Endomondo

A few months ago I was trying to get myself motivated to jog (even wrote a post about it).  Seems like everyone around me these days jog, even old friends back in The States.  I figure if they (other mothers) can squeeze it into their schedules, so can I.  Well, it takes more than just time, it takes a lot of will too.  And somehow since I wrote the post back in March I haven't really kept it up like I had intended.  And since then I have even put on a couple extra pounds, oops.

It's time to get back to it, so today I started the process again.  But this time with extra help!  First off I downloaded a podcast that helps me build up to a 5km run.  This is great, it tells me when to jog & when to walk, and in between provides music.  This is better than just winging it and jogging based on how I feel instead of an actual rhythm.  Maybe if I was a seasoned jogger it would all be more natural, but I'm not there yet.  Besides the lovely guide encouraging me through the iPhone attached to my arm, there is the company.  This time instead of just me & my dog, a friend & her dog also joined.  Joined, well, I should say I joined her, because she's been jogging for a couple weeks now (hope I didn't slow her down).  O.k., now there was a guide & company, both added benefits... what else?

To help monitor my progress, and provide a fun visual of my progress I downloaded the app, Endomondo.  It's great, it gives you updates of your progress along the way, tracks you via GPS so you can see your route, and at the end gives a great overview of your accomplishment.  Since I love gadgets (and stats) this app is perfect and will hopefully motivate me even more.  Plus I can see if there has been improvement, or even just see the last time I jogged hoping to make more of a schedule (or shame myself into going more often, ha-ha).

Our results weren't bad, considering the last 10 minutes was just strolling back to the car, because the podcast was only 25 minutes!!!

Any of you use podcasts or apps to keep your fitness on track?

 

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Guard Dog (not!)

Last week, in the middle of the night a sound somewhere in our apartment woke me & the dog up.  Not unusual, but this time my husband was away on business.  We both waited a moment, heard nothing else and fell back asleep.  (And yes, the dog sleeps in our bedroom - on the floor.)  Again about an hour later we heard a sound again, this time it sounded like something in the sink or a basket shifting.  I couldn't place the sound, and neither could my dog (Maggie - Wheaten Terrier).  Since my daughter was in my bed that night (missing Daddy), I didn't feel the need to get up and go check her room.  But when Maggie wouldn't relax I grew a little concerned. 

Normally if she hears a concerning sound she barks and takes off to check the doors (like last night when she nearly gave me a heart attack).  This time she didn't go anywhere, but did occasionally let out a threatening (well, to others) low growl.  But yet she wouldn't leave her little bed.  Now was when I needed her to check the house, and my guard dog (not!) was letting me down. 

If we say, "who's there?" she'll search the apartment... but this time she still wasn't budging.  "C'mon," I complained, "do your job... who's there?"  She at least stood this time, all the while letting out little sounds here or there.  I nearly had to force her to go and check.  It was her reaction that luckily made me laugh and relieve all concern.  Instead of darting off like usual, she nearly crawled to the bedroom door, it was ridiculous.  Others might have been twice as concerned, but I was embarrassed for her and it made me laugh out loud.  She eventually made it to the bedroom door and sniffed around, but she never went and checked the house.  With a chuckle, and a, "thanks," I had to go look around for anything unusual myself.  Luckily, all was well!

Obviously Maggie's a lover not a fighter.  You can see that in the pics of her & her best friend (Joep - Jack Russell.)

 

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Dog Diapers

For many of you this post is going to seem ridiculous, and for others, you're going to completely understand.  Our Wheaten Terrier is in heat at the moment, well the end of it, luckily.  We have full intentions of getting her spayed but here in The Netherlands they make you wait until the dog has gone through its first cycle to make sure it reached full hormonal development.  The States feel different, they encourage you to get your dog fixed before the first cycle in order to prevent certain diseases.  We aren't thrilled to have to deal with a doggy cycle.  Even though we also find it cruel to deprive her the chance of ever having puppies we know it's something we just couldn't deal with, we're barely getting through this.  I have a toddler, so obviously we survived all of her bodily functions, including diapers.  But dog diapers are completely different (I'm gagging right now).  It's a brilliant idea, as long as you're not the one dealing with it.  My husband took the easy road, because I'm a woman I supposedly have more understand around cycles and I have to deal with the diapers, thanks!  I had no idea what to expect, I checked online and apparently this can last 1-1.5 weeks, that's a lot more doggy diapers than I bought.  The dog absolutely hates the diapers, understandably.  The first day she stood for around 2 hours because she didn't want to sit or lie down wearing the diaper.  Over the past week she's grown more accustom to them, even though we haven't.  I'm not sure if I bought the wrong size or not, but these expensive diapers kept breaking and before I knew it I was almost through the pack.  Then it came to me, I had an unopened pack of diapers left over from my daughters potting training days.  I compared the sizes and it was a perfect match, all I needed to do was cut the hole out for the tail.  Last night we tried the Pampers on her, and she is much happier with them.  The Pampers are more flexible and give around the legs, they're obviously meant for active toddlers.  The dog has much more freedom now, it shows in how she lays and plays.  I wished we had used baby diapers from the beginning instead of torturing her through the stiff dog diapers.  I would say next round we'll use them again, but there will be no next round, we'll be making an appointment at the vet soon to get her fixed.  But I thought I'd at least pass the tip on to other dog owners suffering through heat. 
It wouldn't be a usual post if I didn't include pictures.  The first picture is when Maggie is bathed, brushed, and with long hair.  The other picture is when she is trimmed and stuck in a miserable dog diaper, poor dog!

