My Dog and What I Know For Sure

Facebook reminded me yesterday that it was three years ago on that day that we got our puppy Cosi

When we first got married, Tim and I got a puppy. We named him Al. Al was a great puppy and a great dog. After Al died, I grieved him like a human. I would be sweeping the kitchen enjoying a quiet moment while the kids napped and all of a sudden I would be overcome with grief and I would be crying. It was rough and I swore to never, ever, ever get another dog. And I didn't, until I did. Three years ago, the kids and Tim convinced me to get another puppy.

Around the time we went to pick up our new puppy, I happened to be obsessed with Les Miserables. I had just seen the movie and the kids and I had listened to the entire soundtrack from the play over and over and over. So, naturally I wanted to name the puppy after a character from the movie. We named our puppy Cossette and decided to call her Cosi.  As we rode home I played a special song from the Les Miserables soundtrack that talked about Valjean taking care of Cosette and sang it loudly and pointed to our new puppy Cosette. Because duh, I'm overly dramatic and ridiculous.

In the beginning, I'm going to be honest Cosi was no Al and I wasn't so into her. She seemed un-trainable and nervous and obsessed with food and she licked too much and she was SO MUCH WORK.

But slowly Cosi grew on me. She was so patient with the kids, especially JT. She was anxious around the so many people, except JT, and me. I not only grew to like her, I grew to love her.

It's crazy how much I love my dog. I really never saw this coming, never, ever, ever. But I know for sure that I love my weirdo, anxious, lovable dog Cosi.

(And then I got ANOTHER dog. What?! lol. Rufus is a whole other story.)

Here's what else I know for sure this week:

• It feels like spring here and we LOVE it. Wade was so excited to find out that he still remembered how to ride his bike.

• This is funny. Who knew, nature is good for us? lol.

(Click here to watch the video.)

• This is heartbreaking. It's a powerful, disturbing video about the Flint water crisis.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-fear-of-water-in-flint

• I sort of love Kate Hudson. I follow her on Instagram and want to buy her new book.

• Bikes are cool. I took this picture of JT and a couple of his friends the other day and it looked like they were straight out of the Goonies or E.T. I love that riding bikes is still cool.

• Talking and watching politics is making me anxious. So, I'm not watching as much or talking about it as much. I feel happier. I voted in my primary, I'm active in my community, I'm informed...I'm just not watching all the debates and reading all the Twitter posts and listening to all the hotheads on all sides. The general election is a long way from now, I need to pace myself.

What do YOU know for sure right now? Tell me.

And come play with me on Instagram. Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed/

What Day Is It and What I Know For Sure

It feels like it was just Friday and I was just sharing what I know for sure. I mean wasn't it just last Friday?  Time is going fast, life is a bit of a blur.  A messy, fun, loud, intense, joyful, crazy blur.  

It's not Friday,I know that.  I wrote this post on Friday and things got so hectic I didn't post it.  Now it's Monday. I feel a bit like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes going through life like a messy tornado! Ahhhhhhh.


(Click here to watch the video.)

But I'm still posting this old post just to prove that I know a few things still, because I do, I think.

I know for sure that it is very snowy here today (Monday) which means no school for the kids, but that three out of four of my children were up by 7 a.m. still.

It snowed about 14 inches yesterday, but that didn't stop the boys (and Tim) from playing football outside.

Here's what else I know for sure this week(um, last week):

• Rufus Whistle is so damn cute. And we love him so much.

• I will do whatever J Lo tells me to do.  I will buy her new protein powders because duh, look at her.  She's 44 you guys and she looks so damn beautiful.  She makes me so not afraid of my mid-forties.  I want to add that after watching Lenny Kravitz during the Super Bowl half-time show, I feel like he could also sell me protein powders.  They both make me hopeful about getting older and being sexy and cool (there's hope for me yet that maybe I will someday be sexy and cool, lol).

