How and Why Bronx is Bronx

I've never named a child, but if naming our dog was any indication as to how tough it will be then we are in need of immediate donations to pay for future therapy sessions we're sure to land ourselves in.

I won't lie - it wasn't one of those things where you just looked at the dog and said "you look like a ________." It just didn't happen that way. Nothing really just shouted at me, so it took us a while to come up with some possible choices.

The fact that Bronx was a surprise and I got to see him for the very first time late in the evening on Christmas Eve - Eve (the 23rd of December, in case you didn't grasp that lingo) didn't make it any easier to quickly choose a name before I presented him to our family on Christmas Eve.

Dave and I are very firm on names - its just something we both feel very strongly about. While I'm a little more bold and outgoing and like unique and unusual names (hello, my name is Charlee - did you think I would like ordinary names? psssh.) While the hubs is very traditional and many names in his family have been passed down his entire family tree.

Did we bicker? Yes. Did I stick my pouty face out a few times? Yes. Eventually were we able to compromise and found a name that suited our pup and us? Yes, and the key is compromise and learning to be realistic. 

 Bronx - Circa 2009 

6 weeks old

Since we had trouble just throwing names out there we set out on a different path. We started with what we knew.
We knew it had to be some what simple. Although labs are super smart, we needed to be able to use his name quickly and firmly when training and calling him. 
We knew we didn't want to stick with any of his names in his bloodline/family tree.

We thought all night on it and eventually Dave said "We both love the Yankees, we love the Bronx, we love the time and memories we've shared in NYC and we love Yankee Stadium, we were engaged there and its a place we'll always love- and now we love this nameless puppy so lets call him Jeter, after one of our favorite players of all time."

It sounded cute and it rolled of the tongue nicely, but it just didn't 'fit' like I thought it would. I didn't have the reaction I thought I would have when we finally picked his name. I wasn't sold. I don't think Dave was either but he said it a few more times trying to make it stick. I couldn't do it. I couldn't look down at that sweet sleepy puppy laying in my lap and give him a name that didn't fit.

 Giving my new pup some loving!

Almost simultaneously we looked at each other and looked down at our sleeping yellow puppy and instantly said one word, and that word was simply - "Bronx"
And just like that - Bronx became Bronx. We smiled, did a group hug, and our world has been rocked by that puppy named Bronx ever since!

Hello New Followers

Hello new followers! For whatever crazy and strange reason you stumbled upon this little blog of mine and I'm glad you did.

I'll get you up to speed (and remind the rest of you) on The Coach's Wife Blog

1. I'm Charlee - aka The Coach's Wife. I've been blogging since last August (its almost anniversary time).
2. My husband is a baseball coach for the high school level. He also coach's American Legion Baseball.
3. We have one baby who happens to be of the furry variety. His name is Bronx. You'll hear A LOT about him if you stick around.
4. I'm southern to the core (one reason you'll probably never see my VLOG)  I'm blonde and sometimes gullible. I'm honest and brutally blunt sometimes, which can be both pros and cons.
5. I'm anything but average and even a little weird.
6. I blog about every day stuff, like life with a dog, marriage, our adventures and memories, and of course, being the coach's wife.
7. I'm technology stupid and I do good to turn the computer on and check my email, so please be patient in the future as I learn about the blogging world and how it works!

Did you know....

**It is possible to bleach everything in your current load of laundry just by adding a tad too much bleach to the previous load of laundry. Trust me, I know and I have 7 spotted shirts and 3 pairs of spotted shorts to prove it.  


**Dogs are like children in many ways, one being that it is a GOOD thing when you hear them, its a BAD thing when you can't...and you better run like hell to find them and stop whatever crazy shenanigan is about to happen or is currently in progress. 
 
**Its a proven fact that husbands are in some sort of cult to purposely screw up every item on the 'to do' list in hopes that it will get them out of the same task in the future. Okay, maybe their not, but geez, for the one millionth time hubby - the measuring cups do not go in the cabinet with the drinking cups! 


