Sleeping Through the Night

At this stage, my daughter and I are finally getting to sleep through the night! We spent a week taking turns with these little guys, in which they mainly needed us around 1:00 A.M. for a feeding.

Ann, you nailed it in your comment about what the vet told us to do next.....we had to teach them to pee-n-poop! That was a "trip" I never expected to travel during my life time! Thankfully it lasted just a week and after we introduced them to can cat food, the litter box training came next. The babies caught on quickly and this lady was delighted! During this new training period we found that diaper wipes worked the best and lots of newspapers!

We ended up moving the kittens three times during their house stay with us, as they kept escaping their current homes. This one we named Bungy; he didn't need an elastic cord to get where he was going, he just lunged!

He was the first one to escape...

the first one to the bottle,

and

first one to crawl up your leg!

At 4 weeks old we would let them out to explore and play. You could see how quickly they were changing from wobbly to a gutsy dare-devilish mode. It didn't take them long to figure out how to pounce on an unsuspecting brother or sister! Our nightly entertainment had some of the deepest belly laughs that we had received in a long time. I do believe that we slept better because of these comical kittens!

When the babies would get tired from playing, we'd gather them up, put them back on their heating pad and have them settle down for the night. They weren't always easy to find and in this picture we thought for sure that we had lost one. My husband found this little guy and even donated his slippers for the night as not to disturb his sleep.

Yes, they had begun to work their fuzzy magic on the man of the house!

Really...... how Do you burp a cat?

This adventure has been a sweet accomplishment and a privilege to be apart of. On April 13th our farm cat had her first litter of kittens, two black ones, just like their mama and three white ones, just like their papa. (in this picture, one is camera shy).

On April 30th our mama cat disappeared (not her fault, she was a great mama!) and my daughter, husband and I became adopted parents to five furry little bodies. I had no idea what was in store for us and I thought I would share our adventure in installments on my blog.

The kittens were 17 days old, and I didn't have the first clue about taking care of them. All our previous attempts to save little ones didn't end in a happy story.

From the research on-line and a local trip to our vet to purchase baby bottles, I picked up some interesting tips.

When feeding babies you keep them level with the ground or you might get their lungs infected with the baby formula that you are feeding them. You want the formula to get to their tummies.

You've got to keep them warm, so have a heating pad available and set on low. Provide space for the kittens to get off of the heating pad if they get too warm.

Altabella Cattery's Kitten Glop http://www.hdw-inc.com/glop.htm has an excellent formula recipe for kittens and we used it for 4 weeks with great results! (Thanks my husband for finding this recipe!)

And to wrap up this entry: the vet told me that I would need to get the kittens to burp.....

I can only wonder about the look on my face as he relayed this information. My only reference to burping anything was with my own children, and a couple of them were not easy to burp!

The vet just told me to keep the kittens as level as possible, so I couldn't possibly burp them the way I did my kids. (one practically had to be on her head to produce a burp and another child needed her hiney softly patted).

So how do you burp a kitten?

Really it's quite simple. You just pet them. The motion of your hand stroking them encourages little burps. At first you won't quite recognize them as burps, especially if you've been used to hearing grown-up burps for quite awhile (good food ma!). But it doesn't take long to understand that you've accomplished a baby animal burp. You can feel it too. After they burp, they settle down for a nice long nap, which is important if you happen to be on night duty with them!

Stay tuned for what the vet said next!

Fiber? Do I really get enough!

I know, crazy thought and why would I be having such a thought on this blistery summer day? I'm not for sure.

Maybe because the heat index has seared all the other thoughts in my brain and left this one to roll around. Anyway, it's there and I do have some curious questions.

http://ehealthmd.com/index.html answered a lot and I enjoyed the read; but I'm sorry to report that it didn't answer my BIG question.

"I want to know if I leave that little sticker on my fruits and veggies will that add up to several grams of fiber or just an annoying piece of fiber that is now stuck in my teeth?"

Yes, I do wash, scrub and dry my produce, but I DO forget that little sticker. It's only after I enjoyed the tart apple or the juicy tomato that I find a foreign substance in my mouth and remember once again.....THE STICKER.

Beautiful Babe

Missy, how can I begin to say "thanks" for being the best companion that I could ever wish for my daughter. You saw her through all the difficult growing up years and you were always faithful to be by her side.

When this ole' mom just didn't quite understand the up's and down's of teenage life, she could always turn to you and get that special "fuzzy love".

And as she reached adulthood, you moved out with her and continue to watch over her for me.

I'll miss your smile and the wag of your tail in welcome but I know you're at a peaceful place now and you no longer hurt. Enjoy your freedom, my friend, and chasing rabbits!

love you,

Mrs. Julie

There's a Way to Eat Sunflower Seeds?

I've always taken delight in our sunflower fields around Kansas; the fields are just full of huge, happy flowers! I enjoy eating sunflower seeds too and prefer them "naked" to in a shell.

Why?

Too much effort in finding that little seed to munch,

when you can just pop a whole handful in your mouth

and get to the business of enjoying the salty crunch!

Recently I had a delightful lesson on wiggling that little sunflower seed out of it's shell; taught to me by a successful wiggler. My 16 year old daughter.

Her instructions follow....(these are beginners instructions)

1. Just put one seed at a time in your mouth
2. Turn the seed ridge side up, gently bite down on it to crack it open
3. Find the seed and wiggle it out
4. Move the seed to the back of your mouth
5. Keep the shell in the front of your mouth
6. Spit the shell out
7. Enjoy your efforts

I would love to tell you that all went well. I really did give it my best and I paid attention to all the details she patiently spelled out for me.....4 different times!

