We did get two new products though:

Whole Unprocessed Kelp: when I read "unprocessed" I didn't think it would be quite so "unprocessed". It's actually very nice, but it was covered in sea salt. I thought they'd at least rinse it before drying, but apparently not. I ground this up to make kelp powder and the dogs seem to like it. it also has a stronger scent to it than the Hilton Herbs I have been using. Once this is gone though I'll stick with the HH seaweed and rosehips I have been using. 

Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Kelp

SCB Instincts Beef with Organs: This is apparently a very coveted item from the new Instincts line. lots of people want it and lots of people like it. I was drawn in because of the ingredients (I'm going off memory since I can't find the ingredients list online, so take it w/ a grain of salt): beef cheek meat, beef bone, beef heart, sweetbreads, liver and/or kidney, trachea and/or gullet, beef blood. my girls don't normally get sweetbreads since I can't buy them in small amounts, and the same goes for beef blood; there's no way I'd go through them fast enough if I bought in bulk, so this seemed great for us. I packaged this into individual servings on sunday and both dogs and the cat were standing at my feet hoping that I drop some (I can only imagine the tussle that would have ensued if I had). I gave them all small amounts, and though I expected the dogs would like it (they do) the surprise was actually the cat. he has refused to eat beef for months, but loves this! the grind looks to be a safe size for him, so I'm hoping that w/ this and a few other instincts products we can get him off of NV and onto to a 100% meat/bone/organ diet. I'm thrilled and I can see why so many others were raving about it.

this point  was raised recently by someone who posted a question in the comments section recently.

Based on feeding 10 cats,  this is what I  do, it saves anything from $20-$40 per month.

This is just a rough guide as i forgot to ask what you budget each week, but this is what I would make up for 10 cats.

Ich habe zwei neue Seiten verfasst.

Es gibt hier nun eine Foto-Galerie und eine Seite speziell zum Thema Ernährung. Beide Seiten werden ständig erweitert und es lohnt sich, dort ab und an wieder vorbeizuschauen.

Liebe Grüße, Tali!

The pressure of looking great is overwhelming.

Hahahahah!!!!!!! Soooo gross!! Timmy had too much beef jerky on the way to the team photo shoot. Awwww... he'll never out live this!!

Anyway, this post deals heavily with the subject matter. I am no longer an employee of the illustrious Conservatory, and was informed of this (after FOUR YEARS of loyal service, mind you) via text message. Friday night was a shitty show--bar was slow, building was around 90*F all night, and the ice on the drinks melted quickly. I took the back-up cooler of ice and used half of it on the drinks, then tossed the half-filled cooler back into the freezer, intending on filling it later. Unfortunately I forgot and went out to the bar with Matt. Later that night, Matt asked, "why has that weird guy been staring at me since we got here?" I glanced over and noticed it was Dustin. Dustin and I haven't dated in three years. Now, flip forward to last night, when the following text message exchange ensues:

D: "You need to fill the ice to go in the freezer and clean the tables when you leave."

A: "I cleaned them last night, except for the ones the band's shit was spread across."

D: "I don't think this is going to work."

A: "What?"

D: "You working here."

A: "Why's that?"

D: "Attitude towards customer, bands, the job and me. I feel like you don't really care to be here."

A: "Do what you have to do, Dustin. Probably in person or on the phone would be more professional. I'm tired of so much passive aggressive behavior. Good luck."

D: "Coming from the queen of p-a, I consider that a compliment."

A: "Not playing. Have fun."

D: "I know. I'm sure it's all my fault."

To which I sent no reply. The funny thing is, we have actually been getting along better than normal for the first time in years. It's awesome, he is telling all of my friends that I quit, so I've been getting the cold shoulder from a few of them. I realized today that the past three years have been an exaggerated break-up.

So I guess that's it. I now say so-long to the shit hole, roach infested, Hep-C ridden place lovingly known as the Conservatory. A job which brought me such pleasant memories as this...

and...

and most importantly, these...

So now I bid adieu to the Conservatory. Good riddance.

(I think it's the head tilt barfa-baroo)

via LGF links (Hellodare)

I was in 6th grade and he was in 8th. Oh, I thought it was so cool to be 'going with' an older boy. He was my first crush, my first hand-holding partner (other than my mom) my first peck on the cheek, my first bicycle handlebar ride-giverer. We had been 'going' for 2 years (going where, who knows?) And the time came to kiss like the big people do.

