With spring in the air, there seems to be an abundance of both human babies and animal babies, both of which you can't help but simply adore! There's just something about tiny little mini things that melt your heart and make you want to cuddle and squeeze them (not too hard of course!)
This past week, as a surprise for the rest of the family, my son and I brought home a kitten that the neighbors were giving away. And boy was it a surprise! The kids all swooned and "oohed" and "ahhed", and then my husband told me the joke was over and that I needed to return him. Oops.
Now before I get too far ahead of myself, I need to back up and fill you in with a few more details.
We currently already own a cat -- an outdoor cat who's an excellent mouser. She is one of about five other cats that have made their home here at one time or another. Her hair is about two inches long, and because she's outside, I'm sure you can imagine the mess it can become sometimes. Besides the hair up-keep, she's a relatively easy pet, really only making her presence known when she's out of food.
But that's not our only pet. In the spring of 2020 when the Covid19 outbreak was beginning, we joined the “we need to get a new puppy!” bandwagon. The puppy we got was a 4-year-old mini golden. Sound pretty perfect right? Wrong. Maybe I should add that his previous owners weren't able to give him all the attention he needed, and, quite frankly, he has all sorts of anxiety issues with being left alone and in a kennel. He also isn't house trained. At all. It has been possibly worse than potty training a toddler. It has gotten to the point that he pretty much wears a doggy diaper full time (face palm).
It's exhausting, embarrassing, and a full-time job making sure he's being watched close enough to prevent any accidents. But all seven of us adore him, even if he does make us want to pull out our hair!
So needless to say, my hands are full. But during this chapter in my life, I find myself looking for the humor in all these situations, because if I'm not laughing, I'm bound to start crying at any second. It's a zoo. A zoo full of kids, small animals, and chaos that I've chosen to bring upon myself. And because I've chosen it, for the most part, I love it. But just because I love it, sure doesn't mean it's easy!
Tell me moms, how do you do it? How do you manage your kiddos, their schedules, your home, your husband, an anxiety-ridden dog, a house full of pets? How do you respond when your zoo often feels like it's bursting at the seams and all the animals are getting loose? I'm sure open to any and all advice, because the more keepers on duty the better!
Oh, and in case you're wondering, we kept the new kitten. My husband loves him just as much as my six-year-old! :)