Crazy Dog Mom – …on the B.L.

Stormy Days and Anxiety

January 29, 2020January 28, 2020 RaeAnna

wp-1580266279316 — Beau has been dealing with storm induced anxiety. And yes my Christmas tree is still up. Don’t judge me. | Pajamas | Blanket | Chair | Ottoman |

We’re no strangers to anxiety in my house. We deal with it all the time. The past week has been a long one because of all the storms that have been passing through the area.

Houston can have some pretty epic storms. Hurricanes aside. The past few years, January and February have been particularly gloomy and rainy. This past week has been filled with storms, which is particularly stressful for Beau. I was having a gloomy, emotional week completely unrelated to the weather, so I wasn’t too upset that we stayed in and cuddled. I’ve rather enjoyed listening to the rain outside my window as I work or rest or read.

Beau is fine with the rain as long as she doesn’t have to go outside in it and it’s not accompanied by thunder and lightning. Unfortunately, not going potty isn’t an option, and there has been quite a bit of thunder and lightning. So the week has not been ideal.

Mostly, Beau just wants to curl up and cry. Literally, cry. Sometimes she hides in the closet shaking when the winds pick up and thunder claps. She likes to crawl as far into my arms as possible or squeeze herself tightly between Dylan and I on the couch or in bed. When we cuddle in our chair, she nestles into the blankets and lays on top of me. Being touched, held, and loved on makes her feel safer. It doesn’t stop her shakes or whines, but it settles her as much as possible.

Beau has a whole collection of sweaters. They help keep her anxiety in check. On the very worst days, we give her benadryl, which makes her sleepy.

It’s heartbreaking that she has such a hard time with storms. I wish I could do more to help or make her feel better. It’s so much harder when she refuses to leave the house during a storm because she needs to go potty. Sometimes I drag her outside covered in a coat and an umbrella, but she hates when her feet get wet. I have even tried to make her go potty on our covered patio but no. She is a stubborn girl; I have no idea where she gets it from.

I’m hoping the storms will pass soon.

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Blog + Dog, In My Own Words, Lifestyle

Merry Christmas 2019

December 25, 2019December 25, 2019 RaeAnna

201912254786949543684059696 — Santa Beau in the house!!! | Santa Costume | Elf Jammies | Elf Hats |

20191225_1151266518804292489439631 — Opening Stockings

201912253866061409770484564 — My girl and I!

Kelfey (Elf Kelsey) and her fur baby, Doodle!

Merry Christmas!!! It’s my favorite holiday and the anniversary of this blog!!!

I’m home in Illinois to celebrate the holidays with my family. They’re not my biological family, but they’re the family who chose me and who I chose. They are my best friend’s family. Kelsey is more than my best friend, she’s my sister. Her little sister [Jordan] is my little sister. Her big brother is my big brother. Her parents are Mom and Dad. I moved in with them five years ago after college. I didn’t [and they definitely did not] think I would live here for almost three years. Woops! Even after moving to Houston, I still go home for Christmas. This is the fifth Christmas I’ve spent at home – well, technically, the sixth holiday season.

The first Christmas I lived here, I started a tradition, which is still going strong. I bought Kelsey, Jordan, and I matching Christmas pajamas. Every year, I buy us matching Christmas jammies. When we first started, it was just Kelsey, Jordan, and I. Now we each have fur babies of our own.

This year, Kelsey sent me a text about a month and a half ago asking if Beau could be Santa for Christmas. I said, “ABSOLUTELY!!!” I suggested we be elves. I found us elf jammies and hats. Beau has her Santa costume. We had to take pictures because it’s too adorable not to. Anyways, yay Christmas!!!!

If you don’t celebrate, I hope you’re having an amazing day filled with love anyways!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Blog + Dog

Family Christmas Picture

December 19, 2019 RaeAnna

Merry Christmas!!! And Happy Blog + Dog!!!

Our Crazy Car Family Christmas Picture!!! | Santa Shirts | RaeAnna’s PJ Pants | Dylan’s PJ Pants | Dog Sweater | Santa Sack | Cookie Jar | Car Mug | Dog Mug | Car Wrapping Paper | Tree Skirt | Stockings | Tree | Blanket |

Last year, our family picture included a lot of buffalo plaid.
This year, we went with a car theme.