Too bad I was unaware of it.

Before that, we had been exchanging dry, chapped-lipped pecks in the darkness of the stairwell, and I was more than happy with that. Truthfully, I didn't think there was any other way for people to kiss, (I closed my eyes during those parts of a movie) but apparently, there was.

We stood there, the tips of my toes touching the tips of his toes, my arms around his waist, his around my shoulders, and I closed my eyes and puckered up just like I always did. When our lips touched I started to pull away but he kept insisting that we remain connected. It was an awkward moment, and the thought flashed through my mind that our lips were mashed together like a pair of slugs in wet grass and just as the notion of two fat sticky parasites started drifting away, he did it. He shoved his tongue in my mouth and started moving it around. It was as if the putrid slug on his face moved into my mouth and started dancing. I have to say that it was the grossest, most revolting feeling I had ever experienced in my 12 years of life. The slug idea nagged at me over and over again until I felt like throwing up in my-his-our collective mouths and I would have, if he hadn't pulled away. Must have been the retching, or perhaps, it was the taste of prevomit. Whichever it was, I was glad to escape his diabolical clutches. I spun around and ran hard, my bare feet slapping the pavement, hand covering the orifice where his slimy, slippy thing had been, and when I got home, I let it go right at the front door.

I couldn't even make it to the bathroom.

Years (okay, decades) have passed since that time, and I still look back at it with a sort of fond disgust. I can't say slug lips made me a better kisser, I mean, for all I know I've invoked the same thoughts and emotions in other people. But I do know that if I could do it over again, I would have waited for my first real, foot popping, firework sparking kiss.

When Clover was a puppy, she had a very "iffy" constitution. She had the barfing thing down like it was a sport. She's not as queasy these days, but I must remember "no matter how much she begs, she cannot have table scraps," as scraps seem to be one of the things that set her delicate stomach off.

Cosmo hardly ever barfs. But, when he does, its usually because he is very very excited, or very very sick. At my parent's 56th anniversary party this past April, the three dogs (my two and parent's one) were kept to the yard and the patio so they woudln't knock all of the old folks over. Cosmo is infatuated with my Aunt Pat, and whenever she is nearby, Coz wants to sit next to her with his head in her lap.

I decided to let Cosmo in the house for a little socialization and so he could greet Aunt Pat. He was so excited to be allowed into the inner sanctum, that he ran into the family room, stopped, looked around at everyone and performed his own version of Linda Blair in the Excorcist. Right there in front of everyone. Thanks Coz.

I had the flu a few years ago and spent a bit of time worshiping the porcelain throne. I sat on the floor, propped up by Clover on one side, and Cosmo on the other. What good dogs. Now, if I could only get them to worship the throne when they're sick.

Note to self: Call and make appointment with Stanley Steamer.

Day 9. June 29, 2008

Generally, I find the game of pointing out English misapproprisms and misconstructions in foreign countries hackneyed and dull, but when I did my laundry this morning, I couldn’t help laughing hard at the brandname of my detergent.

« Hi, my name is Jeff. I wash my clothes with Barf. »

Then there are examples of English usage that are not only correct but far superior to anything I might casually encounter in the U.S., for example, « Bujumbura Friendship Force: English Training Center. »

I think I find accidental and unironic misuses of language more interesting (and funny). In Kigali, I stumbled upon the ‘Commission Nationale des Recettes’,  which might be the National Commission of Receipts, but I would rather have a National Commission of Recipes. A few streets down, I found the ‘Ministère de la Parole Authentique’:  The Ministry of the Authentic Word.

Day 10. June 30, 2008

Conundrum of the last five days: a dearth of francs equals a loss in pounds.

Day 11. July 1, 2008. Independence Day (Burundi)

Today is my first official day of work. It’s also Burundi’s Independence Day. First day on the job, first day off.

I walk down to the parade where the President is inspecting the troops. First the army, then the Presidential Guard, then the police. The procession is endless. It’s hot and I can’t see over the crowd. I manuever myself closer to the front and hit a wall of people. What’s strange about this mass of bodies is that it’s incredibly dense but also constantly moving – people are turning, nudging, some are leaving, others edging forward, yet I still couldn’t find an opening. At one point, I move to another area and find myself in front with a clear view of the parade, but within minutes, the crowd has swallowed me up and I find myself near the back row again.

