Things That Bother Me...

It really bothers me...

When people go about their lives in a way that is only conducive to themselves and what they want. And then get offended when others don't bend over backwards to satisfy them.

       I guess I don't like when people are selfish.

When you aren't treated with respect but are expected to give respect in return.

.double standards.

When I'm expected to be a certain way.
And I'm not.

When people think everything is about them.
Vanity.

When I'm expected to lie about how I feel.

It makes me uncomfortable.

When people act one way, but portray themselves completely differently.
Who are you?

When people shelter their children from the world, life, bills, sadness.

       You're doing your child a disservice. Let them live and learn! Otherwise they'll be a very confused, unhappy and surprised adult.

When people think you're being disrespectful for speaking your mind.

       I'm allowed to have my own opinion about my own life and speak about it.

When people get angry with myself or my husband for not saying 'Congrats', 'Happy Birthday' or giving them any other sort of praise when THEY wanted us to.

I'm sorry, but we are our own family, with our own responsibilities and schedules. Be patient and have a little faith.

When its uncomfortably hot out.
100% humidity.

When someone who is close to you try's to guilt you into things with drama or ultimatums. 

      You shouldn't have to.

When people are racist.
You are not better than anyone else.

When someone has a predetermined idea of what the 'right' thing to do is.

Maybe what's right for us, is different than whats you think is right for us.

When I can't get over something I feel like I should have gotten over a long time ago.

And its still bothers me.

When people can't be alone.

You're never lonely if you love the person that you're alone with. (yourself)

When people pretend like everything is OK even when you all know that it isn't. 

Surprising your issues won't make you forget and it won't make them go away.

People expect you to have kind words, when they did nothing to receive them.

You can't be a nasty person and expect it to all go away when you decide you don't want to be nasty any more.

When parents won't let their child grow up.

       You should have spent their entire childhood helping them grow, learn and teaching them how to be a strong, independent, well rounded person. So that when they do leave, you can be proud instead of angry.

- Someday you won't be there to hold their hand, then what? -

When people tell you to apologize for something that you have no reason to be sorry for.

.

When people have unrealistic expectations.
Dream big. Expect little.

When the laundry smells weird.
It's just gross.

When adults tell their children (who are also adults) what to do.

We are married and live on our own. Advice and suggestions are always welcome, demands are not.

When people do things just to say that they did them.

What's the point of bragging?

When someone tells me they're sorry but what they did still makes me sad.

FLEAS - How To Prevent & Get Rid Of Fleas

This seems like a strange thing to blog about but it is very near and dear to my heart. Fleas are terrible creatures and can turn you absolutely mad! Trust me. I know. They are very easy to get and next near impossible to get rid of. We recently had a flea infestation and I had a 2 month long flea genocide. But, now, I can safely say we are almost 100% flea free.


Steps To Prevent Fleas:

1.  Spend the extra money and go with a name brand flea preventative. It stinks for fork over $120 for 6 months, $240 for a year of flea treatment for 2 pets, but its worth it in the long run. Getting rid of fleas is expensive. If you're on a budget you can get 2-4 doses at a time at places like Petco and PetSmart. Also try Chewy.com or 1800petmeds.com You shouldn't need a prescription.
2. There are heartworm preventatives that also prevent fleas. Some kill fleas some just 'control' fleas. Make sure you know what you have. Ex. We use Sentinel, it helps to control fleas but it in now way would stop a flea infestation.
3. DO NOT bathe your dog/cat before applying a topical flea treatment. It works by working with the sebaceous oil glands on the dogs/cats skin and if you wash your dog, there is little to no oil left. 
4. Check reviews online and ask your vet and ask around locally. I really like Advantage II and K9Advantix. Frontline Plus worked fine for me in Illinois but in California it did nothing. The vet said fleas are most likely becoming immune to certain flea preventives in certain regions. Yay..... Next the little ass holes are gonna learn how to swim...  
5. Treat your yard once a year just to be safe. If you rent, see if they can treat your apartment at least once a year.

Steps To Get Rid Of A Flea Infestation:

1. Don't panic! This is going to take some time.
2. If your dog/cat isn't on a flea preventative see the previous list and do all 4 of those things IMMEDIATELY. 
• If your dog/cat IS on a flea preventative you may need to try a different one or apply another dose. Only apply more than 1 dose in a month if the directions say its OK! I know the directions for Advantage II say if there is an infestation you can apply a second application after 7 days. I'm sure its not great for the pets but neither is getting eaten alive especially when they have flea allergies so....pick your battles.Sometimes it takes up to 2 separate applications (so up to 2 months) to start really working.
• Keep in mind, after 2 doses or 2 months whichever comes first for you, and you still have a bad infestation, they're coming from somewhere. So really try to find the source of the fleas. It might help to try switching from Frontline Plus to Advantage II or vise versa, I also heard that alternating between the two every other month is a good idea. 
3. If you live in an apartment or rental, see if they spray the lawn for fleas and see if they can come treat your apartment. Don't be embarrassed, if you have fleas its almost certain that other people living there do to. It was free for us. 
4. Buy Capstar, the generic is Capguard and give your dog/cat one pill each day that you apply their topical. This kills live fleas on your pet for up to 24 hours but will only work if you use it with a flea preventative. This doesn't kill everything it just helps.
5. If you are treating your home yourself, buy some type of spray, bomb or powder for your carpet and follow the directions on the container. Remember they can live in cracks, carpet and floor boards, anywhere.
6. Clean. EVERYTHING! The day you give the Capstar and the topical treatment you will want to wash all of the pet bedding if its washable, if not, toss it and give them a cozy towel to sleep on until the flea problem is resolved. Wash all the rugs like bathroom and kitchen rugs, your bedding and pillows. You will continue to wash the pet bedding at least twice a week!
7. Vacuum EVERYTHING Ever.Single.Day for at least 2 weeks, probably longer! (this is the worst part) All the carpet, all of the couches, all of the cushions, under everything (even the bed) and along all of the edges, the cat tree (you may have to get rid of the cat tree if you have it, see if vacuuming works first). If you have a clear vacuum you'll probably see a lot of fleas jumping around in there. Yuck! Make sure to put it in a closed bag and remove it from your home ASAP.
8. Keep in mind the fleas will not go away immediately. The flea life cycle is at least 2 weeks and they're not all on the same schedule so you can still see live fleas for a month or two. I swear it got worse before it got better. And once the fleas couldn't live on the dog/cat anymore they started biting us, but that only lasted a day or two. That's why its important to vacuum every day so you can physically remove the bastards from your home.

DON'T
Try to save money and get the cheap preventatives (topicals, collars, whatever) to see if they'll work. Especially if you already have fleas. They won't work and you're literally throwing money away because you'll have to go back and get the good, expensive stuff.
DON'T
Wash your dog before applying a topical treatment. They need to have oil on their skin.
DON'T
expect the fleas to go away after one treatment, they can live in your home and reinvest your pets.

Work Out With Me | Tone Legs and Butt

Tone Legs and Butt

Squats, squats wonderful squats! You'll be doing each exercise for 30 seconds and then repeat the whole thing. Its really quick and you can do it anywhere! As always, whenever doing squats or lunges be mindful of your knees. Make sure your knees are never going past your toes. Thats how you get hurt.

To make it easier, don't squat as deep.
To make it harder, do deeper squats and you can add 3-5 lb weights when you squat.

Exercises:

Regular Squats
Wide Leg Squats
Cross Behind Lunges
Regular Lunges
Butt Ups
Fire Hydrants
Side Leg Lifts