Random? Nope! Fun fact, we’re a car family. Not just a car family taking trips to car shows here and there. We are a crazy car family. Maybe not the craziest car family, but we’re up there, for sure.

I realized very quickly after meeting Dylan, cars are a big deal for him. After only four months of dating, we moved from Chicago to Houston… TOGETHER!!! (Hindsight, that could have been a horrible, terrible, no good idea. Over three years later, it’s turned out alright.) We moved to Houston because Dylan started going to school at SAMTech: School of Automotive Machinists and Technology. aka: Making Fast Cars Go Fast School For Car Nerds.

I grew up with a dad for a mechanic. We would go to car shows, and he would teach me about engines, history, and car fun facts. I’ve managed to retain a good bit of information. I wouldn’t be able to build you an engine, but I’m not half bad at troubleshooting or changing a tire. I’ll pay people to change my oil because it’s easier and I can.

Anyways. Dylan is a crazy car guy. He loves them. Two years ago, he brought a small block home to build. (It’s been sitting in the closet until I pulled it out for this picture.) For some reason, we have a racing slick [tire] on our patio. (It’s been there for just as long, but got drug into the house for me to sit on.) There are always car parts appearing and disappearing from my kitchen table. We bought a race car this year. He’s building the engine block and all the other fun stuff under the hood. He loves cars, and I support his dreams to build, design, and race them.

Cars are a huge part of our life. It’s his passion and his career; it only made sense to bring the race car theme of our lives into our Christmas card. We have red truck wrapping paper, a Santa bag with a red truck (and a dog) on it, a red truck cookie jar, red truck coffee mug (I used a Christmas puppy mug because dogs are my passion), an engine block, a racing slick, car ornaments, a red truck puppy sweater, and matching Santa in red truck pajamas. I think we nailed the theme. Now we just need a red truck. Hey, Dylan! Want to paint yours???

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Blog + Dog

Couch Potatoes

September 11, 2019 RaeAnna

I’m getting a pep talk about how I CAN get all the stuff done I need to do.

She just wants the treats in my hand… | Pajama Top | Pajama Bottom | Mug | Beau’s Bandana |

I’m a writer. Sometimes, I have a really hard time writing when I’m not inspired… I’m probably not alone in that predicament, which is why I am very happy to have a couch and my dog.

Luckily for me, I have an almost-comfortable couch and a very cozy dog. Not to mention more subscriptions to streaming services than is probably responsible, a ton of movies on Vudu, and loads of DVDs. Also more books on my reading shelves than I can read in four months. Actually, as I write this, I’m sitting on the couch with Beau under my arm watching The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Prime. (I highly suggest it; it’s based off the book of the same name by Philip K. Dick.)

I promise. It’s not what you think it is… I dropped a treat in my lap.

Being a couch potato really works for us. Beau is particularly good at it. She takes up well over half of the couch at all times no matter how many people are wanting to sit on it with her. I like to refer to Beau as an oobleck – a non-Newtonian fluid; it’s a liquid until pressure is applied, and then it’s a solid. Beau starts in one position. She spreads out into another position; before, she solidifies and refuses to take up less space no matter how much pressure is applied.

We’re very happy as couch potatoes. It works for us. Some days we get stuff done on the couch. Other days, we really don’t.

Today, Beau and I have sat on the couch all day. It’s intermittently storming, and Beau is a little stressed about it. I feel like I haven’t done much, but I did. I wrote this boring blog post. I did the dishes. What took up most of my afternoon was mending clothes. I had a HUGE pile of clothes that needed to have zippers fixed, seams taken in, snaps put on, buttons reattached, straps tightened, etc. I’m actually quite handy with a needle and thread. I spent four hours doing all the mending that needed to be done and that had built up over an embarrassing amount of time. The upside, I have clothes back! And I did it all without leaving the couch! I can chalk this day up to a success.

bisous und обьятий,
Beau and RaeAnna

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Blog + Dog

Water Dog

August 14, 2019August 13, 2019 RaeAnna

Beau really hated the pool float. | Swimsuit | Hat | Floatie |

She did a lap around me to make sure the floatie wasn’t eating me, then said “See ya, Mom!” | Swimsuit | Floatie | Hat |

I have loved water my entire life. I’m happiest sitting by the ocean. I used to crave summer for days at the pool or on a boat at the lake at my grandparent’s in Wisconsin. My brother and I could spend all day playing in the pool.