**The day you decide to wear your new shoes to work, everyone will ask you to come to their office, walk with them down to the cafe, need something you left in your car and the elevator will be broken - its like a curse or something. 

**Exactly ten minutes after you finish mopping your hardwoods (which took almost an hour) its a given that your dog will drink too much water and will proceed to vomit all that water into a nice big puddle on your freshly mopped floors. Yep. 


**After you have followed all the rules and done everything right, OF COURSE MY dog will STILL end up getting an infection following his neuter session with the vet. Yes, an infection that my vet says - "Its one in a million that they get an infection while wearing a cone the first 3 days post op."


**It is inevitable that after working the concession stand at hubs baseball games for a total of three week nights (AFTER WORK) that I would receive a text this morning calling me into duty once again...on a Friday night.

That about sums up my happenings of this week and gives you a little insight into the crazy world of being the coach's wife. Have a great weekend! TGIF!

Mr. President

I don't normally have a ton to say about politics and elections because frankly, I don't understand it all.
However, I do know that NO matter what party you are affiliated with or who you are - everyone can be crooked in some way, shape or form.

I received this email recently and I can't vouch on the truth of these statements or not, but I can tell you that I'm going to be doing some serious research this year before I cast my vote. I know there are a ton of these things going around so I don't pay that much attention to what they say exactly, but they are great reminders that we all have to do our own research to know who we are voting for an why...because there is really no sense in voting if you don't know why you are voting a particular way. This country is all we have as citizens and its not in its best state right now so its very important as Americans that we educate ourselves and vote - because each one counts!


Email:

Quite an impressive list of  accomplishments:

First President to apply for  college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.

First President to have a social  security number from a state he has never lived in.

First President to go on 17 lavish  vacations, including date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for  his friends paid for by the taxpayer.

First President to preside over a  cut to the credit-rating of the United States

First President to have 22  personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.

First President to keep a dog  trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.

First President to repeat the Holy  Quran tells us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is  the most beautiful sound on earth.

First President to violate the War  Powers Act. .

First President to be held in  contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of  Mexico.

First President to defy a Federal  Judge's court order to cease implementing the Health Care Reform  Law.

First President to require all  Americans to purchase a product from a third party.

First President to spend a  trillion dollars on 'shovel-ready' jobs when there was no such thing as  'shovel-ready' jobs.

First President to abrogate  bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union  supporters.

First President to by-pass  Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat

First President to order a secret  amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.  S., including those with criminal convictions.

First President to demand a  company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.

First President to terminate  America's ability to put a man in space.

First President to have a law  signed by an auto-pen without being present.

First President to arbitrarily  declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.

First President to threaten  insurance companies if they publicly spoke-out on the reasons for their rate  increases.

First President to tell a major  manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a  factory.

First President to file lawsuits  against the states he swore an oath to protect(AZ, WI, OH, IN).

First President to withdraw an  existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.

First President to fire an  inspector general of Ameri-Corps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.

First President to appoint 45  czars to replace elected officials in his office. .

First President to golf 73  separate times in his first two and a half years in office, 90 to  date.

First President to hide his  medical, educational and travel records.

First President to win a Nobel  Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.

First President to go on multiple  global 'apology tours'.

First President to take a 17 day vacation.

Wordless Wednesday

Seriously, is there anything cuter than a sleeping puppy?

I think not! 

Weekend Recap - All About Bronx

Saturday morning my plan for a relaxing weekend at home was abruptly turned around in a different direction.
My soak in the foot spa, new cucumber mask, and hot oil treatment self spa day will just have to wait because for the next 5 days my little buddy is back in his "lamp shade of shame."

Exhibit A:

The Bronxster is not a happy camper and hasn't been all weekend. It makes me feel so bad for him but I have to keep reminding myself that it is for his own good. I guess I wouldn't feel as bad if he hadn't just gotten out of the damn cone 6 months ago, which he was in for over 3 weeks!