Midway through the parade, I look at the guy next to me. Poor guy, he looks so uncomfortable to be standing next to me. He is also wearing a red winter hat in the midday sun. The hat mushrooms out a bit, suggesting he is hiding a lot of hair underneath. I look at the hat’s faded logo – Arsenal F.C. (football club). I point at my Arsenal jersey and as I look from my shirt to his, I see he is wearing a Chicago Blackhawks jersey. I’m shocked. I beam at him and excitedly explain to the people around us that this is the Chicago hockey team’s jersey. Blank stares, half-smiles: why is this important? Because I’m from Chicago. More stares: crazy foreigner. And what is hockey? Hockey is a sport played on ice. Now he’s just lying. On ice?

As I’m leaving the parade grounds, I spot one of the guards who works at the house where I’m staying. He’s lining up to march in the parade. We greet each other with big grins and hearty handshakes. Seeing him in the parade makes me feel kind of proud, like a parent seeing his or her kid on stage. I feel toally ridiculous for feeling that way. The next day we can’t stop laughing about seeing each other.

A few people tell me that last year there were paratroopers who joined the parade from the sky. This year though they cut out the paratroopers because the government is spending less on the military now that the war is winding down. People seem disappointed. I say, « That’s the problem with peace, »  and everyone nods somberly.

After the parade, I’m on the side of the road listening to a couple of security guards list off all the fruits they have in Burundi when a man in a smart black jogging suit and a neat mustache (walking, of course) joins us. He hears us talking in French and asks me if I speak English. « Ego. » It just slips out. « Yes. » He says «Ah! (haha) Vous parlez Kirundi! Murakomeye ? » I say « Ndakomeye, ego. » He laughs, then says something I don’t understand. I ask one of the guards what the man said. « He said, you speak Kirundi well. » Oh. Thanks.

(Not surprisingly, he’s a captain in the military. He says he’s going to check up on me. Great.)

I know where I am with the language. A few verbs and phrases; basic conjugation of present, past and future tenses; counting to a billion: I’m halfway through Kirundi 101.

I’m not working with much though. I haven’t been able to locate any texts on grammar. Taxi drivers, security guards and hotel workers are pressed into service as my teachers and interlocutors.

I am trying to reverse engineer a language, taking apart the words and sentences I pick up to identify some kind of logic or pattern. It’s hard to describe the process and the hopelessness of the task. Imagine being given a hamburger patty and being asked to fit it back on the cow. I figured out that the prefix si- turns verbs negative, as in sindabizi : « I don’t know. » But is that just for the first person present? (Is that even the right question?) What is the inifinitive of that verb? And why is it that when I try to conjugate a verb that has a ‘u’ in it, sometimes a ‘w’ randomly appears and sometimes not? Sindabizi.

Day 12. July 2, 2008

I’m twenty pages into the chapter of Ishmael Beah’s memoir about his rehabilitation from being a child soldier when I finally realize that I’m trying to implement the same sort of scheme. The reason it takes me so long to make that connection is because in those twenty fascinating pages, the now ex-child soldiers are busy pillaging the rehabilitaton center, beating up staff and even fighting each other with such brutality that several of the boys were killed and adult soldiers had to be called in to break up the fighting. Beah himself hid a grenade in his shorts’ pocket and threw it during the brawl (he is very vague about whether anyone died from the explosion). I couldn’t stop reading, alternately feeling shocked at the kids’ violence and at the NGOs’ complete lack of common sense in their approach (e.g., putting child soldiers from opposing factions in the same room).

Day 13. July 3, 2008

Went to the Ambassador’s residence this evening for a reception for the Fourth. Was probably one of the youngest attendees. Mostly spent my time hanging out with an Embassy interpreter as he pointed out dignitaries to me. « That’s the leader of the opposition party. That’s the Minister of Defense, holding the Coke. The President? I’m not sure if he was invited. Over there is an ex-president who was ousted in a military coup. » I thought, the coup must have been really half-hearted if the putcshists let the guy get away and now he’s making friends with Americans.

The Ambassador gave a speech that was long on addressing the guests and short on everything else. Four Marines did their little stomp-stomp huff-huff thing with glistening guns and billowing flags. I spent some time talking to the Ambassador’s husband, after the Ambassador told me to find him because he was interested in child-soldier issues. I tracked Gil down and it turned out he did have some very useful information. Later on, an older man chatted me up, told me he was from Russia. What he really meant was he’s the Russian Ambassador to Burundi. It was that kind of night. High point was definitely eating cookies and brownies and cookies and brownies. And one more brownie.

