Unschooling Ribgy - Puppy Update 9/21/12

Unschooling Rigby - Puppy update for 9/21/12

September 21st, 10:04

Current Mood:

calm

Step by step, things are falling into place and our anxiety levels are lowering.

Since bringing Rigby home last Saturday, he's had soft, bloody stool. I called the vet on Monday, and they wanted to see him Thursday. I was told they preferred to wait 7 days from when you picked him up, thinking he needed time to adjust to his new home.

Tuesday night he gave us a scare. He was lethargic and his breathing seemed labored. I freaked out. I was completely attached heart and soul to this pup, and the thought of him not making it was too much for me to bare. I called the vet and said we had to come in sooner than Thursday.

Wednesday morning they got us in first thing. His stool tested positive for Giardia. In hindsight, I should have demanded the vet see us Monday. They gave us medicine and Ribgy very quickly has responded. His stool is firming up and the blood is gone. He isn't going as often either.

Crate training- Many have suggested we crate train. The first night, we kept his crate by our bed. He whined until we figured out we had to make the room completely dark. We expected him to whine when he had to go to the bathroom. He didn't. DH woke up around 4:00am to the aroma. The poop was all over Rigby, the crate and our floor.

The second night we moved the crate to the kitchen/dining area. Whining amped up to howling. He was not whining because he had to go potty. He just did not want to be in the crate.

On the third night, I decided to sleep on the couch and not crate him. I hoped the rest of the family could sleep. Rigby did awesome. He laid down between the couch and the ottoman and fell asleep. I was able to get up around midnight and move to my bed. So now we are not crating him. He has free reign of the kitchen/dining/living room area, and he seems happy. He will curl up on his make shift dog bed, (its a chair pad) and sleep hard. We say goodnight, leave him, and he is fine.

We take him out very often. He's getting a lot of exercise.  I think this is why he sleeps so deeply. Potty training is coming along too. When we see him potty outside, we praise him and give him a treat. Yesterday he peed and then turned and looked directly at me with this look on his face. It read - Did you see me? I peed! I gave him praise and he ran up to me so happy. I know he is starting to understand. He's now taking care of his potty needs outside more often than inside.

As a condition of buying him, we had to take him to a certain vet. Now that we have met that obligation, I will be looking for a new vet. I didn't like waiting for Ribgy's first appointment, especially when we saw bloody stool. When I mentioned I had concerns about the amount of scratching he was doing, the vet asked, "Have you bathed him?" Well, yeah. He had poop all over himself that first night home. He said Rigby's dry skin was because we had given him a bath. It was basically a warm water bath, no soap.

I was hoping for advice on how to relieve puppy dry skin. Give him oils? No baths? Really? The shampoo I made him has apple cider vinegar which should be good to restore his PH. I remember when my son had severe dry skin our doctor said frequent baths actually helped if you followed up with skin lotion.  For now, we're skipping the urge to bathe him. We wipe him down with towels if he gets into something he shouldn't. I'm hoping our new vet will have better advice.

Shortly after bringing him home, it began to overwhelm us. We all had that feeling in the pit of our stomachs. What have we gotten ourselves into? Will our life feel relaxed again? The lack of sleep did not help. There was so much to teach him!

I decided to take an unschooling, relaxed approach, which has always been our family's learning style. Once I focused on one thing at a time, and on the moment at hand, I began to relax and feel this was going to work out. We had lots of advice from our friends and family, but I tuned into Rigby's needs and how we could best meet them. Taking it one concern at a time, and not thinking about how much we had to accomplish helped.

Tomorrow it will be one week since he's been a part of our family. Today he is 12 weeks old. We may have many expectations for our Rigby, but we have time to take it slow and enjoy his puppyhood.

Meet My Therapy Dog, Rigby

Meet My Therapy Dog, Rigby!

September 17th, 11:33

Current Mood:

anxious

He's not technically a therapy dog, but I will tell you, since bringing him home, I haven't noticed my TN very much. I've been too busy!! I'm actually very surprised bringing home Rigby hasn't triggered my attacks due to the stress and severe lack of sleep.

DO NOT LET THIS PHOTO FOOL YOU!  He's not sleeping through the night. Just like a new baby, he's up all night, needing our attention. He is not yet 3 months old. I'm hoping he really will grow out of this phase. I'm sure once he does, I will miss his cute teeny tiny-ness.

Our family has been thinking about getting a Pembroke Corgi for quite awhile now. This wasn't an impulse buy, although finding him feels impulsive. I had just about given up being able to find an available Corgi, when he became available. We had started looking at shelter dogs, but quickly realized we needed our dog to have a good temperament to begin with to make the transition easier for our kitty.

I'm pleased with how well it is going with Yumi. She seems to tolerate him but she does have the high ground. Rigby is low and can't jump or climb stairs yet. When Yumi needs to, she can get away into the Game Cave, or she watches him from on top of her chair. Last evening they were even sleeping within 3 feet of one another.
Wait, did I say Rigby was sleeping?

