Open mouth, insert feet!

I just read my last post and I can't believe how naive I was about getting a puppy.  If you have toddlers at home and are thinking about getting a puppy, don't do it! Mitt-Z is now 5 months old and it has been the toughest most chaotic 3 months since we picked her up.  Actually it was all sweet and Innocent puppy breath kisses those first 2 weeks... and then she started teething, jumping, chasing, biting, peeing/pooping all over the house, and not minding what so ever.  As my mom put it when she was watching the kids one day for us, it's hard enough trying to corral our 3 kids but when you add Mitt-z, it's just impossible.  We were trying very hard to train Mitt-z from the beginning but our 3 rambunctious kids were training her much faster in the ways of the wild west! I honestly at one point was ready to find her a nice loving home with parents who could spend every waking moment training her. 
The worst part of the situation was how she treats Pawco.  It is our worst fear that he would feel replaced, or forgotten, or second string, but I never thought about how she might torment him with her constant barking in his face. She bites at his neck and his ankles when he is trying to go potty, she chases him and pounces on his back when he is just trying to walk.  He is already unsteady because of his old hips and she is always making him lose his balance.  I think his health has even declined since we got her. 
Scott and I both know now that we made a mistake in getting a puppy.  To make matters worse we are starting a new business and Scott has less time than ever to spend training her.  So, at our witt's end I called around and found a dog trainer who would board Mitt-z for 2 weeks while training her everyday.  Would you believe that this trainer would take Mitt-z to her puppy classes as a mentor for the other puppies! Ha!
Two very Serene, quiet, easy weeks later we reluctantly got Mitt-z back, and we have been very pleased with the better more calm and collected version we have now.  The trainer assured me that Mitt-z was not retarded, in fact she is very smart and extremely dominant in nature (hence her behavior toward Pawco).
So now Mitt-z sleeps in a crate at night and when we can't be with her, and mostly stays on a leash in the house. She is showing improvement and I am more realistic about what to expect from her.  I hope one day she is a loving faithful companion to our children, and not looking at them like they are a ball to be chased and taken down and nibbled on!
So the other foot I stuck in my mouth was about us being "healthier than most families", hahahaha! I jinxed us big time! I can say that we ran out of our juice plus chewies for about a month, but I'm not sure that was the entire problem.  I joined a new gym in November and literelly since November we have had one cold after the other.  No joke, it has been the sickest winter for us ever!  Poor Axl always gets it the worst, but the girls still get it but they are able to fight it off quicker.  We have had fevers, snotty noses, throwing up, sore throats, and coughs, oh that cough! I have the cough right now! It is the worst. I can't tell you how many playdates and parties we have missed out on.  I can't wait to get better and stay better, soon I hope. 
Now I am stuck with the decision to cancel our gym membership. I love working out, but I hate getting sick. What would you do? Just stick with it and hope they build immunities or stop going and get chubby!
Anywho, I miss blogging but can never find the time, especially since I started sewing.  I have never loved a hobby as much as sewing, I am always thinking about a new project and sneaking off to my machine while the kids mess up the entire house. 
Until next time...