Realizing that I’m the sole representative of my organization reveals a sad truth: I’m going to need nicer shoes. Black ones, shiny. Maybe even a suit (also shiny?). I thought I was done with having « work » and « non-work » clothes; I was excited just to have ‘clothes’ again. So much for my dream of rolling into work in sandals everyday.

Upcoming: Jeff actually works!

BARF

Bone And Raw Food diet börjar bli populärt. Här blir det lite kladdigare, mer jobb att laga till rätt sammansatt kost till sin hund. Men för den som har tid och ork är det ju optimalt att hundarna frå rå hundmat som foder.

Här kan du ställa de frågor du har om hundmat och hundfoder och snabbt få svar ifrån mycket kunniga medlemmar.

Thank God the computer is right near the bathroom 'cause I just lost this morning's pancakes.

Anyway, that particular Maroon 5 song just always says something to me so the fact that it came on was...scary. Then "Dance Hall Drug" came on which was equally perfect because that's the song I always go to when I'm upset. It's wierd (just like multiple other recent things in my life). Music is like...my life to some extent, and the songs that randomely come on alot on the radio or on my iPod at certain times are just so relevent...it works.

I'm just so mad right now at my life - my siblings, my dad, myself. I have no clue. It can't be healthy though. My siblings are just so...mean. It's not like them to go this far. I'm being treated more so like the outcast than I ever have been before. Everyone has their partner or their group in the house except me. I'm so out of it.

Chris is speaking German right now. Have I used the word "fitting" yet in this post?!?! Because I really can't stand German (no offense to anyone). I just don't think it's a pretty langage - it's not something I want to hear.

I'm about to fucking pass out.

Ugh.

*Barf.* No joke.

The scars on my wrist are burning...there was a time when I felt like this much more than I have recently and I dealt with it... "that way." Now I think I'm almost back to that point right now. I don't know what to do...

My hands...no, my whole body is shaking as I type this. I've hit the backspace key way more than usual. That's how many mistakes I'm making.

I feel like sh*t, you can tell 'cause I'm cursing so much. I think I'll just fall asleep on the compy 'cause I'm so tired and I can't keep typing. My thoughts aren't coming together properly either. I'll try to do another, more sensible post on this later.

 Untill then, goodafternoon, goodnight.

Glandular Cellular Therapy in Pets

Wir Hunde haben das große Glück von unseren Familien "biologisch artgerecht" gefüttert zu werden. Das heißt, dass wir frisches Fleisch und Gemüse-Obst-Mix bekommen. Herrchen hat alle paar Wochen Schlachtfest-Tag. Er fährt dann mit Zara und mir zum Schlachthof in Hamburg und kauft gaaanz leckere Dinge ein, wie z.B. Kehlköpfe, Maulfleisch, Pansen, Stichfleisch, Saumfleisch (Zwerchfell), Puten- und Hähnchenhälse etc..

Große Freude hatte heute ihren G-Day, ihren Gemüse-Obst-Mix-Mach-Tag. An diesem Tag wird versucht, der Mageninhalt von Beutetieren zu imitieren. Für mich hat sie auch Beutelchen fertig gemacht und die riechen soo lecker nach verschiedenen Beeren, Äpfeln, Birnen, Pfefferminze, Petersilie, Bananen, Salat, Gurken und roter Paprika :D ! Sie schnibbelt alles immer klein und nimmt dann ihren Braun 600W Pürierstab - das gibt eine feine Pampe!

Zara wird seit 2003 gebarft. So nennt man diese Art der Fütterung (Biologisch Artgerechte Rohe Fütterung - BARF). Ich durfte gleich als Welpe die frische Fütterung genießen. Wenn jemand den Welpen-Futterplan möchte, dann schreibt mir eine Email. Die Adresse findet ihr unter "Über mich".

Die Industriefutter für Hunde und Katzen bestehen zum größten Teil nur aus Getreide und dieses ist vornehmlich billiger Mais. Dieses berechtigt natürlich Firmen wie Eukanuba und Hills dazu für 15kg Futter ca. 50 Euro zu verlangen :devil: ….