If you're interested here are a couple other posts about our puppy, and there will definitely be more to come:

Dog Debate

Puppy Maggie
Puppy Class

Pet Insurance

I'm definitely looking for feedback on this one... do you think getting insurance for your pet is worthwhile?  I think maybe, my husband thinks no, so I'm basically throwing all of this out there to convince myself and him that it is necessary. 

Pros :
-Maggie is purebred and runs a higher risk of diseases
-We live in busy downtown which can be dangerous for a dog
-She needs to get fixed, and they cover 1/2 the costs
-Checks up & meds are expensive
-She's only 8 months old, so it's not like if she develops something serious she's had a long life

Cons :
-Paying around €35 p/m but most likely not needing to use it
-If they pay 1/2 the spaying costs you have to use them for 5yrs
-They don't cover medicine for fleas which can cost around €30 a month
-We'll eventually move to a quieter neighborhood, lowering risks
-They cover the costs of a chip implant, but she already has one

I am big on health insurance, despite the fact I actually despise insurance companies.  We pay a lot for our little family but I at least know we get compensation for most of the health bills I turn in (and I turn them all in!)  I figure we take the precautions for the humans so why not the animal too?
Anyone have experience with Proteq (Dutch animal insurance)?

PhotoFunia

Just a quick tip for anyone who enjoys playing with photos, it's called PhotoFunia!  It's a fun app, that you can download for free.  I don't manipulate many photos, but if I do, I tend to use Picasa and then add just a boost or something simple.  But on occasion it's fun to go a step further.  This app allows you to apply all types of pictures (mostly human faces) to around 298 options of photo fun.  I've included one original picture to show you what you can do with the app, and I've also included a few other fun ones we have made.  (Wow, so far I've used the word fun, 5 times!)

Autumn Walk

Adding a dog to the family has changed the activities we participate in the weekends.  In the past we just looked for something entertaining for our toddler but nowadays we look for something that suits the entire family, dog included.  There are a lot of great places in and around Eindhoven to let your dog off the leash so they can run free and enjoy life outside of the bustling city center.  One of which happens to be near the golf course my husband belongs to.  We noticed the park we usually take the family walk in has been a little too busy lately so we headed the other direction.  Sure we crossed paths with a few people, but for the most part it was quiet and we could take in nature as it was intended.  Our toddler loved climbing up and down the small hills, shaking trees, and collecting pine cones.  And our Wheaten Terrier was over the moon running about, playing in the mud, and sniffing out rabbit & fox holes.  My husband claims to have seen deer, but the rest of us missed them somehow.  Days like this remind me to be thankful for these moments together, watching our family grow and bond... for the fresh air and beauty of nature... for the smile on my tots face as Dad saves the soccer ball from the tree... for the smiles on our faces when our daughter giggles with excitement... for the pleasure our dog gets from exploring and leaping... and for the invention of cameras so that we can capture these times and cherish them for as long as we can. 

Dog Debate

The dog debate between my husband & I has gone on for years now... mostly because of me, if he had his way we would have bought a dog a long time ago.  I like dogs, I do, and I'm running out of excuses.  Before we had a child the responsibility seemed too big (I knew I would end up doing most of the work).  First & last walks seemed dreadful, plus I had a full time job and there would be no one home with the dog.  Now that I'm a full time mother, I'm up most days before 7AM and I decide my schedule (for the most part).  Like I said, I'm running out of excuses.  One excuse reason, the biggest one of all, I'm allergic to dogs, even a lot of the ones people claim to be hypo-allergenic.  But the look on my husbands face when he plays with a dog or hears me shoot the idea down again is starting to mess with my head.  Now he's involved our daughter, who is also a dog lover... he points out how much entertainment she would get, his childhood experiences with dogs, and the fact we're not ready for a 2nd child.  So, I started looking, just looking.  I pulled out all the stops, I explained hypo-allergenic pure-breed dogs cost a fortune here in the Netherlands, I said we'd probably have to skip a vacation this year, I stooped low enough to say it will be harder to sell our apartment if we have a dog, but nothing deterred him.  Between my allergies and the small amount of breeders here, the list of dogs was short.  I showed him a few pics, knowing if I choose A he'll choose B, and what did he do... he picked the only dog on the entire list that I liked!  Damn!  I then started contacting breeders, running the risk we could end up with a puppy within a couple months.  But I had no luck, almost a year has gone by since I started contacting breeders.  Part of me was content, there was no dog to rush home to before it peed everywhere and the endless costs of dog food and vet bills didn't exist.  But part of me started wanting a dog, ahh!  I wouldn't say my past experiences with dogs pushed me, it was more my imagination (and my husband of course).  Then the other day one of the breeders contacted me; she recently bred her Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier and hopes to have puppies by August.  For those of you unfamiliar with this breed here are a couple pics I found, and kind of how I imagine it to be (puppy playing out back / having his own seat in the car) :

 

In the Netherlands, the breeders like to meet with you before agreeing to sell you a dog (might also be the same in The States).  So I spoke with her for a while, explaining our situation, listening to her explain the breed, and promising to set a date to drive up to meet her and her dogs.  After all was said and done my husband tells me he isn't sure if this is the dog he wants, WHAT!!!  No matter what I am going to force the three of us to take a 2hr round trip to go see the breeder.  You never know, I might be allergic, they might scare our daughter, or my husband might not like them at all... and the dog debate goes on.  (Just in case these pics didn't sell you, check out the last pic on an old post - Dog Sitting.  It's what sold me!)