Ten pounds of personality in a five-pound bag
My friend’s sister makes these and they are so cute!
https://bromstadprinting.co/products/aww-thanks-cat-risograph-greeting-card
Aww. Thanks, cat.
Today’s shopping note brought to you by the dead cricket my cats traumatically presented my kid yesterday.
I’ve never been a big person for flowers and things of that nature; I like house plants, but flowers just isn’t one of my love languages.
But one thing I learned when I adopted my cats and started googling “what’s safe?” is that lilies, as well as other bulbs like tulips and daffodils, are extremely toxic to cats!
Here’s a TikTok from a veterinary practice about lily exposure. Content notes: cute cat, IV, and the cat survived.
So, if I ever make one of those pat little “how to date me” guides, item #1 would be “if flowers: nothing toxic to cats.”
Last night, I accidentally taught my kid about the difference between Rules and Boundaries by using my cat as an example. See, my cat (Cloud, 2M) is a bit of an asshole sometimes. He likes to jump up on my dresser while I’m sleeping and bat things around and make noise. As a result, I’ve started locking him out of my bedroom at night, so that I can have good sleep hygiene (a serious issue for me right now in my life).
So last night, my daughter was like “Why are you punishing him? He’s just being a cat!” And, you know, she’s right! But also, I have the right to sleep without disturbance. So I launched into the explanation that I cannot control Cloud, but I can control what doors are open or closed in my house.
Then, I realized that this was a perfect way to segue into the difference between making rules for someone else versus setting a boundary for your own self!
I emphasized that I cannot control Cloud or his actions myself. I can say ”stay off the dresser” until I’m blue in the face, but ultimately I’m not the one that controls his actions. What I can control is my actions. I can lock him out of my room in order to be healthy and get enough sleep. That’s within my locus of control.
Then I drew a parallel to a real life conundrum she might face someday: say, dating a person who is a smoker. She can say “You can’t smoke in my house.” She can say “If you smoke, I will break up with you.” But she can’t say “You are not allowed to smoke.” That’s not within her locus of control.
Anyway. I hope this lesson sticks with her as she grows up and makes her own way in the world.
Emilybook 