Family Best: Life, Family, Farm, Fun, Food and Everything Else Under The North Georgia Mountains Sun!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Toddler burned with iron
What goes through a person's mind that allows them the ability to injure or even murder a child or anyone for that matter? Another shocking story in the news about a child being abused! The Texas story about the woman that murdered her infant is still heavy in the headlines and now another story to make my heart ache! READ MORE
School Open House
Knowing the right questions to ask your child's teacher is important at school open house. There isn't a lot of time with all the other parents and students there, so have a few that are important to you to ask, and then send the rest of the questions by email. This will set up a form of communication between you and your child's teacher and will give the teacher time to answer the questions properly. Find out quality questions and ways to volunteer, to help keep you active in your child's school life.
Today starts the Tax-Free shopping weekend
It's the start of shopping and this weekend is tax-free! Get ready for back to school by going after the discounts and sales that retailers are offering. READ MORE
H1N1 Protection for Pregnant women
The reports are out that a pregnant woman needs protection from the H1N1 virus. They will be among others to have the vaccine offered first. Every one should get vaccinated for the seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus, but those with illnesses, the elderly, small children and pregnant women will come first. READ MORE
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Teachers work for free
The Georgia budget is in trouble and Governor Sonny Perdue is making cuts. He has implemented a furlough for teachers. This means they work to set up classrooms and get ready for students for free or take 3 days off before the end of the year. READ MORE
Tragedy in Texas
The tragedy in Texas that hit the news is shocking. Otty Sanchez murdered her 3 1/2 week old infant and inflicted wounds upon herself. This story is becoming to common with mothers murdering their children in the news. READ MORE
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Traveling with kids
Taking a trip with children can cause a great deal of stress on parents. Although, creating memories for the family is ideal, better memories and more fun is had for all when we pack and organize the trip to suit the children. READ MORE
Monday, July 27, 2009
Summer is nearing an end but there are still memories to be made
Although summer is coming to an end and school will be starting again soon, there are plenty of things to do with your kids. Spending afternoons making memories that will last a lifetime is important when raising kids. Take a little time to find something affordable and exciting to do with your family. READ MORE
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Playground safety and children
Taking a child to the park for the afternoon is memory making fun. The playground can be an exciting place for a child to play. Climbing and swinging and going down the slide. Safety is important as injuries on playgrounds are astounding. READ MORE
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Asthma in children
Stress can cause asthma in children, along with other triggers. This new research is concerning to a parent. There are more and more children diagnosed with asthma each year and parents need to be educated on asthma even if their child hasn't been diagnosed to be aware of symptoms and triggers. All children should live in healthy environments. Read More
Friday, July 24, 2009
Family coming to visit
I love when family comes to visit, once they get here and we all say our hellos and I can take that deep breath and relax. The week prior is like a military regime in my house trying to get the kids to clean their rooms and get everything in what I call "company order" It's not hard and my house isn't that messy, its' just ME and my panic mode. I don't know why I worry so much about a magazine being left out or the kids room looking messy. It makes me crazy and I want my home to look perfect when visitors arrive.
Now that today is the day I'm on the panic mode of what to do to entertain them. Do they even want to be entertained or do they want to sit around and relax. I never know and try to offer up suggestions either way, but do I sound like I'm trying to push one way or the other? I hope not, I'm just trying to be a gracious host.
Living so close to Atlanta there is a plethora of things to do with visitors or just with the family. It's almost overwhelming all the things that are around that are fun and entertaining. We live in the North Georgia mountains and just visiting areas around here can take up more than a weekend. I love where we live, its so central to culture and scenery and within two hours we can be in another state looking for their fun activities as well.
My hopes are that this weekend goes well and everyone has a great time, including myself if I can relax a little bit, and I have some amazing photos to show off on my blog.
I'm going to make something yummy that will feed a large crowd and the kids love and that's spaghetti. It's my traditional visitors dinner when I know I'm going to feed an army. I used to work all day putting together my sauce, but have streamlined it down to as Sandra Lee says "Semi Homemade". The best thing about my sauce is that I always get rave reviews as if I had slaved over it all day!
Jaymie's Spaghetti Sauce:
4 cans Hunts garlic and Herb spaghetti sauce
1 can Hunts Italian style chopped tomatoes
1 can Hunts tomato paste
1 beer, any kind will do
2 lbs ground beef
2 small cans mushrooms,(I use one container of fresh sometimes)
1 small onion chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I go light on this it can be overwhelming)
Brown the ground beef and chopped onion together and drain off fat. Place the ground beef, sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, mushrooms and seasonings into the pot. Let simmer for one hour on low heat. Serve over cooked noodles of your choice (spaghetti, angel hair, vermicelli)
Now that today is the day I'm on the panic mode of what to do to entertain them. Do they even want to be entertained or do they want to sit around and relax. I never know and try to offer up suggestions either way, but do I sound like I'm trying to push one way or the other? I hope not, I'm just trying to be a gracious host.
Living so close to Atlanta there is a plethora of things to do with visitors or just with the family. It's almost overwhelming all the things that are around that are fun and entertaining. We live in the North Georgia mountains and just visiting areas around here can take up more than a weekend. I love where we live, its so central to culture and scenery and within two hours we can be in another state looking for their fun activities as well.
My hopes are that this weekend goes well and everyone has a great time, including myself if I can relax a little bit, and I have some amazing photos to show off on my blog.
