Pets

Well, if having 1 husband and 6 children is not enough, we have 4 pets. That's right, 4. We have a bunny, a cat, a dog and a mouse. We first got our bunny. His name is Scissors.



Back in September of 2008, Micah and I were going for a walk. When we were turning a corner he said, "Look Mom! There's a bunny!" I didn't believe him and said, "Oh, okay." He insisted. So, finally I looked, and there was a bunny there living in the culvert. I tried to catch him, but couldn't. And honestly, if I did, what would I have done with him? Strap him in the stroller with Micah?

Later that night, I drove past the same spot with my kids and the bunny was still there. Mark got out and caught him. Scissors peed on him right there in the car! Well, to make the story short, we kept the bunny and named him Scissors. We call him that for two reasons. One reason is because his ears go back and forth in a scissor motion and the second reason we discovered later. He chews everything! We would let him out to run around a lot in our tv room before we knew what he was doing. He chewed through our telephone cord, the vacuum cord, and the treadmill cord. It's a wonder he didn't get zapped and die! He also enjoys any kind of paper and clothes, too. Scissors' cage is in the basment where the dirty laundry lives. If a basket of clothes is near his cage and he can reach it, he will take a nibble. Mark has a couple of shirts with holes, as does John. I have some holes in my favorite workout pants! Darn bunny.

Scissors is a pretty low maintenance pet. Change his cage, feed him, water him, and take him outside. Now, catching him is another matter. Our backyard is pretty big and there are a lot of spots he can hide. It can be very tiring to catch him! It takes at least 2 people to round Scissors up.

Scissors also likes to fling poo. Isn't that nice? I'll go down in the basement and there's poo, flung on the floor. Good thing bunny poo looks like coco puffs and is pretty formed. Hee hee. Gross, nevertheless.

Next, we got our cat, Socks. Oh, Socks. We got him the day before Mark's birthday in May of 2009. I just couldn't pass him up. Outside of Walmart, there he was, being given away. Little did I know he would have a shoe fetish. If you're wondering about this, see an earlier post entitled "Socks and Shoes".



Socks is pretty nice...to me, John and Lincoln. Mark really knows how to get him riled up and hyper. (Thanks, Mark). He hides under the kitchen table and attacks little feet that wander by, minding their own business. (I'm referring to the cat here, not Mark).

Socks can never make up his mind whether he wants to be inside or out. I have to force him outside at times when he is especially amorous with a blanket we have, or John's work boots. Yuck. He likes to snuggle with me, too, which is sweet. But the other day, I was napping on the couch and I opened my eyes and THERE HE WAS, JUST STARING AT ME, INCHES FROM MY NOSE. It freaked me out.

The funny thing about Socks is that he is so calm around Lincoln. Whenever Lincoln cries, Socks comes running, seemingly curious about what is going on and how he can help. He usual does help! Lincoln loves Socks. He smiles and giggles when he sees him. He grabs his ear, or his tail or just a handful of fur and Socks does nothing. It is the sweetest thing.

Next we have Pluto. Pluto is our Beagle. This was my bright idea. Now, when I pictured us having a dog, it was very different from reality. I pictured the dog running carefree in the backyard, the kids running along side him, squealing. I imagined the kids playing fetch and teaching him how to sit and roll over. I imagined taking the dog for walks and taking him camping. This dog was to be a part of our family. Nowhere in my imagintion did I picture poop, and lots of it!



But, Pluto does poop. Did I mention that he poops a lot? When he was little, we had him inside. It was in October of 2009, so it wasn't cold out yet. So after maybe a week, he ended up outside. I can handle baby poo, but not doggy poo. I felt sorry for him, so John built him a home inside our detached garage and cut out a doggy door. Pluto also has his very own heater! So, he is now an outside dog, with luxury. But, he still poops. It is really gross. Thankfully Savannah cleans it up. She is such a good helper.

It is so ironic that the dog was my idea, but I don't really like him. He's sweet, but he smells...like dog. Also, he likes to lick. Okay, do you know where his tongue has been? I'm sorry, but I don't want his tongue to touch me. I don't mind patting his head, but as soon as I do, he flips on his back and wants me to rub his belly. Ewwww!!! I try to be nice and what does he do? He turns over and spreads his legs! John may have me convinced to get a female Beagle. I don't want another dog, but maybe if Pluto gets his jollies, I can pat his head without him taking it the wrong way!

Finally we have a *shutter* a mouse. Yuck. Ewwwww. I mean, really, what can I say? His name is Stormy and he is a rodent and he is gross. Savannah tried to get me to warm up to him, so she held him up over my lap so I could see how cute he is. And then he pooped in my lap. Not a good first impression. He is in a cage and he is in Savannah's room and that is where he shall remain all the days of his life if we are to live in the same house.



Pets are good, though. My kids have learned how to clean litter boxes, scoop poop in the backyard, and clean bunny and mouse cages. They feed and water the pets. They play with the pets, too. It has given them responsibility over another living thing. I admit, there have been times when it hasn't gone very smooth. I have to get after them to care for the animals. But they thoroughly enjoy these creatures that have become a part of our family! And Pluto is now trained to sit, stay, fetch and shake! It is so sweet. Maybe I like him after all...just a little.

