08 May 2014

Morning Walks

Mornings have started to become quite a nice little time for the dogs and I. Stella usually wakes up early with Nic and then has recently started to sleep in (let me clarify that sleep in is until roughly 7 am) and then the three of us are up and at it.

When Stella started getting to a decently bigger size her and I had some major issues with walking. I'm not going to beat around the bush, the dog is stronger than me and she knows it. Walks were miserable and I was 100% positive that given time and the right condition (a cat running, someones dog, etc) she was going to pull out my shoulder and then we were going to have a really big scene on our hands. We tried a prong collar for an hour and a half class and I teared up because I felt SO bad. . and then we decided to try the gentle leader. OH MY GOODNESS. It is AMAZING. I had heard great things about it but didn't want to give it a try because it looked like a muzzle and I didn't believe it would work. But we were wrong. She'll still pull like the dickens when she's out of it, but, when she's in it we can go on long peaceful walks together.

The two weeks I spent at home forced Nic to take the two girls on walks together by himself. I had tried to do it when we first moved her, but it was too stressful. Eevah is 8 pounds and I never found any need to train her to walk so the little hot dog just pulls until her hearts content. Which is normally fine but then Stella thinks it's ok and we're all falling back down that zero control rabbit hole. Nic managed to figure something out though because now the three of us are able to take long morning walks together.

One of the main things I love about San Diego is the bike path. We live two blocks away from one of the entrances and during the week it's the perfect place to walk the girls. A "two lane" path you're able to just stay on your side and look at your surroundings. Since spring has officially sprung (actually, I suppose we're almost into summer now) we've been seeing at least two bunnies every morning. And daisies has popped up everywhere making for some wonderful attempts at pictures of the two.

If you haven't gone out for a walk in some time, I completely recommend it. It's nice to put your phone on silent and just take in your surroundings with your furry best friends at your side.




02 May 2014

My May Directive

This year is already flying by and I'm really only noticing it when I sit down to write my monthly directives for the Kate & Trudy's 2014 Directive. If you haven't joined in yet, it's not too late especially since it's the perfect way to motivate yourself to do this It's never too late to start to motivate yourself to do things!

April
Last month was a little hinky. I was sick for a bit, spent two weeks at home and then had one of my best friends visit so the blog took a back burner for a bit. I did finally write my April directive in the middle of the month and set the goal of writing 8 blogposts. Well, I got halfway there. But that's ok!

This month
I'm starting this month with a new resolve and overall excitement for everything. I feel like I'm finally getting into the "swing" of being an adult and the dogs which has made such a difference. Don't get me wrong, Stella still has a ridiculous amount of energy and Eevah is still trashcan diving but I love our little family.

This months directive is composed of a few parts:
first, blog more --I feel like this is a recurring goal in each of my directives or even on my weekly wishes. I've hinted at news that needs to be told, as well as having a ton of great past events that I want to share. I'm going to get these out this month.
- Blog two to three times a week - 


second, focus on "us" -- This sounds kind of cheesy but it's actually a really good directive for us this month. My February directive went relatively well. I'm obsessed with Jillian's yoga meltdown and can run longer than I have been able to in years (except in this desert heatwave we're currently experiencing). The Easter bunny and my husband got me all work out related things (. . and Thief. . ) for my birthday and Easter so I'm going to continue to put them to good use. SO:
- Go to the gym/work out 4 times at week -
- Continue the morning walks with Stella and Eevah - 
- Continue infusing water with fruits and veggies and drink more of it -