A Tale Of Two (Lost) Kitties

This is not a happy post. If you are sensitive to animal loss, please do not read.

At 3am, We lost my Goober. I knew it. I woke up to my father moving around in the living room, but couldn't bring myself to check. He had gotten worse the past few days, and even as we planned to take him to the vet, I knew he probably wouldn't make it through the night. Yesterday was spent sitting next to him, making sure he knew how much I loved him.

He had diabetes, and had been in the vet twice the past month because he wouldn't eat. This time around, it got bad way too fast. I had been handfeeding him. I figured out he couldn't see much anymore. Yesterday he could barely move, where he day before he was walking, even though he had been shaky.

It's hard when you feel helpless. Our car doesn't work, so we had to find someone who could take us to the vet.  He just couldn't hold on anymore. He was an older cat, and his entire life had been full of medical problems. His body had had enough.

This hurts even more because a month ago, my dad lost his best friend, Buster. Buster was one of a kind. He was wild when we got him, and it took a lot of work to tame him. He was a jerk, and insisted on having his own way, and we loved him. He had diabetes, but the day before he died, he went into shock. He had gone into remission. On top of that, he had an infection that caused problems.  He was having frequent seizures, and my dad decided to end his suffering. He held Buster, and even though the tech said he wouldn't know dad was there, in between the seizures, he put his paw on dad's chest like he always did.

Buster was Goober's father. I raised Goober from birth, and he and his brother were my partners in crime. His favorite food was peanut butter, and he could smell it a mile away. He was my shadow and his absence will be felt just as we feel Buster's.

 

 

This photo is Buster, Goober, and Peabody, taken a few years ago in my room. They sat on my bed for about an hour looking out the window, and I still don't know why. Peabody passed a little over a year ago.

 

I am no stranger to pet loss. Over the years, I have had 16 cats, 3 dogs, and 7 lizards. Each one hurt when they were gone, whether they died, ran away, or was taken by someone else. I still remember each one by name, and remember what they looked like. I will always love them. I will also always know that they felt love from me. And that gives me peace.

Worth It... Tuesday??? A Chomp Plate giveaway

I know, I'm a day early. I just needed to share this with you! I'll also find something good to share tomorrow. But this is too good to miss!

I found a giveaway for something called a Chomp Plate. Simply put, it's a plate that turns into a storage container. Anyone with kids knows that they ALWAYS have leftovers. This makes it way easier to save the food they can't eat.

Go enter now, mainly because I am unsure of the end date!

How To Do What's Best

In the past month, I have read a ridiculous amount of articles. Mainly because I have no life, but also because I have an insane amount of questions. The internet is the perfect place to get answers, right?

WRONG.

Everything I look up has advice, counter-advice, and crazy people saying that it's common sense and people are stupid to be looking for answers. It gets worse when you are searching for health symptoms. Everything comes down to YOU ARE DYING.

My main problem right now is with my baby. To be clear: my baby is not the problem. She is perfect, even when she isn't (parents understand this statement without explanation). My problem is the advice. I do not go one day without seeing at least 5 articles on my Facebook about how to raise babies (I am guilty of sharing them, too; I'll explain the reason later.) They range from how to feed your baby> where baby should sleep> how to carry baby> HOW OFTEN TO TOUCH BABY?!?! It's too much.

Add on to this that there are people in your face about how to raise your child as well, and it's overwhelming. You have well-meaning parents, friends, strangers, and doctors telling you what's best, and asking personal questions. If you let it, you will start to second guess yourself.

So... how do you know what's best for you?

Stop listening.

No one knows your life better than you. If you don't time your baby's feedings, that's okay. If you think the cry-it-out method is barbaric, that's fine. If you want to "spoil" your child, do it. It's your prerogative. This goes for everything in life. If you are not hurting anyone (feelings don't count), then it shouldn't matter.

So, why do I share all of these articles if I feel this way? I read them, say "this is nonsense, I'll never do that", and then pass it along because: EVERYONE HAS A CHOICE. I lean toward a more natural approach to parenting, but not everyone feels the way I do. I also remember what I was like with my first child. I was so confused that I listened to everyone else instead of following my intuition, and I still regret it. This time around, I followed my heart as well as chose my role models better. By sharing what I find, even if it doesn't work for me, I hope to help someone else find their own way.

Good luck to everyone in life, even if you don't have a child while reading this. This philosophy goes for all aspects of my life. You know yourself best, so why would you let someone else tell you how to live?

Updates for this week: Etsy shop is up!

Just a quick status update, since I have not been on for a few weeks.

