While preparing for my son’s arrival, my husband and I fell in love with expensive, eco-friendly nursery furniture. Besides the clean modern design that we loved, we felt it was important to purchase something with a non-toxic finish. Thank GOD we did! Not only does it look good but it is also very tasty! Check out what my little monster did.

I pray we can have it repaired, we were hoping to eventually resell his furniture. The portion he ate is environmentally friendly, eco-friendly MDF made of recovered wood fibers with a non-toxic white water-based finish.

Yes, we had crib rail teething covers but they were completely useless (see my post about 10 useless baby items, these covers are #1 on there). My son would pull them off and continue to chew. I even tied the covers down, but he figured out how to slide them so he could munch.

He has officially done more damage than my golden retriever ever dreamed of. At least I could throw her in a kennel and lock her up when she was bad!

This post marks #200 for The Unemployed Mom blog, so I wanted it to be special. It’s not going to be another toddler tale, eBay tip, product review/giveaway, or anything like that. This post is all about my golden retriever, Bailey! She deserves the love!

This September, Bailey will be 11. She has lived a long, luxurious life. As a pup, she used to run through the hills of West Virgina chasing after 4-wheelers and jumping into ponds. When she was 4, we moved to Orlando, Florida where she quickly adjusted to a resort type of lifestyle. She loved lounging on floats in our pool (I’m not joking, take a look at the photos), going for long walks and just being a pampered princess.

After 8 years of having an in-ground pool take up our entire yard, we now have a fenced back yard where she can play all day. She  explores, sniff the smells the neighborhood critters leave behind, chases squirrels and birds, and just acts like a puppy. It brings me joy to see her happy again, I know how neglected she has felt since my son came along.

Bailey is starting to show her age though and it is heart breaking. Her face is no longer red, she has a white face which to most people is the only indicator that she may be an older dog (many people think she’s a puppy because she can still be hyper active). Recently, I have witnessed her having trouble walking up our deck steps. Her back legs just aren’t lifting like they used to and she keeps falling (she was diagnosed with arthritis and hip dysplasia as a puppy but has never really showed signs of ailment since we moved to Orlando…that is until now).

A few months ago, she had a huge tick on her and the bite area turned into a hard lump. At that time, the vet examined the lump and ran some tests. She told me to keep an eye on it and to bring Bailey back in if it grew. Unfortunately, the bump has more than quadrupled in size and it is really quite gross looking. Tomorrow, I’m taking her in to have it looked at and praying for good news. Your prayers would be appreciated, too!

She’s been such a great golden girl and the thought of something seriously being wrong with her breaks my heart! She has been my baby for a very long time. It’s funny how our furry family members hold a special place in our hearts just like our children do!

Previously, I blogged about my son being a tattletale on himself. Well, not anymore…he tattles on his golden retriever when she takes his toys and now insists that “da da” is at fault whenever there is a disruption in the force.

Yesterday, he started tattling on strangers. We went shopping and a lady knocked down a skirt. As the hanger hit the floor, my son yelled “uh oh” and kept pointing to it. What did she do? She completely ignored him and walked away from the skirt. I picked up the merchandise so my son would stop yelling “uh oh” and pointing.

I think it’s pathetic the lady ignored the mess she made and just walked away, despite the fact a toddler pointed it out to her repeatedly. Talk about disrespectful! I can only imagine what her closet looks like.

In a previous blog, I talked about my frustrations with the one sided love affair between my golden retriever and toddler. Well, today she just got another strike and it had nothing to do with my son.

I walked into my bedroom and noticed a “spot” on my carpet. I thought perhaps my son had spit up his graham cracker or something, but to my disbelief it turned out to be a skid mark. How do I know? Well, of course I STUCK MY FINGER IN IT and then SMELLED it.

This ranks up there on the grossness chart. Lesson learned, I will NEVER do that again. The next time I notice something on the carpet I will not question it, instead I’ll just clean it! That’s what I get for being so analytical!

Oh boy, just another day in the life of a SAHM! I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring.

After posting my One Sided Love Affair blog last week, I witnessed my son showing unconditional love to his dog today.

I gave him his favorite treat in the entire world, a Sweet Riot flavor 70 piece. The second he grabbed it, a big smile was plastered on his face and he took off running. Where did he run to? You guessed it…to find our golden retriever! Before I realized what he was doing (yes, I know it is unhealthy for a dog to have chocolate) it was too late. He fed her his sweet riot and was squealing in delight.

Someday our golden retriever will love him too, right?

My son absolutely adores our 10 year old golden retriever; however, she doesn’t feel the same way about him. Looking at it from her point of view, I guess she was our first baby until he came along and ruined everything. At times I feel bad for her because she is somewhat neglected compared to her pre-baby life. We still love her but I will admit, the second my son was born she became “just a dog”. People warned me this would happen but I never believed them. Boy was I wrong!

Now, before you start feeling sorry for my golden girl, please try to understand the luxurious life she lives. We have an inground pool which she swims in frequently. She has free roam of our home except when our toddler is sleeping (we don’t want her wandering around and waking him). Also, we spend a small fortune when we travel to board her in a Pet Resort instead of a kennel that only lets her out twice daily.

My son is infatuated with our dog and smiles every single time she enters a room. He is very gentle with her and knows his boundaries (no climbing or being rough). He tries desperately to play with her and taps on her paws when she is basking in the sun, but she brushes him off like he’s an annoying little gnat. The scenario changes the second he’s in his high chair, she gives him her undivided attention in hopes that he will feed her.

I am hoping in time, my dog will realize this little person is going to be her best friend! What bothers me most about this one sided love affair is she STILL gets jealous when I hold my son or talk to him. She constantly tries to get in between us and knock him down. Other dog owners keep telling me that she will adjust, but it has been almost 18 months and it’s not getting any better. It was as if her personality started changing when I was pregnant, she would literally sit at my feet and bang my stomach with her snout.

I am just about ready to give up on the situation and find her a kid free environment to live in! Perhaps I just need to contact Cesar Millan so he can give her an attitude adjustment.