Wir Hunde sind aber nun mal von Natur aus Fleischfresser, weswegen meine Kumpels heutzutage, die mit Fertigfutter (FeFu) ernährt werden, oft an denselben Zivilisationskrankheiten leiden wie die Menschen. Die FeFu-Industrie, allem voran „Hill’s“ produziert aufgrund dieser Erkrankungen wieder spezielles „Diät“-Futter, welches man den erkrankten Hunden geben sollte. Interessanter Weise unterscheidet sich dieses Prescribtion-Diet-Futter inhaltlich kaum von dem normalem Hill’s Futter… oh ich vergaß… der Preis ist natürlich ein anderer ;) .

Nun fragen sich bestimmt einige von euch, warum für einen Fleischfresser Gemüsepampe gemacht wird? Weil wir Hunde in der Natur das Beutetier als Ganzes futtern, mit Fell und Mageninhalt. Da Hunde Gemüse und Obst mangels Enzymen nicht selber aufschließen können muss der Pürierstab her. Täten wir nur Steaks bekommen würden wir eingehen, da uns wichtige Nährstoffe fehlen würden. Ein Pansen mit Inhalt von draußen gehaltenen Tieren wäre natürlich die beste Lösung, dieser ist aber leider kaum zu bekommen, da die Hygiene-Richtlinien in den Schlachthöfen sehr streng sind sagt meine Familie.

Wer nach weiteren Informationen bezüglich des Barfens sucht, findet hier "BARF- Was ist das?" viele wichtige und interessante Informationen!

So, und nun allen einen guten Appetit :D , Tali!

Barf

• Spaguettes.com
  This is a great little restaurant that I love to go to in good old Van, Texas. They offer great food and they are great people - but their website is beyond intense. I seriously almost upchucked the beautiful Philly Cheesesteak when I was checking out the next day’s special. Spaguette’s, becuase I like you, I will redesign your web site for you. Just email me, please!
• Van Chamber of Commerce
  Home to Spaguette’s and a whopping population of 3, Van is a quiet little Texas town. But be careful when checking out their website. It’s uglyness can kill.

Candy

• Threadless.com
  OMG! Can I just say H-O-T? Threadless is an incredible business started in 2000 by two friends who wanted to make cool clothing and put the designs in the hands of its online community. Not only are their clothes hot, but their website implements the best standards in good web design. It’s clean, easy to follow, well organizaed and is some great eye candy for the designer’s soul.

What's the dirtiest job in Hollister? Manure manufacturer? Worm farmer? Taxidermist?

If you ask Mike Rowe of the hit Discovery Channel show "Dirty Jobs" - the dirtiest job in Hollister is dog food maker.

Rowe and his camera and production crew filmed for an episode of "Dirty Jobs" on Wednesday at Green Tripe, a local dog food factory that produces raw products out of such parts as cow tracheas, heads and stomachs. 

Rowe during the shoot Wednesday ground gullets into guck and smashed stomachs into sludge - meals that Green Tripe owners Peter and Mary Voss said dogs can't resist. 

"I've seen plenty of cow organs," Rowe said. "I've birthed them, milked them, reached inside them. This job proves yet another use for the cow."

The film crew was at the Green Tripe production center - a large warehouse complex at 837 Industrial Drive - for most of the day. They drew a few curious glances from residents and more than a few excited smiles from employees.

Mike Best, a manager at AG Sod Farms in Hollister, said "Dirty Jobs" is his favorite television show. He was at Green Tripe for hours on Wednesday waiting for a chance to meet Rowe after he accidentally caught a glimpse of him while passing by the factory.

"I love his show," Best said. "When he came out (of the warehouse), I saw him and I couldn't believe it."

After the filming was done, Rowe and his crew mingled with the business owners and employees. He signed shirts, posed for photos and even bought some of the dog food. Rowe said the crew got to Hollister late Tuesday night and although he didn't get a chance to see much of the town, he had been thinking about stopping for a beer on the way out.

When it came to handling guts, however, he said the type of organ doesn't matter as whether it's rotten.

"The true benchmark for gross is not what it is - it's how long it's been in the sun," he said. 

"I think in this country, we've made work the enemy. Traditional jobs are going the way of the microchip. Our show has always been a general celebration of work."

http://www.freelancenews.com/news/245814-dirty-jobs-films-in-hollister

We made it up there in the early afternoon and met a friend for lunch. I didn't eat much as I was feeling bloated and a little off.

