These are stupid moronic people!!!

These people are just plain stupid and moronic.  To euthanize these breeds Dobermans, Rottweilers, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Pitbulls, Mastiffs (all bully breeds), Akitas and Huskies without the chance of adoption is pure stupidity!!!  These people are killing dogs based on a breed stereotype and not the actual dog.  Any size dog can bite someone, any size dog can be aggressive, and any size dog could be a danger to another animal.  People create bad dogs.  My Doberman is a pound rescue and she is the sweetest and goofiest dog I have ever owned.  Also when was the last time anyone heard of a GREAT DANE attacking someone???  Actually I just looked it up and there are some Great Dane attacks but I mean really the Great Dane's nickname is the "Gentle Giant".  The Pit Bull has the worse reputation because ignorant people get a Pit Bull and don't train the dog.  Pit Bulls need a owner that will put the dog in its place and not let it do its own thing.  There are great Pit Bulls out there like Caesar Millan's Daddy and Junior, The Little Rascals had a Pit Bull too Petey.  All in all, any dog can attack, it comes down to the people that owns the dog.  If you work with your dog or dogs then you should be ok and never ever leave a child unattended with a dog, big or little.  

Heres the link for the stupid people that are going to kill dogs because of their breed and not their actions:  
http://m.examiner.com/examiner/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=RA8ezjAT&full=true#display

Been busy,....

Ah the holidays...been busy although not as busy as some...

Thanksgiving came and went and I made a very yummy turkey that was moist for all of 5 minutes.  I thought all turkeys had the little thermometer on them that popped up when they were done for the n00bs like me out there that dont cook a whole lot of turkeys.  I'm pretty sure my turkey was over cooked because 1. it didnt have the little red thermometer on it and 2. because I'm not quite sure how to use a meat thermometer.  Then again my meat thermometer might be messed up because I'm using it to make sure my oven heats up to the right temp as it's old and dying....time for a new one...hint hint Santa!!  But boy was my turkey pretty...all golden brown and fall off the bone sigh too bad it had to dry out all quick like.  I also made 2 pumpkin pies from scratch, cornbread stuffing and scalloped potatoes...yum!!  In making scalloped potatoes (also from scratch) I ended up breaking my slicer...boy I can't win can I...another item for the old Christmas list.  All in all Thanksgiving dinner turned out really good and Zoe got her playground all set up and thoroughly enjoys it.

Got our little 32" Christmas tree all set up well out of reach of the 17 month old and almost out of reach for me.  Now Zoe wants the Christmas tree lights on all the time...sigh. 

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday season.  Cheers!!!

Why does Ikea have to be different?

So my almost 16 month old daughter figured out how to escape the confinement of her crib on Thursday and we went ahead and decided that we would just go ahead and get a toddler bed since she would have to make the switch soon when the new baby arrives so we don't have to buy a new crib.  We decided that we would go to Ikea and get a toddler bed since they are decently priced and they have some really cool stuff.  Well if you have bought a bed from Ikea before you know that you have to get a mattress to go with it from Ikea and that's fine with me because their mattresses are pretty comfy IMO.  Now I'm sure that if you get a normal bed (twin, queen or king) that you have no problems with getting your sheets to fit but with the toddler beds good luck!!  When you buy a toddler bed from somewhere other than Ikea you can use the mattress that was in your crib which is awesome because then you don't have to worry about getting new sheets unless your getting a whole new bed set.  Ikea toddler bed mattresses though are about 10" longer than a crib mattress and about 10" shorter than a twin bed.  That's just great...wish I had known that before we left Ikea today because I bet that they carry sheets that fit their weird toddler beds!!!  Well we ended up getting a twin sheet set and the excess is tucked under the mattress, good thing the mattress fits all snug. 

Well so far little miss monkey likes her new bed and that's all that matters...Cheers!!!

Why it's not a choice...

One of my Facebook friends shared this yesterday and then I shared it with my friends and know I'm sharing with you guys. 

I hate how people think being gay or lesbian or transgender or bisexual is a choice.  If you were ask a member of the gay community when they first knew that they were gay, often they answer somewhere around elementary school age.  Now my question to the people that think being gay is a choice is why would a child choose to be different?  If you think about children in school, you know that they can tease and bully the children that are different.  So why would a child willing choose to be different and risk being teased and bullied?  I read an article a few years ago about a boy in middle school that committed suicide because he was being bullied and teased everyday in school for being openly gay. 

My father-in-law posted on this picture earlier today and said "When will people in churches realize that their very Jesus was killed because of people's prejudices and petty tribalisms?"  My father-in-law is a member of a church and a minister.  He and his wife are very active in their church.  Now I'm not very religious but I do know that the church teaches that God created us all whether we have a different skin color, a different religion, or a different sexual orientation.