• Chocolate cake and fancy coffee are better than J Lo's protein powders.  This is my version of afternoon delight--

• The show Parenthood is over and I am sad. Waaaaaa. I had to keep reminding myself that the family wasn't really my family and that I needed to not get so invested. But waaaaaa.  Even though I'm sad, it was a really good ending to six great seasons. No spoiler alerts here...just a few lessons I learned from the show.  Okay it's been a few days and I'm still sad. I have to keep reminding myself that I can visit the Bravermans on Netflix anytime I want to.

• Having tweens and teenagers is going to be verrrrry interesting. One of my tweens got so mad at me he/she left the house to catch the bus without saying good bye.  What did I do you ask? I sang along to the Cameo classic Word Up.  Yeah, that's all.  What the hell?  How did he/she not like that song, it is a classic.  Whatever.

• I don't care who wins the Super Bowl.  I'm not invested this year which stinks.  I don't even care about Katy Perry during the halftime. Maybe I am just feeling blah because I have SAAD or I just don't care.  It was a good game, but I enjoyed watching it, but still wasn't that invested. The half-time was fine, not fabulous, but fine.  I LOVED seeing Missy Elliot and Lenny Kravitz.

• Our family LOVES watching The Goldbergs.  Do you watch it? It's such a fun show.  If you were a kid in the 80s you will totally love it, I promise.  We watch it together as a family (there are a few things that go way over the kids' heads, especially Wade's, but overall it's pretty harmless).

  (Click here to watch the video.)

What do YOU know for sure this week?  Tell me here or on my Facebook page.  

Come follow me on Instagram- @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.com.

Puppies & What I Know For Sure

What do I know for sure this week? That puppies are hard work. I mean whoa, a lot of work.  

Cosi is still all "um, did we really need another dog here?" But I think they are starting to love each other.

I have so many pictures of us sleeping or watching TV with the dogs because we are soooo tired by the evenings. 

The sleepless puppy nights are making all of us a little nutty and tired. And possibly a little bit grumpy. Just when it seems like we are thinking Cosi is right and wondering if we might have made a mistake in getting another puppy, the magic (and the cuteness) of Rufus Whistle happens.

JT got sick this week and I had to go get him from school.  Rufus came with me to get him and has been snuggling with him ever since.  It is just what JT needed.

So sure, puppies are a lot of work, but I also know for sure that they are all kinds of wonderful too. (I also know for sure that this blog will not always be about Rufus and puppies and dogs and all of that. Once he starts sleeping through the night, I will start thinking about other things and writing about them too. Ha!)


Here's what else I know for sure this week:

• A morning dance rave just might be THE way to start your day.  This guy is one of my favorite people on YouTube.  Check him out at a pre-work rave.

• Pizza Hut is my favorite pizza place!  They are going to start offering legit gluten-free pizza very soon.  This is huge in our house.  Yeah we like pizza, but do you realize how many sporting events for kids revolve around pizza after the game?  Well, a lot of them.  It will be so nice for JT to say "sure I can grab a pizza with the team, let's go to Pizza Hut."  That is HUGE for him! Click here for a few details.

• Transparent is really good TV.  I have loved Jill Soloway (the writer/producer/director) since I heard her speak at a NOW convention years ago. She is funny and brilliant and an amazing writer.  On January 24th you can stream Transparent for free on Amazon Prime and you should (click here for details).  Here's Soloway's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes...you should watch it, it's beautiful.

• Speaking of TV, I'm so sad Parenthood is ending. Waaaaa. But I wrote about the 10 things I learned from the show over on Mamalode.  Click here to check them out.

• I am all about kimonos.  Since I didn't get a fur vest for Christmas, waaaa!, I am moving on and totally obsessed with kimonos.  Mind you, I don't own one, but I want one or two or three!

I mean right? Found this one on Pinterest.

What do YOU know for sure this week?  Leave a comment here or over on my Facebook page.  Got any puppy sleeping through the night advice or fashion favorites? Let me know.

