A Day in the Life

Routines are pretty a pretty crucial part in my parenting methods. I try to create a schedule that is most conducive to everyone in our family as I find that the more predictable the day, the happier the child.

The newest member of our family is not quite as dependent on schedule-he’s pretty agreeable no matter what-but he’s also a creature of habit and has developed his own around ours.

You might not think so, but Theo is a pretty active dog. He’s so much like Beau in the sense that he loves to play, he plays and plays until he is so tuckered out that his body nearly starts to crumble into a heap in anticipation of nap time. They have very similar schedules, which it makes for a pretty predictable day for us as long as I follow their routines pretty closely and avoid any thwarts, such as long car rides just before nap time.

I thought I’d give you a little rundown of the perfect day in the life of Theo and Beau.

Every morning Theo wakes up after sleeping the second half of the night at the end of our bed. Beau is generally with us at that time also, and the big kids pour in for morning cuddles all around.

Theo will sit with the big kids while they watch morning cartoons until it’s time for everyone’s breakfast. He had our cat, Charlie, often race around the house together at about this time, too-they know school moorings are already hectic so they might just be playing off that energy. Or they’re simply being cats and dogs.

Three days a week, Theo gets to run to school while the big kids ride their bikes and my husband jogs with Beau in the stroller. These are obviously the best mornings for them. The other two days, Theo will sit on the couch and mope until Beau and I get back from the morning carpool.

We go to the beach as often as we can with them before nap time and after drop-off during the week. Everyone loves the beach, but I think Theo is the biggest fan.

Naptime for Theo and Beau is usually between 11:30 and 12:30 and lasts at least a couple of hours. This is the best part of my day, in case you’re wondering.

The afternoon usually involves a soccer or baseball game in which Theo and Beau really love to go, but often they want to be on the fields a little too much. Either we find something else fun to do, or they hang out together while I make dinner.

At night, Theo often knows right when it’s bedtime. If we somehow or another don’t make it by 7:30, he’ll make his way up to Zoe’s bed anyway and sleep there until sometime during the night when he ends up at the end of our bed. He’s definitely a creature of habit and fits in with us just perfectly.

One thing that sort of surprised me after we brought Theo home from the shelter was his appetite. I didn’t really know what to expect with a young shelter puppy, but he has always been more than agreeable with his meals. I think that he knows a good thing when he sees it!

See What Good Food Can Do

I’m happy to announce my partnership with PEDIGREE for their See What Good Food Can Do campaign, which shows PEDIGREE® Brand’s commitment to shelter dogs and how its good food can help give them a new leash on life. This was obviously something we are interested in participating in, and as a result PEDIGREE® will be donating $500 to the Santa Cruz SPCA on behalf of Theo and Beau.

PEDIGREE has donated more than 20 million pounds of food to shelter dogs since 2008, seeing first-hand how good food can help them have shiny coats, waggy tails and feel better.

Want to Get Involved?

Every time dog lovers tell their tale of what their dog means to them, using #DogTales on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, PEDIGREE® will donate a bowl of food to a shelter in need (up to 100,000 bowls).

I think you’re pretty familiar with our adoption story and what Theo means to us, I am really excited to hear all about what your dog means to you-more food to more shelters!

Thank you to Pedigree for sponsoring this post and donating to the Santa Cruz SPCA on behalf of Theo and Beau. All opinions are my own.