Cynthia

Things I Don't Like (Hate is such a harsh word.)

I really didn't want to have a negative post like this, but since I've had a crummy week and it's what I'm feeling...I shall cave in and be negative.

1. Drama. I will avoid it at all costs. The sky is not falling. Chill out.

2. Hypocrites. I am really struggling with going to church. It makes it more difficult to go when I read on facebook the comments made by leaders in my ward at church that are so anti-Christian. I am not perfect. But, when you are in a calling like that...you need to really be careful because people watch what you do and read what you write on FB! BTW, I am a hypocrite, for the record.

3. People that are upset with me, but don't tell me. They tell someone else, who tells me FOR them. Hello? Are we in grade school? If you have a problem with me, talk to me. I don't bite and I will have more respect for you if you do.

4. Women who wear fake fingernails and rat their hair in the back that makes a big BUMP. Maybe I'm not stylish, but I think the hair is weird. And how can you do anything (including wipe your butt), when you have fake nails?

5. Talkative cashiers. I have experienced this mainly at Walmart. Being friendly is nice. Say hello, ask if I found everything okay. But when you start telling me your life story or give me advice, I shut down. I can't handle it. I just want to pay for my stuff and leave, thank you.

6. Snobs. Enough said.

7. How fat I've gotten. I am working on this, but it is very hard. I keep telling myself that I need to take one step at a time. I didn't get fat overnight, I won't get skinny overnight either. On that same note, it is so annoying when skinny or normal sized people think they are fat. PA-lease!!! And when they say that in front of me--an obviously overweight person! Hello!?!?

8. People who dress for church like they're going to the beach (flip-flops) or going to a club (can you say T-R-A-M-P?). Seriously. Church is the one place I shouldn't have to worry about what I'm gonna see. (Cleavage, upper-thigh. Are you serious???)

9. Winter in Utah. I grew up in Southern California. It was pretty much 70 degrees year round. I miss it. I feel so depressed and BLAH from about November to April here. It really is a problem for me.

10. People who are always cheery and talk in a high-pitched happy voice. I'm not against being happy. I also understand using baby talk...I do it with Lincoln and I talked that way when my older kids were babies. But, I'm not a baby and those kind of voices are like nails on a chalk board. Sometimes the pitch is so high, I can barely hear it (which is nice).

Sorry if I offended anyone! Post a comment letting me know if you have an issue with anything I said, otherwise you will go in #3 on my "Things I Don't Like" list! Tee Hee...

Cynthia

Step Two

Another installment on the Twelve Step Program I'm involved in through my church:

Step Two: HOPE
Key Principle: Come to believe that the power of God can restore you to complete spiritual health.

"If we turn to the Lord, there will be no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness."--Boyd K. Packer

Step one was fairly easy for me. I basically came to a point where I knew that the direction my life was headed was not a good one. I contemplated going to the meetings for probably a month. When I finally did go, I knew it was where I was supposed to be.

This second step is a tough one. So often, I feel like the tender mercies of the Lord are reserved for others, but for me? No way! I'm not rigtheous enough or good enough, etc. But, the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all. I know this, but maybe don't FEEL it right now. I have shut the Lord out of my life, and feel like I need to get my life in order before I can approach him again. Just typing that seems so silly. It doesn't make sense.

For so long, I have tried to overcome my weaknesses by myself, with sheer willpower. I know I need to replace that trust in myself (which clearly hasn't worked) with faith in the love and power of Jesus Christ.

This step is the first to have action steps. They are to pray and to read and ponder the scripturs. It's about simply becoming willing to practice believing in the love and mercy of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the accessibility and blessing of the Holy Ghost. It is to watch for evidence of Their love.

A scripture that was shared last week has really helped me. It is 2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new." I know that scripture is true and it says ANY man (or woman). That includes me! I have a small hope right now, but that's all that is needed, just a tiny bit. "If ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" (Alma 32:27).

Now, if you look closely (or sometimes not too closesly), you can see dust in my house. I think about a particle of dust. It's pretty small! So, right now, with my faith and hope, that are the size of a particle of dust sitting right there on my blinds, if that is enough...I know I can do this! Let that desire work in me means that I hang on to my particle and then DO THE WORK, even if I'm not feeling it. Pray, even if I don't want to. Read the scriptures, even if I don't always understand. It's about taking the steps, little by little.

As far as my addiction to food goes, I've just tried to be AWARE. I'm not on a program or anything. I am asking myself if I'm really hungry. If I'm bored (which frankly seems like it'd be impossible in our house), then I play the piano, or organize a shelf. If I'm upset, I write my feelings down in my journal. If I'm tired, and it's feasible, I take a nap, or at least lie down and rest. I have a big problem with eating at night. So, I try to replace that habit with taking a bubble bath, or writing, or reading scriptures, or simply going to bed. It's about not sleepwalking anymore. I feel like I've been in a trance, just going through the motions of my life. And now, I'm finally waking up. It's good to be awake! "Awake and arouse your faculties." I think I may write a list of alternatives to eating and keep it posted on the fridge. There is nothing wrong with eating. It is when eating is "used" when you're not really hungry.

Cynthia