Category: Family

Willowbrook

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Friday Brother B came over so we could spend some quality time together just the two of us. We went to a place in St Charles called Just Kabobs which I’ve been wanting to eat at again for awhile now, but with Wookie’s puppy classes tying up our Saturdays, and them being closed on Sundays, we just could never make it there. We both ordered the Greek Chicken platter which is delicious. You get half a chicken with Greek seasonings, tons of rice, two large potato wedges, a pita cut into four pieces and seasoned, and a salad for $7.11 (that includes tax). Other than the salad which is just ok I loved everything.

After lunch we went to Willowbrook Wildlife Center to take photos.

Cormorant

I knew Joe wouldn’t mind since he finds the place boring. I, on the other hand, would probably visit weekly if it was closer. My brother wanted to walk around outside first so we did that before heading inside to see all the critters, mostly birds. They have two pet rats in a Critter Nation cage but they put mesh over the bars so you really can’t see them which sucks. I miss having rats. I look forward to when Wookie doesn’t need so much supervision so I can get some rat babies.

On the way to Willowbrook we made a quick stop at Pet Supplies Plus so I could get an Easter cookie for Wookie, and then after we stopped at this other pet store where I bought another one. Good thing since the first one melted in the car and had to be thrown out. My brother did warn me but I thought it would be ok where I put it. I should have just carried it with me but I was worried it would crack. Turns out they are so hard that wouldn’t have been an issue. Oh well, lesson learned.

Speaking of Wookie, we have been giving her more run of the house. She can move between the kitchen and the living room freely when we’re home and downstairs to keep an eye on her. She likes plopping in front of the patio door when it’s open and just sitting there looking outside or chewing on a toy. It’s been nice the past few days which she’s been loving. She’s been good using her potty pad except on Friday when I accidentally left it behind the locked gate and she peed on the rug. Brian was here or otherwise I’d like to think she would have let me know. I ended up putting her in his lap which really helped her warm up to him. She’s not as friendly with males in general.

Saturday she finally graduated from her puppy training class! It really ended up being 8 weeks long due to skipping a week and then getting an extra class. I am glad to not have to do that every Saturday but I do think it’s helped Wookie with her socialization so I should probably take her there weekly just to walk around.

Before class we took her to get a free photo with the Easter bunny.

They take the photos on an iPad so they don’t come out that great, especially because they didn’t take into consideration the wide angle nature of the lens. Oh well, what can you expect for free?

It was driving me nuts that the photo wasn’t showing up in my email even though people were posting theirs all over Instagram. It didn’t occur to me until this morning that I have a filter on emails from Petsmart that go into a folder labeled Coupons. It had been there since just a few minutes after it was taken. Doh! I think I’ll post it on her Instagram account on Easter.

We were rather pooped after spending two hours at Petsmart but Joe washed both cars anyway which was nice. We also ordered some Chinese food which I had been craving all week. We got enough that it fed us for two dinners and today’s lunch so that’s not bad for $33.

Yesterday we tired ourselves out on two epic grocery shopping trips at Target and Meijer. We now have everything we need for Easter next Sunday because the kids are coming over. Can you believe it? This will be the first Easter ever that they’ve been over. I’m still shocked they said they were free since I assumed they spent it with their mom/grandma with it being a religious holiday. We don’t celebrate the religious aspect of it so we never asked to have that day with them when they were younger. I’m making ham and lots of sides (plus getting a rotisserie chicken from Costco for K since she doesn’t care for ham), carrot cake, brownies, and cookies since we’ll also be celebrating E’s birthday which was yesterday. I can’t wait to put together the kids’ Easter baskets. I will be making one for Joe and Wookie as well. Next weekend will be busy but I’m looking forward to it!

Two Puppy Classes & Roller Derby

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Friday afternoon I took Wookie to Petsmart for her five-week makeup class since she missed it the previous Saturday since she was recovering from her surgery. Even though the store wasn’t as busy as on the weekends, people were interrupting our session which was a bit annoying. Wookie’s attention span wasn’t great either since she is obsessed with smelling everything in the store. Afterwards I stopped at Baskin Robbins to get some ice cream since they discount the scoops on the 31st of the month. They raised the price from $1.31 to $1.50, though. In addition to the three scoops of peanut butter and chocolate, I also tried chocolate hazelnut which isn’t great so I won’t be getting that one again.

I spent the evening watching YouTube videos and a show on Netflix since Joe was out for dinner with some former colleagues of his.

Saturday was supposed to be graduation day at the Puppy Training Class but we were informed it was pushed back a week since one of the dogs couldn’t make it. The trainer forgot to mention this on Friday which would have been nice since we had plans for Brother B and his g/f (R) to stop by and we could have skipped the class and met up sooner. Oh well. On the plus side we get an extra class for free.

Our company arrived just after 3 and Wookie warmed up almost immediately. It’s nice to see she’s making progress! I made Mexican Spaghetti for an early dinner and then we went to see a roller derby game at a roller rink nearby. It took awhile for us to even comprehend what was going on but after some Googling we could follow the game which made it more interesting. I liked the names the girls had, Gawd Jam It in particular. It was cool that they had affordable drinks and snacks available too. The rink was decorated for Easter so I cracked a joke about how egg-cellent it was and Joe and my brother groaned at me but R found it amusing. I knew there was a reason I liked her.

