Pets can bring joy, love, and laughter to a home.  I have dogs and parrots.  Here is a just one example of my goofy animals.  Here my Bullmastiff, Bosco, is messing with my African Grey Parrot, Kiwi.  But Bosco looks a little more like a kangaroo than a dog!

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I find it so interesting that so many homeowners have a “No Dogs Allowed” policy (referring to rental homes, whether it be vacation rentals or long term rentals). The “No Dogs Allowed” policy is funny, because they let kids in! Seriously how much sense does that make? Let’s do a quick comparison here.

No Dogs Allowed!

“The dogs might urinate on the floor.”  OK, well so might my my 1-yr-old… And you’re worried about the carpet?  With kids, there is also food, drink, markers, and anything else they can get their little fingers on.  (Oh, you have a policy about eating and drawing at the table only?  Yeah, ok.  So do we.)  Our first full painting of the interior was preciously inspired by sharpie-pen designs up and down the hallway, courtesy of my 3-yr-old son, (and you don’t even want me to go into details about what else he painted with on one occasion!)  Drifting in memories here,  even my niece once sneaked into her mother’s closet with red lipstick at 3 years old!  Good bye to nearly all of her clothes…and shoes!)

“Dogs track in dirt.”  OK, well have you ever seen little kids running in and out of the house?  I mean, they intentionally try to bring in some dirt…to make pretend-stew for crying out loud!

“Dogs might chew things up.”  Yes, they might chew things up, but kids still have their ways of destroying things too…many many more ways.  It’s still a very close competition when considering what kids are capable of!

“Dogs bark.”  Yes some do.  BUT have you heard a pissed off 1 yr old?  Or 2 yr old?  Or 3 yr old?  Oh Yes, they can be loud.  Real loud.

“Dogs may bother the neighbors.”  Well they could.  But so can the kids.  I’m thinking about the one time my neighbor stopped over to inform me there were rocks flying over head from beyond our fence, into their yard…while their well behaved children played out there.  Yes, it was my son.  Bothersome indeed, not to mention dangerous.

We have six children, so we’ve seen a lot over the years.  Lessons learned, and some not so much.  The point here is that dogs are very trainable, as are some children (haha).  Some dogs may just listen a little better than a young child.  So, I’m just saying that it makes more sense for a homeowner to actually find out more about the animals, or the dogs….rather than lumping them into a “dirty, misbehaving destroyer” category.  Because if  little kids aren’t put into that category automatically, then surely a dog has no business being tossed into it either!!

Here’s to all my special dirty misbehaving destroyers…love you little rascals!

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I loved the title my child’s school coined, for a child, when they helped the group, “Community Contributor”. It’s perfect. Here, we live in a community of 8 people, 4 dogs, and 2 parrots. As you can imagine, it’s a bustling little community! And a messy one! I believe it’s important for children to have daily responsibilities, and to learn the value of contributing to the group. People do not produce trash without having to take that trash away. People do not eat without having to cook, then do the dishes. People do not wear clean clothes, without having to wash them and fold them.

News Flash: There is not some cleaning fairy that comes along behind you, making sure you have all you need and are cleaned up as needed, sweeping the crumbs away, and washing your undies!

I’m always amazed at how many of their friends do not really have any chores. I mean I don’t really care – meaning, it will not change my mind about their having chores. My kids’ use that too…”My friends don’t have to do chores!”
“Well, I guess that’s because I’m not their mom! Lucky, they are!”

But just because we require them to have responsibilities each day, doesn’t necessarily mean “easy street” anyway.  We literally have to play supervisor every step of the way, just to make sure  a) it gets done, and  b) get’s done correctly, and  c) gets done thoroughly.  They are smart little creatures, and will use every advantage to sneak out early and get out easy.

The chores fit the age and capability level.  My son, who will be 9 this spring, takes the trash out, takes the recycling out, feeds and waters the animals, cleans his room, and puts away his clothes.  And yes, he must be monitored the whole time, or we will have a hungry dog (or two…or thirsty ones…or well, you get it).  We expect a bit more from the older children, naturally.  My 14-yr-old daughter has to sweep and vacuum the upper floor and stairs daily, among other chores such as loading dishes.  It’s amazing to think she’ll be an “adult” in just 4 years.  Everyone should experience responsibilities before they are thrust into the world where there is no fairy…well except for the one that lives in your head while you are cleaning (if you are a really happy person..or maybe a bit crazy).

