Camping!

We camped this weekend, and it was fantastic! We took our new Scamp (new to us, its a 2001) to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, on the Platt River and Lake Michigan. The kids were great, so well behaved! I didn't have a panic attack (umm, you can ask me about camping in Mississippi and our PCS move sometime) and I think I kinda relaxed too. My DH cooked breakfast for us : ) It doesn't get much better than that!

We had an awesome campfire, and roasted marshmellows to make smores. I tried to make a fruit pie, from bread, butter and pie filling with our "pie maker", but well, it just tasted like grilled cheese, minus the cheese, but with pie filling. Hmmm, I'll have to work on that. Our burgers stuck to the disposable grill, and but hey, it was five dollars at Rite Aide, so we had to try it. I found out why breakfast was so good. My DH cooked the bacon in butter! Wow, that was delicious!

Scotty was a good boy, for the most part. He kept wrapping his rope/chain around trees until he was completely stuck. Then, he would whimper. But, we went on a couple long walks. He slept so well! And, he loved Lake Michigan. There was a sandbar, and he would run/swim across it. Then, he and my DH fell asleep on the beach, together. Scotty dug a wide hole, and then climbed into it. He even made a special spot for his head. It was kinda funny!

Some lady on the beach told my daughter and I about blueberry picking, and we looked for them, on the drive out. No blueberries. My daughter whined about blueberries for over three hours! She cried at every farm stand we passed, because they didn't have blueberries. Stupid blueberries! Stupid lady who gave bad directions! Somehow, by the time we got home, my daughter was thinking about pumpkins and carrots in our garden after the hours of complaining.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National park is so beautiful. This is new for us, usually we live places just long enough to miss out on the sights. Actually visiting some nice places while we live near them is fun! Although, my kids like scenic drives about as much as I did as a kid. My daughter told us, "I hate the Sleeping Bear Dunes!" as we drove. And, my DH and I soaked it all in, probably just like my parents did when they drove me around on scenic drives, when I was a kid.

The dog walks

Scotty. He can make me so angry. He's been to two classes, and while the other dogs learned "lay down" and "watch me" commands, we still practiced leadership exercises, because all Scotty wants to do is jump and bite my hands. He won't listen long enough to sit. The trainer insists that he is making progress, and not to give up. Well, I can't very well give up- he has to get trained (if he wants to live or continue to be our pet).

Yesterday, as I went to take Scotty off his chain in the yard (our yard isn't fenced in, so I put him there if we are outside), he went wild once again. So, I picked him up by the scruff of his neck, as my trainer advises me. Only, Scotty panics and bite my arm - piercing me with his sharp puppy fangs. So, here I am bleeding, and trying to control my dog. Yah, this leadership stuff is a bunch of crap. Training without treats is stupid.

I got out the training collar, and took Scotty for a walk. You are thinking, he pulled me down the street right? Nope- he was walking like a pro before I even got half way past my neighbor's house. Scotty is finally listening to me! I couldn't believe it. After just a few corrections with the training collar, he was walking next to me and treating me like I am the boss. We walked like this for 45 minutes. I am so pleased!

Treats are good too : ) I started using treats to teach Scotty to sit before I put his lease on and Voila! No more biting my arms and going crazy. Today, Scotty played "grrr fight" (tug of war) with both of my kids. He only jumped up on them a couple times, and stopped when we reminded him. Our dog is shaping up : )

We are sick, sick, sick!

Its Fall. You know, my kids didn't go back to school and we still all got sick. Why is that? Because its Fall. Fall comes early to Northern Michigan, and blows in all the germs as the leaves start to turn. First, it was my son, with a fever for a few days. It was 103 degrees and it barely slowed him down! Then, he started with a runny nose and asthma flare-up. But, I got the asthma under control (Praise God!), Next, my daughter got a fever, and diarrhea. That night, vomitting. Boy do I hate vomit! Then, she got a runny nose and cough. The fever left for a day or two, but now its back, and she has a sore throat. My turn, I spent the whole night in the bathroom, I caught the bug.

So, we have to get to the doctor, at least the kids. My husband has been spared. But, for how long? Don't visit us ok? We will give you the plague.

Our days pretty much involve PBS kids, and videos until PBS kids is on again. I drove to McD's tonight and we ate gross processed food. My husband is at work till tomorrow evening. I forced the kids to walk with me tonight, before bed, to give our pup some exercise. I didn't know my daughter was still suffering. It was awful. I was nasty, yelling at everyone to keep moving, and the dog was pulling, and I was trying to keep the kids on the side of the road (not in it), while everyone whined about being tired. And, they were. We all were, even suprisingly the dog, who fell asleep right after we walked in the door. Maybe tomorrow will be a bright cheerful day- I'm off to bed.

First Day of Kindergarten! (Ummm, for the dog)

Tonight was puppy kindergarten for Scotty. They said to bring the kids. HAHAHAHAHA. Whoever came up with that idea, doesn't have kids. I am enjoying a Black Cherry - Cherry Fizz Wine cooler as I right, I don't have one too often, but tonight, I think I earned one.

Scotty did the normal crazy dog thing. I think that I learned a little. I learned that you can totally pick the puppy up off the floor by the scruff of his neck, without hurting anything but his dignity. And, well, Scotty needs a little bit of that, he sits way too high up on the totum pole (that's a weird phrase, but you know what I mean). And, I think I learned a better way of stopping the biting and jumping. We practiced sit and stand too. But, mostly teaching him who was in charge, with various exercises.

My dear son, he drank water on the way here, and had a snack, but yelled for the entire hour that he needed a drink. He played with the portable fencing in the training area too, even though he was told not to several times. Yelled at me, hit me and went around pestering all the dogs. Then, my dear daughter, she yelled about wanting to go home, and about not having a snack. I barely heard anything. The trainer told us to call with any questions. That will be me tomorrow, calling to review everything she taught during the hour. Everything.

Scotty is sleepy, which is great! My son and daughter whined the whole way home about various stuff.

Tomorrow, is another day, and perhaps it will be better.

If you read my last post, well, I did it again. I started my morning by losing my balance in my stupid $110 Dansko clogs, and falling on my face when I took Scotty out to pee this morning. I hurt in a lot of places. I will not be wearing the clogs again. How they can market Dansko's as footwear for the professionals (chef, nurse, doctor, dentist etc.) I don't understand. What good is arch support if you twist your ankle every week? Plus, they didn't help my flat feet at all! Now, I'm just not thinking about how sore my arches are, because my ankle, both hands, both calfs hurt. I have sent an email to Dansko, and we'll see how they repond, if at all.

Tomorrow, my dear husband comes home from hurricane deployment, which thankfully was boring and uneventful! That should make my day cheery : )

Maybe in the next post, you will hear about my wonderfully trained puppy!