Been some time since I've bothered to come on here, with a lot having happened. Daughter, Maddy now home - along with her large, unpredictable dog. Elfie (great dane-boxer) can be fine, playing nice with Jasmine and then BOOM! She's on her in a flash. I now have stitches in my finger due to pulling this dog off my dog. Prong collars are not my friend! Jasmine now stays well away from Elfie, even when Elfie is in her kennel. The poor dog is terrified since this was the 3rd attack since Christmas - the worst one requiring Jasmine to have stitches in her ear. Maddy seems to think she can train this dog to behave, but I tend to lean toward the "once aggressive, always aggressive" school of thought. She even has Elfie on puppy prozac! Looks like it's gonna be a long summer . . .Am I a bad mother for not being too happy my daughter is home with her dog?

On a lighter note, I had loads of fun at a women's retreat with the church ladies. Dr. Roseanne Coleman used humor and song to get her point across and was one of those speakers you didn't fall asleep on - her talk was way too entertaining! When not in the sessions they offered, I was off zip-lining, horseback riding or walking the grounds. They also had a high-ropes course, rifle range (with kid size rifles) and an archery area, along with a climbing wall (inside and out). Alas, not enough time to do everything! It felt good to get away and recharge my batteries. And it's something I need to do now and then so I don't get burnout caring for Amanda. I never could figure out these moms that have never left their child (handicapped or not) with a sitter for more than a few hours. Sometimes you have to have "me time" and as a single parent I've learned the importance of that. I'm looking forward to possibly going on the fall retreat in October - finances and sitter availability cooperating, of course.