well the past 7 years or so and we are eternally grateful. My only wish would have been for you to meet your maker on a day when the appliance store was open!! But, alas...we can't have everything....and with this being Thanksgiving Weekend and all....let's list all the things we are grateful for:

5. The washing machine did not catch fire...only made a horrible, squeaky, droning noise.
4. I was home to hear the above mentioned noise and stop the impending disaster from happening.
3. The machine eeked out its last breath on the 20th load of the day, not the 1st.
2. I have a wonderful neighbor who allowed me to finish the load of wash in her beautiful, new, front loading machine.
And the Number One Reason to be Grateful...
1. I will not have to do any laundry until the new machine arrives!!!

There is a Laundry God after all!!!

Cub Scout Adventure

This is one of my favorite pictures of my children. It was taken about 2 years ago at one of my favorite places - Pt. Reyes National Seashore. This is one of my "Happy Places"....whenever I go there I feel very peaceful and spiritual. I love hiking in the redwoods, smelling the clean air, watching the butterflies, basically communing with nature....My "Crunchy" side comes out to play!! We went there today, and although I usually go there to find peace and spirituality....today was a bit different. Today we went there with Michael's cub scout den. I am talking about 6 - seven year old boys and their families..siblings included!! We had a blast!! Not much peace was found today...but a lot of laughter and learning was. We did a short .5 mile walk to the "authentic, recreated" Indian village and did the Junior Ranger program for the site. I did this program with my Girl Scout troop years ago and thought it would be fun for the boys. Since this month's theme is Indians...it kind of all fell into place!! The boys loved it, and the families did too. No one got hurt...nothing got broken...the village looked the same when we left as it did when we got there.....all in all a successful adventure!! The boys were able to go into a sweat lodge, a house, grind acorns, and learn many things about Native Californians. I am not sure how much they actually retained...but they loved the running and screaming parts the best....especially the screaming done in the sweat lodge...the acoustics were great in there, so I heard!!

Fall Fun

I love Fall...I love the colors...I love the falling leaves...I love the nip in the air. Here in California the days are now mild and the nights are chilly. Because of the warmer weather, the leaves are dropping later. The above picture is my children jumping in the pile of leaves that my dad makes for them every year, usually this coveted event happens earlier in the year. The kids don't care when it happens, just as long as it happens. So today, the day after Turkey Day, when all you crazy people were out shopping, my kids were jumping in a pile of leaves and my parents and I were enjoying some great turkey sandwiches. My mom said to me "I don't think Cassie will do this next year". I was shocked...."of course she will!!", I replied. But the sad truth is, she might not. She will turn 13 next spring (gasp, shock, choke) and she may be too "mature" for leaf jumping. But then again, she may not. Time will tell. I distinctly remember being her age....wanting to grow up and be "mature", yet having a hard time letting go of childhood. I don't know how old I was when I completely crossed the line....I may never have!! I do know that my body has and there was absolutely no way I was jumping in leaves today....I just spent a week in bed, 3 weeks ago, with a severely sprained foot....my body has definitely "crossed the line"!! So...we sat there, my parents and I, and fondly watched my children, their grandchildren enjoy the simple pleasures of childhood - jumping in pile of leaves, lovingly compiled by their Grandpa, on a beautiful Fall day....life doesn't get any better than that.

Is this guy handsome, or what?

This is Baron. He is our "little" puppy. He is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and in this picture he is 6 months old!! He is a beautiful dog and smart as a whip...and although the aforementioned traits are all well and good...because of them, he drives us crazy most days. Our son, Michael, has asked us on numerous occasions if we can get rid of him. In fact, he just asked me that earlier in the day. Michael had just finished making himself a "crabby pattie" (don't ask, Ok, Ok, if you must know it is a cheese sandwich made with ketchup, only today he got creative and put mustard on it too) and was enjoying his culinary talents when he made the fatal mistake of walking away from the kitchen counter. Well, as any fine dog knows....a little "counter surfing" and a little snack is had by all!! Baron was happy...he likes crabby patties. Michael, on the other hand was not happy!! A little tears, a lot of yelling, life goes on. If only Baron wasn't so smart and so stubborn...I would love to break him of his Extreme Sport....do you think mousetraps on the counter will work?? Or is that some obscure form of animal abuse?

First Post!!

My very first blog post!!! About a month ago we were driving home from the pumpkin patch and I casually mentioned to my husband that I wanted to start a blog. He asked me "Why" and I said that "I had a lot of things to talk about!!" He laughed and suggested I call it the "Blah, Blah, Blog". Although I did find that title quite catchy and it was hard to pass up....I did and titled my blog RDH Mom. I will let you figure out what the RDH stands for....let me know your thoughts!! Keep it clean though!! Anyways...it took me a month to sit down and actually do it....and here I am. I have read many other blogs and frequent some regularly. I get many laughs and some tears from them. What I mostly learn is that I am not alone in this journey of Motherhood. Other moms do and say the exact same things that I do!! How liberating to find that out!! So...here I will post my thoughts...some random....some thoughtful....some humorous....some sad....some good....and some ugly. It is my little corner of the world I will share with you. Don't be shy...send comments!!