My first attempt: Did not bite down on the shell gently and ended up with several pieces of shell. I completely lost the seed. Spit the whole thing out.

#2. Bit down softly on the shell, still couldn't tell the difference between the shell and the seed and spit the whole thing out.

#3. Bit down softly on the shell, found the seed this time but lost it somewhere around the molars. Spit the whole thing out.

#4. Bit down softly on the shell, found the seed, moved it to the back of my mouth and kept the shell to the front. Succeeded in spitting the shell out and enjoying the seed!

My daughter then informed me during my very nice victory dance, that I need to work on my spitting. I remind her of a llama. hmm....

After several more attempts at clearing the chest region, I can proudly say that my spitting is a little more refined and some day I will be able to spit out two shells instead of an arsenal!

HALF LIFE (lyrics) - duncan

"Get Over It"

Do you love these words or hate them? I guess it depends on your circumstances. At first read, I just grit my teeth but as the day wears on it begins to sink in and I start to sort thoughts out.

I found some advice today from http://www.ehow.com/ (good site) and thought I would add the post to my random thoughts.
(By the way, I'm working through being jealous but I haven't picked up stalking yet!)

"Jealousy is not a spirit of embrace and welcome, but a closed-minded spirit. It ruins positive perspective and intrudes on happy people and makes them miserable and feel like they are lacking or unworthy. This is not a good way to live at all."

I did say that this blog was about new adventures......well I'm learning to close this "jealous" door permanently. It's been a part of my life for way too long and I'm really tired of the ride it takes me on. Am I insecure? Yep, been that way most of my life and I'm realizing that I can't wait anymore on anyone to fill that void in my life, it's up to me.

Excited? Today has been off the charts with it and I can't wait for some more pages to turn to see what's next. Scary? yep, but it's really fun trying new things. Mid-Life crisis? All the way! and it can only get better. So raise your glasses in a toast with me as "we" Get Over It!

(I love music, and it can speak out your thoughts so much more than you can express yourself. This is an awesome song!)

Trippin

My family has questioned my choice of the name of my blog and to quote my husband,

"Don't you know that means 'doing drugs' ?"

Yes, I'm a child of the 60's and I grew up with the hippies. I even remember them taking over Disneyland on one of our visits and they shut the park down, sent all the rest of us home, so the hippies could enjoy the park without damaging it. Didn't think much of the hippies after that incident.


Police take Main Street Date: August 6, 1970 http://www.studiolo.org/Email/DISNEY.htm
On this day in 1970 a group of "hippies" obtained entrance to Disneyland in Anaheim California. They ran rampant over the park, attempting to claim "Tom Sawyer's Island" for themselves. Disneyland, not knowing how to handle this breach of customary etiquette, called in the Orange County Police who arrived in full riot gear. The park was closed and all visitors were asked to depart, leaving Disneyland empty except for the remaining hippies. This was the first time the park was closed early. Earlier Disneyland was infamous for its policy of refusing entry to young men wearing beards, a common practice in California and especially in some cities of Orange County. No rain-check was given to the departing visitors.

So I did a little research on Trippin" and below is what I found:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/

trippin'

to be talking crazy and/or not making sense. sometimes used to say to people when they insult you or insult a friend of yours.

I'm afraid I'm accused of this one a lot! I do talk to myself and I do answer myself. I make sense to myself and I work a lot of issues out this way. Am I trippin? Maybe, but "we're" all happy!


trippin'

VERB (sometimes used as an ADJECTIVE) 1. displaying a displeased or problematic reaction to what has been said or done by another person 2. the act of rupturing regular peaceful discourse between two human beings. 3. The act of throwing obstacles in between the peaceful interaction of human beings that could be metaphorically "tripped over"

I've always hated this one and have never understood why it would happen. I like peace, (hmm...still a hippie?) I strive for it and want everyone around me to live there with me. If you can't be nice, then go away. Why do I feel this way so strongly; is it because of the way I was raised? and why do I feel like such an oddball if I'm not out there "trippin" other people up and messing up their day.

and finally, my favorite:


trippin'

A state of mind brought on by experiencing a different state of consciousness- mostly through vast changes in perception, senses and thought patterns. Tripping is usually experienced through the use of psychedelic drugs such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin- but can also be experienced naturally as well. This is because psychedelic drugs are supposed to break down the filters of the mind i.e 'thought at large' which are believed to eliminate unnecessary thought patterns. Because the mind (including the alleged filters) were not fully developed in youth, tripping could sometimes happen naturally as a result. And if you don't believe me or think it's impossible, then read the example... you'll know what I'm talking about :)

When I was younger, the world seemed a more vibrant place. It was much easier to daydream or lose myself in my thoughts, or imagine things as though they were real. Music felt really alive, as though it connected with me somehow, and I could spend hours following every crevice in the pavement on the way home from school... where now I couldn't care less. That is how I viewed the world as a child... but having matured since then those abilities have been lost as a result. Tripping makes you more aware of all the details that pass us by- and whether it's through drugs or natural causes, tripping is a great way to realize all the finer things around us that we normally take for granted :)

I'm now on a journey to a more vibrant place! (no drugs needed) A place that needs to have the creaky door hinges oiled and the cobwebs brushed aside. Where music is alive and I can see again as a child. I want to realize all the finer things around me and never ever take them for granted.