Over nights have been the greatest challenge. We've tried the crate in our room, the crate out of our room. Tonight I'll give the family ear plugs and we'll try no crate, or maybe go back to crate in our room. Its hard to figure out. He doesn't seem to be whining to tell us he needs to go potty. He's had plenty of puppy accidents. Our noses tell us its time to clean his crate. It doesn't seem to bother him and he'll just go.

We will have to take baby steps with our new baby. I think trying to potty train, crate train, collar train all at once is expecting too much. I'm sure we'll get there, and one day he'll be our walking companion as I dream he'll be.

After this stressful weekend, I've decided this week we're just going to relax and settle in. Its a big change for our family. He is a dog, not a baby, but its a big change. We're all feeling a little anxious, and I know that doesn't help Rigby feel at home.

Not My Mother's Potato Soup

Not My Mother's Potato Soup

September 14th, 12:06

Current Mood:

creative

I have a special relationship with potato soup. It was homemade potato soup that gave me the stamina to survive 44 hours of childbirth labor. My mother had made a wonderful batch of potato soup the day we awaited my son's arrival. Potato soup was all I could stomach and keep down. Potato soup is comfort to me. I enjoy my mother's potato soup immensely, however I decided to make a version that would speak to who I was.

I found a recipe through Pinterest for Garlic Potato soup that inspired me. It gave me the opportunity to use fresh potatoes harvested from my garden and garlic we had grown ourselves.

I did not discover the taste of garlic until I left my mother's nest. My mom doesn't like it so she never used it preparing our meals. As a bird out on my own, my first slice of garlic toast I was smitten with it. I've cooked with garlic and eventually found myself eating it raw for the health benefits. I can't imagine my life without garlic.

I was excited to grow it in my garden. I grew several varieties including elephant garlic which I decided to try in this recipe. Elephant garlic is not quite as strong and sharp, it's more sweet. It ended up working in this soup nicely. Elephant garlic is huge. One clove is the size of a small bulb of regular garlic.

The potatoes I grew were white, with thin tender skins. I decided to leave the skins on for added nutrition and they cooked up very well. The soup's texture is creamy without having to add cream.

I started with homemade turkey stock. I finely diced the veggies and threw them in. I brought the soup to a boil and cooked with the lid on for 15 minutes. Once the veggies were tender, I removed the bouquet garni and  reduced the heat. Using an immersion blender, I blended just a bit, still leaving a few good chunky bits because that's how I like it. I seasoned with a bit of pepper, another ingredient my mother has an aversion to. I felt the soup didn't need salt, but that's my taste buds. After giving up salt for health reasons, I can taste more flavors from the veggies.

- 1 quart of turkey stock, (add additional water if needed to cover veggie and potatoes)
-4 carrots, diced
-2 celery ribs, diced
-1 large onion, diced
-2 gloves of elephant garlic, diced (If using regular garlic, use more than 2. Elephant garlic is much larger.)
-about 8 potatoes, chopped
1 bouquet garni - these are little bundles of spices you bundle together in cheesecloth to flavor soups. My mom makes and gives these as gifts.
- Pepper to taste

I'm planning on putting away more homemade soups so I have something to reach for on those busy nights when I get home from work.

5 Positive Thoughts

5 Positive Thoughts

September 11th, 9:54

Current Mood:

optimistic

My friend has encouraged me to share 5 positive things in my life today. This is a challenge for me, because it feels like I don't have much choice today, and that lack of choice always limits my positivity. Most of my day today will be spent not as I would like it to be, but I can still look for the positive.

1. I woke up early, but I woke up without face pain. To have my face smooshed into my pillows and not feel discomfort was wonderful. I will remember that I had that pain free moment, on a morning I'm not so fortunate. I will use that memory to fuel my hope for more pain free mornings.

2. The windows are open. Cool breezes are blowing through my Sleepyhouse and it feels wonderful after such a hot summer. I'll gladly put on a pair of slippers to keep those windows open and the fresh air flowing.

3. I have access to health care. I found myself worrying about what would happen if my husband was laid off and we lost our health insurance coverage once again. I shouldn't do that, worry about what could happen. At this moment, we have it, and my health issues are being supported. I'm grateful for that, and I will not worry about losing coverage. I will use this opportunity to take care of my medical needs now and not put anything off for later. I will take care of myself so I can take care of my family.

4. My fall lettuce is sprouting! After a disappointing summer harvest due to our drought, I didn't give up. After harvesting potatoes, I looked down at the newly cleaned up garden bed and I couldn't resist. Hope returned, and I sprinkled lettuce and spinach seeds. My new garden babies are poking through the dirt! I'm beginning to fantasize about future green salads with dried cherry tomatoes.

5. If my schedule permits, I will be pushing outside my comfort zone this weekend. My sister is challenging me to take part in a fashion show. Since I've decided this is my year to be fearless, I think I'll do it. The fashion show is hosted by a women's clothing store and will feature all real women customers as the models. We'll get 40% off if we want to buy our outfit. I think a runway walk would be a fun addition to my bucket list.

