future vet camp at the Children's Museum of Phoenix

The Children's Museum of Phoenix is one of our favorite places to go, especially to escape the summer heat in the desert. We last visited during companion animal month, when we participated in all sorts of animal-related activities. This past Saturday, the littles participated in the Banfield Future Vet® program at CMoP. The interactive program is designed for school-aged children as an introduction to the field of veterinary medicine, and was a great activity for our animal-loving family.

Dr. Molander, a veterinarialn from Banfield Pet Hospital, led the class of about a dozen with assistance from Dr. Duncan, also from Banfield, and Dharti Patel, a student in veterinary medicine from Texas A&M participating in the student job program at Banfield. Service dog Benson and his person, Justine, from Pet Partners® were also on hand to participate in a sample examination. Dr. Molander interacted with the kids right from the start, giving them the opportunity to talk about their own pets. Molander, Duncan, and Patel shared with the class the reasons why they wanted to become veterinarians. Dr. Molander related a childhood story about watching a vet stitch up her injured horse, saying "I want to do that!" Dr. Duncan told the kids how veterinary medicine was the perfect combination for her two passions, animals and science, and Patel told us that she loves animals, but was never around them growing up, so she wanted to learn about them and work with them. They made it clear to the kids that people arrive at the career choice from different backgrounds and for a variety of reasons. The kids also learned that becoming a veterinarian is a lot of work and requires four years of school.

Dr. Molander talked to the kids about what vets do, and aside from taking care of injured and sick animals, the students learned that vets sometimes travel to large animals who won't fit in the office, such as farm animals and zoo animals. Veterinarians also spend time teaching, researching, and performing tests to further the field of veterinary medicine. Veterinarians also do meat inspections–something I learned–to help keep people who eat meat healthy.

Dr. Molander displayed posters on various topics and allowed the kids to come up and mark correct answers. They drew pictures of what a pet would need to stay healthy and discussed individual symptoms and whether they meant that the animal was feeling well or not well.

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Things really got fun when Dr. Molander called Benson, a gorgeous English Golden Retriever, up for a mock examination. She described what she does and why as she looked Benson over. "I start the examination before I even touch the animal," she explained. Whether or not the animal greets her when she walks in the room is important. She notices the animal's balance and gait and looks at the eyes, all before she makes contact with her hands. The kids learned that veterinarians do a nose-to-tail examination, and Dr. Molander showed them how she feels different parts of the animals' bodies and what she looks for. Benson was quite cooperative and seemed to enjoy the attention.

Dr. Molander further illustrated her examination with models, showing the kids what goes on inside a dog.

After Benson's exam, Dr. Molander talked to the kids about what they can do as a pet owner to make sure their pets stay healthy and happy, including making sure they have twice-yearly exams, helping control the pet population with spaying and neutering, the importance of vaccinations, nutrition, regular teeth cleaning, exercise, parasite control, and identification such as microchipping. I'm glad that Dr. Molander talked to the kids about the importance of identification for our animals, as I just wrote about a revolutionary app that hit mobile devices for the first time last week.

Dr. Molander also talked about how to handle pets in the heat of our Arizona summers, telling the kids that although exercise is important, we need to be careful that we don't push our pets too much when it's hot and we need to be careful of their paws on hot outdoor surfaces, another subject I touched upon recently. She also explained that just as we increase our water intake during the summer months, so do animals, so, as pet owners, we need to make sure that we are providing our animals with plenty of fresh water.

The kids had great fun learning all about veterinary medicine, and were awarded for their efforts with a graduation ceremony.

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They received working stethoscopes, graduation certificates, and a bag of goodies that included bookmarks, stickers, and an activity book. My kids love "stuff," so they were thrilled.

After the ceremony, the kids got to get their feet wet by examining ever-patient Benson.

When the kids were done being vets, we enjoyed exploring the rest of the museum, as there is always something new going on. In fact, on October 19, the museum is hosting 5K and Play, which will include a 5K, 1-mile Fun Run/Walk, and Toddler Trot. Registration includes admission to the museum on the 18th, 19th or 20th, healthy post-race food and drinks, and a t-shirt. All race finishers will receive a unique handmade piece of museum artwork, and the top three finishers in each five year age group will receive prizes. Sponsorship opportunities are available. All proceeds will benefit the Children's Museum of Phoenix. It sounds like an awesome, healthy family activity!

The Banfield Future Vet Program was an amazing experience for my kids, who are true animal lovers, and all of the kids in the room seemed to really enjoy themselves and get a lot out of it. The program is designed for children aged 4 and up. Though very interactive, it is a true classroom-style affair and may not be suited for younger kids without classroom experience. My four-year-old daughter, Campbell, enjoyed most of it, but did get antsy every once in a while. Porter, my six-year-old son, soaked in every minute and described the experience as "totally awesome!" The Children's Museum of Phoenix offers the Future Vet program periodically. Reservations are required, but the program is free with paid museum admission.

