Yesterday the whole Sabatini clan was spending the day home because of icy rain. At points throughout the day the kids were able to slide down our steep driveway on their butts like they were bobsleds. The pup was not nearly as adventuresome and needed a helping hand every time he stepped out the door and onto the ice. Like his monstrous, completely uncontrollable, feet weren’t already enough of a problem. Once I almost went down with him LOL!

As much as I love my ice skating pup, I did have to stop and take note of how “less than pleasant” it was to venture outside in the freezing rain at pretty regular intervals all day. Even though Riley’s learning fast and is eager to please, he’s still not completely potty trained yet.

So, while I was outside, just passing the time, I started to think about about how people in cities potty train puppies. What the heck happens if you’re on the umpteenth floor of an apartment building and your pooch has to run outside every 20 minutes? Are puppy bladders even capable of waiting for elevators or jiggling down multiple flights of stairs? Sometimes my little guy barely makes it out the door. Suddenly, my situation was looking a lot more desirable than it had 30 seconds earlier.

I know you’re fist pumping the air for me, but I also bet you’re wondering how puppy whiz training relates to writing,

Perspective.

In the world of publishing, everyone has a tendency to compare their journey with someone else’s. Most of us try to put on blinders so we can focus on our own work and our own journey. But as you can imagine, it isn’t always easy. So, today’s bit of advice, for when you’re feeling “crappy” is to adjust your perspective. If you can’t stop peeking at what everyone else is doing, mix it up. Choose to measure yourself against the people who have it harder than you–the ones who have a lot more steps to travel to get to the same place. It won’t actually make your publishing adventure any easier, but it will give you a wonderful sense of perspective and that might just be enough for you to feel okay standing in the rain.

If anyone knows the poop scoop on urban puppy training policy, please feel free to enlighten me. Just don’t mess with my perspective and tell me it’s easier than I think.

Tags: comparison, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Perspective, puppy

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Riley is here!!! We got him on Friday and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. I’m tired and inspired. I’m in love with his little face and his adorable personality and extremely sweet temperament. But I miss sleeping and peeing by myself LOL! Knowing what it’s like to take care of a “baby” again isn’t the same as actually doing it. *sigh* But here’s the really good news. I’m very glad I we brought home this puppy. I have a feeling that with the right love, training and diligence, we’ll get everything sorted out in a reasonable amount of time. This cute little face was on the bucket list of FIVE people in my house. That’s a really good reason to make some sacrifices. No one ever died wishing for cleaner carpets and less unconditional love. And although I really like to sleep (a lot) I’m still pretty sure I won’t be wishing for more Zzzz’s when my ticker stops ticking. So, if everyone can bear with my occasional sleep deprived rants and my Oh-My-God-I’ve-Never-Owned-A-Dog-Now-What-Do-I-Do panic attacks, then I think everything will be okay. *paws crossed* Now it’s time to introduce you to Riley…

Fresh out of the car after a two hour ride home. (He was a champ BTW)

Exploring the landscape.

We’ve gotten quite close–he wants to sleep wherever he can touch my foot. <3

Riley gave up after all that playing. Just couldn’t make it up the driveway.

But he had enough energy to be grateful I carried him up the rest of the way LOL!

But if you think we wore out that puppy, you should see what the puppy did to the 11yo in the middle of decorating the tree Zzzzzzz…

And BTW–I can’t believe I was even able to write a blog post for today. So, yay for that! What have you been up to besides writing and sleeping LOL!

Tags: #lifeofriley, German Shepherd, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini's Guide to Social Media, puppy

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Back in the day–we’ll if I’m honest, back not so many days ago–I would’ve told you I’d NEVER be a dog owner. And now, here I am, chewing at the bit to go pick up my 9 week old German Shepherd puppy. There was a conspiracy against me and YOU know who you are. *points finger* But despite my initial 44 and half years of dog ownership reservations, I’m actually very excited that I’ve changed my mind. Obviously word of mouth is a powerful thing. I’ve been exposed to too many happy dog families lately. And I am a mom of three boys–isn’t there a manual that says a puppy is mandatory? That’s what the kids were telling me anyway. The new Sabatini pup, to be named Riley, was supposed to come home yesterday but with the weather and some other unavoidable issues, the pick-up got cancelled. Boo! Now I’m waiting to reschedule either Friday, Saturday or Monday and while we sort it out, all the Sabatini’s look a lot like this…

We’re just waiting around.

(Not the actual puppy in case you’re wondering)

We’ve never even met the little, but everyone in the house is both nuts with anticipation and a little bummed at the same time. Once you make the decision to give a home to a pup, you don’t want to wait to bring him home. But we have to. *growls like a ferocious puppy* Hopefully by my next blog post I’ll have real puppy pictures for you. In the meantime, it’s time to give me your very best piece of puppy parenting advice. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.

Tags: dog, German Shepherd, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, puppy, Riley

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