I’ve had dogs my entire life. Some have loved the water even more than I do. Some have hated any water outside of their drinking bowl. Some have been ambivalent except on the very hottest of days. They are living breathing beings with emotions, preferences, and dislikes just like people. You can’t make a dog like the water.

I didn’t really give much thought to if Beau would be a water dog or not when I brought her home. It didn’t matter either way. The first couple of months going to the dog park, she was pretty tentative about the dog pools and lakes. She loved romping through the muddy puddles. The muddier the better. It wasn’t until a gaggle of ducks started goading her one day that she dove into the water proving she could swim and wouldn’t take crap from anyone let alone a flock of audacious ducks. Ever since that day, she has been my water baby.

Our first summer together, we went to Southern California. After 26 hours in the car, we drove straight to a dog beach at Ocean Beach in San Diego. We hopped out of the car, let Beau off the leash, she ran head first into the ocean, and had explosive diarrhea all over the place. So great….

We have friends with pools, and Beau LOVES going for swims and running around between her water adventures. So much so, she even knows what routes we take to get to their houses, and she perks up the moment we make certain turns. She’s hilarious. Always cautious with her first toe dips, she’s soon jumping in and taking a spin around. I can’t keep her out, which I don’t want to. She loves to jump in after me and swim a circle around me before hopping out and running a few laps around before jumping back in again.

Beau loves lakes, oceans, puddles, streams, rivers, and pools. Anxiety riddled and cautious, she never has a probably enjoying the water or a good swim. With the Texas heat on full blast ten months out of the year, water is a great way to have fun and stay cool.

bisous et обьятий,
Beau and RaeAnna

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I was being eaten, and Beau didn’t care. | Swimsuit | Floatie | Hat

Blog + Dog, Style

Dog Mom Shirts

June 12, 2019June 23, 2019 RaeAnna

Hanging out at the beach in Galveston, TX. | Dog Mom Shirt | Dog Mom Hat | Shorts

I love dog mom clothes. It’s advertizing. It says “Hi, I love my dog more than I’ll ever love you.” It may also say, “Hi, I’m a crazy dog mom. Try me.” Okay. All it probably says is “I have a dog and enough money for this tshirt.” If you know me, I’ll personally tell you all three of those sentences, but the first is the most apropos.

I really love being a dog mom. It’s probably the most rewarding thing I will ever do in my entire life. I shouldn’t have children because I will probably always tell them I love them almost as much as the dog. Reasons why:

Dogs clean their own butts. There’s a solid three-ish years you have to do that with the human children.
Children are sticky. My dog has never been sticky. Not ever.
I can put my dog in a box and leave for several hours. Children: Hello, CPS?
Children are a lifelong commitment.
I wish my dog was a lifelong commitment.
Children can talk. My dog only barks when there is danger or she has to shit.
Children will probably grow up to hate you in some small way. Beau only holds a grudge for 20 seconds.
I can pack Beau up in the car and go anywhere anytime. Children have school and other boring crap I have to go to and be a part of.
Waking up to my dog’s butthole is unpleasant, but it’s better than an expensive, sticky, talkative child.

I love kids. I think they’re super great. Especially when I can hand them back to their parents. Being Fun Aunt RaeAnna is my favorite thing to be to children. I can whoosh in with presents and fun times before whooshing out several days later. I’ll even take them for weeks at a time! My heart is with my dog. I love being her Mom more than anything. I love working from home because I get to cover Beau in kisses any time I want to.

I have been collecting Dog Mom clothes because it is my favorite part of my identity. Here are all the fun Dog Mom things I found!

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