Unfortunately, a nasty little infection around his incision site where his ummm, jewels were removed last week has left the poor fella on antibiotics twice per day and to help speed up healing time and prevent further infection he's back in the cone until Thursday.

Sadly, playing hasn't been the easiest option for passing the time and since he can't run yet and its pushing 100 degrees outside lately several short walks are all we have been able to fit in to expel some of that built up energy.

So, is it Thursday yet? We are BEYOND ready to banish the Lamp Shade of Shame! 

We've spend the weekend tending to him, maneuvering him around the house and trying to keep him comfortable. Its been a chore but its just one of those things. When your babies get sick - Mama doesn't get a break!

But I wont lie, it hasn't been all bad - it is somewhat funny to see him bounce off of door frames and the island bar because he hasn't yet figured out his head is now 3 times wider than normal! Ha!

Picture This

Friday, my sweet boy Bronx spent his morning at the vet having a few things um, "snipped" if you will. Therefore, he has not been in the best of moods this past weekend.

To keep an eye on him closely instead of having to put the dreaded lamp shade of shame on his head, I talked Dave into moving the mattress from the spare bedroom into the living room so I could sleep with Bronx (he isn't allowed to jump for 10 days while the incision heals and our bed is fairly high off the ground).

Dave eventually felt bad for me and offered to sleep on the make shift bed on Sunday night since I had to work on Monday, but by 2am I was missing them both and squeezed snuggled with them on a full size mattress laying in our living room floor. Can you picture that sight? Oh my...the things you do for your "children" - the furry ones too.

Maxi Love

I'm pretty dang sure the girls at work either think I'm secretly pregnant (I am not) or they think I've forgotten what dress pants are. Truthfully, I've just been all about comfort this summer and I've been super busy between work duties and heading straight to the ball field afterward - comfort has been all I've been worried about when getting dressed or shopping lately. 

Of course, I still have to look professional. Thank goodness we have a 'business casual' dress code at my office so we aren't forced to wear button down's and blazers. 

I thought I'd share some of my favorite pieces that I've been wearing this summer. These all cotton maxi's are the easiest thing in the world to dress up for work or dress down for play and the fact that they are dresses, means I don't have to pick out a blouse to go with pants, skirts, etc! Score! 

Kohl's - Maxi  

This dress is probably my favorite this summer and at $25 (I actually scored mine on sale for $19.99) you can't beat it! I pair mine with a belt, dangle ear rings and a cream colored cardigan for work. 

 

Merona Maxi - Target  

I LOVE ruffles! They help hide the "girls" if you are a little larger up top, like me! I love that this dress fits well in the chest area so I don't have to wear a cami under it - which can cause bunching at the waste when paired with a dress and it drives me crazy! 

 

JC Penny - Chevron Maxi

There isn't anything you CAN'T hide in this dress. The chevron pattern makes sure you don't look frumpy in horizontal stripes and the colors are bright enough for summer, but would also look great on into the fall season before it gets too cool!


Are you a Maxi dress/skirt lover?? Where do you get your Maxi's from? Which are your favorites? No, Really...I might NEED another dress and I love suggestions! 

Is that Normal?

 (I am still blogger stupid - therefore I know not how to include the link-up button correctly on my page. Any help with that would be appreciated. I have linked the site below) 

I love these "Is that Normal" posts I'm seeing everywhere, because I'm THAT person who always thinks I'm weird or no normal so its nice to see every one's answers to compare.

1.

Is it normal to pretend you didn't already know about someone/something via Facebook when it comes up in a "real life" conversation with that person?

I think this is normal. With all the social media now - its hard not to "know" someone/something when its plastered on pages, walls, posts, etc. before the topic comes up in person. 

2.

Is it normal to "fart and walk away?"

There's more room out than in ;-) 

3.

Is it normal to spy on your neighbors?

My closest neighbor is across the street but our homes are really far from the street so I can't even see anything but their roof. Hard to spy when you can't see anything ;-)

4.