Discussing Politics With Our Unschooled Future Voters

Discussing Politics With Our Unschooled Future Voters

September 10th, 10:53

Current Mood:

contemplative

Whether I like it or not, my children are exposed to politics and questions are popping up. My husband has watched both conventions, and I watched as much as I could. (I have to keep my stress level down these days.) I've noticed the boys have been watching too.

I was a bit concerned when our boys thought our country only has two political parties. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The media has branded that very well. I ran the list off of other known parties, and they were shocked to discover there were so many more. They wanted to know why we only see and hear about the two.

Questions popped up as to which party do you belong to and who are you voting for. DH & I both explained how we are not registered with any party, so we're what the media calls Independent. We don't vote for any candidate because he or she belongs to a particular party. We don't vote for who has payed for the most commercials or who employees the best speech writers. We don't vote for who has more money. Our vote is never swayed based on signs appearing in my neighbor's yard or on bumper stickers.  Our vote is not based on the candidate who robot calls our home the most, although its very tempting to NOT vote for anyone who robot calls our phone!! We recycle every political postcard we get in the mail WITHOUT caring what it says. We never allow marketing to influence us.

We told our children, we vote based on our own research, after we find a candidate who shares the same ideals as we do. You have to look for the facts as well as review a person's history. You have to keep in mind every politician is going to say what you want to hear to get your vote, so you have to be able to use your mind and think through that motivation.

You should never vote for someone, just because someone you know endorses that candidate. You always need to think for yourself and make your own decision based on your research, not someone else's. You also need to respect the choices of others, even when they are not your own. If you respect someone, you honor their ability to make up their own mind and you don't feel you have to sway them to your way of thinking. A true friend doesn't try to change who you are, but rather accepts you just as you are.

We have witnessed some hateful behavior during this political season. I know it reflects back to those who are spreading it, and I wish I could help my children understand why people make disrespectful choices, but I can't. I'm grateful my children understand that lying, name calling, bigotry and other disrespectful behaviors are not what our family values.

I Don't Want To Play On The Teeter Totter

I Don't Want To Play On The Teeter Totter

dawninger

September 6th, 20:08

I'm having to push myself up, and I so easily seem to be falling down, just when I arrive at my high. I need to put on my glasses and see who exactly is sitting on the other end of this?

I met and felt very comfortable with my new dermatologist. I looked forward to scheduling a follow up appointment to remove a few barnacles of my life. She caught me completely off guard when she announced she had the time to do the procedures NOW!!!

WHAT???  NOW???? EEKK!!! I'm not ready.

Wait, I'm suppose to be fearless and 44. Lead me to the procedure room. Let's do this!

The numbing needles felt, well, like nothing. On my back I literally felt absolutely nothing. No pin prick, no burning. On my scalp, barely a pin prick and then nothing. Then I remembered. I have a new pain threshold tolerance thanks to trigeminal neuralgia. I should have told the doctor to skip the numbing and just go at it with her scalpel.

Feeling pretty good now that its over and it was pain free, I headed home and picked up the mail. I truly expected to open the envelope from the mammogram center and read everything was fine with the girls. Note to self - ONLY OPEN LETTERS FROM MEDICAL CENTERS WHEN THE OFFICE IS STILL OPEN.

Ahhh... maybe I can see now. That's anxiety girl sitting on the other end of my teeter totter. Anxiety girl is freaking out she's being asked to schedule a more detail imaging scan.

Remember Dawn - Fearless and 44. Plenty of women get called back and it turns out to be nothing to worry about.

I'm hopping off the teeter totter and slamming Anxiety girl on her ass.

Ran Away To Enjoy The Day

Ran Away To Enjoy The Day

dawninger

September 1st, 19:20

Current Mood:

cheerful

I ran away today. I have lots to do, and I should have stayed put, but I needed to run away.

My family joined me. We found a flea market where we bought a game of Trivial Pursuit for a $1 and a collectable bottle of Coke for DS16's collection. DH saw a cute rooster napkin holder and just as he pointed it out to me and said, "Look at that rooster," a woman snatched it up before we could reach it. We had a little laugh about it.

Next to the flea market was a huge antique store. DS13 found two military patches he liked. The patches were labeled, describing what they were for, but the clerk removed the labels when we paid for them and now we can't remember what they were issued for. We'll have to do some internet research. He wants me to stitch the patches onto his hoodie, but I better find out what these patches mean first and if it would be okay to do so.

There was another huge anitque mall across the street, but we were overwhelmed and spent. We'll plan for another weekend outing to that store.

We hit up several used movie, CD, game stores and then enjoyed a "Lupper", (lunch-supper).

There was a brief, but beautiful rain shower. It smelled so good and the rain was cool and refreshing. The puddles dried up too quickly.

We're going to put our feet up tonight and tomorrow we'll get back on task.