Big news at our house! We have gone from a family of 4 to a family of 6. Oops, excuse me. From a family of 5 to a family of 7. (I momentarily forgot about Rainbow, the fish we already have).
Meet Flint and Steel!
We got these two little fuzz balls on Tuesday night and man, are they cute!! They are Winter White Dwarf hamsters.
Some people may know that we lost our dearly beloved hamster Speedy, also a Winter White, back in January. It was a tough loss- he was Ethan’s first “real” pet (not counting the fish, who, no offense to Asher’s beautiful Rainbow, is not all that exciting).
We had been planning to get another hamster eventually, and we realized that this would actually be a great time to get one, since we are spending so much time at home. The boys had started teasing to get two this time, so they could each have one.
The thing is, hamsters are generally pretty solitary animals. Many times they do NOT like to live with others and have a tendency to fight. This particular breed of dwarf hamster can be known to live in harmony with another litter mate, but not always.
I am basically the most nervous “pet parent” on the planet, so I have been on pins and needles a bit since we brought them home. We bought an extra large cage and got two separate wheels and food bowls as recommended, but I’m super paranoid that they will start fighting. They can become territorial of their space. If that happens, we would need to separate them for the rest of their lives.
Of course, they are absolutely adorable together and romp around and curl up to sleep together (for now- they are still young, so their moods could change). We have noticed the larger one showing a bit of dominance already, so I’m not sure how it will go long term.
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| They are so cute and snuggly though! I hope they can stay together.
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It’s back to work for me today after a 1/2 day Tuesday and full day off yesterday. I am liking taking the time off mid-week. It definitely seems to just break up the week. It’s already Thursday now, so just 2 workdays left until the weekend! When I said to Ivan that it was actually pretty nice, he said, “Don’t get used to it!!!” 😉
I won’t- I think my bank account prefers my normal full time schedule. Besides, my job is so flexible I really don’t even mind working full time. Plus, without a commute or having to “get ready” for work really, I save a lot of time.
Don’t worry, be happy
In other news…the garage door spring has been replaced (I called yesterday morning at 8 am and someone was here by 9:00!), our road has been back open (for now) and well, I haven’t tried to use the fireplace again so I can’t really say if the fan is still working correctly or not.
All of my little frustrations from the other day that I complained about have mostly dissolved. I try to look back on these moments to remind myself how truly insignificant most minor daily irritations are….they just pass right on by and eventually fade away. It’s just not worth getting all worked up or in a bad mood about them!
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| This is why I get a version of this daily calendar EVERY SINGLE YEAR! I need this reminder constantly. 🙂 |
The more I reflect on this concept, the better I get at noticing myself starting to “sweat” a small thing in the moment and stopping myself from spiraling into unnecessary angst. My daily gratitude practice has been key I think too in starting to notice more and more positives instead of always dialing in on the negatives.
For example, why not try this instead??
Thank goodness we didn’t end up locked out of the house when the garage door failed! How wonderful that our road is finally getting resurfaced- it will look so nice! I am so lucky to have a fireplace in my living room to enjoy even if it needs to be serviced.
Much better, right? 😊
Have a fabulous day and let’s hope that a) none of us have any roadblocks in the way today and b) if we do, we don’t sweat them! 🙂
5/6:
Steps: 10,041
Meditate: Done!
Read: 😦
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for an awesome opportunity I had yesterday to attend a live Zoom presentation with ‘5 am Joel’ I have mentioned in previous posts. He offered a free talk about writing that was very interesting and insightful! I am grateful for his time, his wisdom and for some new connections I made with some other participants.
GRATEFUL KAE 
I hope the hamster continue to get along so you don't have to separate them! This is the perfect time to add some pets to the family!!
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