I'm going to make something yummy that will feed a large crowd and the kids love and that's spaghetti. It's my traditional visitors dinner when I know I'm going to feed an army. I used to work all day putting together my sauce, but have streamlined it down to as Sandra Lee says "Semi Homemade". The best thing about my sauce is that I always get rave reviews as if I had slaved over it all day!
Jaymie's Spaghetti Sauce:
4 cans Hunts garlic and Herb spaghetti sauce
1 can Hunts Italian style chopped tomatoes
1 can Hunts tomato paste
1 beer, any kind will do
2 lbs ground beef
2 small cans mushrooms,(I use one container of fresh sometimes)
1 small onion chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I go light on this it can be overwhelming)
Brown the ground beef and chopped onion together and drain off fat. Place the ground beef, sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, mushrooms and seasonings into the pot. Let simmer for one hour on low heat. Serve over cooked noodles of your choice (spaghetti, angel hair, vermicelli)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Cooking with your kids
I enjoy getting into the kitchen with my kids, teaching them how to cook and bake and knowing that they will be able to survive when adults. What is the saying give him a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime. That is my philosophy with cooking and my children. Around age 6 I will start letting them use the toaster and the microwave and we move up from there into baking and cooking full course meals. Now that my children are older they love food competitions. I give them $20.00 and take them to the store they have a theme, ground beef or chicken or a vegetable and they have to make a dish. It's a steal from food networks food challenge shows, but made for home fun. It brings out the best in them and they are so proud of their hard work. My husband and I will judge along with a neighbor or friend. It's a lot of fun and this summer they have had a few cooking competitions. Most recently a ground beef competition where my 14 year old son made a delicious baked ziti and my 10 year old, now 11 years old made a Mexican ground beef casserole. They were hard to judge both being so tasty. Recently my daughter made monkey bread and I wanted to share the recipe. Maybe you could share it with your child.
16 to 20 whole pecans
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 10 oz cans refrigerator biscuits
Directions:
Grease a muffin pan. Place 2 or 3 whole pecans in each cup, and sprinkle half of the chopped pecans over them. In a saucepan melt the butter. Add the sugar, water, and the remaining chopped nuts. Cut the biscuits in thirds and roll into balls. Place 3 in each cup, then drizzle with sauce. Add 2 balls and drizzle with the remaining sauce. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes.
16 to 20 whole pecans
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 10 oz cans refrigerator biscuits
Directions:
Grease a muffin pan. Place 2 or 3 whole pecans in each cup, and sprinkle half of the chopped pecans over them. In a saucepan melt the butter. Add the sugar, water, and the remaining chopped nuts. Cut the biscuits in thirds and roll into balls. Place 3 in each cup, then drizzle with sauce. Add 2 balls and drizzle with the remaining sauce. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Find out about recalls
There are a lot of product recalls, that we don't hear about on the news or in the newspaper. That leaves me a bit concerned but I am not going to be left in the dark. I've learned to check for the recalls myself on a regular basis.
For instance, just today there have been 5 child seat recalls. This is alarming because how many people strapped their child into one of these child safety seats today?
There are food product recalls this week and how many people have consumed those products and we know nothing about it? You have to look for yourself but you will be shocked to see how many recalls are happening that the public isn't warned about until it's too late!
For instance, just today there have been 5 child seat recalls. This is alarming because how many people strapped their child into one of these child safety seats today?
There are food product recalls this week and how many people have consumed those products and we know nothing about it? You have to look for yourself but you will be shocked to see how many recalls are happening that the public isn't warned about until it's too late!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Birthdays and Big Days
My daughter turned eleven this week and her birthday isn't just one day its everyday of the week in her mind. But, we all accommodate her because we all love birthdays around here. She got her precious puppy Ziggy a week early and has been babying him like mad and hes already rotten. We had cake and a nice dinner on Wednesday for her actual birthday. We went to the park on Tuesday for a picnic for her pre-birthday and are out to bowling and the movies tomorrow for her post birthday. It's an exhausting week for everyone but we are all enjoying the special fun. We are going to see Ice Age in 3D tomorrow then to bowl a few games with her friends. It should be good, I've heard great things about the film.
A few pictures of Keegan and Ziggy at the park:
Aren't they cute?
Looking forward to the weekend and then getting life back to normal, at least until the next birthday comes around!
A few pictures of Keegan and Ziggy at the park:
Aren't they cute?
Looking forward to the weekend and then getting life back to normal, at least until the next birthday comes around!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Avocado in Tortilla Cups
Try this great recipe for a snack in the afternoon or a side dish with dinner. This also makes a great appetizer for parties or luncheons. This is a diabetic friendly and Vegetarian recipe, but is yummy for everyone!
(makes 40 pieces)
10 6-inch corn tortillas
vegetable cooking spray
3 large ripe avocados
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt, drained
1 large plum tomato, seeded and finely minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots or red onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
10 pitted ripe olives for garnish
minced fresh cilantro for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 375°F Lightly spray mini-muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Cut tortillas into quarters. Mist tortilla quarters with water and place 1 quarter in each muffin cup opening, pushing down in the center to form a cup. Spray again with cooking spay. Bake until cups are golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Tip out the cups and cool on a rack.
