Clean Eating

I'm not one to diet. Actually, I'm pretty sure I would die if I was ever on an actual "diet." There is a rebellious part of me that would immediately bake and consume a whole chocolate cake if someone attempted to restrict my consumption of food, in anyway....But I am interested in eating better. I've always been mildly obsessed with good, real food and cooking it. (By cooking I really mean eating)

Anyways, my point? I eat too much. I eat amazingly well thought out, unprocessed, real food, but none of that really matters when I eat enough for 5 people.

So I'm going to try to monitor my portions a bit better using a program called Clean Eating. Never heard of it? Here's a bit from their website:

"Clean Eating? It's simple, really. Consuming food in its most natural state - or as close as possible to it - - is the soul of clean eating. It's not a diet; it's a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to health, well-being and a lean look."

Sounds pretty sweet to me. I'm all about organic food that's good for the environment. I'm always trying to find the best ingredients and that fine line between the healthiest and best tasting food out there...and this seems like a good way to combine those two things together and control my obsessive need to eat.

Am I doing this to lose weight? No. Let me make this clear...I LOVE MY BODY. All of it. I'll love it when I look thin, I'll love it when I'm heavier... that doesn't matter to me. What really matters to me is fueling my body in the best possible way and being a health minded person. I think that's crucial. After all, this is the only body that I have. I can't trade it in.

I'll try not to over-run my blog with a bunch of boring "what I'm eating" crap, but I'll let you know how it's going. More importantly, I'll let you know if I fall off the boat and fully expect a thorough ass kicking from y'all.

<"( );::::::;~

In dachshund news....I think I'm keeping my latest foster. I haven't told this to my husband yet...but I'm pretty sure he agrees with me. Last night we were sitting in bed with the dogs and he started talking about how this foster dog that we have ''must have THE BEST home ever, and how we wont let him go unless the place is just PERFECT...because he's the sweetest, bestest, cutest little boy ever, and by golly just LOOK at him!" I'll just wait for it to be his idea before we really talk about it...thank goodness he doesn't keep up with my blog ; )

Sigh. 5 dogs? Really...?

I also had so share some adorable pictures from a recent fun day we had out at Purina Farms. These pictures were taken by the very talented photographer, Bettina Woolbright. The weather was, glorious. We really deserved a good day of weather seeing as every other event that we had was rainy / freezing out. I lurve earthdog so much, I really really do. I'm excited for fall because some of the members have promised to take me out with them when they do field work.

Earthdog Video

This video was filmed at the Memorial Bash put on by Missouri Earthdog, a club that I am on the board of. The Bash is held at Purina Farms in Grey Summit, Missouri annually. The video gives a nice overview of what earthdog is, and some of the different events that you can participate in with your dog at an earthdog trial. Though the video primarily focuses on Terriers, Dachshunds are well represented at earthdog events...I swear! Enjoy!

Go to Ground Video

Sandy Wieners!

Our vacation

in pictures

- - -

Remembering Daisy

My good friends JoRhon and their furchild Sophia said goodbye to Daisy today. For those of you that didn't know her, know that Daisy was an amazing little creature. Her and Bitsy looked so much a like, and I always joked that they were powdered sugar obsessed sisters...

I can't give Daisy any better of a tribute than her human already has. Feel free to read all of the details about Daisy, including her healthy love of chicken, here.

Daisy, you will be missed, more than you could possibly know.

Thinking thin has paid off!

Ladies, ladies...there is plenty of Taj to go around.

Wow...two months can really fly by. I'm not sure if you remember, but two months ago we started watching Taj and Raja. Also, two months ago Taj started thinking thin! Today the boys go back home but I had to share with you Taj's results.

Want Cookies. WANT!

You gives me cookies now? K tnx bi.

I is not a HippoTajamus, I has been thinking thin!

There is still a lot of Taj to love, ladies. Don't worry.

Unfortunately, with my mad scramble to get ready for vacation and the brief period of 10 dogs in my house, I did not get a chance to do a final weigh in with him. I'm bumming about that. My guess is that he lost 5lbs or so, and that he's at about 15lbs. Much better than the 20 1/2 lbs he started at. He is also 17 1/2" around his chest, way down from the 19 1/2" he was. He's now 15" around his waist....down from 17 1/2"!

We all joked that Taj was at fat camp.

Taj hated thinking thin in the beginning, but now he's reaping the rewards of being a skinny minny. For one, he can see his penis again...and well...I don't have to go into detail as to why that's a good thing. Also he has a lot more energy. He run run runs after the rest of the pups in my house. He can also lift his leg up high to pee on things, instead of barley getting it off the ground...and the best part? For each pound that he looses YEARS are being added to his life. Having something happen to one of my kid's (and Taj and Raja would be one of my kids) back is my biggest fear in life. Though being at a good weight doesn't guarantee that a back injury wont occur, it sure as heck doesn't hurt.

Now we joke that Taj will need a Taj tuck for all of the extra skin he has. Heh. We crack ourselves up.

Oh man, I'm going to miss waking up to this every morning. :*(

My excuse?

This is the reason I have not been able to update...in addition to my 4 hounds, I am dog sitting 4 pooches and have 2 fosters. If I don't post in a while, call the police. Every now and again I catch them in a little hurdle, plotting. They are plotty little things, after all. Eventually their collective 10 brain cells will collide and they will come up with an elaborate plan to capture me as their hostage. I have a sneaking suspicion that their master plan is world domination, but I'm sure they'll settle for lots of treats.

The police would come in to find me tied up and with them dancing an angry Indian war dance around me.....

Waterboarding

So what happens when six naughty dachshunds rub their six naughty braincells together and collectively decide that it would be a GREAT idea to roll in something disgusting? They end up getting a b-a-t-h.

Mom, help us!

We is being tortured. Hurry, what's the number for 911?

While Brett and I were gardening we decided to let the herd-o-doxs "charge up their sunbeams." Charging up sunbeams is a very important part of being a dachshund... sunbeams give lazy dachshunds just enough energy to wake up from their 14 hour nap to make it to bed. Whew. Hard work.

Charging up sunbeams is one of my pack's favorite pass times, and cousin's Taj and Raja seem to enjoy tanning their tummies too. For the longest time, everyone was lying there dead to the world but Neville.

Neville has a little quirk when he charges up his sunbeams. He loves to walk from the sunshine into the shade of the tree and back again. (He's still building up his sunbeam tolerance.) On Neville's 5th trip into the shade I noticed him sniffing something. Whatever Neville was sniffing he liked it enough to want to smell like it so he started rolling with gusto.

Rolling is something that most dachshunds do sometimes...and I didn't think too much of it. (This would be the "ironic" part of the story)

We was framed. Honest.

So anyways, Zoe saw her brother's feet in the air and decided to go investigate. Zoe also thought it would be a great idea to roll in Neville's wonderful find! Two rolling dachshunds promptly caught the attention of the rest of the herd and they all ran over to see what all the fuss was about.

At this point I'm curious to see what they're rolling in. Normally what they find is nothing that I can see or smell, and is no big deal. This time however, they found frog. Dead frog... and oh my dog did it stink.

They were so proud of themselves, till I started running the water. Now I have six wet balls of angry running around my house.

Unamused Taj, is unamused.