Something often overlooked on our blogs is the ‘other’ family member that sleeps at the end of the bed.  We fail to mention our fur children even though they are a huge part of our lives. Is your ‘pet’ is really the king or queen of the house? Maybe you just tolerate having an animal because the husband or kids can’t live without one. Or some of you might be ‘animal free’, take issue with ‘just another responsibility’, or find that you’re deathly allergic to dander. With as much a part of our personal lives as pets tend to be, I figured it would be good to share about our animal friends (or the lack of them).

Who doesn’t love looking at furry critters - even if they aren’t your own? Some of us spend more time inhaling them than looking at them (cat belly can be addictive). Let’s not forget the slimy froggies, swimmy fish, feathery birds and other interesting creatures that some keep, also! Do you have an exotic pet to tell about? Or a neat animal story? Have you ever rescued a wild forest animal or had something strange wander up on to your porch?

Tell us your pet history. What was your first pet? Which was your most memorable? How about today? How many pets do you have? Do they help or hinder your homeschooling?

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Well, the truth is our pets are wonderful, but they are also one of the biggest distractions to homeschooling we encounter!  The kitten, in particular, is a pain!  (A very cute, funny pain!)  Nothing interrupts a lesson like a kitten coming into the room, acting all cute and purring loud enough to hear from the next room!

If it's not the kitten, though, then it's my oldest cat, who is permanently attached to my side.  She will waddle in, meow, and chirp, and then roll around in front of us.

Her amazing girth distracts us all!  But she is very, very soft.  She just has a lot of softness to touch!

Marbles, the male cat, rarely bothers us during schooltime, but, when he does, he does it right.  He waltzes in and walks right on top of whatever we're doing.  He stands there, silently waiting to be petted and admired properly.  If he's feeling very affectionate, he'll actually start drooling.

(Notice the word "HOT" on his side?)

And, then, of course, there's the dog.  She also wants to be with us, though less now that Craig is home during schooltime.  Then she'd rather be with him.  Still, she often barges in, lays down, and then promptly starts snoring.  Try reading about the French Revolution punctuated by Springer Spaniel snores!

Even the hamster can be distracting if the girls have gotten him out of his cage unbeknownst to me.  I'll be wondering why they're not paying attention and realize the hamster is crawling around their laps.

Hey!  No wonder we have problems doing schoolwork!  The pets are taking over!