After the game we stopped at Taco Bell for a fourth meal (LOL) because my brother and I were craving nachos. The cheese at the rink wasn’t very good (my brother tried it with a pretzel) so we didn’t get any there. Oh, and I almost forgot – my brother won $100 in the 50/50 raffle so he came out ahead for the night. Ticket prices were only $10 per person, though, so I can’t complain. It was a fun outing overall and it was interesting to get a little insight into my brother when speaking to his g/f.

Whirlwind Weekend

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Friday (3/3) was my follow-up visit with my doctor. I brought along some previous test results I found stored on my computer and he decided to prescribe a low dose of Lyrica to help with what he suspects may be Fibromyalgia. I’m nervous about taking a new medicine but I’ll give it a try if I’ll feel less achy all the time.

After the doctor I stopped at Target for a couple of items and noticed they do have a few cheap dog toys so I got Wookie a pink rubber bone and another rope since she loves playing tug of war so much.

Saturday (3/4) we were up early to swing by our old physician’s office to get our medical records and then to my friend’s house for a morning puppy play date. Her older dog just passed away two weeks ago which is sad. Wookie was more relaxed on this visit than before although she still won’t play with the other dog, Teddy. She also vomited in the car when we were only about five minutes away and vomited again when we were about five minutes from home. She’s fine on short car rides but apparently 40+ minutes is too much for her stomach. I guess we can try not feeding her beforehand, although in this case it would have seemed cruel since she hadn’t eaten since the night before.

We stopped at home so Wookie could pee (she holds it the entire time we’re out, even though we brought her pee pad and also visited my friend’s backyard) and were planning to take her with us to Petco to buy a dog tag. Since we had a few other stops, and she was exhausted from her adventure, we decided to leave her home instead so she could rest.

We stopped at McDonald’s for lunch since the app had a deal where you buy anything and get a free medium item from their McCafe menu, so we both tried the chocolate Shamrock shakes. I liked it, but plan to get a regular all-mint one before they stop making them.

That evening I traumatized Wookie putting a different collar with the new tag on and she decided she didn’t like me for few a hours. She actually went into her crate in the living room and just glared at me. She also kept chewing the tag and has already scratched the part with her name and my phone number. She then got it stuck between her teeth so we took everything off and plan to get a collar where you can have the info stitched directly into it instead. Plus she will be microchipped soon.

Sunday (3/5) afternoon we met up with my brothers and Brother B’s girlfriend, R, at the Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville to see John Wick Chapter 2. My brother had a Groupon so we only had to pay for our food. I got the $5 sangria special which wasn’t bad (I don’t normally like wine) and Joe got the mushroom burger. Every theater has a theme and ours was Egyptian which was interesting. I was teasing my brother that had we seen the earlier showing we would have been in the ocean one which looked really cool (from the outside at least). Despite our reservations we had a very nice time. On the way there we were kinda dreading it because we can be a little weird if we feel like we’re being ripped off and based on the menu and prices that’s kind of what it felt like beforehand. However, we tried to reframe the experience in our minds – going out to lunch and seeing a movie, at the same time no less, with family. My only complaint – the chairs are so thick that sitting normally my feet couldn’t touch the floor so I had to recline to be comfortable. It was definitely an experience, though, and I wouldn’t mind going back there again. Also, even though I wasn’t thrilled about seeing the movie because I didn’t care much for the first one, it was really good.

After the movie everyone came back to our place for dinner (tacos) and to see Wookie. She was growling at Brother J which is crazy since she’s met him before and liked him! I think her socializing is paying off because after getting over her initial attitude she was running around the living room in the middle of everyone instead of hanging off to the side scared. By the end of the evening she was actually playing with R and jumping on her arm with her toys. I think overall she prefers females to males.

This afternoon I met up with my friend at Steak and Shake for lunch and then she came back to the house to see Wookie. She’s been here once before but it was months ago so I guess Wookie didn’t remember her. She was growling and barking up a storm, even after we brought her into the living room with us. She stopped after a few minutes and by the end of the hour was playing and licking my friend’s fingers. She’s so funny how she can go from being so angry to friendly.

Secluded Sunday & Domestic Monday

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Joe and I are both introverts, so after our very social Saturday we didn’t want to deal with people on Sunday. While I was eating breakfast Brother B called and invited us to see a movie later that afternoon. As much as I like hanging out I had to turn him down. I don’t think he quite gets the whole introverted thing so to spare his feelings I told him I was just too tired. That wasn’t a lie either, but it wasn’t the only reason for saying no – I just wasn’t in the mood to socialize anymore this weekend.

After our hour phone conversation I got a stew ready for the crockpot and we ran to Target for bread. We really didn’t want to leave the house but we needed it, so we tried to make the trip quick. The rest of the day was spent lounging on the couch watching the movies we had gotten at the library the day before.