We got hit by a huge storm where I live, and were without power for about 4 days. Our internet is still not working properly, so I will be postponing Worth It Wednesday until the first week of August. Sorry for the inconvenience. I promise that during the down time, I will find some awesome things to share!

Also, during the next few days, I will be opening my Etsy shop. To start with, I will be offering a few different tarot spreads. Later, I will be adding readings with a second deck, as well as rune stone readings. I will post the link below once it is live!

Have a great Fourth of July weekend, and be safe!!!


Update: Etsy shop is live!

Coming Soon: Random Shop!

So, I have been toying with the idea of opening a shop for a while. Not so unusual for a stay-at-home mom... until you find out what I want to sell.

"Psychic readings". Shocker, right???

(I put psychic readings in quotations because I am obviously not psychic. You don't need to be to read cards and stones. You need intuition, which I have in spades.)

Sadly, my tarot cards have gone missing. Once I get a new deck, I will open my shop. I'll have a few different layouts for both cards and rune stones.

Before anyone starts naysaying, I have done readings before, with good results. This is not something I just randomly got into. I have practiced for a while, and am quite skilled at it.

My sincere hope is for customers who are open-minded, and not just looking to disprove my skills. Good luck to me! :)

Googling Worry

Everyone reading this obviously knows what Google is. You know how it works and how easy it is to find out answers instantly. The problem is, you can find ANY answer instantly, and some misinformation as well.

As a new mom, I get sucked into the black hole that is Google almost every day. It doesn't matter what I search for, there is always at least one terrifying article. Most recently, I searched for baby mobiles, and got 3 articles on how they overstimulate babies instead of relax them. It goes on to say that overstimulated babies are prone to crankiness as well as health problems later in life. Wtf.

It's not just baby stuff, though. It's news, and propaganda, comments, and randomness. Go ahead and look up something cute, like puppies.Bet you will get some cute articles, but also at least one about a puppy being burned alive. Two points: what the hell is the world coming to, and why report it?? Why make an article about something so heartless that we can't fix? (I am an animal lover, it kills me to see them suffer and not be able to save them.)

The world is full of fear and hate, and it's all at our fingertips. All it takes is a few keystrokes, and negativity flashes before our eyes. I'm sorry this turned into a mini rant, but I'd like to leave you with a thought: are you part of the cure, or the disease? Do you spread hate and anger, or love? One person may not change much, but you can start a movement.

Worth It Wednesday: Sagattarius Inspired

Today's share is an Etsy shop: SagattariusInspired. I chose this one because I have seen so many pregnancy announcements lately.  The shop carries handmade items that are great for moms and moms-to-be. Here are a few examples:




I think these are so beautiful, and they are made with love by someone, not mass produced. They are the perfect baby shower gift (I guarantee no one else will have the same thing), or even to buy for yourself!

Worth It Wednesday: Firefly!

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and found this: Firefly dolls!!!!!

Anyone who knows about Firefly knows it was an amazing show and ended too soon. If you don't know anything about it, it was aired on Fox, horribly (when I say that, I mean: out of order, leaving out the pilot completely, etc.) It was a ridiculously good show, and the network screwed it over (common knowledge). It was cancelled in 2003, much to the fans' dismay. Since then, there has been a movie (to wrap up all the loose ends), as well as tons of merchandise and even conventions. It was that good.

 

If you have never seen it, or even if you have, the entire series (a whopping one season) is on Netflix now. Totally worth it. Also, here is the link to preorder the dolls if you are a fan like me.

New Feature: Worth It Wednesday!

...That is such a corny name, I know.

Here's what it is: Every Wednesday, I will share something that I feel is worthwhile. This could be music, a book, a website, or a recipe, etc.

Today's share is a game: Munchkin. Most "nerds" know this one, but for those who don't, it is truly awesome. It's one of those games that you pass by because of the simple packaging, or because it's "just another card game". But it's so much more than just a card game.

This was the game night go-to for myself, my fiancé, and his brother. The objective of the game is to reach level 10 by defeating monsters. Sounds simple, right? Soooo not true. The other players can add extra monsters, or curse you. It gets exciting and loud really fast, especially if you are competitive like us.

Munchkin also offers a deluxe edition, as well as expansion packs (like vampires and ninjas). There is something for everyone, so check it out!

Blog Revamp

This post will be short, because it is pretty straightforward.

I have decided that my blog, as well as my Facebook page, needs an update. With everything going on, I had trouble keeping up on fitness related posts. While I was "taking a break", I realized my focus had changed. My interests are still partially health-centric, but also family/home oriented. So, to reflect that, I will be changing the name of both pages, and posting more in these areas.

Thank you in advance for your support.