Category: Charlie

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AKA, Confessions of a Chronic Enthusiast…Look! A Butterfly! Ooh, I wonder how I could turn that into a project…

Confession. I get excited about stuff. Fascinated, actually. And when I get excited about something, I tend to dive in head-first. First, I have to research the idea. Then, of course, I need to buy stuff. Because you always need to buy stuff. Then I need to spend hours experimenting. Then I need to perfect it. Once I perfect it, I can relax. Until I get excited about the next thing.

Why do I bring this up? Because I’ve been SOOO busy spending time doing… stuff!

In love yet?

Here’s the most important thing. Our little Charlie is awesome. We only want to roast the puppy over hot coals about 5 minutes out of the day now. The other 1,435 minutes of the day, he is the sweetest and most adorable puppy that ever lived. And yes, I looked up how many minutes there are in a day. Don’t judge me.

Charlie has learned to come, sit, “request” to go outside (it’s a seriously adorable chuff), drop whatever’s in his mouth (kinda), and heel (sorta). When encountered with a stranger, he has gone from having a level 10 conniption fit to something…slightly less. We’ll go with a solid 8 for now. Though, he finally got his shots and we can take him for his first real walk outside today (wee!). This will desensitize him to people and dogs so much faster, I am sure. 

He really is a smart pooch. And, look at how cute he is! I know, I know, he needs a haircut! But the groomers would not take him until after his shots, so we had to wait. (Geez, that reminds me. I need to call them again!) And, before you tell me to do this myself, my answer is NO. I am not putting my shaky hands anywhere near that adorable face with scissors in my hands!

Charlie snuggling with the boy. Yes, he has eyeballs. Somewhere.

Puppy damage so far? Let’s see. I’ve lost 3 socks (none of them a matched pair, so let’s make that 6 socks), he chewed up the bottom of his carrier, he chewed my iPhone charger (yummy), he destroyed my adorable purple laptop carrier (grr), he ate up the instructions for a light fixture we have yet to install (so that’s gonna be interesting), and countless napkins, paper towels, pieces of tape, and random bits of paper he finds God-knows-where. And bark. He loves bark. He has chewed up the corner of the laminate flooring despite our efforts of spraying bitter anti-chew spray AND hot sauce on it. (Uh, he’s really sorry Mom…)

ANYHOO… Charlie has kept me busy. And tired, thanks to his tiny bladder waking me up twice a night. That’s OK, though, because mine does, too.

What else has kept me occupied? PROJECTS! I found some sweet new artsy things to spend money on! I knew you’d be as thrilled as me.

I flipped this pot upside down, poured the paint, then blow-dried it to encourage the colors to blend. I was hoping to have these done and ready for Christmas, but I couldn’t get to sealing them on time. Oh, well.

First, I learned how to acrylic pour. Oh, my gosh, this is seriously so much fun! The best part is, you just kind of slop the paint on whatever surface you want to paint, and then voila! OK, not really. There is more to it than that, but check out these final projects! Serious fun. Plus, you get to paint with a blow dryer, which is totally awesome. (If anyone is interested in watching this done, shoot me a message.)

This was an ugly cement stepping stone. I cleaned and primed it, then poured my little heart out.

While I was at it, I figured resin art was so closely related to acrylic pouring that I might as well research that, too. After pounding the bottom of my coin purse REALLY hard (resin is expensive!), I found some resin and cute molds and got started. Did you know that resin is sticky? It’s true! Just ask my fingers that may have accidentally gone gloveless for a few minutes during a project. That was a mistake I’ll never make again. Two days later I was still dealing with sticky fingers. You could also ask my hair how sticky resin is. How I ended up with resin in my hair is completely beyond me. No clue. Probably the same way I ended up with resin on my shirt. And my sock. Oh, well! I will suffer for my art!

I made several coasters going for a geode effect. They weren’t perfect, but this one is my favorite.

Anyway, resin is fun but so much more challenging and unpredictable than the acrylic pour! Most of my projects so far have come out a bit, “meh.” But check these out! 

This one is my favorite resin project so far. It was messy, but not actually that challenging with a bit of patience.

What else? Oh, yeah! So, Covid has done a strangely positive thing for me. It’s been awesome for my pain levels! Before going on, let me say I mean no disrespect to the seriousness of our world’s crisis. I know most people are not fortunate enough to work from home and they are suffering. If this applies to you, you are in my prayers. 

