Kids + Pets- How to Help Kids Through Losing a Beloved Pet

My girls have had a dog for as long as they've been alive.

I got Kenzi, our sweet Shit Tzu/Toy Poodle, back in 2005, long before I had kids in my life (or even on the brain, really). Back then, she was my world. There was a pet store at the Dallas Galleria where I would spend oodles of time (and a scarily large portion of my paycheck) on clothes and treats for my 8 pound ball of puppy kisses and energy.

Kenzi saw me through three of my own children and two additional pregnancies. She never took well to the girls, in large part, I think, because they dethroned her as queen. It wasn't until just a few years ago that she stopped barking and squirming when they would pick her up and carry her around the house. And she gave up the fight largely because she was too old to fight back- not so much because she had taken to the girls.

She was declining in health steadily, not uncommon for a 15-year-old dog. At Thanksgiving, we started talking about putting her down and preparing our kids for pet loss. we talked about who would go with us and what it would be like to walk into a place with her and out without her. She had doggy dementia and doggy arthritis. We were aware that she didn't have much life left in her. 

Kids & Pet Loss

The girls had been through pet loss once before. After a weekend away with her Girl Scout troop, my oldest daughter woke up the morning after we got back to discover her first hamster “forever sleeping” in her cage. After 19 months with my girl, Gingerbread the hamster had moved on to hamster heaven. My daughter was heartbroken.

We talked about what might have happened to the hamster and what she may have done wrong. We concluded, after inspecting that she had had access to adequate food and water that the hamster died of natural causes. This gave us a good opportunity to discuss death with our then 9 year old, which is never easy. We discussed how everything that lives will eventually die and that sometimes there is nothing that can be done to prevent death. We assured her that she didn’t do anything to cause Gingerbread’s death.

We let my oldest paint a rock to serve as her hamster’s headstone next to a tree in our backyard. We buried her in a spot that my oldest can view often and I bought hamster cupcakes to eat and make us smile as we celebrated my daughter’s first pet.

This morning, we woke to discover that our beloved family dog, Kenzi, suffered the same fate. At some point in the night, she took her final breath and crossed the rainbow bridge, as it seems to be commonly referred to day. 

Coping with Pet Loss 

After a lot of tears and a last minute decision to pivot to virtual learning for the day, the girls and I sat down and talked about our favorite memories of our dog. We looked through photos on my phone and on Facebook and watched a few videos of her in her prime. We discussed how my oldest's first word was dog because of our Kenzi and how her first phrase was "No barking dog!" because, in her prime, our dog was lively creature capable of generating a lot of noise despite her slight stature. We plan to have cake pops later to cheers our girl, and will bury her in our backyard this weekend, alongside my oldest's second hamster, who passed away yesterday (how's that for ironic?). We will paint rocks to commemorate their resting spots in our backyard. I'm sure there will be lots more tears before all is said and done. 

I've spent some time this morning researching pet loss and kids, and I have compiled a few resources here, meant to help people like me who are navigating the loss of a beloved furry friend like we are. Because whether you know the end is near or the loss is sudden and unexpected, death is never easy, especially for young kids. 

Resources for Talking to Kids about Pet Loss

Here is a great article from the New York Times featuring books about pet loss. 

Not sure if a "pet funeral" or eulogy is beneficial or silly? This article helped me understand that this is an important part of the healing process. 

I wanted to come up with some ways we can memorialize our beloved pup to help the girls remember her forever. This article has some great ideas. 

What did you do to commemorate a furry friend after he or she crossed the rainbow bridge? 

Baby Day 2021 Goes Virtual!

DALLAS, January 13, 2021 -- Baby Day, the first and only statewide celebration of babies and toddlers presented by First3Years and powered by PNC, today announces that registration has opened for the week-long celebration, which will bring together resources, activities and 60 childhood development organizations across Texas to participate in this year’s virtual event.

The week-long celebration will take place Sunday, Feb. 7, to Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, providing parents and caregivers of young children with more than 100 fun-and-play activities virtually from any location and device. Live and on-demand events will feature infant yoga, music classes, dance classes, curated art activities, mindfulness and breathing exercises, community conversations and more.

