No, we're not having children

Josh and I just had this conversation on Saturday night about all the assinine things people say to us when we tell them we're not having children. For whatever reason, people believe it's their business whether or not we're going to procreate and it's their place to make comments on our choice to not have kids. I've learned to just get over it - and remind myself that it's no one's business but ours.

But for fun, I thought I'd just make a list of all the different things we've heard over the years from people when we tell them we don't want kids (and these are in no particular order):

1. "You'll change your mind when you get older." We're 30 years old; we're pretty stable in our lives and pretty sure of what we want. Maybe it applied when we were 18, but come on, we're old enough to know what we do and do not want in life!

2. "Who will take care of you when you get old?" Really? Because people are having kids strictly so that they have someone to take care of them when they're old and frail? I thought parents don't want to be a burden to their children. Lord, when I get old and frail, I'm going to be put in a home to let the professionals take care of me - just like I'll do for my parents. I'm not a caretaker, I'm not going to change my parents' diapers and I wouldn't have children just so they could change my diapers.

3. "You don't know what you're missing." Which goes hand in hand with "You'll wake up one day and regret not having kids." Yes, I don't know what being a parent to a human child is like. No, I will not regret it. I've thought long and hard about this - it's not a decision we made on a whim. And I thought when our friends started having babies, it would hit us that we were missing out and it would make us think more about having kids. But really, it's just the opposite. Sitting with friends last night watching a movie, I remembered how great it is to not have kids - at home, we watch a movie with no kids talking or toys making noise. Last night, we had to struggle to hear above Ethan asking questions about the movie and Kendra's toy making all kinds of ruckus. And when we go out, and our friends can't because they can't find a sitter? Again, reminds me of how easy our life is without kids - we can come and go as we please (well, almost, it's a little more restricted with Kayla being sick, but for the most part we have tons of freedom).

4. "That's selfish of you." Wow? Really? Isn't it selfless of me to realize I don't want kids, rather than just having kids because that's what's expected of me, even though I don't want them. I'm not going to have a kid just cuz that's what everyone does if I don't really want the kid to begin with. Nothing like screwing the kid up right from birth!!

5. The most creative one I've heard - "That's a waste of a good uterus." That one cracked me up!!

6. And the one that I had to force myself to continue walking away so I didn't drop kick the person who said it - "Where's your motherly instinct?" Have you not seen me with my dogs? I have more motherly instinct than most mothers of human children. Just because I don't want kids doesn't mean I don't have motherly instinct.

Don't worry, I'm not bitter. I've come to realize over the years that people love poking their noses in other people's business. And thankfully, I do believe our parents and close family have all realized we are serious about not having kids, so they don't pressure us to do it. They know we're more than happy with our three pugs and that's the way it's going to be!!

Time to be Thankful

It's a little early since Thanksgiving isn't for another week and a half, but I'm being reflective tonight and thought I'd do a post about all the good things in my life that I'm thankful for.

1. My husband. I'm thankful to have a husband who loves me and works hard to support us. Yes, most days I'd like to smother him in his sleep and collect the life insurance money, but, alas, I refrain from doing this and he lives to see another day!!! Just kidding - I do love him and he does take care of me. Besides, I'd hate to have to hire someone to clean the house and do the laundry if I killed him!!

2. Diesel. This boy makes me laugh day in and day out. My heart literally melts when I lay eyes on him. As I type this, he's gotten up off the bed and went to lay by himself in his dog bed because I'm apparently irritating him by making noise or moving or both. That personality of his cracks me up!! And in addition, he's my only healthy baby, so we're always thankful for that!

3. Makayla. I'm thankful that she's still here with us. Last year at this time we didn't know if she'd be here in a year. And yet here she is - still fighting. She's a trooper and I admire her more and more every day. She doesn't let her disability slow her down - she just gets up and goes on with her life. She's taught me more than I ever thought I could learn from her, and yet I feel there's even more to learn as our journey continues. She's still as stubborn, bossy and bitchy as ever - gotta admire that!!

4. Gracie Lou Freebush. Mrs. Freebush - she's a character and I'm thankful she found her way into our life. I don't know that anyone else would tolerate Grace and her antics the way we do. She's taught me immense amounts of patience - and to not take life so seriously all the time!! When I want to yell and scream because she's sassy, she gives me her "Elvis" look and cracks me up!

5. My job. At times when so many people have lost their job, I'm thankful to still have a job. And a pretty decent boss too. Even when it's stressful and I'm tired of dealing with people, it's still good to have an income and a little job security!

6. My family. We may be one of the more dysfunctional families in the world, but I still am happy to say we are a rather close family. I'm thankful to know that they'd be here for me at the drop of a hat no matter what.

7. Our health. Although we struggle with the pugs' health issues, for the most part we are healthy and so are our loved ones. That's a big thing to be thankful for.

I hope everyone who reads this blog is as blessed as we are. And I hope you all take a moment this holiday season to county those blessings and give thanks for them.

Ahhh, peace and quiet!

Happy Saturday!!! I'm enjoying a couple hours of peace and quiet this morning. Josh is doing a side job and the three stooges are at the groomers for their spa morning. And how do I celebrate my morning alone?! I'm about to begin doing some work from home - yep, I get a couple hours of peace and quiet and I use it to do overtime work. That's how busy life is lately!!

Things have been great lately. We've put Grace on pain meds, which seem to be helping with her back legs. We'll touch base with the vet next week, but I'd imagine we'll work out some sort of long term pain med regimen for Grace. Kayla's holding her own as always. We started her on Vallium to help her be less restless through the night. And it's working well - she's still up several times during the night, but when we go back to bed, she settles in and is able to go back to sleep (and so are we!!). Makayla's on several different meds right now, but she's still a happy go lucky girl. She wakes up smiling every day and still loves life. And that's all that matters for us anymore.

Have a great weekend - and remember to always live for the moment!!