But it doesn't mean I have to like it.

In an attempt to revamp things around here (and by here, I mean the virtual here in which my blog exists :P), I'm going to start each post with a song to listen to while reading. Today's selection came to mind when I was trying to think up a new title for my blog and even though it doesn't make much sense in terms of geography, unless you're talking about going from the Pacific coast to the shoreline of Lake Michigan (which is so big it seems like it could be an ocean with its own coast), it was rather fitting--LA to Chicago.

So I think I've decided that Monday's will be my Brutus update days. And/or perhaps my funny kid quotes if I have any. Two unrelated topics but it seems like a good place to combine the two, because really no one wants to read about dogs or kids EVERY day :P Well I'm sure some people do, but the 3.2 people who read my blog on a regular basis don't really fall into that subset of the population.

Brutus story #1

Saturday morning I was super proud of myself that I woke up and got on the treadmill by 7:30! Who the heck is this early riser who works out in the morning?! Since it was early and I didn't want to wake Boyfriend up, I closed both the bedroom door and the door to our dressing room/workout room. I didn't let Brutus into that room with me 'cause I was worried that his constant desire to be petted would interfere with my running. I figured he'd be fine roaming the rest of the house as he usually does whenever we leave him alone.

Wrong.

Brutus took it upon himself to empty not on the (extremely full) kitchen trash, but the bathroom trash as well. Sighhhhh. Dogs who play in the trash are one of my biggest animal pet peeves. Up to this point, he had never tried to play with the trash and I was super proud of him for not having that terrible habit. The evidence of his crime was all over the house. And by all over, I mean there were trails coming from the kitchen and bathroom that met in the hallway, traveled together as one through the dining room, trickled through the foyer, and finally coming to an end in the middle of the living room floor. There were trails of slime from where he drooled all over his treasures, such as an empty styrofoam container that had raw chicken, cilantro stems, and the most disgusting of them all, a few choice pieces of trash that only appear once a month...if you know what I mean :/

He definitely knew he had been naughty and kept his distance from us for the rest of the day. We ignored him in an attempt to convey our annoyance with him and I'm pretty sure he got the message because his droopy eyes looked even droopier and guilt-laden. In reality, I can't blame Brutus for going through the trash when there were raw chicken juice soaked items. I understand it. It's only logical. But it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Brutus story #2

This one is much shorter. Saturday night after coming home from having a drink with a friend, Boyfriend and I were wanting something yummy from our "drunk food" stash. Food items that are considered drunk food are only allowed to be eaten after drinking, meaning they are not meant to be eaten on a regular basis. Our drunk food stash typically consists of tater tots, popcorn chicken, Trader Joe's mini tacos, and other delicious, unhealthy, non-grown up people snacks like that.

I was taking some freshly baked tater tots off the baking sheet and dropping them into a bowl on the counter. Brutus, of course, was sitting at my side just in case any tater tots happened to escape and find their way into his sticky, salivating mouth. For some reason I was dropping the tater tots one by one into the bowl and every time I let one go, Brutus immediately looked for it on the floor. Once I realized what he was doing, I decided to have some fun and I took the tater tots out of the bowl, just so I could drop them back in again and watch Brutus be confused as to where exactly those tasty, tempting tots were ending up :P

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures I got of Brutus this weekend during an impromptu photo shoot with him :P

Look at those paws.

 Biggest. Nose. Ever.

His face frequently melts into the carpet, just like this.

***

Only one funny kid quote is coming to mind right now, so I'll be sure to write down this week's gems (and with my kids, entertaining quotes are inevitable) for my post next Monday. I have to write things down or else I forget them. For serious. I'm an old woman now.

This past week, we had ISAT (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) testing. California teacher friends, how crazy is it that theirs are so early here?!!? Seriously, the second week of March?? I mean, it's nice that it's done and over with now, but unfair that the test assesses them on topics they haven't covered yet. And they don't start testing students until 3rd grade. It's weird how the education system varies so drastically from state to state. 

Anyway, today's funny quote came from one of my favorite 3rd graders.

Her: What does line of symmetry mean?

Me: I can't tell you what it means, sweetie. If you're not sure, just make your best guess and move on to the next question.

Her: *in a sing-song-y voice* Okayyyy

A few minutes later she encountered another problem that asked her to identify the line of symmetry. Outloud she says to herself, as she picks a random bubble to fill in...

Her: I sure wish I knew what a line of symmetry was. 

And then to me she said: Someday can you tell me what line of symmetry means?

Me: Yes, I can. Someday. But not today.

That reminds me, tomorrow I should show her what line of symmetry means :P She'll be happy to finally know.

Two days of blogging in a row. Watch out now! :P