Disclaimer: We received admission to the museum in exchange for my honest opinion about the Future Vet Program.

professional pet sitter pet peeve: grimy bowls

As a professional pet sitter, I see lots of pet bowls, typically that of the dog and cat variety. I fill them with food as directed, and I fill them with water. In addition to those standard services, I offer something unique: I clean the bowls.

Why is that special? Because you don't.

Well, I don't mean you, of course. I mean my other clients. You, reading this, are the perfect client.

Truth be told, however scandalous, 95% of my clients (and it can't just be my clients) don't clean their pet's bowls. How do I know? They're grimy! Like, really, disgustingly grimy. I'm so familiar with this, that I know the stages of grime buildup:

Stage 1: slime. Not visible to the naked eye, but when the bowl is given a light rinse, the slick stuff is activated, and you can feel it with your fingers. This stage happens within 24-hours of a cleaning.

Stage 2: light grime. Not visible to the naked eye. Feels slimy when mixed with water, but sticks to the inside of the bowl, so using a scrubber makes it easier to remove. Develops after approximately 72 hours.

Stage 3: grime. Usually visible, unless you have a fancy-patterned bowl. Does not require water to feel. Feels tacky. Requires the use of a scrubber to remove. Will develop after 7-14 days.

Stage 4: advanced grime. If you can't see this, you're either visually impaired (in which case you should use your sense of touch for detection) or in a deep state of denial (in which case you should see a therapist). This stuff requires a pot scraper to get off. Develops after about 3-4 weeks.

Stage 5: toxic takeover. Really? How did you let it get this bad? There is no hope. You need a new bowl. Yesterday. Have you played with your pet this season?

Now that you know how to recognize the signs and stages of a grimy pet bowl, let the excuses begin:

• It doesn't look grimy. Look closer. Feel it with your fingers.

• My pet doesn't care. Some pets are more particular than others. Cats sometimes won't drink out of a slimy bowl. If your pet has stopped eating or drinking, try cleaning the bowl (and see the vet, as well). Even if your pet doesn't care, there is bacteria growing in that grime that can make them sick. Then you'll both care.

• It's only a cat. It's not like he drools like a St. Bernard. Point taken. Your cat's grime is neater than the rest. And his poop don't stink.

• I have a housekeeper. Cleaning the pet bowls must be part of that service. It's not.

• My spouse cleans the bowl. He doesn't.

• My pet cleans the bowl when she eats/drinks. It's spotless! I usually clean my plate, too. Does that mean I should throw it back in the cabinet when I'm done?

Now that you're out of excuses, how do you get help? Well, here are a few suggestions:

• Instead of leaving your pet bowl on the floor and dumping food from a scoop or water from a pitcher, pick the thing up so you can get a closer look. Feel the grime, and take the bowl to the sink to wash before refilling it. Do this every time you fill your pet's bowl. Just a bit of soap and a scrub-scrub-rinse will do the trick. Do not clean the bowl with toxic household cleaners, such as bleach.

• Purchase a dishwasher-safe bowl and throw the bowl in the dishwasher every few days.

• If your pet is a free-feeder and you feel that you can't leave your pet without a bowl of food on the floor for two minutes, purchase a second set of bowls to provide relief to the first set.

If all else fails, just make sure you use my services more than once every six months. I can tell that bowl hasn't been cleaned since the last time I was there.

animals who reduce, reuse, and recycle: Jeremy Jackrabbit takes over Phoenix

Now that kids know how to use a touch screen by three months of age, you might think puppet shows old fashioned. Retro, at best. The littles have been enjoying the Phoenix Public Library Summer Program, and yesterday's event was a puppet show put on by the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. To be honest, I wasn't too excited about it, so I planned to read during the performance. And...the littles debated about whether or not to go. A puppet show? Off we went, despite our reservations.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the puppet show was "Jeremy Jackrabbit Recycles the Can," based on the Jeremy Jackrabbit book that Porter brought home from school a couple of weeks before summer's onset. He was super excited when he got to keep a copy of the book and rambled on and on about how the story was great and how the girl who illustrated it was just a kid, and she came to his class to read the book. I pretty much thought he had his story mixed up, but then I did a bit of research.

Jeremy Jackrabbit Recycles the Can was written by Sasha and Rodney Glassman of Phoenix and illustrated by student artists of Phoenix, all from local elementary schools. One of the illustrators was from Porter's school, so she did, indeed, read the book to the class. Duh, mommy. The authors sound pretty amazing, as noted on the back of the book:

Sasha and Rodney have a passion for education, helping children, and making their community a stronger and more sustainable place to live, work, and raise a family. With these goals in mind, their vision of writing children's books, illustrated by students, to educate future generations on issues of sustainability was born.