“As a collaborative community event, we are grateful to see so many organizations and civic leaders play a part in the annual Baby Day celebration,” said Sadie Funk, CEO of First3Years. “Thanks to our supporters, including PNC Foundation, we are able to connect parents and caregivers to early childhood learning experiences that promote family bonding, create emotional connections and shape early brain development. They are truly helping Texas families make an impact in a child’s lifelong success.”

Partners for this year’s Baby Day event include many of the leading childhood development organizations in cities across Texas, including Yoga N Da Hood (Dallas), UT Dallas Center for Children and Families (Dallas), Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas), Cook Children's Center for Children's Health (Fort Worth), UNT Health Science Center Healthy Start (Fort Worth), Botanical Research Institute of Texas (Fort Worth), Children's Museum Houston (Houston), Mi Casa Es Tu Casa (Austin), San Antonio Public Library (San Antonio) and Early Childhood Home Visiting (San Marcos). Mayoral leaders in Texas cities participating in Baby Day include Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth, and Brandon Capetillo, Mayor of Baytown. 

Baby Day 2021 is powered by PNC through PNC Grow Up Great®, a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. Additional funding support was received from Aetna, Cook Children’s - Center for Children’s Health, GetParentingTips (DFPS), HEB, The Miles Foundation, The Dallas Foundation, Walmart and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

“We believe it is critically important to support and equip our communities with resources, like Baby Day, which are focused on infant and toddler brain development, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brendan McGuire, PNC regional president for North Texas. “We must address the significant challenges faced by caregivers and early childhood education professionals in our communities and support their work to create successful education outcomes for all young children.”

Baby Day partners will lead activities virtually throughout the week, and parents and caregivers can register online and participate for free. In addition, participants that register by Jan. 22, will receive a free Baby Day educational package with development tools to help children participate in the event from home.

Partner organizations include (in alphabetical order by city):

State/Nationwide	American Heart Association	First3Years
	Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College	GetParentingTips / Texas Prevention and Early Intervention - DFPS
	PNC Grow Up Great®	Songs for Seeds
Arlington	Arlington Public Library
Austin	Any Baby Can	Austin Child Guidance Center
	Mi Casa Es Tu Casa	Parent Engagement for Active Child Enrichment
Baytown	Harris County Department of Education – Early Head Start	Mayor Brandon Capetillo
Dallas	Bachman Lake	Dallas Museum of Art
	Dallas Public Library	Metrocare Services
	Momentous Institute	Park Cities School of Music
	Uplift Education	United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
	UT Dallas Center for Children and Families	UT Dallas Infant Neurodevelopment & Language Research Lab - Baby Brain Lab
	The Warren Center	Yoga N Da Hood
Fort Worth	Aetna	Botanical Research Institute of Texas
	Fort Worth Public Library	Help Me Grow
	KERA	Mayor Betsy Price
	Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas	My Health My Resources of Tarrant County
	Play Studio by Green Space	Texas Christian University Music Preparatory Division (TCU Music Prep)
	The Center for Children's Health (Cook Children's)	UNT Health Science – Healthy Start
	UNT Health Science – Pediatric Mobile Unit
Houston	Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston	Causeplay Alliance Project
	Children’s Museum Houston	Easter Seals of Greater Houston
	Harris County Public Library – Curiosity Cruiser	Harris County Public Library – Fairbanks Branch Library
	Houston Health Department – Immunization Bureau	Houston Symphony
	Judge Lina Hidalgo	Mental Health America of Greater Houston
	Mindful Being	Prelude Music Foundation
	Rice University Baker Institute	SEARCH Homeless Services
	University of Houston –  Healthy Start
New Braunfels	SJRC TX
San Antonio	San Antonio Public Library	The Children's Shelter
San Marcos	City of San Marcos Parks & Recreation and Total Wellness	Community Action, Inc. Early Childhood Home Visiting
	San Marcos Public Library	Start Smart Hays & Caldwell

About PNC Foundation

The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.