Rufus Whistle

So, um, well, this weekend....we got a puppy.  Yes, we got another dog, a baby dog.  And yes, we already have a dog and four kids.  So well, yes, we might be a little crazy...crazy in love.  

Our new puppy is a golden doodle and his name is Rufus Whistle.  

I feel like I need to apologize to people for getting a second dog, just like I used to feel like I did about having a third or, holy hell, a fourth child.  I mean who does that?  Unless you are a millionaire and have help, but even then, who has all those kids AND two dogs?  

We do.  Because it's what is in our heart.  Because our kids wanted another dog.  Because our dog could use a buddy.  Because we have a lot of love to give.  Because we aren't millionaires or anywhere close and we can't take our kids around the world or even to Disney World, but we can get them another dog to love and help take care of.  

We were worried about our two-year-old lab, Cosi, liking Rufus.  Cosi isn't what you would call a calm dog. You might call her anxious and excitable. I call her misunderstood and lovable.  We can all now call her patient and amazing because she handles Rufus wonderfully.  She is calm with him, gives him a warning when he gets too in-her-face and walks away when she's had a little too much.  

I think it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

This past weekend we spent a lot of time cuddling and resting and sleeping, just like with a new baby.

I swear I have a picture of Tim like this with every one of our kids when they were babies.

Rufus got a taste of our very busy, active life, he went with us to a basketball practice and a family hockey game.

It's not all perfect.  He cries in his crate all night long.  It's a lot of work, a lot.  Right after we brought Rufus home, JT fell on the ice and we thought he broke his arm so we took him to the emergency room (just a bad bruise, no break).  We are all really tired. But we'll figure it out.  

Looking around my very full living room full of kids of all ages, an exhausted but handsome husband trying to nap on the floor and our two dogs, it all just makes my heart feel so full and my world just feel right.  

No more apologies, it's not everyone's dream, but it's ours.

If you want to see more pictures of Rufus come follow me on Instagram- @JumpingWithMyFingersCrossed

I don't really know how it happened, but I became someone who loves her dogs. It's kind of crazy, but also kind of great.

Crazy Dog Lady & What I Know For Sure

It wasn't my idea to get a puppy, but I went along with it.  In fact I went a little nuts with it.  At the time I was mildly obsessed with Les Miserables and decided to name our new puppy Cosette after one of the Les Mis characters.  I informed the family we would be calling our new puppy Cosi for short.  After we picked her up, I played the perfect song from the Les Mis soundtrack.   It was all so perfect...at least that day.

After a couple months, I was so close to giving her away. I had forgotten how much work puppies are. Tim found a nice old lady on a farm that would take Cosi.  But at the last minute I stopped him.  It didn't feel right, I didn't want to give up on Cosi. 

Fast forward a little over a year and things have changed a lot.  Cosi is still a lot of work and chews Wade's toys and gets way too excited when people come over.  But I love her so much.  

She is my buddy, my sidekick, the only one that listens to me (unless people come over because then forget about it).  Yeah, I've turned into kind of a crazy dog lady. 

I was even featured on EverydayFamily.com calling Cosi my best friend.  

Click here to go to the EverydayFamily site.

It is kind of crazy, but it's also kind of wonderful.  Cosi is my buddy, my sidekick.  She makes me happy.  She makes our whole family happy (except when she chews up Wade's toys because then Wade is over her).  

I know for sure that keeping Cosi around was the total right thing to do for our family.

Here's what else I know for sure this week:

• Rock the Vote is still funny and cool after all these years.  Check out their latest video.  It's fuuuunnny.  

• Speaking of politics, I'm hanging out with FLOTUS today. Lucy and I will be rallying for the Democrats in Michigan.  So psyched.

 

• I graduated from physical therapy!  Woot. Woot. Right? Except I'm really going to miss the gang at my outpatient therapy center.  I loved talking TV with them, but running here I come.

• Wade is growing up, he turned 5 this week.  What? How? Whoa! And he went on his first field trip to the farm. 

