A Big Dog... (In My HOUSE!!!)

Okay this is way out of my comfort zone here!!... There is a big, (I think ugly) black, slobbery dog here at our house and she is in the HOUSE!! If you know me and my slight obsession for a clean/tidy house you will know that this is beyond anything that I would have bargained for!

I love my big boys and will do almost anything for them, including adjusting and trying to love there dog, but I am kind of struggling with this one! The dog was an Internet sale that I was a bit suspicious about since there was some questions on her papers, and the owner wanted to meet Dave somewhere along the road to make the transaction. Dave was willing to take the risk and he thinks the boys really got a deal here, since she is exactly what they were looking for. The price was better then any other they had seen yet even though this is a pretty pricey breed type.

Anyway this dog is named "Sasha". She came well trained and she scratches the door every time she needs to go out. The boys take her out to the field where we hope she will leave her droppings,  she goes every time they take her out. BUT this morning when everybody was out except me and this dog, it was me that had to take her out when she scratched on the door and today it is raining and it's not just a drizzle either! I take out the dog and as I wait for her to do her job in the pouring down rain I ask myself... What have I gotten myself into here!!???

The dog is friendly to us so far and she seems very calm when we are around. I got a few chew toys for her along with a food and water dish. She seems to love when the kids spend time with her but I can't wait to send them outside! The dog was used to the house so we hate to put her alone in the garage but I watch her take a drink and lots of slobbery stuff  drools out of her mouth when she is done drinking! It goes on the floor then she walks in it and stuff!!

We have a table stretched out from the computer desk to the garage counter so she is confined to the entryway. So far she has respected these boundaries even though she knows she can push the table aside to cross the line. She does sit, shake a pal and loves to play fetch! I think having her a bit older was an advantage or so I thought....

We are borrowing Jonathan's kennel thingy but I didn't think we needed it since she slept all night on the dog bed nicely. (Justin slept in the entryway on the air mattress!) This morning as I was taking the kids to school she did fine and was laying on the dog bed when I returned... I thought "What a well behaved dog"... Here is Javon meeting her for the first time...

Well I was out for a few hours for buddy day today and I guess I should have known to put her in the kennel thingy because this is what I came home to today after only a few hours out...

And YES that is a poop and a pee pile!!! The toilet paper from the powder room! I flipped out and she went straight into the kennel as I cleaned the floor up twice I got a fan going and my oil infuser with a good smelling oil.

 All is okay again but I'm ready for a sunny day since the dampness kind of keeps the air heavy and I'm not sure if it's my imagination but I think the whole house smells like dog now! I don't like the wet kids feet in and out then yet a dog with enormous pals! I blew out the garage and laid down some carpets. I know I'm maybe a bit dramatic here but this is not my comfort zone at all... My husband is known to take me out of my comfort zone from time to time and now I have to deal with these boys yet...:}

This big boy stage we are in is a blast but I get moments that I'm like "Wow is this what it's like to have big boys" Like when I shoot bucks!! It a blast but this is the first that I have to pretend to really like a dog that I would never have dreamt I would ever have on my property let alone in my house!...:}

We will be adjusting for awhile yet I can tell! The cat loves the garage and especially on rainy days but today I have yet to see her! She is probably horrified under the shed! I hope they meet soon and make friends since we appreciate our cat keeping the mice out around here!

Buddy day today was fun. It's always good to catch up with friends we don't see very much. What do we talk about?? Mom things since we are all mothers... husband and children and the topic was food from time to time today to which is a passion of mine so it got interesting at times and I felt like I did way to much of the talking today.

Jordan has brought about a new conversation for me, all the research I have been doing and all the things I have been learning about health and how it is related to the food we eat as Americans, I find it hard to be quiet at times yet it can be so overwhelming to people that are not on the health journey with me. I still want to be classed as normal!! I don't want people to apologize for an unhealthy lunch that they are serving just because I'm there! I don't want people to wonder what I would think if I saw  there grocery shopping habits! I do not judge anybody and I definitely know it takes time to change the way we feed our families!! Baby stepping is still what I go back to and I think this is the only way to go if we want it to become a life style! Otherwise we burn out and become way to stressed out!

"Trim Healthy Momma" seems to be the popular thing right now. I'm so happy that it works for so many people! I think the book has some great tips to follow for a healthy lifestyle and food journey! Whatever the motivation it needs to become a lifestyle and not just a diet for a short time or just until we reach the goal we are anticipating.

If we go into it with a goal in mind and then stop the diet or the baby steps once we reach that goal, or even get tired of it before we reach it, the end results are never good,  we end up back where we started. And more discouraged then ever!

I grew up chubby and was self conscious as a teenager. I was on countless diets over the years. I lost weight every time but looking back now I can see why they didn't work in the long run! I do feel they were an important part of my journey though, since learning as I go works best for me. People can tell me whatever they want about diets and lifestyle change but everybody does it different including me, so in the end your way will not be my way and we have to be okay with not comparing our way to those around us! I do not think everybody needs to baby step either. Some people choose to go through the house and get rid of all the unhealthy foods and start over from there, and it works! But for me this would have been to overwhelming to do it all at once!

I find following a book or diet of any kind does not work for me. I do not even like a cookbook to much! I like adding healthy foods to our diet in the "baby steps" way and eventually the healthy foods will squash out the bad foods because we realize how much better we feel on them! The same with exercise! If we hate it we will not make it a lifestyle! Find an exercise that you really enjoy and after a while it will be like a drug that your body craves. Keep in mind you might not like it at first... I HATED running at first! I love it now! I cannot tell you anymore how long it took for me to like it but it was pretty long I think! But it was worth sticking it out because I feel like it has become a stress outlet for me and it opens up the creative side of my brain and gets rid of the cobwebs!...:)

Did you know foods like Gluten, Dairy, and Sugar are like a drug!?? If we decide we are going to do without them we need to replace the food with something else like Almond milk and healthy fats or find that healthy alternative to that bad food. They are out there even if it takes a bit more effort to find them at first!

I'm rambling again!!... It must be a rainy day...:)

I'm off to check on the dog situation downstairs!...:}