3. Cut avocados in half lengthwise; remove and discard the pits. Using a spoon worked in between the flesh and the skin, remove the avocado half from the skin. Cut the avocado into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Using a large mixing spoon, mix the avocado with the yogurt, mashing the avocado as you mix to a chunky consistency. Stir in tomato, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, chili powder, and cayenne. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Cut each olive into 4 crosswise slices. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. To assemble, spoon some of the avocado mixture into each tortilla cup. Sprinkle the top of each with some of the minced cilantro and top with an olive slice. Arrange on a large serving platter.
Per 2-piece serving: 95 calories (45% calories from fat), 3 g protein, 5 g total fat (0.8 g saturated fat), 11 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 25 mg sodium
Diabetic exchanges: 1/2 carbohydrate (bread/starch), 1 fat
(Image credit: Google Images)
(Recipe Credit: http://www.diabetic-recipes.com/recipes.htm)
(makes 40 pieces)
10 6-inch corn tortillas
vegetable cooking spray
3 large ripe avocados
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt, drained
1 large plum tomato, seeded and finely minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots or red onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
10 pitted ripe olives for garnish
minced fresh cilantro for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 375°F Lightly spray mini-muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Cut tortillas into quarters. Mist tortilla quarters with water and place 1 quarter in each muffin cup opening, pushing down in the center to form a cup. Spray again with cooking spay. Bake until cups are golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Tip out the cups and cool on a rack.
3. Cut avocados in half lengthwise; remove and discard the pits. Using a spoon worked in between the flesh and the skin, remove the avocado half from the skin. Cut the avocado into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Using a large mixing spoon, mix the avocado with the yogurt, mashing the avocado as you mix to a chunky consistency. Stir in tomato, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, chili powder, and cayenne. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Cut each olive into 4 crosswise slices. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. To assemble, spoon some of the avocado mixture into each tortilla cup. Sprinkle the top of each with some of the minced cilantro and top with an olive slice. Arrange on a large serving platter.
Per 2-piece serving: 95 calories (45% calories from fat), 3 g protein, 5 g total fat (0.8 g saturated fat), 11 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 25 mg sodium
Diabetic exchanges: 1/2 carbohydrate (bread/starch), 1 fat
(Image credit: Google Images)
(Recipe Credit: http://www.diabetic-recipes.com/recipes.htm)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
YouData
There is a great little extra money earner that I have been using and I can't keep secret any longer. After signing up and trying it for a couple of weeks to see if it was legitimate I am ready to say that YouData is the real deal. You click on advertisements and get paid a few cents for them and they deposit the funds into your Paypal every Friday like clockwork. No matter how small the amount is you get your deposit. It is a new program getting off the ground so you won't get rich quick but if you are willing to try it you will be adding a little something into your Paypal account every week and that can add up. It's better than digging through the sofa for change isn't it? Sign up today and start adding your money to your account every week.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Doggone Good Oatmeal Cookies for the Pups!
Make a sweet tasty treat for your puppies! If your dogs are like mine, they love things from the kitchen. Feeling like they just got something special after watching you cook, you can treat them with these great little cookies, just for the dogs!
Oatmeal Cookies for the Pups
2 cups cooked rice
2 packages Regular Flavor Instant Oatmeal
(mixed with 3/4 cup milk)
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup carrots pureed
1/3 cup spinach
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tbsp brown gravy mix
4 tbsp applesauce
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Stir Ingredients together, adding flour gradually. Drop by spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before offering to your pups!
Makes approx. 20 cookies
Oatmeal Cookies for the Pups
2 cups cooked rice
2 packages Regular Flavor Instant Oatmeal
(mixed with 3/4 cup milk)
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup carrots pureed
1/3 cup spinach
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tbsp brown gravy mix
4 tbsp applesauce
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Stir Ingredients together, adding flour gradually. Drop by spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before offering to your pups!
Makes approx. 20 cookies
Cheesecake Dip for Fruit
Summer weather brings wonderful fruit in season and it's time to have cool light desserts for the family. I just made cheesecake dip for the kids to dip their fruit into and it was the perfect ending to a nice grilled meal.
Try this recipe:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
Fresh Fruit Dippers: Whole Strawberries, Cut-up Peaches, Nectarines, Kiwifruit; Pineapple, Cantaloupe, Banana, Apples and even Grapes
Graham cracker crumbs for topping
1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream, sugar, milk and extract; mix until smooth. Spoon mixture into a serving bowl.
2. To Serve: Arrange fresh fruit on a serving platter around the bowl of Cheesecake Dip and sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top and you can add a bowl of graham cracker crumbs to roll their dipped fruit into for added crunch.
Makes about 2 cups dip.
*1/2 teaspoon almond extract can be used in place of the vanilla, if desired.
Try this recipe:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
Fresh Fruit Dippers: Whole Strawberries, Cut-up Peaches, Nectarines, Kiwifruit; Pineapple, Cantaloupe, Banana, Apples and even Grapes
Graham cracker crumbs for topping
1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream, sugar, milk and extract; mix until smooth. Spoon mixture into a serving bowl.
2. To Serve: Arrange fresh fruit on a serving platter around the bowl of Cheesecake Dip and sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top and you can add a bowl of graham cracker crumbs to roll their dipped fruit into for added crunch.
Makes about 2 cups dip.
