April Is For The Dogs

As i pointed out yesterday I am enjoying my week as a Stay At Home Dog Mom.  Yesterday was no exception.  I went out with Penny and my a friend who is also a teacher and enjoyed a day for the dogs.

We lazed about at the Lazy Dog Cafe in Brea with all the dogs, including the Yorkies in strollers, yes people had their dogs at a restaurant in strollers #ItIsADog!



We then went to the best dog park ever and played with the doggies.  As I have pointed out before dogs just love me, you can read about it here.  I was like a little dog magnet.  They flocked to me and jumped in my lap, followed me when I walked around, and insisted I play catch with them.  I decided since I was the Dog Whisperer I needed to rename all the dogs at the park.  Penny and I had a great time with Reginald, Scotty McDectective, Ebony (Penny was Ivory), and Thomas.

This is Thomas, He adopted me because his human wouldn't play with him.

While I am doing my best to avoid any responsibility and enjoy my days of sunshine and freedom, I realize many of you are busy at work and at school.  I decided it was a good idea to stop rubbing in my good fortune and have my friend Nina from The Grand Adventures of Me take over for the day.



If you are not currently following Nina do yourself and get over to her blog.  She is a gem of a human and a funny funny girl!  Some things that make me love this girl are the fact that she is majoring in English and Psychology, she has the most compassionate heart for people and is passionate about ending human trafficking, and she shares the best stories about stealing tampons.  I am just going to stop talking and let Nina take it from here.

Hello, fellow friends of Erica Jacquline. My name is Nina and I hail from the East Coast: Tennessee to be exact, where we they sing rocky top with pride. #GoVols #ICouldCareLess

If you are a school teacher like Erica, or a student like myself, the month of April is probably the closest thing to hell on Earth.

 Summer break is literally just a sneeze away, but you can't get there yet because you are drowning under piles of papers and papers and papers.

 And if you've ever had a sneeze built up and you can't let it go, you understand that miserable feeling. Yes, that is how April feels to those of us chained to the education ball.

Not to mention, if you live in a temperate climate, it is finally warming up and all you want to do is dance around in fields of wheat and set up your hammock and read books outside and subject your pasty white skin to the sun's harmful UV rays in hopes that you will soon look like Snookie instead of Olaf the Snowman.

 But oh wait! You have to be inside (papers on papers on papers, remember?)

So this pull to go in either direction makes for a lot of stress, right?

Normal bloggers just go to the wine cellar and destress. But as for me, my school has a strict no-alcohol policy, and technically I'm not old enough to consume alcohol. 20 years and 10 months down: 56 days to go.

So because of all that, I have to come up with ways to destress without drinking a bottle of Plum Wine.  Because if I did drink wine, that is the wine I would drink.

 

1. Puppies. Obviously, Erica has Penny the Puppy and she's the cutest thing ever. However, I do not have a puppy. But I do have a postcard of Penny the Puppy and that's the cutest thing ever. It's proudly on my fridge. I go to the local puppy pound and play with all the dogs. Yes, I come out with welts (allergies) but I also come out as a happier person, that is until I am reminded that I won't see them next time I go. I convince myself it is because they all get good and loving homes.

2. Workout. I'm a runner, so that is obviously my workout of choice. But I also like to prove to others that my hips, indeed, don't lie. Zumba is where it is at when I'm wanting to feel sexy, sweaty, and awkward all at the same time. Other great workouts: Kickboxing (for all the aggression), Piloxing (for all the extra energy), and Sleeping. I'm pretty sure you burn calories while sleeping. We'll count it as a work out.

3. People watch. Just go to Walmart. Sit on the bench. And snapchat the most ridiculous looking people to your friends; add it to your story. Laugh for dayz. And by dayz I mean 10 seconds because that's the max time limit.

4. Marathon. Overwhelmed? Stressed? Up to your neck in responsibility? This is the perfect time to start watching House of Cards or Scandal or whatever it is I see everyone tweeting about. Set aside a day to watch all the seasons. Netflix: Can't watch just one.

5. Eat your Pancakes. Do something productive every day. This is the only bullet point I have that doesn't involve avoidance. We see how I handle stress. This is the most important one, though. Doing something productive every day means you actually have time to go play with the puppies. And we all love puppies.

I am firmly against conclusions because they are hard, I don't like them, and there is never a good way to tie up all the loose ends. I hope you enjoyed this list, and be sure to head over to The Grand Adventures of Me because we have a lot of fun with even more lists and fun stories about buying tampons in small towns and other awkward stuff like that!

Thank you so much Nina for sharing your wisdom for surviving April!  I told you all that she was a gem, a funny gem.  Make sure you visit this lady on her Bloglovin and say hello on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Oh and before I forget do not forget about the totally amazing new link up that is taking over the intervebs!   Come back here tomorrow and link up your post that involves a list.