Back again

     Well, I'm back again. If anyone missed me, I'm sorry. :( But, for some reason, I don't think anyone missed me. Maybe you will someday.
     Can't use any excuse about where I've been this time. I was mostly lazy and sick. Had a flu run through the house. Not fun. Ended up starting school a week later than we wanted to, so now I feel like I'm super behind. Even though I know I'm not. I'll chillax in a day or two. But I hate that feeling, don't you? We all have it. Some more than others. It took me about 12 years to really relax (for the most part) about whether or not the kids were behind. I already had a highschool graduate at that time! So, if you're worried about being behind; don't. You're not alone, and remember, your kids will figure it out as long as you teach them HOW to learn.
     So, today I want to talk about my New Year's present. I had a great Christmas, got nice gifts, even got my c.d. I wanted, even if it hasn't come yet. But, on New Year's eve, eve, I got a new member of the family. A hamster! Wasn't really planned, but it just worked out. That is usually how we get pets. You see, this past year I had to put down my two pets. A wonderful cat named Griffin, and a sneezy little English Spanial (not a Cavalier Spanial) named Haggrid. Griffin was over 15 years old and just reached the end. No one knows how old Haggrid was, as we found him, and thought at the time he had a year, or two TOPS!, left, so when we couldn't find his owner, we decided to keep him. He and I fell in love with each other. Five years later it was time for him to go. He really couldn't walk anymore.
     I have a philosophy that everyone should have their own pet (if financially  doable, if not, one pet for the family). Not only do animals teach things like responsibility, they teach love. They become part of the family. A true friend who will always love you and always listen to you, even when no one else will. Animals don't judge you, just love. Everyone needs that. As parents, we have to judge what our children are doing so we can teach them right and wrong. But pets simply don't. They just offer comfort and companionship. We parents need that too. You know you are judged by someone somewhere, especially   if you homeschool. Your pet dosen't . So, if you don't have a pet and have been thinking about it, get one. Take your time and research what you would like to get. Talk to friends who have different kinds, take in foster pets, and find your next family member . (Avoid large pet stores if possible, for dogs, cats rabbits and large birds, like parrots. They usually come from puppy mills. The smaller pets, like mice, hamsters and gerbil , usually come from people around the community  or the back of the pet store. Humane  society  usually have all types of pets to adopt. But, look around. You never know where YOUR pet will come from. I personally think getting the right pet for the right person is more important than where they come from. But, adopt if possible.)
     So, back to my hamster... He is a pet store hamster and as such, he was sold a little too early. Hamsters should be sold at 6 weeks at the YOUNGEST! My best guess was he was actually  only four weeks old. We like to go to the pet store and 'pet the fuzzys and fluffies' from time to time. It's just fun for us, and this time I ended up bringing one home. We have had lots of hamsters over the years, and already had most of what we needed. All I had to buy was the hamster and some food. But it was my husband who said I should get him. The right pet will come your way, expshally if you are not looking for him. There were actully two that I really liked, but Syrian hamsters don't do well in groups as adults, so I chose one. The one that kept crawling into my hand and staying there.
     So, now I am the proud mom of a teddy bear (I think he's part teddy bear and part fancy -- which are both syrian hamster types) male hamster. His name is Tomoe (toe-moe-a). It's Japanese. Because he was so young, and small (I think I picked the runt), I have been giving him kitten formula, yes, you can give a hamster kitten formula, it's what you should give them, and we even had it in the house (when we 15yo son's rabbit, she needed some formula too! LOL) For the first week, he would drink it from the dropper and then curl up and sleep on me. For more than an hour. I never had a hamster do that, and I would say I've had about 12 or so in my life! Got some great photos! Now he doesn't really sleep on me, he wants to explore too much. Since he's about 6 weeks, that's prime get into trouble time!
     I have been reading up on hamsters and learning a lot of new information on them that i never knew. Like just how much room they really  need. Once it was thought that a small 10 gallon tank would be enough, that's about the size of all the comershal cages you can get (w/o the add ons). But that's not enough. You need at least twice that size for one hamster! No wonder they were always chewing up cages and trying to escape. They were board! Makes sense.  So, I will be bildin g a bigger cage for Tomoe. Out of plastic storage bins. Looks pretty easy, takes about a day to do it. And I am looking forward to designing  and filling it with lots of toys.
     Having him has really helped my sorrow  over loosing my two pets. The rest of the pets we have, are sweet and loving, but they are not mine alone. As I said before, have one that is all yours really makes a difference in people's lives. And Tomoe is making one in mine.
     Well, that's long enough. I will have more later this week.
Blessings,
MamaAthena