*1/2 teaspoon almond extract can be used in place of the vanilla, if desired.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Adjustments
Ziggy is getting adjusted to his new home and he plays with all the energy he can muster running like a bolt of lightning, at least in his mind. He is hilarious to watch. He has no fear, in true chihuahua disposition and will stand up on his hind legs and nip and wrestle with the other dogs, even trying to take their toys from them. When he's expended all the energy he can muster he just passes out. He has kept us all quite entertained and laughing often the last two days.
He and Phoebe have gotten quite close, they wrestle and he jumps on her back but she loves every moment of it being the mommy dog and loving to nurture. She has missed not having puppies in the house since we got her spayed.
Smoochie is still trying to figure out if he likes the new puppy or not. He is beginning to play with him and is less concerned he will get the attention of everyone, but is still trying to take everything away from him and keeps a bit of a "I'm still the baby" attitude as you can see in his photo, he's sticking out his tongue at him!
When Ziggy has run out of energy he sleeps like a rock and is adorable! Who can resist a darling sleeping puppy or child? They are so sweet when they are sleeping aren't they?
He seems to be adjusting to the camera in his face all the time. He doesn't mind the flash but sometimes he does seem to think "Are you done yet?" I'm sure he feels like a celebrity being chased by paparazzi.
Who can resist loving this precious boy? He's just so photogenic and sweet and is going to be quite feisty as he continues to grow and adjust to his new home.
He and Phoebe have gotten quite close, they wrestle and he jumps on her back but she loves every moment of it being the mommy dog and loving to nurture. She has missed not having puppies in the house since we got her spayed.
Smoochie is still trying to figure out if he likes the new puppy or not. He is beginning to play with him and is less concerned he will get the attention of everyone, but is still trying to take everything away from him and keeps a bit of a "I'm still the baby" attitude as you can see in his photo, he's sticking out his tongue at him!
When Ziggy has run out of energy he sleeps like a rock and is adorable! Who can resist a darling sleeping puppy or child? They are so sweet when they are sleeping aren't they?
He seems to be adjusting to the camera in his face all the time. He doesn't mind the flash but sometimes he does seem to think "Are you done yet?" I'm sure he feels like a celebrity being chased by paparazzi.
Who can resist loving this precious boy? He's just so photogenic and sweet and is going to be quite feisty as he continues to grow and adjust to his new home.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Welcome Ziggy!
Introducing the new addition to our family our tiny Chihuahua, Ziggy! He is 7 weeks old and is full of energy when he's not sleeping. What an adorable joy he is already in our household and to our family.
He came home last night and the Dachshunds were very excited to get to know him. Phoebe, our female immediately wanted to baby him and mother him.
Delbert our older male dachshund was interested and probably was thinking "oh no, another baby" but very gentle and loving.
Smoochie was a little more weary being that he has always been the baby in the house the offspring of Delbert and Phoebe and very spoiled by everyone. However, he is trying to get to know Ziggy and just wants to take the toys from him but otherwise is getting adjusted.
Ziggy seems to be quite happy with his new home and hasn't whined or cried once yet. He is eating well and sleeping a lot like babies do and is enjoying going outdoors every couple of hours with the other dogs. He is precious and tiny. He is about 12 ounces in weight and is 6 inches tall, if that! He is about the size of a soda can. Our daughter Keegan is his little mommy and shes taking very good care of him around the clock.
The entire family is enamored with this adorable darling and we can't believe how we all fell in love immediately. His personality is not quite showing through but you can tell that he will be quite feisty when he gets a bit older.
There will be many stories to tell and exciting adventures ahead for our family and Ziggy as he begins to grow up in our household and part of our family. We look forward to sharing them with everyone.
He came home last night and the Dachshunds were very excited to get to know him. Phoebe, our female immediately wanted to baby him and mother him.
Delbert our older male dachshund was interested and probably was thinking "oh no, another baby" but very gentle and loving.
Smoochie was a little more weary being that he has always been the baby in the house the offspring of Delbert and Phoebe and very spoiled by everyone. However, he is trying to get to know Ziggy and just wants to take the toys from him but otherwise is getting adjusted.
Ziggy seems to be quite happy with his new home and hasn't whined or cried once yet. He is eating well and sleeping a lot like babies do and is enjoying going outdoors every couple of hours with the other dogs. He is precious and tiny. He is about 12 ounces in weight and is 6 inches tall, if that! He is about the size of a soda can. Our daughter Keegan is his little mommy and shes taking very good care of him around the clock.
The entire family is enamored with this adorable darling and we can't believe how we all fell in love immediately. His personality is not quite showing through but you can tell that he will be quite feisty when he gets a bit older.
There will be many stories to tell and exciting adventures ahead for our family and Ziggy as he begins to grow up in our household and part of our family. We look forward to sharing them with everyone.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Adventure Begins
The adventure is just beginning although the search seemed exhausting. Wading through experiments with advertising on the Internet and emailing and visiting to see if we could find the new baby for our home has seemed tedious. Finally, a litter of three male Chihuahua's needing a home, in the right price range and from a home that was loving and a mommy dog that was just adorable found me. To save a lot of heartache and whining from the family, I did a little research on my own and any of the three baby boys would be perfect. Now, the excitement begins when we take the family to pick out which one we want and bring the new darling home to begin its new life.
