On Selecting a Doggy Daycare...

So...I think it's safe to say that Gil & I are going to end up being neurotic parents. Here's why.

We had been talking about having Laila start going to doggy daycare once a week instead of just getting her normal walks each day. Since I am going out of town this weekend and Gil is going to be busy, we needed to find a kennel for Laila.

So I began the search and found a dog "camp" that sounded good and brought her for a trial run. Welllll...I got there and got a tour of the place and have to say, not as cute and fuzzy as the website made it out to be. Yes, it was clean and safe but I was surprised at how loud it was in there. The barking...ugh, how do those people work their all day?? I wasn't thrilled with the size of the play area either (I think we've been spoiled at the huge dog park) and the kenne

l situation seemed a bit overwhelming. The cages were lined up one after the other and were just wire, so the dogs could see into each other's cages. Seemed stressful to me.

So by that point, I knew I didn't really want her staying overnight in that setting, but I felt okay about the daycare part so she stayed to play. This particular place has cameras so you can check in on your dog during the day. I left to do errands and because he knew Laila was there, Gil checked the doggy cam from work to see how she was doing.

A while later, I got a text from him saying that another dog was harassing Laila and wouldn't leave her alone. So of course I got worried and decided to go pick her up. Shouldn't the employees be watching them?? So just as I was arriving at the doggy daycare, I got another text from Gil that said, "It was actually not her. She's fine." Either way, someone's dog was being harassed even if it hadn't been ours. All in all, although nothing traumatic happened, Laila will not be returning to that "camp".

Today she went for a trial run at a different place, closer to our house, and on the way to work so it'll be convenient for dropping her off. She did great and I'm much happier with the kennel situation there. Dogs that are being boarded have a separate room, away from the play area, the kennels are bigger, and it was a much calmer environment. The dogs can't see into each other's crates, so she won't be stressed out.

So there you have it...we are the neurotic parents of a four-legged, furry baby.

This is what puppies look like four hours after doggy day care...

We live in a little bungalow...

so storage space is hard to come by. Yesterday I declared it "Organization Day" around here. I started by searching for some home organization articles online to get some ideas. I found this one to be helpful: 52 Home Organizing Tips. Then I made a list of all the little projects I wanted to do around the house and what I needed to buy. One of the areas that I focused on yesterday was our master bathroom. It's a super small space and doesn't have much storage, so I decided that I need to be more efficient with the space we do have.

I got rid of a lot of stuff- including bottles of products that were almost gone. We (I) have the bad habit of opening new things before the old stuff is totally gone. Then I bought two of these medicine cabinet organizers to make sure everything is accessible. I personally am highly irritated when I knock bottles over trying to reach for things in the back.

Don't you just love an organized cabinet?

I also took all of my makeup out of my bathroom drawer and transferred it to one of these plastic totes which I can pull out from under the sink.

That frees up a drawer for other things like my brush and perfume, which are always out on the counter. Really, we don't have any counter space to waste! So the bathroom is looking 10x better, is de-cluttered and I'm feeling pretty good about it. This morning Gil said, "You went a little OCD on the bathroom...all the cleaning products are facing the same way." Ha, I hadn't noticed but he's right.

Another area that I tackled yesterday was our sock drawers. Yes, I have an exciting life. These drawers were another area of irritation for me because they were so jammed full that it was a hassle to put laundry away. So I used more of the plastic totes from Target to make categories; work, casual, workout socks. It's the little things in life...

I also organized the spice cabinet in the kitchen because I could never see what we have and therefore was not using about 75% of the things in the cabinet. I bought a 3 tiered wire spice organizer, but the bottles keep tipping off because the wires are not level, so I'm going to return it and probably get this one instead.

I also tackled our "junk drawer" in the kitchen. It was hard to find anything and literally had a bunch of junk in it that we didn't need. I bought this junk drawer organizer and now it's so easy to find batteries!

Before:

After:

The last little projects were organizing Laila's supplies in the basement. Again, I used plastic totes from Target to store her grooming tools, treats, etc. Before this, her stuff was just kind of taking over the counter.

The next big project is going to be dealing with what used to be the office and is now a treadmill room. Yes, I have been putting this off for quite some time. Now that we don't have a desk in that room, we need to find another solution. I think we're going to get rid of our old desk and get something smaller that we can put in the basement. This is one possibility because it doesn't look too bulky and I like that it has a built in filing cabinet.

* This post can be filed under "Things I Do Instead of Writing Papers".