I hope that my children will stand up for a child that is being bullied for their sexual orientation and that more parents will open their minds and teach their children that just because someone is different does NOT make them a bad person that deserves to be treated like shit.

Get paid for a first date?

So there's this website out there on the WWW called WhatsYourPrice.com.  Basically its a site where one can create a profile and other users can bid for a date.  For attractive ladies, its free or so they say.  I heard about this on the radio this morning.  One would think that this kind of site would be illegal but since they aren't actually paying for sex and only paying for a first date.  I find it weird...I mean whatever happened to meeting someone at work, school or a bar and now you can have people bid on a first date with you.  Talking about the silly thing only lets more people know about it but still I found it odd and need to voice something...Cheers!!

Dr Pepper 10 wins...

...because they have made an ad that makes women mad and then they go out and buy Dr Pepper 10 just to show they can.  Not that I care because Dr Pepper 10 is a 10 calorie soda and I don't do diet sodas.

Has anyone tried the new Dr Pepper 10?

Flying Standby

So, if you've been reading, you know that I went to Paris for a week about 3 weeks ago.  A great trip and I definitely recommend going.  I would suggest not trying to fly standby...


Having  a step-mother-in-law working for an airline is great but it can be a huge hassle when traveling with a toddler.  Any parent that flies with their child knows that it is recommended that the child has their own seat and if they still use a car seat, it is also recommend that the car seat comes along.  Taking the car seat is a great idea because then you don't have to worry about a squirmy child during the flight and a car seat put kids in "travel mode".  Flying standby doesn't always guarantee that you get a seat, let alone an extra seat right next to you for a car seat.  I got lucky in all 3 flights that we took to get to Paris and was able to get an extra seat next to me for the car seat.  

Working for an airline seems great with the flight benefits but my suggestion would be to hold off unless working with people is something you want to do for a long time.  As for me, I do not see a career with an airline in my future as I have already done the customer service bid and I couldn't do it all the time...Cheers!!

RIP Sara Douglass

The epic fantasy author Sara Douglass passed away on Sept 26, 2011.  She wrote the Axis trilogy, the Wayfarer Redemption trilogy, the Crucible, the Darkglass Mountain and several other novels.  She was a great writer and she will be missed greatly.

Was going to talk more about Paris but...

My friend shared a picture on Facebook yesterday that I found comment worthy.  ---->


Now I know there are people out there that love the pit bull breed and I've got nothing against the pit bull.  One of our friends owns a pit bull and he comes over to play with our big 2.  He also is allowed around my 14 month old but I'll talk more about Diesel more later.

Now the pit bull is a very powerful breed...there no way around it.  Anyone that has been around a pit bull knows that they have very large heads and their head is covered with a very large muscle that controls the jaw.  They also have a large mouth and large teeth.  When it comes to training they are very stubborn and not all that bright so training is long and hard.  All the pit bulls that I have met almost all of them want to be dominate.  So the person that owns a pit bull needs to have a strong will and let it be known that the person rules the house and controls all aspects of life for the dog.  I do that with all 3 of my dogs (miniature poodle, doberman and boxer).  Not all people who own dogs are responsible.  There are people out there that get pit bulls because they have a bad rap and the people want a mean dog to add fear to the people around them...not meaning friends or family although they could be afraid of the dog(s) too.

Now for the other dogs mentioned in the image - Doberman, German Shepard and Rottweiler.  Now owning a doberman might make me bias but she is one of the best dogs that I have ever had.  We adopted Gretchen from the pound when she was about 7 months old and she turned our lives upside down.  She was kinda trained when we got her so she caught on quick with the simple commands like sit and down.  Gretchen does have a few screws loose and a few quirks but all in all she is super smart and learns really fast.  Now for a bit of history on the doberman.  They were breed by a tax collector who wanted a personal protection dog while traveling through the slums to collect taxes.  Hitler bred them to aggressive war dogs and I imagine that during the 70's doberman breeders decided to start breeding the doberman to be less aggressive.  The selective breeding must have worked because all the dobermans that I have known are really nice.  Now I haven't owned a German Shepard or a Rottweiler so I don't know that much about them but here's what I do know.  The German Shepard is one of the most trainable dogs out there today and the rotties can be great pets if trained right from the beginning.  The German Shepard have been used as service dogs for years and years.  The rotties were breed originally to pull small carts and hold money sacks around their necks for butchers.  Now all 3 dogs are large and intimidating, which is ideal for guarding which all 3 breeds have done in the past and still do today, but if not properly trained and socialized they can become fearful and aggressive.  This also goes for all breeds from the Great Dane all the way down to the Chihuahua. 