That being said, I have been fortunate to be able to work from home. I am grateful for this (not for the virus, for goodness sake, but for the opportunity to work from home). Because I no longer travel, my pain has decreased and I have been able to take on a lot more work hours. I know how lucky I am that this has worked out for me and I am grateful for the work every day.

OH! And finally, I discovered Boom Cards. Seriously, if you are a therapist or a teacher or a homeschooler and you aren’t using Boom Cards, you are totally missing out. This website is amazing! I spent hours making tons of online mini books and flashcards sets for my amazing clients. So, even though I am not with my clients in person, I can still create individualized materials for them. This is awesome because I am a perfectionistic control freak. Just kidding about the control thing, but not about the perfectionist part. Or the freak part.

So, anyway, I found a new addiction! Making Boom Cards is serious fun, but it has been quite a time-sucker. (Don’t regret it.) Want to see my decks? Here they are! https://wow.boomlearning.com/author/lisneyland

What about the novel, you ask? Glad you did! Given my amateur status, I have done research (I know, shocking, right?) and more research about the best way to self-publish. Bottom line, because I have officially given up on going with a publisher, I created more work for myself. I have been editing and re-editing. And editing some more. 

I am working on creating a book cover using Canva, but thinking about hiring someone to help with this. Still vacillating.

Lastly, I have researched how to publish my book from beginning to end. I now know how to copyright my work, get an ISBN, format for Kindle, get printed versions of my book, advertise, and promote the book. 

My goal is to have the book published by (drumroll, please) the end of January! So, away I go!

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Charlie’s New Home

We did it! We made it through the first two weeks of puppy training, and I am happy to say that it was much easier than I expected. Never fear, dear reader, because these weeks have not been without the hilarity of new puppy epic fails and disasters. I mean, this is me we’re talking about here. As if I could ever make it through any journey unscathed! What fun would that be, right?

Our adventure began with a road trip. My son and I drove to a random parking lot in a random city to make the “exchange.” (I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry, we were safe and the money was exchanged electronically.) Still, when we met up with the breeder, I had to restrain myself from whispering, “Hey. You big Johnny? You got the stuff or what?”

So, so tempting! I’ve lived long enough to understand that most people don’t appreciate my sense of humor. And I really wanted the puppy! I would have been super sad if the breeder ran away from me, screaming. Self-control, Liz, self-control.

The drive home with our bundle of joy was super easy. Other than that Charlie peed in his blanket. The one that he was lying on. And then it was all over him.

Time for baby’s first bath!

He took to the bath like a champ. Phew.

Our plan for the first day was to set up a play pen so he could explore the living room without being underfoot constantly. I also wanted to limit accidents to a smaller space. We introduced him to his crate and toys. He was right at home within the first hour: playing, snuggling with family members and exploring his environment.

Epic fail #1: having no access to grass!

Charlie, in all his confusion, the first day in his new home. “Uh, what do you want me to do on this hard cement?”

I read all these books and articles that recommended potty training solely outside to avoid confusion. Charlie was way too young to go out to community areas. Our only real options were patches of dirt in the backyard or the pavement in the front yard. When on the pavement, he either stared up at me like he was waiting for me to entertain him, or snuffled about inhaling God-knows-what on the ground. When I brought him to the dirt…man, was he thrilled! Dead leaves to crunch! Flowers to pounce on and destroy! Boy, oh boy!

He clearly had no idea what to do.

Potty training was not working. By the end of day one, I was exhausted simply from removing foliage from his mouth! I had two choices: make my yard pristine and cross my fingers or submit to the use of potty pads. Choices, choices… Ha! Just kidding. There was only one choice. I made a trip to Petco post haste.

After being the quietest and most compliant of poochies all day long, one second in the crate at night turned him into a furry banshee straight from the bowels of hell. No joke. He whined, cried, and barked as if his little life depended on it. We didn’t even know he could bark! Poor baby. My youngest helped me put him in his crate that night and I will never forget the look of horror on his face when he heard the sounds of utter misery coming from the crate. I’m sure his face mirrored Charlie’s. All moms know this look. It says, “You are the harbinger of death! Cruella de Vil! You are the leader of a torture-inducing cult and I can’t believe I ever loved you!”