About Baby Day and First3Years

Baby Day is the only statewide celebration of the first three years of life, a day established to celebrate the excitement and opportunity of our youngest Texans. Behind the Baby Day vision stands First3Years, the statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, advocate, and collaborate to advance the healthy development of infants, toddlers, and their families. Baby Day 2021 will take place online from February 7-13, 2021. Register online at https://babyday.us.

Different Types of Tea & the Best Places to get Tea in Arlington, TX

Did you know that herbal teas aren't actually teas? 

I had NO idea.

A tea comes from tea leaves. An herbal tisane is a beverage that includes herbs and other ingredients but no actual tea leaves. So the chamomile tea I drink at bedtime isn't actually a tea. Mind. Blown. 

My favorite teas with my favorite mug!

Check out the full article I did for Zulily here, along with lots of in-depth info about tea!

Different Types of Tea

There are four different types of tea: black, green, oolong and white. Black tea is the most widely consumed tea in the world, and it is called black tea because the tea leaves turn black during the oxidation process. Green tea is generally thought of as the healthiest tea because the leaves do not undergo oxidation.. Oolong tea is considered the middle man between black tea and green tea because the leaves ferment for a short amount of time. White tea is considered to be the most natural tea because the tea leaves are not oxidized, rather picked and sun-dried.

Best Places to Grab a Tea or Coffee in the Arlington Area

Craving a piping hot cup of coffee or tea? I can relate! While I'm a mega fan of Starbucks (and its drive-thru!), I do also love to support local. Try one of these great spots that make this city great!

Salter Brothers Coffee Roasters, 400 E. Division St., Arlington- artisan coffee, baked goods and hot and iced teas in downtown Arlington.

Grounds & Gold Co., 4130 S. Bowen Rd., Arlington- this gorgeous space with delightful fare will be your favorite new spot to meet a friend for a chat and a bite or open up your laptop and stay awhile!

Savor Coffee Bar & Eatery, 1101 E. Bardin Rd., Arlingon- lots of fantastic choices here, including Vegan fare. Plenty of space to hang out and get some work done.

Inclusion Coffee, 101 E. Abram St., Arlington- this UTA hot spot is two-levels of posh space designed to make you cozy. Reserve the front room for meetings and don't pass on the baked goods- they are SO good.

White Rhino Coffee, 401 E. Border St., Arlington- This new spot (it just opened in December!) has a drive-thru! Plus lots of space to sit and get some work done or catch up with a friend. It even has outdoor seating for when the weather warms up.

Flying Squirrel Coffee Co., 110 N Main St., Mansfield- this quaint spot in downtown Mansfield will make you think you've stepped onto the set of a Hallmark movie.

Now... Who is meeting me for a tea and coffee date?!

Have Kids, Will Travel: Durango, Colorado

Colorado is my happy place.

Mountains and cooler weather and snow and skiing and outdoor living. All these things speak to me!

Hubby and I decided to sneak away to the mountains for a few days after Christmas to enjoy some family time and show our kids snow! I grew up outside Chicago, so, I know snow. But my youngest, who is 7, hasn't seen proper snow in years. Years! We knew it was time to take to the mountains.

We settled on Durango for a couple of reasons. 

1. It's only a 12.5 hour drive from Arlington. Yep, I said only!

2. We heard great things about Purgatory Resort and wanted to ski there.

3. Durango has hot springs to soak in after some cold days on the mountains.

What To Do With Kids in Durango, Colorado

Places to Eat

Is there anything better than finding awesome food in a new town? No, I don't think so either! While Durango is full of great places to eat, these are our four favorite meals that we ate:

Bird's Durango- Chicken is always a crowd-pleaser with my group, and this spot was no exception. The sandwiches, named after celebrities, were a smash hit and my oldest won't stop talking about her "honey and chicken biscuit that was soooo good!"

Switchback Tacos- Because tacos. And Mexican Street Corn. And spicy margaritas. This place serves tacos a la carte so you can pick and choose what goes on your plate. Plus, they have delightful vegan options! This place was a favorite for us. 

Homeslice- When in doubt, order pizza. Or, at least, that's what we do at our house when we can't decide what to eat! I love barbeque chicken pizza, husband likes all the meat and the girls like cheese and more cheese. This spot pleases everyone's palate and left us wanting to make another trip!