This evening we will venture out and bring one of the boys home. What will we name him? Do you have any suggestions? All will be considered so please feel free to give us some name suggestions! That will be a large debate as the evening progresses and there will be arguing as the perfect name for our new baby boy rings true and sticks. The three dachshunds will be excited and perplexed with the new addition as I'm sure they have not paid any attention to the discussions on the new puppy. I am sure the evening will run late into the night with the family buzzing and rambunctious over our addition.
The first thing to do before going to get our new joyful baby is to make a stop at the store to gather some supplies. You have to be prepared for a new puppy and have some items on hand before we go and get him. Puppy food is the main thing we need first, and being that I've already done a little pre-puppy investigation, we know what kind we need to purchase. It's always good to keep the puppy on the same food it has been eating so that there aren't any tummy troubles right away. There is enough stress in the babies life living its mother and siblings and going into a new place you don't want to change its diet as well. A collar and leash to begin training early, although a new tiny puppy isn't going to wander off, it's always good to get them used to it as early as possible. Chew toys for those needle sharp puppy teeth to grind into and something soft and warm to cuddle up with makes the transition a little easier on the puppy. A package of puppy potty pads are a must with a new puppy in the house. I can't speak more highly of this product, having had puppies from my dachshunds, I know they work wonders and whatever makes the puppy go right to them is a miracle.
Some ground rules for the children need to be set beforehand so that there isn't a lot of stressful arguing and the puppy doesn't get scared. Everyone will want to hold him and have him with them at all times. Puppies need a lot of love and attention but don't need to be smothered. A schedule as close to the one the puppy has been living with will need to be worked into our schedule. Having the kids home during summer vacation is quite helpful for taking the puppy outside often when I don't have the time and by the time school starts the puppy will be used to its new routine. Puppies sleep a lot and need their rest as well, so making sure the new baby gets plenty of quality sleep and play time when he needs it will be mandatory.
The excitement is brewing and I know the family will be head over heels in love with our new baby boy. I am so excited I can hardly wait for this evening for all of us to go and get him. This journey will be exciting and there will be frustration ahead, happiness, entertainment and humor not to mention late night crying and going outside in the middle of the night for potty trips and most of all a lot of little kisses from our new joyful addition.
Stay tuned for updates and new adventures as our life begins this new journey with our new addition!
This evening we will venture out and bring one of the boys home. What will we name him? Do you have any suggestions? All will be considered so please feel free to give us some name suggestions! That will be a large debate as the evening progresses and there will be arguing as the perfect name for our new baby boy rings true and sticks. The three dachshunds will be excited and perplexed with the new addition as I'm sure they have not paid any attention to the discussions on the new puppy. I am sure the evening will run late into the night with the family buzzing and rambunctious over our addition.
The first thing to do before going to get our new joyful baby is to make a stop at the store to gather some supplies. You have to be prepared for a new puppy and have some items on hand before we go and get him. Puppy food is the main thing we need first, and being that I've already done a little pre-puppy investigation, we know what kind we need to purchase. It's always good to keep the puppy on the same food it has been eating so that there aren't any tummy troubles right away. There is enough stress in the babies life living its mother and siblings and going into a new place you don't want to change its diet as well. A collar and leash to begin training early, although a new tiny puppy isn't going to wander off, it's always good to get them used to it as early as possible. Chew toys for those needle sharp puppy teeth to grind into and something soft and warm to cuddle up with makes the transition a little easier on the puppy. A package of puppy potty pads are a must with a new puppy in the house. I can't speak more highly of this product, having had puppies from my dachshunds, I know they work wonders and whatever makes the puppy go right to them is a miracle.
Some ground rules for the children need to be set beforehand so that there isn't a lot of stressful arguing and the puppy doesn't get scared. Everyone will want to hold him and have him with them at all times. Puppies need a lot of love and attention but don't need to be smothered. A schedule as close to the one the puppy has been living with will need to be worked into our schedule. Having the kids home during summer vacation is quite helpful for taking the puppy outside often when I don't have the time and by the time school starts the puppy will be used to its new routine. Puppies sleep a lot and need their rest as well, so making sure the new baby gets plenty of quality sleep and play time when he needs it will be mandatory.
The excitement is brewing and I know the family will be head over heels in love with our new baby boy. I am so excited I can hardly wait for this evening for all of us to go and get him. This journey will be exciting and there will be frustration ahead, happiness, entertainment and humor not to mention late night crying and going outside in the middle of the night for potty trips and most of all a lot of little kisses from our new joyful addition.
Stay tuned for updates and new adventures as our life begins this new journey with our new addition!
Don't Get Fooled With Puppy Advertisements
Don’t Get Fooled!
Jaymie Pierce
On our ever-ending search for that perfect addition to our family, I answered a few advertisements with our newspaper Atlanta Journal Constitution online. This paper is highly regarded and I enjoy reading it quite often.