Here's the short birthday video I made for/of him.


Wade Turns Five from Jumping With My Fingers Crossed on Vimeo.

• I don't feel bad for Teresa and Joe from The Real Housewives of New Jersey.  And for some reason that makes me feel bad.  

What do YOU know for sure this week?  Tell me here in the comments or on my Facebook page.

And head over and play with me on Instagram.

Puppy Apologies & Mama Kat Vlog Prompts

Who gets mad at puppies? Um, me, I do.  I'm sorry.  My puppy drives me crazy.  Whose idea was it to get a puppy anyway?

I'm linking up with Mama Kat's vlog prompts this week and talking about apologies.  Talking about who needs to say sorry to me and in first place it is my puppy, Cosi.  Check it out:

  
(If you are an email subscriber click here http://youtu.be/4jQbnocVwHc
to watch.)

Let me know what you think, here or on Facebook.  Speaking of Facebook, what do you think of Facebook birthdays?  Here's what I think about it:

 (If you are an email subscriber click here http://youtu.be/ZwrOWNm9_Ds to watch.)

Share or subscribe to my YouTube channel.  I'm trying to get to 100 subscribers by August 1.  It would be crazy wonderful to be in the triple digits, seriously. 

In case you missed it, here's the vlog from last week where I talk about censoring your kids' music:

(If you are an email subscriber click here http://youtu.be/1FLnpqbhD_Q
to watch.)

Check her out and the other funny vloggers over on Mama Kat's Losing It.  Click here.

Come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

Come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood

Puppy Love Post #1: Snake Bit

Since getting a puppy over a month ago all I can say is....I'm tired.

No here's the thing, puppies are cute, but they are a lot of work.  It's like parenthood on speed.  You only have a few short months before the puppies are full grown and full of bad habits.  If anything, my puppy is making me appreciate how much more time I have to make up for all the mistakes I make with my kids.  But all of it is a lot of pressure.

And really, I didn't need more pressure.  I didn't need yet another reminder that I don't have it all together.  And that's what having my puppy can feel like sometimes, like the sometimes when I'm trying to get all the kids out the door to school and she pees on the floor.  Or the sometimes I'm reading a story to Wade and she whimpers and whines that no one is on the floor with her.

Honestly, I was at my wit's end, ready to wave my white flag and give up.  I was ready to admit to what a lot of people were thinking, I couldn't handle four kids and a puppy. Waaaa.

But then, I watched my kids with our little puppy Cosi.  I put my flag away and committed to raising this puppy.  Because Cosi is part of our family.  

Honestly, she fits right in with us.  Thankfully no one else is peeing on the floor, but we are all trying to get attention, be loved, show love, enjoy life and be a part of everything just like our little puppy.  

To make it easier to remember why I love my sweet little Cosi, I will be doing a monthly Puppy Love Post.  A post where I share a warm and fuzzy story about Cosi.  A post with a sweet picture.  I mean, puppies/dogs in general could use more space on the kitten/cat-obsessed-focused Internet. 

"That boy is snake bit," my husband said the other day sounding like a character from a 1950s coming-of-age cowboy novel or movie.  

He was referring to our son JT and what he said is a little bit true.  If something bad happens in our family, it usually happens to JT.  Autoimmune disease? Check.  Broken arm while picking strawberries? Check.  Speech delay? Check.  Being in the wrong place at the wrong time when your baby brother is swinging a curtain rod wildly and it hits your head? Check.  Concussion after the basketball game? Check.  And I could go on and on.

JT is also the kid in our family who has connected most to Cosi.  When he gets home from school he tells her he missed her.   He plays catch with her after the other kids have had enough and go inside.  He hugs her good-night before heading upstairs to bed. 

In some ways, the story of JT and the puppy is like a 1950s book.  It's a story of a boy and his dog, loyal pals.  I love that even though he might indeed be a little snake bit, he's always got somebody (else besides Tim and me) in his corner giving him unconditional love.