The crockpot beef stew turned out delicious but I will definitely have to make the recommended 2 lbs next time instead of just 1 lb since it wasn’t enough for more than a meal and a half.

Today I’ve just been cleaning the house and trying to decide what toothpaste I want to buy for Wookie. I didn’t realize how bad it is to not brush a dog’s teeth. Not only can a lack of brushing cause health problems which in turn can take up to four years off their lifespan, but my vet told me that for little dogs especially they would need annual dental cleanings and would have teeth pulled as they grew older. I’m not excited about the idea of having to brush Wookie’s teeth every other day but I also don’t want to neglect her health.

Speaking of, she’s been having some potty training setbacks lately, and I’ve been noticing her licking her private area a lot. I was initially concerned she might have a bladder infection but now I’m starting to think she’s going into heat! Apparently it can happen anytime between 5 and 15 months so it’s not totally unheard of at her age (she just turned 5 months on the 21st). If she is that might be perfect since I read that it’s actually better to spay dogs after they’re sexually mature and have had one heat cycle. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about that, however, so even if she isn’t in heat I’m still going to have her spayed in a month.

Social Saturday

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Saturday was quite the busy day for us. After getting some groceries we stopped at 7-Eleven to take advantage of free small slurpee Saturday. I got the black cherry Pepsi and Joe got grape. He wanted the Skittles sour apple but it was liquefied in the machine. Ew! I’m glad they were free (much to the irritation of the clerk working there it seemed) because neither were all that great. We then went to the library and grabbed a handful of movies. Our library is strange in that they don’t care about people bringing in food and drinks. In fact they have vending machines that sell both!

After a lunch of chicken salad sandwiches we took Wookie to Petsmart for her second puppy training class. Two of the five dogs didn’t show up – Rizzo and Pumpkin. I didn’t care for how the trainer was telling us the details of her conversation with Pumpkin’s owner because it’s none of our business. In any case, we learned that the trainer will be on vacation next Saturday so there is no class. It was encouraging to see Wookie trying to greet Thor (the white German Shepard) instead of hanging out by us all scared. I don’t think she was shaking at all! As far as the training goes, we went over not jumping on people and how to walk on a leash without pulling. Wookie has problems with that which is why I’m ordering her a new harness that has a clasp at the front since I read that can help. Her issue at Petsmart was that she wanted to stop and smell EVERYTHING so she wasn’t paying attention to me or treats (a first) at all. It was a bit frustrating but I tried to remain patient. Patience and repetition are the two biggest things needed when training a dog.

After feeding Wookie at home we left and headed down to Oak Lawn where we had a late pizza lunch at Palermo’s with Joe’s kids and ES (K’s boyfriend). At first I was worried a large pizza wouldn’t feed all five of us but there was a little left over, thank goodness. I didn’t say anything at lunch, but I don’t think I care for Palermo’s anymore. I don’t know if we just found better pizza elsewhere or theirs has gone downhill, but I won’t be in a hurry to have it again. It was interesting to see their dining room, however, since we’ve always gotten takeout. I always enjoy conversations with everyone, particularly ES because he and I have the same taste in comedies. Plus he’s a good conversationalist and actually listens instead of just waiting for his turn to talk. I’ve probably mentioned that before but it’s something I really appreciate since most people just like to talk.

After we ate E took off to rest at home before his evening plans and K invited us over to see their two guinea pigs which they just got a week before. They are so cute! Just little babies right now and very soft too. I was never too interested in owning guinea pigs but after seeing those two I would consider it. I particularly like the one who looks like he has permanent bedhead. Plus he has one front paw that is completely black (nails included) whereas the other one is pink with white nails. It looks like he’s wearing a glove, LOL!

Our next stop was Dunkin Donuts before going to my parents’ house to celebrate Brother B’s birthday which was earlier this month. My mom said to be there between 5 and 6 but since whenever we get there at the earlier time no one is ready, we ended up getting there a couple of minutes after 6. And arrived to a dark house. We were both annoyed and confused. I was happy I remembered to bring my keys so I could open the door. And that’s when B jumped out and scared me, that SOB! LOL. They decided to scare us (although they didn’t get Joe since he had already headed back to the car to get more stuff) for being late. Can’t win with those people! Everyone had already eaten too which is funny because whenever it’s the other way around they wait til B gets there (since we’re usually there first).

I set up my mom’s new computer and showed her how to use it (since it has Windows 10 which is all new to her). I’m making her use Chrome now since it’s faster than Firefox. After the computer stuff I finally got around to eating a bit before B opened his presents. I got him a $25 gift card to Groupon since he loves that site and a $15 Dunkin Donuts card. We played a new game he brought over called Joking Hazard which is made by the guys who do the Cyanide and Happiness comics. It was fun, but just like Cards Against Humanity, it gets stale pretty fast. I took my winning cards and made one big epic comic with them:

Joking Hazard Comic

We didn’t get home until after midnight and I felt guilty about Wookie being cooped up while we were gone so I played with her for about an hour before going upstairs. Despite taking a Midnite, I didn’t fall asleep until sometime between 2:30 and 3 am.