One out of ten replies that I received back were touching, heart warming stories from these poor souls in Cameroon trying to find homes for their Yorkshire terrier puppies. My heart ached for them as I read through the long drawn out replies I received. No, I’m sorry I’m not so gullible to think that all Yorkshire terriers come from Cameroon. These emails they send out are hilarious and you know with the first sentence this is a scam. How can they truly think that someone would send them loads of cash in order to get their precious pups shipped to them from another country? Do they expect that I will stand at the airport excited and ready to take the darling home and find that the crate never comes off the airplane? I have to laugh to myself at their gumption. I have to feel sad for those that obviously fall prey to this trickery. There must be people that do believe these stories and send in their money, or they would not be so persistent and have so many advertisements for puppies on the classifieds. As I write this I’ve scanned many, many websites on the Internet warning people of the puppy scams. How can one not do a little research about foreign puppies before handing over their money? I know that when we want a new darling for our family we become frenzied in our search for that special puppy. I don’t think that I will ever get to a point where all my common sense will fly out the window and I will start sending out cash all over the globe and wait patiently at the airport for any puppy. It saddens me that people fall for these scams and they get hurt and lose their money. But, if there are those out there that will send them money, they will never stop!
In my frustration with the advertisements, I’ve decided to stop wasting my time. It seems that most of them on the Internet in the classifieds are some sort of scam and a waste of time to research. I will continue our search with local breeders and try to go with word of mouth through other breeders in our area. I’m sure that I will find that perfect addition to our family soon, hopefully before my daughters birthday, but then again a nicely wrapped collar and leash might just have to suffice as a promise for a puppy to put it on if we are still searching by mid-July.
As I continue on this journey I will keep good notes and I hope that when I am all finished with our search and we have our baby in hand, my adventure will be good use to others out there ready to find that new addition to their family.
Remember, stay local in your search, don’t get excited with advertisements in your local newspaper or on the Internet that are way below market price for the animal or seem to good to be true. Know your breed you are shopping for and what the going rate is and when you see a price that stands out to you that seems like a deal, run the other direction. Even if the dog is local this could be a puppy mill animal or an unhealthy animal. You always want to go where you can see the parents on premises at least the mother of the puppies and you want to see the puppies interact with the litter and the mother as well as with you and your family. Even when getting a gift for a child or family member, it’s not a good idea for this to be a surprise gift because the puppy needs to interact with everyone. Take the entire family with you when you go to visit your new puppy to be and if you don’t feel it’s the one then walk away and continue the search. As hard as it sounds when you are ready to take that puppy home, it’s always better to wait and get the perfect pet for your family then taking one out of impulse at the moment.
Jaymie Pierce
On our ever-ending search for that perfect addition to our family, I answered a few advertisements with our newspaper Atlanta Journal Constitution online. This paper is highly regarded and I enjoy reading it quite often.
One out of ten replies that I received back were touching, heart warming stories from these poor souls in Cameroon trying to find homes for their Yorkshire terrier puppies. My heart ached for them as I read through the long drawn out replies I received. No, I’m sorry I’m not so gullible to think that all Yorkshire terriers come from Cameroon. These emails they send out are hilarious and you know with the first sentence this is a scam. How can they truly think that someone would send them loads of cash in order to get their precious pups shipped to them from another country? Do they expect that I will stand at the airport excited and ready to take the darling home and find that the crate never comes off the airplane? I have to laugh to myself at their gumption. I have to feel sad for those that obviously fall prey to this trickery. There must be people that do believe these stories and send in their money, or they would not be so persistent and have so many advertisements for puppies on the classifieds. As I write this I’ve scanned many, many websites on the Internet warning people of the puppy scams. How can one not do a little research about foreign puppies before handing over their money? I know that when we want a new darling for our family we become frenzied in our search for that special puppy. I don’t think that I will ever get to a point where all my common sense will fly out the window and I will start sending out cash all over the globe and wait patiently at the airport for any puppy. It saddens me that people fall for these scams and they get hurt and lose their money. But, if there are those out there that will send them money, they will never stop!
In my frustration with the advertisements, I’ve decided to stop wasting my time. It seems that most of them on the Internet in the classifieds are some sort of scam and a waste of time to research. I will continue our search with local breeders and try to go with word of mouth through other breeders in our area. I’m sure that I will find that perfect addition to our family soon, hopefully before my daughters birthday, but then again a nicely wrapped collar and leash might just have to suffice as a promise for a puppy to put it on if we are still searching by mid-July.
As I continue on this journey I will keep good notes and I hope that when I am all finished with our search and we have our baby in hand, my adventure will be good use to others out there ready to find that new addition to their family.
Remember, stay local in your search, don’t get excited with advertisements in your local newspaper or on the Internet that are way below market price for the animal or seem to good to be true. Know your breed you are shopping for and what the going rate is and when you see a price that stands out to you that seems like a deal, run the other direction. Even if the dog is local this could be a puppy mill animal or an unhealthy animal. You always want to go where you can see the parents on premises at least the mother of the puppies and you want to see the puppies interact with the litter and the mother as well as with you and your family. Even when getting a gift for a child or family member, it’s not a good idea for this to be a surprise gift because the puppy needs to interact with everyone. Take the entire family with you when you go to visit your new puppy to be and if you don’t feel it’s the one then walk away and continue the search. As hard as it sounds when you are ready to take that puppy home, it’s always better to wait and get the perfect pet for your family then taking one out of impulse at the moment.
Monday, July 6, 2009
A New Addition To The Family
We Are Adding A New Baby To The Family
By Jaymie Pierce
When a child announces that they want a puppy there are several emotions that run through a parent. First, you immediately think this is not going to happen. Then later as you mill it through your mind you think of the puppy and the child and the sweet moments that will make your heart melt. You know that the middle of the night crying and getting up with a new puppy to take it outside is not forefront in your heart warm moments you push the truth and facts behind the sweetness of watching your child interact with their very own baby. Now, you have convinced yourself this is a great idea and you begin to consider a new addition to the family.
