[Ann of Owlshire]

In the latter half of last year the Enting started school, business travel picked up (for both me and Mr), and just to top it off we all caught Covid over the Christmas holidays. During all this, I stopped losing weight and gained back some of that I'd been losing. (Thankfully, not all of it!)

 

This year I'm keen to get my weight/BMI back down to the best of last year. But more than that, I want to be better at getting back on track when chaos ensues and I get derailed--because chaos happens, constantly. I already have good practices and habits. They work. I just need to remember to keep them going (or reimplement them) when things go wacky.

 

The Challenge:

These are my practices that I need to keep in place

 

• Use the daily planner/tracker - Daily to-dos, habit-tracking, etc.
• Create/use the weekly meal plan - If I get too hungry without a plan, I'll end up eating a fistful of crackers with nutella, which is delicious but not exactly healthy.
• 5 Miles a Day/Dog Training - Oh, did I forget to mention? We have a puppy now! Skye is a 4.5 month old golden retriever and she's my new walking companion. I love her! She came to us at 15 weeks and basically no training at all, so we've been working hard with her. Luckily, she's a swift and eager pupil and in the 3 weeks we've had her, she's already come very far! And she doesn't let me slack off my lunchtime walk (not to mention the shorter walks I've had to add in the morning and evening...). Good for her, good for me.
  
  

 

Level Up: Spring is coming to Owlshire! I need to get started on the vegetable garden, and I want to get back into my crafts. I debated between a daily habit, or specifics, and I've decided to go for specifics: 
 

• Finish the jumper I'm knitting
• Spin something on my wheel (or at least start it)
• Prepare our new garden terraces (after two disasterous winters of not being able to DIY them, we hired it out. And now we have terraces!)
• Get all February seeds in the propagator
• Get or start the March seeds

 

Pass/Fail Parameters: This challenge is about getting back on track--and then doing it again, and again. So I need to check in each week, and if I've gone off course,  I need to get back on it again. As long as I do that, it's a success. 

 

[Elastigirl]

Your new puppy is adorable! Very excited to hear about your garden progress.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

PUPPY!

That is an adorable dog, and I look forward to following your challenge. 

[Sovalis]

Oh yay, Fuzzy Baby! Congratulations! Sorry things were so busy and then you had Covid. I hope it passes completely and you're doing well now. 

 

Looking forward to following along! 

[Scaly Freak]

Your puppy is adorable!

 

And the level of intelligence in those dark eyes is low-key terrifying. You're doing the smart tings in taking her for several walks per day and getting training started early - an intelligent dog can cause all sorts of trouble and damage, including putting itself in danger it doesn't perceive or understand.  Your Skye was about the same age when she arrived in your home, as our Happy Sidekick was when she came to live with us (Happy Sidekick is a black labrador retriever) and I remember the training phase was exhausting but so fun and rewarding it was completely worth it. 

 

Out of curiosity, how long did it take Skye to learn that "lunch time" (or "lunch" or "lunchbreak" or whatever you call it) means the same thing as "walk"...? 😇

[Ann of Owlshire]

9 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

And the level of intelligence in those dark eyes is low-key terrifying.

 

When we were at the breeders', she opened the baby gate into the kitchen. We didn't think much of it until we got home and she opened the crate we had for her. Then we got her another crate (she was borderline too big for the original one because we were expecting to get a younger puppy), and she opened that one, too 🤯 We've got it secured now, but within 24 hours we knew we were dealing with a dog that might be too smart for our own good LOL

 

9 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

You're doing the smart tings in taking her for several walks per day and getting training started early - an intelligent dog can cause all sorts of trouble and damage, including putting itself in danger it doesn't perceive or understand. 

 

When I was a child, my dad got a Samoyed but--I realized this many, many years later--my dad's health was already declining (and either he was oblivious or in denial) and the dog never got the training or exercise he needed. He destroyed EVERYTHING. He escaped CONSTANTLY. He was affectionate, loving, but a destructive and logistical nightmare that caused so much discord in our household.  I loved the Samoyed, but the experience put me off dogs until... well, now, when I'm in my 40s and have a stronger understanding of what went wrong with my childhood dog. So yeah, I'm all about the training, and all about "a tired dog is a happy dog!"

She's too old for puppy classes (at least the ones offered locally) so we've been doing a lot of "training" via YouTube which I think mostly because she's really eager to please has been going pretty well, but we know that we lack knowledge and experience so we've also got a professional dog trainer coming by next week to help us with the parts we've been struggling with (nipping and jumping are a big one, despite much advice from friends and the Internet, and it's particularly a problem because it frightens the Enting) and if we like the trainer we'll probably do their "older puppy" classes (6 months-18 months) when they're next offered.
 

