Making Cold Weather Fun

Being transplanted from sunny Hawaii to the frozen tundra that is Wisconsin has forced me to embrace (okay, tolerate) cold weather. Dealing with frigid temperatures is no fun, but when you’ve have kids, you can’t hibernate for the entire winter. To cure cabin fever, consider a winter outing with the entire family. Learn how to cross-country ski, snowshoe or ice-skate. The outdoor activities will give your kids a chance to burn off some steam, and help you spend quality family time in nature. Some options for winter fun include: UTAH Soldier Hollow Cross Country Ski Resort, located in Midway, Utah, … Continue reading

Four Pets, Four Reactions to Stress

Moving is stressful for humans AND pets. It’s been interesting to watch how the animals react as my roommates and I go through the moving process. I have two dogs: Moose (a shepherd mix) and Lally (a boxer mix). They have two cats: Kachiko (a snowshoe Siamese) and Shiro (a big grey fellow). Each of the animals has reacted differently to the disruption in the routine. Shiro has earned his nickname: “chicken boo”. The move has sent him into hiding — he spent his first day in the new apartment squished into the corner of the closet. Slowly he’s come … Continue reading

Introducing the New Members of the Household

A while back, I mentioned that I would be moving soon. Same complex, just a bigger apartment because I’m joining forces with some roommates. Those roommates have cats. We talked a lot about how to introduce my dogs, Moose and Lally, to their cats. We came up with plans to give the cats a safe space, and give them time to roam the apartment without dogs around. (More on this to come, I promise!) For now, I wanted to introduce the new members of the household. Kachiko is an eight year old snowshoe Siamese cat. She’s a sweet, mischievous little … Continue reading