With the warm and fuzzies circulating throughout your head you begin to consider a breed. Of course a young boy would probably want a rough and tumble, stick-fetching dog to play with outdoors. The great clips of “Lassie” and “Homeward Bound” play in your mind. A daughter of course wants a frilly foo foo dog to dress in cute clothing and brush its silky hair to put bows in and paint it’s tiny toenails. Being that our daughter is the one that has wrapped her parents around her finger we started searching for information on small dog breeds. At first she said she wanted a Chihuahua and we both had childhood memories of one sort or the other, my husbands being a nice nip on the lip by the cute darling. We then started looking at the breed and realized that the aggression of Chihuahua might not fit our family. We already have three loving warm-hearted dachshunds and didn’t want to have a war on our hands. We decided to move towards a more laid-back breed that would blend in with our brood and be more of a sofa princess along with our adorable phoebe. So, we decided on the Yorkshire terrier.
This breed is small and petite and adventurous. This breed seems to be just what we want in our family to play with our dachshunds. They can be very good dogs in a pack family with the adults being the leaders. We believe that you should integrate the right breeds into a family to suit your lifestyle. We take the dogs out quite often our male dachshunds avid ball chasers and love to get exercise. Our female very laidback and much more suited to lounge in the sun. Doing my research to make sure we are making the right choice I find that the Yorkshire terrier has a lot of energy but is well suited for apartment living, not that we live in an apartment but that tells me that we don’t need a farm for the dog to run. Now we have to decide on the sex of the dog. We are still working on that and deciding whether a male or female would better suit our family. We have one female and two males now. I’m on the side of another female would probably even out the balance in the dog world. Being that dachshunds were originally bred to hunt badgers in small holes and the Yorkshire terrier was bred to hunt out rats that infested the badger and foxholes, these two breeds seem to mix well together.
The first step is to find a puppy that is healthy and well adjusted. That is our process now, looking to find the right puppy. A healthy well rounded puppy will be playful have clear shiny eyes and a wet nose. They will lay on their back when you hold them and not go wild and try to tear away. You will see their tail wag and they will have great concentration on playing with you. If the puppy is growling and trying to bite and seems aggressive or lethargic and not eager to seek out adventure, this puppy is not a healthy pup. As we continue on our quest I will update this topic so that the journey continues. The goal is to find a healthy happy puppy by the middle of the month, our daughter’s birthday. The journey will begin with a new addition to the family that I know will be both exciting and tedious as we get through all the milestones.
By Jaymie Pierce
When a child announces that they want a puppy there are several emotions that run through a parent. First, you immediately think this is not going to happen. Then later as you mill it through your mind you think of the puppy and the child and the sweet moments that will make your heart melt. You know that the middle of the night crying and getting up with a new puppy to take it outside is not forefront in your heart warm moments you push the truth and facts behind the sweetness of watching your child interact with their very own baby. Now, you have convinced yourself this is a great idea and you begin to consider a new addition to the family.
With the warm and fuzzies circulating throughout your head you begin to consider a breed. Of course a young boy would probably want a rough and tumble, stick-fetching dog to play with outdoors. The great clips of “Lassie” and “Homeward Bound” play in your mind. A daughter of course wants a frilly foo foo dog to dress in cute clothing and brush its silky hair to put bows in and paint it’s tiny toenails. Being that our daughter is the one that has wrapped her parents around her finger we started searching for information on small dog breeds. At first she said she wanted a Chihuahua and we both had childhood memories of one sort or the other, my husbands being a nice nip on the lip by the cute darling. We then started looking at the breed and realized that the aggression of Chihuahua might not fit our family. We already have three loving warm-hearted dachshunds and didn’t want to have a war on our hands. We decided to move towards a more laid-back breed that would blend in with our brood and be more of a sofa princess along with our adorable phoebe. So, we decided on the Yorkshire terrier.
This breed is small and petite and adventurous. This breed seems to be just what we want in our family to play with our dachshunds. They can be very good dogs in a pack family with the adults being the leaders. We believe that you should integrate the right breeds into a family to suit your lifestyle. We take the dogs out quite often our male dachshunds avid ball chasers and love to get exercise. Our female very laidback and much more suited to lounge in the sun. Doing my research to make sure we are making the right choice I find that the Yorkshire terrier has a lot of energy but is well suited for apartment living, not that we live in an apartment but that tells me that we don’t need a farm for the dog to run. Now we have to decide on the sex of the dog. We are still working on that and deciding whether a male or female would better suit our family. We have one female and two males now. I’m on the side of another female would probably even out the balance in the dog world. Being that dachshunds were originally bred to hunt badgers in small holes and the Yorkshire terrier was bred to hunt out rats that infested the badger and foxholes, these two breeds seem to mix well together.
The first step is to find a puppy that is healthy and well adjusted. That is our process now, looking to find the right puppy. A healthy well rounded puppy will be playful have clear shiny eyes and a wet nose. They will lay on their back when you hold them and not go wild and try to tear away. You will see their tail wag and they will have great concentration on playing with you. If the puppy is growling and trying to bite and seems aggressive or lethargic and not eager to seek out adventure, this puppy is not a healthy pup. As we continue on our quest I will update this topic so that the journey continues. The goal is to find a healthy happy puppy by the middle of the month, our daughter’s birthday. The journey will begin with a new addition to the family that I know will be both exciting and tedious as we get through all the milestones.