Pet Owner Guilt

So I know I'm ridiculous and treat my dog like a person, but I can't help it. I think it's because I don't have human kids yet. This weekend, Laila is going in the kennel for the first time and I'm starting to feel really bad about it!

She's only going to be there from Friday morning until Sunday morning, but I just picture her sitting in the kennel all by herself wondering where Gil & I are. I know she will probably be just fine, but I don't want her to be scarred for life. Again, I realize she's just a dog...but...

Tomorrow she is going to have a test-run with a half day of doggy day care just to make sure she does ok. I'm sure she'll love it.

Hopefully this weekend she'll get so tired during daycare that she'll just crash at night and won't even notice that we're not there!

Sporting her hot pink Gentle Leader

Laila in the backseat of the car...She loves a good car ride

Cool iPhone Apps

Gil & I just got iPhones and have been exploring the world of apps. One of my favorite apps is Fooducate. The app allows you to scan food barcodes (how cool is that?) to help you make more educated choices when grocery shopping. The app gives each food a grade and then offers a description of why the food may or may not be healthy. You can also click "alternatives" to get ideas of similar foods that may be a bit better for you. When I first got the app, I spent about 20 minutes in our kitchen scanning random objects. I know how to have a good time.

Another great app is Goodreads. I already use the Goodreads website- my sister and I like to recommend books to each other and keep up on what we're currently reading. The feature of the app that I think is really cool is that you can scan book barcodes to get book reviews and summaries.

The Betty Crocker Mobile Cookbook is another one of my favorites. I had it on my iPod Touch and used it a lot. There are tons of great recipes, including illustrations. Gotta have illustrations, if you ask me. One of the features that is useful is that you can sort recipes based on what main ingredient you already have on hand.

Another app that makes my life easier is OurGroceries. Basically it's just a grocery list, but the cool thing about it is that more than one person can access the list. So if someone else in your household remembers an item that needs to be added, they can do it from their phone.

I've already mentioned MyFitnessPal, but this really is a great app. You can also use this one from the website. It's basically a calorie counter and you can also add exercise throughout the day. It's pretty excited when you "earn" calories back for working out.

And...all of these apps are free!!

Checking In With Myself...

It's already February 21st, so I think it's about time I take a look back at the New Years Resolutions that I set to see how I'm doing.

Resolution #1 was to run 211 miles over the course of the year. I have to be honest, I haven't been running lately. The winter is a bad, bad time if you ask me. It's dark out when I leave for work & dark when I get home. I feel cooped up in the house and usually want to get in my pajamas immediately upon entering the house, thus skipping the whole workout part of my day. Lame, I know.

So...I haven't been running as often as I want, but so far I've racked up 52 miles. Decent. Although after talking to my best friend who was inspired by my mileage goal setting, she made her own goal- which blew mine out of the water. Haha. She's always been an overachiever. :)

Resolution #2 was to run the 10k in the Riverbank Run in May. Training started today and I did the obligatory 2 miles. So far, so good. Our treadmill is great!

Resolution #3 was to regularly use MyFitnessPal in the hopes of avoiding junk food. I will also be honest here...I used the program for about a week and then fell off the wagon. This totally defeats the purpose, but when I would eat something "bad" I just wouldn't use the program that day. I'm going to have to refocus myself on that one.

Resolution #4 was to stay organized. This one has also only been going okay. I have mid-winter vacation right now and plan to get some major organizing done around the house. Our house lacks some major closet space, so I've decided that I need to get a bit more creative with finding organization solutions and that I also need to use the closet space that we do have a bit more efficiently. In the classroom, I did some spring cleaning/organizing before leaving for the week.

Yes, This Did Happen...

Laila was invited to a [dog] birthday party last Saturday. Yes, those are party hats on top of their heads. The dogs were pretty excited about the party...Laila may or may not have caused the most havoc during the party.

Etsy Shop

I love Etsy. I mostly find jewelry that I love, but I tend to be a browser and don't end up buying anything.

I just found this Etsy shop called MD Sparks and found lots of cute necklaces I want!

Like this one,

this one,

this one,

and this one.

I'm thinking I need to buy one of them!

I Was Sooo Over Winter...Until We Got 2 Snow Days in a Row!!

I have been feeling the winter blahs lately. I haven't felt like doing a single thing when I get home from work- not homework, not running, nothin'. But my spirits have been lifted since we were given the gift of two snow days in a row this week! Gotta love a winter storm. Now I'm back to wanting spring to arrive.

I was playing out in the backyard with Laila today. She can't get enough of winter. She likes laying outside and sleeping. I, on the other hand, can't wait to come inside.