9 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

Out of curiosity, how long did it take Skye to learn that "lunch time" (or "lunch" or "lunchbreak" or whatever you call it) means the same thing as "walk"...?

 

I spent the first 10 days making a record of in and out for housetraining purposes (re: no training at all) and now we have a pretty solid routine that she knows well (at least on the weekdays).  The last few days I've been sick (plus weekends which aren't quite as structured) so it's been lots of shorter outings and she's definitely found it confusing. So I think she got it pretty fast  (She also keeps trying to go back to her bed in my office because 5 days a week that's where she spend most of her inside time LOL) 

[Sepherina]

20 hours ago, Ann of Owlshire said:

 

 

She is soo cute!  I am trying to convince the hubs that we need a dog now that our minions are older (and almost out of the house).

 

And of course, good luck on this challenge.  😄

[Rookie]

Awww love your new walking partner! My baby girl is 6.5 months! They grow so fast. I also got a dog that is way smarter then me but do far she hasn't figured out how to open her crate.. thank goodness lol

[Snarkyfishguts]

YAY! It's so good to see you! I'm glad you're feeling better after having Covid for the holidays.  I love your challenge. It's a perfect way to spend February.  Also yay for cute and smart puppies! She sounds like she's fitting in really well.

[Ann of Owlshire]

40 minutes ago, Sepherina said:

She is soo cute!  I am trying to convince the hubs that we need a dog now that our minions are older (and almost out of the house).

 

 Our kiddo is 4 y/o, we thought it was a good age to introduce a (family-friendly) dog. If I had older or no children (at home) I may have considered another breed (or mix). Although now I have a goldie I already can't figure out why I'd want anything else ever again. LOL 

[Ann of Owlshire]

40 minutes ago, Rookie said:

Awww love your new walking partner! My baby girl is 6.5 months! They grow so fast. I also got a dog that is way smarter then me but do far she hasn't figured out how to open her crate.. thank goodness lol

 

Skye's an escape artist, but thankfully the only place she wants to escape to is back with us. Still, we'd like her crate-trained as it comes in handy! Mr doesn't want her sleeping in our room but she can't bear to be away from me so I'm sleeping on the sofa with her on the floor next to me until we figure out an exit strategy. 🤷‍♀️

[Sepherina]

29 minutes ago, Ann of Owlshire said:

 

 Our kiddo is 4 y/o, we thought it was a good age to introduce a (family-friendly) dog. If I had older or no children (at home) I may have considered another breed (or mix). Although now I have a goldie I already can't figure out why I'd want anything else ever again. LOL 

My MIL had a goldie along time ago and they are wonderful family dogs.  We have “pet sat” a few chocolate labs as well (one for a friend and another for my MIL).  I want one soo bad. We have been considering getting a rescue from the humane society or even just fostering a dog.  

 

 

Picture of Carley, one of the labs we had for several weeks last year while my MIL recovered from Covid.  We miss her “propeller tail” and her exuberant energy when we would come home after an errand or go for walks.

 

…let me find a smaller picture…

[doctorake]

Following along. Cute pupper and I love your setting(Owlshire).

 

In terms of gardening have you followed Huw Richards? He has a great youtube and I have a couple of books by him that are great.

[doctorake]

Ok, now following

[Scaly Freak]

10 hours ago, Ann of Owlshire said:

She's too old for puppy classes (at least the ones offered locally) so we've been doing a lot of "training" via YouTube which I think mostly because she's really eager to please has been going pretty well, but we know that we lack knowledge and experience so we've also got a professional dog trainer coming by next week to help us with the parts we've been struggling with (nipping and jumping are a big one, despite much advice from friends and the Internet, and it's particularly a problem because it frightens the Enting) and if we like the trainer we'll probably do their "older puppy" classes (6 months-18 months) when they're next offered.

 

Good call. Nipping and jumping become even bigger problems when the dog grows larger. But the biggest issue right now is of course that it frightens your Enting, because that's not okay. Enting should have the opportunity to develop a deep friendship with your dog and rampage all over the country-side and explore mud puddles together.  

[Scaly Freak]

4 hours ago, Ann of Owlshire said:

Skye's an escape artist, but thankfully the only place she wants to escape to is back with us. Still, we'd like her crate-trained as it comes in handy! Mr doesn't want her sleeping in our room but she can't bear to be away from me so I'm sleeping on the sofa with her on the floor next to me until we figure out an exit strategy. 🤷‍♀️

 

Is a dog bed in the corner of your room a viable compromise? That's what we did.

[Ann of Owlshire]

12 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

Is a dog bed in the corner of your room a viable compromise? That's what we did.