Is it normal to read your boyfriend's/husband's texts?

I think women in general are just super curious as to what ANYONE'S text messages say. (I would say nosey, but that's not a pretty word, ha!) 

5.

Is it normal to compulsively check social media for notifications?

In this day and time - something is wrong with you if you aren't checking social media all the time! How else would we know whats going on in the world around us? 

6.

Is it normal for a 20-something woman to listen to Rap/Hip Hop?

I would consider this normal, although I don't prefer that genre of music, myself. 

If it ain't country - it ain't music, y'all! 

7.

Is it normal to take toiletries from a hotel?

If I paid for the hotel and didn't use them - they are coming home with Mama! 

8.

Is it normal for your dog to sleep in your bed?

If you've ever read the blog then you know I think its normal. My dog is like my child and I guess I'm the "co-sleeper" type because Bronx is in the bed with us every.single.night.  

Sadly, I would be crushed if he DIDN'T sleep with us.  

9.

Is it normal to taste test grapes out of the bag at the grocery store?

I prefer to wash mine first but I'm not totally against the idea..especially if they aren't on sale and I'm paying good money for them.

10.

Is it normal for men to shape their eyebrows?

Although my husband is well groomed (we're talking weekly hair cuts, daily side burn trims, and occasional underarm trims) he would NEVER agree to any form or shaping or hair removal from his eye brow region. 

 

Link

Living with a Dog...When you have Guests

I recently came across a quote, not sure where, but it holds more truth in two sentences, than I've ever heard.

"Remember - when you come into my home, you are a guest.
 My dog lives here."

For those who are pet owners, especially those pet owners who allow their sweeties to live inside their home, what to do with your pets while you have visitors in your home can be a touchy subject.

Not everyone is a "pet" person. Some people are very uncomfortable around all animals, certian animlas, or one animal in particular, especially in close quarters. Some are terrified of pets because of a memory that stems from a bad childhood experience. I understand. (I haven't been in their shoes because every dog I've ever encountered I've had a great experience with, so I don't totally understand, but I get it.) I can live with putting Bronx in his kennel when someone has a serious aversion to dogs. I think most dog owners would.

But, (you know there is always a "but") I'm not going to bow down and give into some one's plea's to put my dog into his kennel, without reason. I know its not always cute to everyone else to hear the constant pitter patter of 20 toenails on hardwoods or to have doggie kisses with each pass by. I wont lie - it gets frustrating being forced to hold your drink for fear for the "Bronxster Tail" ...which has been known to clear entire coffee tables in one swipe! But Bronx is a member of our family. He lives in our home and he doesn't know any different. To him, we are his parents and he wants to be near us at all times if possible, just like we want to be near him too. We're family, of  different sorts. 

On the hand, it is not your guests fault that they are not used to having a dog in the house or used to being nudged with a wet nose to "play." I have learned that its a very fine line to walk between guests and your dog both being in your home simultaneously. You really can't point fingers at either party and label them "wrong" but, you can work with your dog and try some tricks/tips to help make the best of your situation.

 I do try to keep Bronx occupied with his own toys or a bone when we have company. I try to respect my guests and make sure Bronx behaves himself. It just isn't always the case, though. Just like children, dogs can act out and be unruly at times. They to, need correction and guidance. And by no means would you put a human baby in a kennel for hours on end, so why would anyone suggest this for a dog? 

It hasn't always been easy to have people over to our home with Bronx, especially when he was still in training as a puppy. I wouldn't call Bronx 100% trained at 2.5 years, but I'd say he's over half way there. It took a lot of reading, tweeting, message boards, and AKC newsletters for me to gather all the tricks and tools necessary to be able to have guests at my home and allow my dog to remain loose and in his natural environment. I'll save you the trouble and give you the tips I've found work best. 

*I am not being paid by anyone to write this post and these tips are strictly what works best for myself and my dog, they may not meet your needs or work as well for you. 