Steamworks Brewing- This place served me the best non-burger burger I have ever had. EVER. Seriously. The quinoa burger is my favorite thing I've eaten in some time. Don't skip it when you go to Durango!

Places to Visit

Santa Rita Park- Let the kiddos burn off some steam at this city park with the mountains for a backdrop. Run, play and breathe in the fresh mountain air.

Durango Train- We actually didn't visit the Durango Train Museum or ride the train during our visit- and the girls haven't let us forget it! It's impossible to drive downtown and not see the train, which had an old-timey, wild wild west feel to it. We traveled immediately after Christmas, meaning the Polar Express train ride was still happening at the time. It's on our list for our next visit already!

Pleasant Journey Alpacas- Learn all about these adorable animals from the friendliest farmers! We spent two hours here, petting and playing with the alpacas. The owners are nice and chatty, and the experience is free. Just be sure you email ahead of time, and plan to make a purchase from the gift shop. My husband swears the socks he bought there are the best pair he has ever owned!

Durango Hot Springs- I can't begin to tell you what a cool experience the Durango Hot Springs were! We went one evening late and the kids went nuts. There are multiple pools at varying temperatures (there are some that are adult only and some that are open to all ages). There was one large pool for kids and swim and play tag. The snow on the ground around the pools and the nearby mountains make the experience serene. My advice? Bring sandals or flip flops and a robe. It's hard to go from pool to pool without shoes or something warm to keep you from freezing (ask me how I know!) because the ground is so cold!

Downtown Durango- Plan a few hours to stroll downtown. Grab a bite. Or a beer. Shop for cold-weather gear, local teas and candles, clothing and so much more. We had a blast strolling the streets. And don't skip the candy shop, Fuzziwig's Candy Factory. It's a candy-lover's heaven!

Skiing at Purgatory Resort 

One of the reasons we chose Durango was to ski at Purgatory Resort. It's consistently a top-rated resort in Colorado and, even better, kids 10 and younger can sign up on their website for a free season pass to ski! The resort has a number of ski-in, ski-out vacation rentals, although we didn't stay onsite. There is also a spa, restaurants, ski rentals, toy shop, ski gear shop and more.

We went during peak time, and the slopes were crowded. I didn't ski, but my husband and girls did. It snowed the entire day our first day on the mountain, which was beautiful and cold! The lines were long, and Covid restrictions added to the wait times. It was hard to find a place to sit if you weren't skiing (like me) because seating was a premium. Because of Covid, there was nowhere inside to sit and stay out of the cold. These are things to consider if you are thinking of a ski trip with a non-skiier.

My youngest took a lesson the first day because she had never skied. We also had to rent gear for three girls for two days. We paid $395 for two days of rentals for three kids plus morning ski lessons for one. The girls all skied for free after that. The price seemed competitive. Lift tickets for my husband were $100 per day, and he has his own gear. 

The girls found a small hill that they loved and skied it on repeat while my husband and middle daughter did the big runs. The youngest got in about 14 runs in 4 hours on the small hill. We stopped to grab ramen and warm waffles from Waffle Cabin the second day and loved it. The first day we stopped for lunch at the on-site pizza place and the wait was very, very long for food plus a table indoors.

We had a blast in Colorado being outdoors in the snow and sunshine. We plan to make a yearly trip after Christmas to Colorado and are already planning for next year. What spot should we hit next?!

(We stayed at the SpringHill Suites in Durango. We planned and paid for our entire trip- nothing was hosted or sponsored and I am sharing simply to promote a great little town in Colorado!)

Car Safety & Kids: Resources in the Arlington Area!

We recently got a new Telluride (confession: I'm still a little sad that I'm no longer a minivan mama!), and my 11-year-old has been begging to sit in the front seat. Legally, she is allowed to sit in the front seat of a car. But, in my mind at least, she is still a kid, and I wondered if this is a safe choice.

11. In the front seat of my (parked!) car.

I did a lot of research on the topic for my article for Zulily, so please check out the in-depth answer on the link!