We the people of the United States
Can the government implement a single payer health care system without taking the Americans into socialized medicine? That is debatable rhetoric but look closely at the other countries that have socialized medicine. Do we want to risk our lives waiting for some government peon to decide if we are worth another day on this earth or not? You can look at H.R. 676 (http://kucinich.house.gov/UploadedFiles/HR_676_111th.pdf) and read the bill that has been put out there for Americans to see, but is that the bill that will be voted on and made into law? I personally doubt it, there will be middle of the night amendments that will shape and squeeze the bill so that it turns right into socialized medicine with benefits to the power players and taxes to the people.
How can the American people trust our congress to do the right thing and represent the people? By their behavior and the bills that have been past in recent times there is no trust left in our congress. You can call yourself republican or democrat even liberal or conservative it doesn’t matter what you label yourself, you have to look at the bigger picture and see that corruption runs rampant in our congress and there is no representation for the people by either party. Term limits would be the right thing to be writing into law for the people. (http://www.termlimitsforcongress.com/) Show us something of value and stop playing games with our lives. Congress has done nothing but spent money that we don’t have and made more laws and more rules that are going to cost us our children and their children for years to come. With unemployment nearing ten percent now in the United States does congress really think they will be able to tax Americans to receive the funds to pay for all these things they want to implement? How can we pay taxes when we can’t even feed our children or keep a roof over our head any longer? They sink into their cozy beds at night and dine on fine foods and wine as we struggle to scrape up a pan of hamburger helper. Fancy parties and all access chat salons for $25,000 offered up by the Washington post (http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/2009/07/03/0703post.html) as insiders to the white house to cuddle up to lobbyists and politicians and play like everything is happy and fine when there are people having to live in tents with their families because they’ve lost their jobs, cars and homes? Is this reality? Do politicians truly have a grasp on what is going on in America? When the Washington post is called on their swift idea they call it a mistake and ask to be forgiven. Now we are to be happy they want to take over health care and they are suddenly going to have our best interests at heart? I don’t think they will, I think it will turn out to be a nightmare just as everything else they stick their hands into does!
Times have become dire in America, our nation is a mess and the politicians continue spending money like there is a special tree out there somewhere where money grows rampant. Big business is continuing to give out bonuses and spend frivolously out of control because they can get away with it. Small companies are suffering and the so-called stimulus package that was to create more jobs is just sitting on the sidelines and there are no new jobs for Americans. The House just passed the Cap and Trade bill H.R. 2454 (http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090515/hr2454.pdf) that is going to have Americans spending loads more on their utility bills and building of new houses if they could afford one. Now implementing California standards on building and living greener. That has really paid off for California hasn’t it? (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/state&id=6636740) They are now out of money and issuing IOU’s to all the people that they owe money to. This is exactly where American is heading as a whole, out of money and up a creek. I wonder what legislation they will be able to stick to us with at that point? New taxes could be collected on the paddles for the creek?
How can the American people trust our congress to do the right thing and represent the people? By their behavior and the bills that have been past in recent times there is no trust left in our congress. You can call yourself republican or democrat even liberal or conservative it doesn’t matter what you label yourself, you have to look at the bigger picture and see that corruption runs rampant in our congress and there is no representation for the people by either party. Term limits would be the right thing to be writing into law for the people. (http://www.termlimitsforcongress.com/) Show us something of value and stop playing games with our lives. Congress has done nothing but spent money that we don’t have and made more laws and more rules that are going to cost us our children and their children for years to come. With unemployment nearing ten percent now in the United States does congress really think they will be able to tax Americans to receive the funds to pay for all these things they want to implement? How can we pay taxes when we can’t even feed our children or keep a roof over our head any longer? They sink into their cozy beds at night and dine on fine foods and wine as we struggle to scrape up a pan of hamburger helper. Fancy parties and all access chat salons for $25,000 offered up by the Washington post (http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/2009/07/03/0703post.html) as insiders to the white house to cuddle up to lobbyists and politicians and play like everything is happy and fine when there are people having to live in tents with their families because they’ve lost their jobs, cars and homes? Is this reality? Do politicians truly have a grasp on what is going on in America? When the Washington post is called on their swift idea they call it a mistake and ask to be forgiven. Now we are to be happy they want to take over health care and they are suddenly going to have our best interests at heart? I don’t think they will, I think it will turn out to be a nightmare just as everything else they stick their hands into does!
Times have become dire in America, our nation is a mess and the politicians continue spending money like there is a special tree out there somewhere where money grows rampant. Big business is continuing to give out bonuses and spend frivolously out of control because they can get away with it. Small companies are suffering and the so-called stimulus package that was to create more jobs is just sitting on the sidelines and there are no new jobs for Americans. The House just passed the Cap and Trade bill H.R. 2454 (http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090515/hr2454.pdf) that is going to have Americans spending loads more on their utility bills and building of new houses if they could afford one. Now implementing California standards on building and living greener. That has really paid off for California hasn’t it? (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/state&id=6636740) They are now out of money and issuing IOU’s to all the people that they owe money to. This is exactly where American is heading as a whole, out of money and up a creek. I wonder what legislation they will be able to stick to us with at that point? New taxes could be collected on the paddles for the creek?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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