Got a puppy story? Want to share?  Let me know if you'd be interested in sharing your Puppy Love Post.  Leave a comment or send me an email to youngbloodsix@yahoo.com.

The Puppy

We got a puppy.

The puppy's eyes are the only ones you can see in this picture.   We're doing the super squinty, happy smile.  The puppy looks a little scared.

I'm not really a puppy person or an animal person.  I've mentioned my feeling about cats before (and got some major flak, cat people can be so catty).  But my family talked me into it.  Actually my husband, suggested either a puppy or a baby.  So, we got a puppy.

And because we I am obsessed with Les Miserables, we I named her Cossette.  Cosi for short.

I don't see anything wrong with naming a dog after a character from a musical. Especially if the theme of that musical is compassion and love and faith and goodness--"to love another person is to see the face of God."

On the ride home, JT and Cosi bonded.

When we drove away with our new little Cosi, I had the music all cued up for the perfect song from the soundtrack.  The song is The Bargain and the lyrics go something like this:

"Cossette shall live in my protection....
I shall not foresake my vow...
Cossette shall have a father now!"

We changed "father" to "family."  Too much?  Oh it was so sweet.


Singing the song, romanticized getting a puppy just like people do with having babies.  Yeah, puppies and babies are cute and sweet, but they are also a hell of a lot of work.  And they are gross.  But you know what?  None of my babies ever ate a dead mole.  And yeah, my puppy did that the other day.  It has me totally rethinking the whole baby/puppy decision.

Yesterday after school, the kids came home begging to take Cosi out for a walk.  So they leashed her up and set off down the driveway.

"She found a rat!," I heard my son yell.

"What?!?!?!?!"  I came running outside.  "What the hell? Oh my god, shit, damn, oh my god," I yelled because I am the queen of calm, always.

"It's not a rat, it's a dead mole," my oldest son informed me.

"Get it out, oh my god that's so gross!" I screamed.  "Get it out of her mouth! Oh Jesus, she's eating it! Oh shit. No!!!!!! Call your father!!!"

Well, it's been a long few days.  

I should have remembered this whole house training thing, the sleepless nights, the chewing on EVERYTHING (even dead animals).    You see, right after Tim and I got married we got a puppy, Al.  He was our first baby.  But I forgot how it was those first few months, it's a blur, just like all of my babies first few weeks (it's that way for everyone right?).

I simply remember Al as the greatest dog that ever lived.  I hated that he shed like crazy and never once chased squirrels out of our yard (because you know how I feel about squirrels!).  But I loved how he was the kindest, most gentle of dogs.  He was my first crack at real responsibility of another living creature besides my spider plant (that I guess anyone can keep alive).   He was my buddy as I battled demons of depression during my first pregnancy, he gave me comfort when I thought no one would understand.  And he loved my babies, he loved all of us.  

When he died, I swore off dogs and became more of a non animal person.  But after five years and my kids and my husband begging, I gave in and we have a puppy. 

I found this quote quite amusing since I posted a pic of my new puppy on Facebook and it got more "likes" than the announcement pic of my fourth baby.  People love dogs.

A puppy that will become the dog that my kids remember.  The dog that will comfort them through dark days of middle school and high school when they don't feel like anyone understands. 

This will be the dog that Peyton says good-bye to when he heads to college in about 7 years. Gulp. How can that be?

The dog that goes to their baseball games and races.  The dog that they take for walks through the park and play fetch with in the backyard.  They will grow up together.

Cosette will be the dog that helps teach and reinforce the lessons of compassion and love and responsibility.  

But first, Cossette has to be the puppy that eats dead moles and pees in the house.  And that's okay, I guess.  

Just like if we had a baby, Tim and I are playing the Who Has It Worse Game.  Do you know that game?  Tim has been working late all week and it's been rough.  He dared to say his meetings were worse. Um, whaaaat?  I set him straight.

Woo-hoo I win! Wait, I don't want to win this one. Waaa.