After lunch we walked around a bit, waiting for the parade to begin, and chatted with other friends of friends in a gay bar near the parade route. It was warm and there was little shade so it was nice to be inside. I went to the bathroom, still feeling off but returned a few seconds later.

About five minutes later, I returned to the bathroom and the toilet was being used. So I barfed in the sink. That's right, for the first time since I can remember, I barfed. I barfed a lot. Guys came in and asked if I was okay which was nice of them. One asked if I had too much to drink. No, that wasn't it. I do not drink at all. He wondered aloud what it could be as he left the bathroom. I texted Bell Guy that I needed help and by the time he got the text I was out of the bathroom. I felt better but was told that I looked "a little green."

Longer story short, we took a cab back to friend's apartment, got Bell Guy's car and returned apartment keys back to friend at the parade route. Actually Bell Guy did. I sat in the car. He prepared a triple layer barf sack from plastic grocery bags and we headed back towards DC. We missed the entire parade.

About half way down I-95, I told him it would be a miracle if I made it back to his place without barfing again. He was surprised that I said that. Five minutes later I did barf again and nearly filled up the triple layer barf sack. So gross.

We arrived back at his place at about 5pm. I asked if Bell Guy had any irritating neighbors he wanted me to leave the barf sack with, but he declined. We went upstairs and I got in bed. Bell Guy set up a barf bucket. About 9pm that night I got barfed again and at that point there was little left in my stomach and, you know, barfing on an empty stomach hurts like hell.

Needless to say I did not sleep well Saturday night. Although I did not get sick, I was uncomfortable. Yesterday I stayed in bed all day and ate virtually nothing but did not get sick.

Today I was back at work but felt woozy until I had some lunch. I lost almost five pounds between Friday and this morning. Yikes. All appears well now and I hope it is a few more years until I barf again. Thanks to Bell Guy for being a great Barf Buddy.

Last night, in Phoenix AZ I might add -the land of 113 degree temps, we went to a local racetrack for a car spectacular event.

We were able to see a robot breathe fire (which is very helpful with over 100 degree temps).  He ate some cars and left them in a fiery mess after he was done.  (Check him out - http://www.robosaurus.com/ )

from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerseyjj/543078250/

There were loud jet cars with lots of fumes.

Cigarettes, bathrooms that smelled like barf, and really fun conversations regarding some women's choices in professions (legal and not).

And to top off the evening, my hubby found a grasshopper on a seat and placed in on my little ones hand. I have no pic as I forgot the camera for this momentous event.  Can you imagine that?  But the grasshopper stayed for most of the show and I think enjoyed himself.

You know what's funny.  Of course I would never choose this event for myself - 

"Hey Sally, I got me these tickets for this car spectacular.  You wanna go with me?" 

The look on the kids faces is what you go for.  It's worth the heat, bugs, and even the smell of melting tires.  Although, I do prefer a little more enviormentally friendly events.

P.S. - Did I mention that we passed a nice air conditioned mall and an IKEA on the way there?  :)

Have a "Racing" Day!

So I had been using Lakse Kronch salmon oil for the last month or so, and I could tell the bottle was getting close to empty, so I took the opportunity to order a big 'ol bottle of sardine oil. Now, I've never had any of my dogs turn their nose up at fish oil (salmon or menhaden), but they've always been pretty indifferent to it. Not so, with the sardine oil. The first time I fed it (on wednesday night when they get tuna) I added a teaspoon to each dogs dinner, and they gobbled it right down. I didn't think much of it because that's one of their favourite meals, but over yesterday and today there's a noticeable difference in their enthusiasm about fish oil. Here's a little blurb about Nature's Logic Sardine Oil: 

Nature’s Logic North Atlantic Sardine Oil contains more EPA and DHA than Salmon Oil and has naturally lower levels of environmental contaminants. By supplementing Nature’s Logic North Atlantic Sardine Oil’s natural rich source of long chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids, you are adding one of nature’s most bio-available sources of these nutrients  to your pet’s diet.

I ordered from OnlyNaturalPet.com on friday, and it was shipped quickly via USPS. All the packing products are biodegradable, and it was the best price I've found online for this product.

