Growing Up Last

Hello Readers,

The Growing Up Last Summertime Challenge has ended for this year. We thank anyone and everyone who participated.  If you missed your chance to participate check out this link!

You can share with us throughout the last days of summer, feel free!  We’ll post anything you want to share using #gulsc, via submission or ask.  

This is an excellent idea and we thank you for bringing it up! We will add this to our list of discussion topics now :)  Happy day to you and yours.

This is definitely something to keep on our list to consider.  We do have a page dedicated to the monthly topics, however that fell behind a bit in recent weeks.  Thank you for the excellent feedback and hope you are doing well!

The Growing Up Last team would like to step up the fun this summer in the form of a community challenge! We would like our readers and their families to get involved and create awesome summertime fun and memories. 

Joins us for the 2nd Annual Growing Up Last Summertime Challenge JUNE 25th-August 5th

The premise is simple.  We’ve collected a few things we’d like to see you do with your kids, your neighbors, your best friend, or your faithful pet.  If you accomplish one of these things this summer then take a picture of it, write a story about it, or maybe put it in a video!  

If you don’t like our ideas, then try one of your own as long as it is:

- Family appropriate - Mild to moderate in degree of difficulty - Easily documented by way of photograph, video, or written narrative

Here’s the list of challenges, try one or try five*

Take a picture with a pirate

Dance in the rain

Find a Slip n’ Slide and use it

Have a water balloon battle

Paint on beach rocks

Fly a kite

Find a sand dollar

BBQ in a cool new place

Take a picture with your country’s flag

Take a picture of something neon in color

Cardboard sledding down a grassy hill

Sing a song and record it

Try a food you've never tried

Visit a farm or farmer's market

Attend an outdoor music event

Visit a community park you've never been to

*Please take care and be safe in accomplishing these tasks!

You may have noticed that things here have been at an unexpected standstill. 

I’m writing on behalf of the team to inform you that we’re all still here, anxious to get back to writing, but want some things at GuL to change. Though we “ravamped” after our hiatus in April, not much was different and we are all feeling the pressure of having regularly scheduled themes, when it’s not necessary. We have enjoyed seeing these themes become conversation starters in a lot of instances, but we are not keeping up our end of the conversation with all of you, which is something else we want to change. This is your blog after all. 

So, we’re taking a break as we hash out the details, we’ll be back soon, and in the meantime we are asking you: What do you want to see here? How do you feel about the theme weeks, the weekly features; Which ones invite you to participate, and which ones do you scroll past? How can WE change, to benefit YOU? How can we engage with you more frequently? 

Your input will help us tremendously to pull everything together, and we very much appreciate your total honesty. You can send us a message, submit a response or even send us an email at growinguplastATgmail.com. Thank you all for being here, we have over 25,000 followers and could not be more thrilled about what we’ve accomplished so far, but we want to give you more. Please give us your ideas!

2 dogs, 3 children.

We recently got another dog ( the white one.) named River! Crazy I know to have two with a bunch of littles running around.

To start off, we first got Jake (the brown & black one) right after I had Sam. He’s 5 or 6 years old, and we got him from my husband’s workplace. He arrived a little stand offish from the kids for awhile, before settling in to his new surroundings. He was always the only dog, didn’t know how to be around kids, and it took awhile for all of us to adjust. Mostly myself and Jake. We had big problems adjusting to each other and he’d constantly be in trouble. He’s the type to do things even when he KNOWS not to do it, and he’ll do it right in front of you. Hmmm….sounds like my kids! We still butt heads sometimes, but we tolerate each other a year and a half later lol.

River is the newest recent addition to our family, and was a stray that came to our porch a few weeks ago. I grew attached, we took her to the shelter, I inquired about her a week later, and she was still there! We got the adoption papers and she came home with us, but not without a few baths and ALOT of brushing. Seriously, I had to pick a dog that had long white hair, and needs to be brushed. My arm was about to fall off that day. So she’s getting shaved next week! We also learned she’s a year and a half old, isn’t fixed, can jump over baby gates, and is basically still a puppy and will get bigger. Seriously, she’s already taller than Jake. And has a lot of habits to learn and break.

Adjusting to two dogs has its ups and downs. On one hand, everyone can get along or tolerate each other, and there’s not much fighting. Jake was really not happy to not be the only dog in the house lol, but he’s been ignoring her most of the time. Until we figured out that she’s not fixed…and then he got crazy for a few days and we had to be on him all day. Jake is fixed though. And on the other hand, I’m having to referee sometimes for small spats that they have, keep River out of the trash, keep them from fighting over food bowls, keep River off the furniture, keep Jake from running out the front door, and whatever else seems to happen.