My tips for respecting your guests when you have a dog: 

1. Allow the dog time OUTSIDE of the house to greet the guest and smell them. (I keep Bronx leashed when I do this so I can correct him easier if he wants to jump or barks)

2. Keep your dog on a leash inside for easy correction and control around guests. (I usually just loop the short leash around my wrist and Bronx will soon lay down beside me or sit beside me as I'm interacting with my guests) 

3. Give your dog a toy that keeps their attention. A chew bone or a interactive dog toy that involves treats is a good way to keep your dog busy and satisfied while you can mingle with guests. 

4. Don't feed your dog while guests are present. Many dogs can react to strangers around food, even if they normally are not aggressive over food. 

5. Move your dog to another room if he/she is okay with separation. I tend to make Bronx "go to bed" when we have dinner. He is not a begger because he never gets table food BUT he is a napkin thief and he LOVES to steal napkins off of every one's lap. So I usually make Bronx go lie down on our bed and stay while we eat. If we are eating outside on the patio however, I usually let him come out with us and he stays occupied with June bugs, squirrels, or hoppy toads.

6. Be sure to give your dog some extra attention after your guests have gone. Remember, dogs are loyal animals and they are used to receiving affection from their owners. When our attention is taken away from our dog they can become sad or even get anxiety from it so its important to give them an extra pat on the head or rub on the belly to remind them you haven't forgotten them. 

I'm  guessing that I'm not alone on this topic, as I know many families have furry members and many families allow their furry family member to live in their home with them. I hope these tips help and if you have any additional tips to add, I'd love to hear them...maybe it will even inspire another post!

(Bronx - Circa 2009)

Wordless Wednesday

Well it was almost wordless - I posted this on my facebook page a few years ago. I came across it on some website (can't find it now)  and then had to navigate myself back to the site just to prove I hadn't seen what I thought I had seen. This is definitely one of those Double Take photos.....you have to do a double take! Enjoy! Hehe!

 

I need sleep!

 

I need sleep, like really bad, people! 

I don't have trouble staying asleep, but the falling asleep part is slowly killing me, no really. Its making it hard for me to function, because I LOVE my sleep and I NEED it to function. Noise machines and a cold room used to help. Melatonin has had some effect. Wine works, but I'm told its not the best solution for getting quality sleep. 

The lack of sleep is actually starting to hinder my ability to concentrate and make it through the day at work. Although I'd rather stay at home all day vs work - I can't. I have to work so I can't be losing my job over not getting enough sleep at night. 

I'm at a loss. 

I'm not getting up 205475 times each night with a newborn. I have no reason to be missing out on my dearly beloved sleep. I miss sleep. 

Any suggestions? No, seriously. I'll try anything to be able to fall asleep within 1 hour of going to bed instead of 3 or 4!   Please help?!? I'm about to lose my shit, people!

Weekend Recap

Dave didn't have a game Friday or Saturday night. It was so nice to have him home for a few days to help out around the house and spend some quality time together, of course.

Dave gave me a break in the kitchen Friday night and grilled up some ribs. These were Boston Butt Style Ribs - which aren't technically ribs at all, but more or less a Boston Butt selection of meat trimmed like a rib. Its a nice piece of meat. I scooped these up for $1.99/lb vs. $4.49/lb for baby back ribs and they were just as good and had way more meat!

We slept in a little and got some extra snuggles from Bronx on Saturday morning and then we spent the rest of the day being lazy and canning the 50000 tomatoes I have managed to accumulate recently. (Its a gift and a curse to live in the south where everyone plants a garden big enough to feed an army)

After working so hard to put up all our produce on Saturday - I felt the need to indulge in a few of these;

I recently tried Shock-top. Despite it being a very similar beer to Blue Moon, I wasn't a big fan. I was so happy when Blue Moon went on sale this past week so I splurged a little....since it was a holiday and all.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was so nice and relaxing I'm already dreaming of Friday, again!