Primal Pet Food  

Obviously I don't normally feed my dogs premade raw (they'd eat me out of house and home if I did), but if I had to feed a premade raw diet Primal would be the one I'd go with. For one thing they offer a variety of products (6 "formulas", 6 "grinds", and 6 "mixes"), which allows for a wide variety of protein sources and customization of diet. But they also use human grade meat; meat that has been fed a biologically appropriate diet (i.e. grass fed cattle); certified organic produce in the "formulas" and "mixes"; and some certified organic supplements in the "formulas". Another thing that I really like about Primal products is that they're designed to be fed w/ up to 30% rmb's in the diet. As far as I know this is the only premade raw diet company that suggests that (nature's variety and others promote an "occasional" part of the diet). 

I also picked up some Instinct Elk today that I won't be feeding until next weekend. Looks nice (like the venison I have), but we'll see how the dogs like it. I will update after I feed it next weekend.

I need a little time to decompress so I'll write about my lovely night with B.

Yesterday I went to work early so I could leave early. After winding my way through construction (every single major highway in metro-Detroit is having work done, so there was no good way to get there) I made it to his house where his mom let me in because he was still sleeping (at 5pm). Jumped in bed, covered him with kisses and he gave me a bear hug that I didn't care to get out of for the next hour.

That first deliriously happy moment of seeing each other again is what makes the whole tour completely worth it. We had both bought each other DVDs and he got me a George Dubya voodoo doll, which I kinda want to chop into little pieces and set on fire, but since it's from B I probably won't.

After a whole lot of cuddles we went to Ferndale so he could see my possible future house and then used my amazing sense of direction to almost get us lost on the way to dinner. We always end up with very awkward servers - you know, the ones that look incredibly uncomfortable, make too much or too little eye contact, get too close when they're talking, mumble, and forget everything. Yeah...at least the food was great.

Back at B's house he set up wii and showed his parents how to play. For some reason I'm an awesome wii bowler, but I'm horrible in real life - I can't even break 100. Also, my tennis technique is pretty bad, but apparently entertaining to watch. I think his parents were impressed with my video game athletic skills.

I'm so incredibly happy to have him home.

Yesterday was my birthday and it started out to be a horrible, no good day.  First of all hubby left for work without saying "goodbye, the I love you and happy birthday sweetie".  Then the girls started to fight over who was getting dressed and not getting dressed.  The topper is when I was taking Angelique to school for the last day Greggory started to throw up in the van, all over himself and the carseat.  GREAT!!!!!  Happy Birthday MOM!  So I spent an hour cleaning up Greggory, change clothes and give him a bath.  Then went out to the van to get the carseat out and took all the stuff apart so I can wash it.  Did that and put covering in washer to get cleaned, hosed off the actual seat out in the street and put that in backyard to dry off.  Now it was time for to get the van seat cleaned off, went and looked for cleaner but parents didn't have any.  So, I cleaned it with Dawn and called Brett to see if he can pick some stuff up and be able to get Tanisha and Angelique home school because they get out early.  The whole time I was doing all this Josiah was hungry and screaming to be fed.  Finally I got to him.  That ordeal was over.

Then kids got home around 10:40 am and they kept bugging me, I was finally able to sit down and eat something in hopes of being left alone.  That didn't happen until I told them to leave me alone for a little so I can veg, so I vegged out for maybe 30 minutes.  Then I started on our laundry, went through kids dressers and got rid of two kitchen garbage bags worth of clothes and made room for more clothes that I bought from garage sales on Saturday.  It's nice because I don't have to put away the girl's clothes anymore, they are old enough to put them away themselves.  Then I did dishes and straightened up a little around here because it was looking kind of messy.

I did a lot yesterday for being my birthday but it all needed to be done.  I didn't get to relax until later on in the evening.  Brett and mom both went grocery shopping for dinner last night, the kids and parents had what mom bought for dinner.  Brett made me dinner later after we put the kids the down for bed.  We had cake, ice cream and I opened up my cards, my mom got me a bottle of Framboise.  Brett even put 31 candles on the cake for me to blow out little did he know some of them were those candles that don't blow out, so I had to wet my fingers and put them out with my fingers.  Though after doing so I realized my kidlets were watching me put the candles out with my fingers and I told them not to do that.  Angelique responded "Mom your going to burn yourself."  It was a good laugh.

Brett put the kidlets to bed while I fed Josiah.  Then Brett started on our dinner, we had steak with sauted mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers and red onions, green beans, mashed potatoes, bread and to drink we had wine.

My day started out to be a really horrible day but at the end it turned out to be a good day after all.  God blessed my day yesterday.