Kind of Mandatory, Really

So, there is a thought I think just about every Monday, several times over the course of the day. That thought is: Geez, I wish my husband wasn't allergic to bunnies! Okay, this may seem like a random thing to think every week on the same day, sure. Until you factor in that Monday at Daily Squee has been rechristened "Bunday" and they kick off each week by inundating their viewers with adorable pictures (and sometimes even videos) of bunnies all day long.

Pictures like this:




And this:




And even this:




I mean, I had a bunny once, when I was a little kid. It didn't end well. It's a sad story, and I really don't feel like recounting it, so I won't. But for a few days? Man, just the cutest sweetest little thing.

Anyhoo, whenever I mention this stray regret about allergies to my husband, the conversation goes something like this:

Me: "Man, it's Monday. I wish you weren't allergic to bunnies."
Husband: "Sigh. Look, you can get a bunny, just know that I won't be able to touch it. Ever."
Me: "I know, I know, I don't really want a bunny. Still...so cute...."

But recently, there has been another line of dialogue added to that conversation. Because recently? I've been thinking about adding more than just bunnies to our household. So, the last time we had this conversation, it ended like this:

Me: "Wait, wait, wait. So you're saying we can get a bunny, a pet you can't even touch, but we can't get another cat?"

To which my poor husband can only respond by fleeing from the room to protect himself from my nonsense.

But the point is, I have been thinking we need another cat. I've been thinking about it a lot, actually. My husband, rightfully so, has been treating me like I'm crazy for considering this. We already have two cats. They can't stand each other. I've kind of always said that having more than two would be silly. I mean, once there's more than two, they can make alliances, and there's a good chance at least one of them is going to be miserable.

But...then I keep thinking, if we get a kitten (and a girl, this time), she might a) distract my daughter from chasing the older cats who want to just be left alone, and b) be able to fit in a little better because she won't be quite set in her ways just yet, and c) get along with the oldest cat, who actually always got along with the other female cats we had before we got the younger boy.

It doesn't help that you can shop for cats on the humane society's web page. No, I'm not joking. They post pictures and details of all of the cats (and dogs, and other animals) available for adoption in your area. I keep going back to that page to check out the available cats, and there are a few who seem like they might be a good fit with our crazy household.

Hubby brings up the probable scenario that Baby Girl is going to be asking for her own pet sooner or later anyway. I am hoping to circumvent that (because I know she is going to ask for a dog and I still don't think I can deal with owning a dog) by getting the kitten and making it perfectly clear that it is her cat. Possibly, the kitten would even cooperate with this ruse. What? It might. You never know.

For those who would suggest I might be venturing into crazy cat lady territory here, look, if the pets don't outnumber the people, you're still well within the safety zone from that particular label. Seriously. This would make us even. Whoo! Since the time my memory kicked in, I have always lived in a house with pets. I'll be honest, people who don't have/have never had pets really weird me out a little bit. To me, that's just a normal part of life, sharing it with our animal friends. The single worst thing about living in the dorms in college was that I couldn't have a cat (even if it did mean, for the first and only time in my life, that everything I owned wasn't constantly covered in cat hair).

I have at points in my life lived in a household where people were vastly outnumbered by the pets (though they weren't all cats, there were lizards and guinea pigs and a hedgehog and greyhound in there too). It was fine. We managed to muddle through. Cats are, after all, actually very social animals. As long as everyone understands the pecking order (humans included), it all tends to work out.

Now, we are going out of town for Christmas this year, so my husband is consoling himself with the fact that I won't insist on going through with this insanity until after we get back. Still, once we do return to Texas? Well, then the gloves are coming off. I wonder if I can train Baby Girl to say "Can we get another kitty?" by Christmas?

Consider Me Squished

Have you heard of Squishables? No? Then get yourself over to squishable.com immediately. It will change your world.

Basically, Squishables are pretty much what they sound like: super squishy stuffed animals (and other things). Someone must have been looking at a beach ball and thought to himself, "Hey, you know what would be awesome? A beach ball I could hug." Thus the Squishables were born. They come in many varieties (including Cthulhu and the little robot mascot for Android phones), and in a few different sizes as well (mini, regular, and the new line of "massive").

I first found out about these guys through ads on a couple of the webcomics I read. Then one or two of the webcomic artists started mentioning Squishables in their posts and my curiosity got the better of me, leading me to click over to the site and check it out. I have been coveting many of them ever since. Then Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics went and worked with the fine folks over at Squishable to design a squishy version of T-Rex. Then they went and made a mini Squishable T-Rex.

I finally caved in last month and ordered myself two mini Squishables, the dragon and the T-Rex.

Squish the mini blue dragon.

T.J. the mini T-Rex.

As you can see, I wasn't kidding about the beach ball thing.

Guys, these things are so freaking soft, it is amazing. Also, very extremely huggable. I literally had not even gotten the dragon out of the box before my daughter came and stole it from me. Sigh. I am a big girl though, and I can share. She loves these things, and I can use her as an excuse to justify them a little bit, so that works out.

The dragon was the first design to get launched in the massive size, which means there are two more sizes I need to get still. You know there is no way I am not going to end up with all three. The price tag on the massive Squishables is a bit steep though, so I am going to have to be patient. That massive dragon is one of three items on my "not gonna happen" birthday wish list.* A girl can dream, right?

I also really like this company because the people running it seem like a good bunch. They are one of the few companies I don't mind following on Facebook because they really understand how to use it as a tool to get people to love their brand without being annoying. They invite people to send in photos of themselves with their Squishables (or just of their Squishables doing interesting things) and post them on their site's gallery. In fact, right now they are donating a dollar to the Humane Society for every photo people send in. That is pretty awesome. On FB they will post some of those pictures and have caption contests, which is always a fun time. They have their own webcomic even, called The Fuzzy Five. When they hit a milestone number of likes they provide a coupon code for a decent discount.

In fact, it was those discount codes that finally made me cave and order my minis last month, and then made me cave again last week to order my first full-sized Squishable.

Maria (pronounced like Mariah) the manatee.

She arrived just the other day, and let me tell you, the timing could not have been better. Hugs have been needed around here lately, so she came in quite handy. Of course, even though when I started opening her box my daughter was in the other room, by the time I got the manatee out, Baby Girl had suddenly materialized to steal Mama's new toy. She's got a sixth sense, I swear.

Here's our whole squishy family together:

Caution: Extreme Cuddles Zone

And just so you can get an idea of scale, here is Baby Girl with the Squishables:

What do you mean, yours? 

I think not, Mama! Thbbt!

And just in case you wanted more scale, here's me with my daughter and the squishies.

I am sure these are only the first of many that will make their way into our home. Thankfully, they live up their name and are, indeed, quite squishy, which means that you can jam them into a tight corner if space is at a premium! So yeah, I am a total convert. These guys are awesome. If you have room in your heart and home for some soft squishy toys, I cannot recommend Squishable more highly. I am pretty sure they have something to offer everyone.

Have a fantastic weekend folks. Until Monday, I bid you adieu!

*For the curious, the other two items on my "not gonna happen" wish list can be found here and here.