Although I’m still not happy that we have double the poop piles in the backyard, I’m happy and grateful that we’re allowed to have dogs while renting, and that we’re able to afford having animals for the kids (and ourselves!) to keep around for awhile!

Sometimes pet ownership and parenting combine for cute cuddling moments...and sometimes there are moments like these.

We are a three cat household.

The basement is ruled by Navyy’s cat, Thora (grey cat, top left), who she has had since high school. Thora is older, more than a little reclusive, and the relative quiet and solitude of the basement at our house suit her well. Upstairs are our two newer cat additions. Laali (middle) and Pasha (right) are a pair of cats we got from a family that was no longer able to keep them. They are not siblings, but they have grown up together and are the best of buddies. Laali and Pasha are not only extraordinarily friendly and good natured cats, they are also very tolerant of our toddler who is learning, but does not always understand, animal’s (or people’s) personal space.

Both Navyy and I have had a number of pets over the years, and while he still has some things to learn, Minky definitely seems to be following in our footsteps when it comes to his love for animals.

-Kat (Transparenting)

Me and a couple of my favourite dogs. No, they’re not mine, but they’re always greet me excitedly. What is better than a dog you don’t have to vacuum or pick up poop after? We even go to the dog park together, which is fun and adorable to see the parallels between kids and dogs... except that, unlike kids, they’re stop what they’re playing to say hi to new friends.

Share with us your stories and pet pics: ask, submit, or use #gulpets

What My Kid is Reading Wednesday

Time For Bed, Fred! by Yasmeen Ismail

The current bedtime book of choice in our household is Time For Bed Fred. Usually I will read Minky two books at bedtime (sometimes three if he asks really nicely, or if the two are pretty short), but since I got back from a trip to Denver this one has been the reliable last book before going down. The book is short and sweet, basically Fred needs to go to bed and finds all sorts of ways to delay bedtime (I am sure no parents can relate to that). Because of the exasperated tone of the narrator I find this one is fun to read out loud. The illustrations are playful and full of action, and capture Fred doing all sorts of goofy things which Minky finds hilarious.

If you have a kiddo who is a fan of animals, or you are looking for a new bedtime book for your collection I would highly recommend Time For Bed, Fred!

Our local Ontario Early Years Centre (and actually, quite a few of them) have hermit crabs as pets. To me, they fall under the “so ugly they’re cute” category. Vic enjoys them, too. 

My partner would prefer he want a pet dog for his 5th birthday, but it looks like these guys are winning out. And I can’t tell you how happy that would make me - no walking or fur to clean up? Count me in! 

Do you have a pet deadline? I agreed to five years old because at the time, it seemed so far away! Share with us your pets or wannabe pets via ask, submit, or using #gulpets.

My inlaws have a dog that is about the same age of Victor and as a result, they spent a lot of time growing up together. Great, right?

Except: she’s a little bichon and he was always pretty strong/rough for his age. This led to a lot of squishing and concern over her well being.

One thing that worked with him is to convince him that small pets are the baby version of the animals and he’s so gentle with babies!

It doesn’t help my friend’s chocolate lab from getting squished, but we’re working on that, too.

How does your child interact with their own pets or others? Share with us this an all things animals via ask, submit, or using #gulpets!

This week on Growing Up Last, we’re talking Pets: The Good, The Bad, and the So Ugly they’re cute. 

Do you have any pets or other animals that made their way into your lives? Are you kids asking or planning for any in the future? Share with us your stories and pictures using ask, submit or using #gulpets.

In our home, it’s all humans here, but I look forward to sharing with you all the furry and non-furry friends who’ve stolen our heart...or at least made our days more interesting.

This past week, it was all about saving time and google played a big role. We talked about our love of Keep and Calendar. Tips to control household chaos and save time, a yummy recipe submission from Will, and how even with the best intentions, we call into the rabbit hole many times. And of course our week wouldn’t be complete without a little mess & success or a story book to share.

Here are my five time saving tips:

1. Make lunch the night before, always!

2. As you make dinner tonight prep for dinner tomorrow by chopping, dicing, slicing etc. This will save a little time each day if you keep it up.

3. Set two alarms. One for “my wake-up time in an alternate universe” and one for “my wake-up time in this universe!”  At least aim to get up at the former alarm time three times per week.

4. Another plug for Google Inbox (click here)!  The integration with reminders and the way you swipe to delete, snooze, dismiss, or categorize your emails is great.  It’s helped me keep my inbox cleaner and less messy.

5. Breathe. It will all get done.  Honestly, I promise.