The chores we have assigned to each child can be completed in about 30-40 minutes generally.  If it takes longer, it’s only because they are being really goofy and distracted.  We definitely believe in kids being kids.  But I also think it’s important they know how to clean up after themselves, and understand that living in the world is a give and take.  If you’re being fed a warm meal, then you should not have problem helping to clean up afterwards.

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As many of you know, we have the joy of four furry family members among us! That’s right, my four dogs. And one of those dogs is a growing Bullmastiff, so as you can imagine we go through a good amount of dog food. I feed my dogs premium dog food, and select the brand of dog food carefully, to make sure they are getting all the nutrition they need to be healthy without breaking the bank. I have put in my time in researching quality dog food! Because we purchase large bags of premium dog food, it requires a separate trip to the premium pet store, where I lug the big bags to my car.

So of course, I was thrilled when given the opportunity to review Mr. Chewy, a website dedicated to cats and dogs needs, especially premium foods. Immediately upon visiting their website the first time, I was surprised to see they offer 70 different brands of dog food, including top quality favorites like Orijen and Taste of the Wild.

I was also thrilled to see the prices were comparable to store pricing, and actually less on some of the foods, and with FREE SHIPPING on order over $49, delivered to my door, so that’s an easy sale for me!  So, it’s as simple as saving me a special trip to the store, lugging the big bags of dog food to the car, and into the house – and no extra cost since the shipping is free over $49.  Gotta love that!  In fact, they offer the option of setting up a shipping schedule if you wish.  Talk about set it and forget it and never running out of dog food again!  Dogs’ll love ya for it (or cats)!

As if that’s not enough, they are offering 15% off storewide, applied at checkout!

This SupermomWannabe was pleased with Mr. Chewy.  If you have cats and/ or dogs, check ‘em out!

(I was provided a discount at Mr. Chewy, for my review)

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You know I love my birds!

Kiwi is my talking African Grey Parrot and is a real character! She is super outgoing and curious, and likes to keep busy.

Lucky is our Citron Crested Cockatoo. She is a bit more cautious, but loves attention. Her idea of staying busy is chewing, chewing!

Having busy bird companions means making sure my birds are happy. That includes providing them with fun activities when they are in their cages. A busy bird is a happy bird. Affordable, durable, and safe bird toys are often difficult to find. My cockatoo, especially, will make work of one expensive toy in one afternoon! So, I was pleased to have the opportunity to review MightyBirdToys.com bird toys, which are safe, hand made, durable, and affordable!

MightyBirdToys.com sent me four toys to review with my birds:

“Balsa Block”, which is a Balsa wood block with 12 acrylic beads. Balsa wood makes a great shredding toy for small & large birds. Soft & chewy comes off in little strips easy for your birds to handle in their beak or feet. Because birds love to work at loosening things, it’s genius to embed the beads into the block…will keep them busy!

“Mighty Roll”, Sea grass filled with raffia,palm leaf & crinkle paper. Roll is 10″ long (overall length 18″) & 4″ in diameter. Overall height with chain 12″. The roll results in many many crooks and crevices for the bird to work her beak into. After a couple of days in the cage, my African Grey has managed to only shred the outermost edges, so it’s safe to say this toy will last her awhile!

“Knotty Bagel”, which is chocked full of bagels and knots! Many hours of enjoyment for your medium to large parrot. My citron crested cockatoo has had this toy in her cage for 3 days and while she has peel off most of the color on the outskirts of the cardboard rings, she still has full rings left to pick apart. This is saying A LOT considering Lucky tends to strip a toy down to it’s rope in one day!

“Macaw Bagel w/ Paper”, durable cardboard ring with full roll of 5″ replaceable paper in the center.

MightyBirdToys.com specializes in safe bird toys and parts at low prices without compromising quality. Overall I am impressed with the quality and durability of the toys, as well as the use of safe materials in the making of the toys. My birds and I thank MightyBirdToys.com for sending the toys for this review!

Video Review of MightyBirdToys.com bird, parrot, cockatoo, and macaw bird toys:

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My life is likely to last 10-15 years; any separation from you will be painful for me. Remember that before you buy me.

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