Feeling SO guilty and missing my doodle time

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

As most of you may know, our son and DIL and 21 month old grandson moved in with us briefly until they could find a house. We now have 4 adults, 4 dogs and one baby in our home. Basically I call it "9 mouths to feed". As that is all I seem to be doing. Planning meals, shopping for meals, and then preparing and cleaning up from meals. At any given time from 4:30 am to 7:30 pm, someone is either eating, looking for food to eat, or asking what there is to eat or what we are going to eat for the next meal. Ofcourse the dogs and baby do not ask, they just wonder around aimlessly looking for food by either whining, barking or climbing all over my legs.

I have been mostly taking care of our grandson as son and DIL are working and at the moment I am not, so I am the obvious choice and not that it's at all a hardship, actually it's a pure pleasure, but I am finding that the only time I have with my doodles is time spent feeding them, filling water bowls, a quick brushing every 2 weeks and otherwise trying to get them to stop eating the baby's toys or steal his food. I have had very little if any time to spend training, which we did every day, I have only taken them on 3 walks or to the dog park in 6 weeks and it took me 3 weeks to give one of them a much needed bath. There is no grooming, no ball throwing, no homecooked meals, no cuddle time on the couch, no car rides to Petsmart for treats, no slow fun walks to smell all the smells in the neighborhood, no trimming of hair around eyes or ears, no brushing of teeth, no nothing!!!! I am in the same house with them and I miss them terribly. I feel sad for them and wonder how in the world owners with children give their doodles the time and attention needed.

 

I promise myself and them that I am going to spend all day tomorrow just being a doodle mommy! Maybe then I will feel less guilty for a little while.

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I totally agree with Donna.  But I know it's easier said than done.  You are a GREAT Doodle Mom, and this is just a short term thing.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Sue, you need to resign as chief cook and bottle washer and let somebody else take their turn. When everyone else walks in the door you take the doodles and walk out. Take time for you and the doodles, I can assure you they can get along without you for a couple of hours and they won't starve in the process. In my experience the more we do for our family, the more they expect us to do.