The short answer to the question of when a kiddo can ride in the front seat, according to the CDC, is this: a child should not sit in the front seat until he or she is 13 years old. Although the law states it can be earlier, it is safest for a child to remain the backseat of a vehicle until age 13 (AND when the child is 4'9" in height). The back middle seat in any vehicle is actually the safest spot for any passenger in the car!

Kiddos should actually be in a booster until at least age 9.

Which Car Seat does My Kiddo Need? A By-Age Breakdown

Ages 0-4  
Rear-facing car seat: A child should be restrained in a rear-facing car seat from birth until at least 2 years of age, although doing so until at least age 4 is strongly encouraged. An infant carrier can be used for a child up until about 12 months of age/one year old. 

Ages 4-8  
Forward-facing car seat: A forward-facing car seat should be used once a child outgrows his rear-facing car seat until at least age 5.  

Ages 8-12  
Booster seat: A booster seat should be used after a child outgrows his forward-facing car seat and until an adult seat belt fits the child properly. For this to happen, a child must be at least 4’9” tall and typically between the ages of 9 and 12. 

Ages 12+  

Regular seat belt: a seat belt should be used by everyone in the vehicle throughout every trip. The shoulder strap should be placed properly across a rider’s chest and not looped behind his neck.  

If you aren't sure if your kiddo is in the proper seat for her age, height and weight, or if you aren't sure if your car seat is installed correctly, don't worry! There are several local resources available to you!

Image from CarSeatsfortheLittles.org

Arlington-Area Car Seat Safety Resources

1. Texas Health offers car seat safety classes several times a year. Click on the link to register. 

2. Cook Children's is currently offering free virtual safety checks, via Safe Kids, for car seats. 

3. The Arlington Police Department takes appointments to help make sure your car seats are properly installed. 

Car accidents are still the leading cause of death in kiddos, so make sure your child is properly restrained during every ride! 

Do you let your kiddo ride in the front seat of your car? 

DIY Modern Farmhouse Bathroom Accents

 A new house means a clean slate to start over with colors and decor- and when we moved in June, we definitely started over!

I'll admit, I was totally intimidated looking at decor in countless furniture stores. There was SO much. But I fell in love with the modern farmhouse decor the minute I saw it and knew I would incorporate it as much as I could. The clean whites and muted grays spoke volumes to a person who lives her life in shades of gray (seriously... my closet is black, white and gray. It's bad). The bathroom was the least intimidating place to start because of its size, so I began in our guest bathroom with minimalist accent pieces.

Check out the article I wrote for Zulily here- it has 10 fun, fresh ideas for a powder room update!

Tips for a Farmhouse Chic Bathroom

Succulents

What's not to love about succulents? They come in multiple sizes and have so many options. You can buy them in all sorts of pots (I had a skeleton and pumpkins at Halloween, a pineapple over the summer and can't wait to find cute ones for Christmas!) to match your decor. And because they are so inexpensive, you can switch them out regularly.

Mason Jars

Mason Jars are all the rage right now. You can purchase them ready to use to hold your toothbrushes and tooth paste, your hand soap or to use as a drinking cup in the powder room. You can also add DIY accents to your bathroom by painting your own Mason Jar for your bathroom. Consider a simple stencil and then spray paint around it for an easy tea light holder for over the commode or on the bathroom sink. Or consider adding seasonal decor to your Mason Jar. Pinecones for Fall or Winter, flowers for Spring.

Decorative Trays and Baskets

Decorative trays can be a fun way to display hand soaps and lotions, and they are super easy to swap out season to season. Even easier, buy a solid-colored tray and add your own DIY touch to it! You can easily add contact paper or even wrapping paper to change out the base of the tray and make it match your seasonal decor! Red or green would be great during the holidays, and then maybe something blue or white when January hits. Try red with hearts in February, and the go back to green for March!

Fun and Functional Bathroom Signs

The girls and I saw this sign at a local gift shop and couldn't wait to recreate it ourselves at home with wood and paint. We printed a template off the internet and got work with spray paint and stencils! The entire craft cost us less than $10, and now guests don't have to ask us which room the bathroom is! Plus they often compliment our simple but useful restroom plaque. 

What fun farmhouse decor have you added to your modern farmhouse bathroom?