That was not working for me. After shooing my son away (clearly he would be no help), I lied down and began to do absolutely nothing. I followed the advice of trainers (and my awesome mom) and placed his crate up to the level of the bed so he could see, smell, and hear me. 

After 5 minutes, he stopped. He slept. Sweet!

He woke 3 times in the night. I took him to the pee pad, then right back to the crate. He cried a few minutes each time, then straight to sleep. The crate stayed dry.

Anyhoo, the first day with our boy was a good indicator of the events of the next several days. Charlie proved to be very easy-going, playful, and a sweet little cuddle bug. He even handled all my work days like a boss. He just snuggled up next to my foot and slept. We made it up to him by having nice, long play times before and after though.

Anyhoo, the first day with our boy was a good indicator of the next several days. Charlie proved to be very easy-going, playful, and a little cuddle bug. He even had no problem on the days I worked constantly. He just snuggled up next to my foot and slept. We made it up to him by having nice, long play times before and after though.

Let’s talk about clicker training. Being a behavior analyst by trade, I knew I was going to use it as a tool. I bought 5 of those little clickers to leave scattered around the house. There is enough research to support it as an effective training tool (thanks, Pavlov) that any self-respecting behavior analyst would simply have to train their dog this way. I would be an embarrassment to my fellow nerds everywhere if I didn’t! I wouldn’t be able to show my face at another conference ever again! I would be laughed out of my precious association for behavior analysts!

My snuggle bug.

But seriously. It was absurdly effective! After 2 training sessions, he was responding to his name by making eye contact. On day 3 he had it totally mastered, so we introduced the sit command. He mastered that, so we increased the amount of sitting time we expected. He mastered that. We introduced “come here.” He mastered that as well. Such a smart dog!

We only have 2 real challenges. The first: Potty training. He is about 70% there, but clicker training has been difficult. It’s hard to catch him going! Luckily, he’s still a small dog, so the clean up is no biggie. The second challenge has been chewing. Man, he chews! We are following the instructions of the articles and books and redirecting him whenever possible. We yip if he bites us, ignore him and stop playing, etc. Still, these 2 behaviors will take more time than the other behaviors for obvious reasons.

Verdict? We are so happy with our baby. And last Saturday, we got turf installed in our backyard, so now he can go outside.

Charlie loves his new lawn.

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Puppy Prepping: We’re Gonna Rock This!

T minus 1 days and counting!

Our new little 8-week old Shih Poo baby arrives today and we are ready.  What’s a girl to do to prepare for a new puppy? Can you say, “shopping spree?” I knew you could! Here’s what I bought.

* Toys * Food bowl * Water bowl * Crate * Dog carrier * Car seat * Dog bed * Gate * Playpen * Bones * Treats for training * Dental cleaner * Dog Food * Soft food * Vitamin supplements * Clickers for training * Brush * Shampoo * Puppy proofing for electric cords and power bars * Doggie doorbell * Blankets * Pet odor eliminator

I went a little crazy on Amazon. This is my first puppy, after all. I have had dogs before, but they were all full-grown by the time they were in my life, chock-full of eccentricities, and well-established bad habits.

Given my “real” job is as a behavior analyst, I am not starting this process as a total amateur. The basic science of applied behavior analysis is the same (reinforcement rocks!), regardless of whether you are working with humans or other kinds of animals. Still, I am used to working with human beings. Never trained anyone to poop outside or sleep in a crate before, so I’m excited to take on this new challenge.

To the oracle!

Pinterest gave me all kinds of suggestions about what to buy (maybe too much advice), it taught me the first commands to teach, how to potty train, how to crate train, etc., etc., etc.

We are ready to have sleepless nights and to pretty much get nothing done for a few weeks. We got this!

Charlie becomes a member of our family this afternoon. We will be driving out of town to retrieve him armed with blankets, a dog carrier, towels and cleaner (just in case of accidents), food, treats, toys to Gnaw on, and a heartbeat-enabled teddy. (Yes, that’s a thing.)

We will follow the advice of many experts. We will expose him to the house one room at a time to prevent him from becoming overwhelmed. We will also start training him immediately. When we get home, we’ll start clicker training, crate training, and potty training right away. Wish us luck!