Jeremy Jackrabbit's adventures center around a lesson in reducing, reusing, and recycling. He meets lots of animal friends along the way, and together, they preach a message of sustainability that is fun for kids. The story is simple, yet the message is clear, and children really enjoy the peer-created illustrations, which I believe support an "I can do it" spirit.

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater (Sasha Glassman serves on the board) has brought a current theme to the old fashioned puppet show, and the audience yesterday was delighted. Jeremy Jackrabbit and his friends interacted with the kids, and the crowd went wild. Heck, even I put down my book to take a quick, possibly unauthorized video of Mountain Lion Michael's song.

Michael's voice could be considered irritating by many, but the kids loved that shit. And I have to hand it to the puppeteer, who gave irritating voices to multiple characters simultaneously and singlehandedly. She was a true professional in her craft.

I must apologize for the odd angle of the video. As delightful as librarians can be, there is one who takes her job–puppet show security–quite seriously, as if expecting a mosh pit to erupt at any moment. I was able to capture this behind-the-scenes footage by hiding behind a pirate ship set so said librarian couldn't see me. Outlaw at the puppet show–that's me

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In multiple formats, Jeremy Jackrabbit has hippity-hopped into our lives and is having a positive influence on the children in our community, preaching a valuable lesson in sustainability. He's captured our attention, and I love it! Now I wonder if the puppets are made of recycled materials...

Wordless Wednesday: sibling rivalry




cow's milk or almond milk?

I grew up drinking and loving cow's milk. After breast feeding Porter and Campbell for eighteen and sixteen months, respectively, I happily transitioned them into a morning routine of cow's milk. My eldest (16), B, has long-loved a tall glass of the stuff with desert every evening. It has been in our lives, and it's a hard habit to shake. When my daughter, Campbell, now 4 1/2, first began breast feeding, the doctors suggested I supplement with formula because she wasn't thriving and she, in fact, was throwing up most of what I put in her. We determined that she had a dairy allergy, so any dairy I consumed was rejected by her body. Without passing judgement on those who choose formula for a variety of reasons, I was personally determined that no formula would enter the lips of my babies. And I knew I could make the sacrifices necessary to make that happen.

So I quit all dairy cold turkey, and I considered it an adventure. It was easy to give up dairy for my child, and it was fun to explore new options. I learned a lot, Campbell did better, and I discovered soy. I thought it a delicious miracle, and considered myself healthier for it. Soy has it's own issues, which I won't go into here, but suffice it to say that when I discovered those issues, I decided to take the next step in my journey. Enter almond milk.

Most of the milk I drink is part of my morning coffee. Soy in place of cow's milk was a creamy, delicious trade, and I felt healthier for it. Soy milk was sweeter than cow's milk, so I gave up sugar in my coffee. I stuck with it, even after Campbell gave up the breast. I just didn't enjoy cow's milk anymore, and it made my coffee taste rancid. The switch to almond milk was a harder sell for me. It just didn't seem as, well...milky. I tried rice milk and coconut milk and flax seed milk, which were even less satisfying. I finally settled on almond milk about a year ago, and I have since fallen in LOVE.

I have successfully converted my husband to enjoy almond milk in his morning coffee. On his cereal, he uses cow's milk and almond milk in equal proportion. With desert (taking it straight), he still succumbs to the cow.

B will drink whatever I put in front of him, but, as a teenager, he pretty much fends for himself most of the time. So when I pour him a glass, he'll happily drink almond milk. If left to his own devices, either because his brain cells have been sucked up by video games or because he likes it better or because he wants to spite me, or because his biological mother tells him I'm a hippy health freak, he'll pour himself an overflowing glass of cow's milk. Rebel.

The littles are now consistently drinking a 50/50 blend of almond milk and cow's milk. I gradually blended their cow's milk to reach that proportion, and they don't seem to notice it. But if I go a hair over 50% with the almond milk, it is promptly rejected, and fits are thrown. I'm struggling with just abolishing cow's milk altogether, or attempting to keep up the transition. They love their milk so. And I love beer. Best not to go cold turkey on either, for now. There might be fits.

I only purchase organic whole (less processed) cow's milk, so we're using the best of the worst, and I bake and cook with almond milk when milk is required. There we are.

So the ongoing saga of mind over matter and ethics and the spell of dairy in our lives continues...

This graphic that Allison's Gourmet posted is a fantastic summary of why almond milk is a much better choice for animals, the environment, and health:

I'd love to hear why you choose the milk you do.