 
Mr is not yet willing to make that compromise as it breaks the “no dog upstairs” rule. When he suggested yesterday that we managed to securely wean Enting into his own bed so we can manage the dog, I did point out that involved a cumulative 2 years of me cosleeping in the guest room 😜

 

I guess we’ll see who gives first, 😂 

[Ann of Owlshire]

34 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

Good call. Nipping and jumping become even bigger problems when the dog grows larger. But the biggest issue right now is of course that it frightens your Enting, because that's not okay. Enting should have the opportunity to develop a deep friendship with your dog and rampage all over the country-side and explore mud puddles together.  

Yeah, Enting loves Skye but he’s still nervous because she goes from fun and cuddly to jumpy and nippy with no warning. And she’s already as tall as him in her hind legs and she’s less than half of her expected adult size…

[Ziraiah]

I see puppy, I follow. Seriously though, I love to follow the journey of other dog lovers. Daily life is so scheduled around walks and other doggy stuff, it really had an affect on everything in life. It's always nice to see how others juggle with everything.

[Ann of Owlshire]

47 minutes ago, Ziraiah said:

I see puppy, I follow. Seriously though, I love to follow the journey of other dog lovers. Daily life is so scheduled around walks and other doggy stuff, it really had an affect on everything in life. It's always nice to see how others juggle with everything.

 

I think I juggle poorly, LOL 

[Ziraiah]

I think you are doing a great job on those 5 mile daily walks! Puppy energy is a challenge for sure, but as you said, a tired dog is a happy dog. 😅

[Ann of Owlshire]

Present Me would like to thank Past Me, who when I was stumped for what to cook yesterday, looked at this coming week's meal plan and thought "you know if I made an extra large amount of egg mayo (lunch) and veggie chili (dinner) TODAY, then I don't have to make it all on Monday AND we have healthy homemade food today, Monday, and probably Tuesday."

 

Thank you, Past Me!

 

In related news, the Mr left on a 3 day business trip at 5AM ths morning (which we didnt even know he'd be going on for sure until last night), so I'm solo-juggling all the things and I'm still recovering from my cold. I'm not sure I'll last the day with work, but I've still got to do all the childcare/school runs, dog walks,  and property management items that are non-negotiable. 😫

 

But this is what the challenge is about, right? Trying to keep a grip in the midst of chaos...

[Silmarilliane]

On 2/6/2023 at 9:55 AM, Ann of Owlshire said:

Present Me would like to thank Past Me

 

I love when this happens, it's so satisfying (and makes you feel capable at adulting)

 

On 2/6/2023 at 9:55 AM, Ann of Owlshire said:

solo-juggling all the things

 

This is a NOT FUN adulting to do, sorry to hear this - hope the cold goes away soon so you at least feel better while trying to juggle all the things single-handed.

[Ann of Owlshire]

This week has been a week. Besides Mr being on a business trip for 3 days, we pretty much tagged teamed out on Wednesday night minutes after he finally made it home (after 4+ hours of awful traffic) because I needed to get Skye to the emergency vet. She's recovering now, but it was an absolutely exhausting (not to mention expensive) ordeal. Bonus things that were never on my bucket list: being the fill-in nurse late night while the vet tries to get an IV feed into your puppy.

Speaking of recovering, Mr and I are still not fully over our most recent colds, either! 

 

BUT

 

I'm trying to stay on it. I'm still making my to-do lists (even if some items are getting perpetually carried over to the next day), just made a meal plan for next week and ordered appropriate groceries, still walking. Made progress on knitting the jumper (I've been trying to channel nervous energy into knitting rather than less useful things), hoping to start sorting out my Feb seeds before the day weekend is over. 

 

And trying to stay on it when the chaos demons visit is what this challenge is about.

 

This coming week's bonus round: Begin getting on top of food/etc. again. There's a lot that I've let slip, but I'll tackle one or two things at a time. In the past few weeks, mostly due to exhaustion, I've reintroduced caffeine by having a cup or two of coffee a day with milk. And I've been capping off most evenings with a Bailey's hot chocolate (maybe that's stress, not exhaustion). I don't have to stop having either of them. First, I want to have them in smaller quantities--the little mug, not the big mug. And then maybe I'll even have some days where I skip entirely... 

[Radost]

Hi! Puppy + fibrecrafts, I have to follow this challenge! I love dogs from a distance, and I have to say, watching the relationship between my work kids (10 & 12) and their family's new puppy (one year old last week!) has been such a joy, I hope you enjoy developing as a family of 4 too. ❤️

 

Hope Skye is recovering well from her emergency, and that you're able to rest a little and reset after the chaos.  Sounds like you have a good sense of right-size changes that can build over time.