So my point is that any dog can attack and bite if not properly trained and socialized.  I have been bitten by 3 different dogs in my lifetime and 2 of them were Cocker Spaniels.  This also brings me back to Diesel the pit bull friend.  Diesel has been trained and socialized since puppyhood and he is truly a great dog.  We dog sat Diesel and his "sister" Daphne the Weimaraner over a weekend a month ago.  Diesel was a perfect gentleman and after I made it clear that the baby didn't need to be licked in the face every time he saw her, he left her alone for the most part.  Daphne on the other hand worried me just a bit because she out weighs the baby by about 80 pounds and has a hunting instinct that has me just a tad worried when it comes to my kid.  Zoe stayed the weekend over at her grandma's with our small dog, Bitsie, because there is no way, even with the help of my husband, that I could watch 5 dogs and an active toddler, who is fascinated by all the doggies.

If people who own dogs take the time to train and socialize their dogs, we wouldn't have all these dog related attacks.  That's all I have to say...feel free to comment or disagree...Cheers!!

Paris

So we went to Paris for a whole week for hubby's 30th birthday.  We went with his dad and step mom.  Paris was great, I loved going but the Parisians seem to have no concept of being baby-friendly. 

Here in America, parents don't think twice about taking our children anywhere.  We know there will be a high chair for us to use in most if not all restaurants and we also know that if a diaper change is needed there will be a changing table in most of the places we go.  So when we got to Paris, I was shocked and amazed that most places didn't have changing tables and high chairs to use.  I think I found 1 changing tables while in Paris and one was nothing more than a converted broom closet with barely enough room to lay the kid down to change her.  Everywhere else only had a WC, where I would stand Zoe up on the toilet and change her diaper (so glad she can stand by herself).  As for high chairs, I only saw them in McDonald's...go figure. 

As anyone who has been to Paris knows, Paris is a walking city.  Meaning that everything is accessible by walking.  You can rent bikes near some metro stations, ride the metro, or take the ferries down the river but essentially you walk everywhere...only Parisians should drive around the city!!!  Most of the places we walked to were stroller friendly but there were times when I thought our little umbrella stroller would not survive the trip.  Also there are a lot of stairs.  Stairs to get to the metro, stairs to get down to the river, stairs to get on the ferry, stairs to go in to buildings...you get the picture.  There are some elevators but they are the size of closest.  The one elevator that we used on a regular basis could fit 3 adults and the baby in her stroller comfortably.  As the mother of a very active 14 month old, I can honestly say that walking around all day with a 14 month old strapped in her stroller makes a very unhappy toddler.  There are parks in Paris to run around in but they are nothing like the grass filled parks that we have here.  They actually remind me of the very prim and proper English gardens where one should stroll along the gravel path and take in the beauty of the manicured gardens.  Grassy areas are fenced off and children play on gravel paths...lovely.  The Luxembourg Gardens are know for being "children friendly" but only if your child is I would say school age.  

My advice for anyone wanting to go to Paris and maybe any other European country, would be to go with your significant other and leave the children at home.  Or if you like me and don't want to leave the children at home wait until they are potty trained and have the ability to understand that hands must be held while walking near busy streets.

All in all, I truly enjoyed my trip to Paris.  Going with Zoe was definitely an adventure that made us happy, frustrated, sad and mad but if I had to do it again I would definitely go with Zoe again.   Will write more about traveling with my little munchkin later...Cheers!!

So my first post...

So this is my first blog...yay!!  So I start with a little about me and why I choose to blog...

My name is Brittany and I'm a 25 yr old stay at home mom (SAHM) to my adorable lil Zoe, who is 14 months, and 3 dogs, Bitsie, Gretchen, and Rocky.  Also currently I am an incubator to baby Ian, who will arrive in January.  I like to read books and don't really care for e-readers although I have one.  I research my family history and when in the mood my husband's family too.  I thought I liked cooking but then discovered I don't once I had to cook everyday.

I decided to start a blog while on vacation in Paris with my husband, father-in-law, step-mother-in-law and my daughter.  When we found out we were going to Paris, I started looking for tips and things to do with a small child in Paris and while I found a great blog that helped, I don't recall seeing much about the status of things that I am used to like changing tables in public places and high chairs.  Also, I couldn't find out how it would be flying standby with a small child, although I probably didn't look that hard cause life around my house gets kinda crazy with 3 dogs and a toddler.

Will post more about the dogs, the kid and the trip to Paris...Cheers!