Skip to main content

Saying *Goodbye* to our Pet

Last Saturday when it was time to do a little housekeeping in our pet mouse Reepacheep's case, I discovered there was a problem. Reep was sick. She had (in just a few days, mind you, because she gets cleaned out weekly) developed tumors on each side of her body. After doing a little research I found that this are very common in mice and were probably in her mammary glands.

My kiddos, however, were devastated to find out their beloved pet mouse was dying. And let's be honest, I was pretty sad, too. She was a sweet little thing and she was their first pet. We had all enjoyed having her around.

The kids had bought her a new ball for Christmas and her stocking was hung, awaiting some fresh sunflower seeds (her fave).

By Tuesday she was just pitiful. Her breathing was labored and she had lost much of her mobility. Listening my kiddos talk to her, comfort her, watch them hang colored pictures all around her case to show their love was truly heartbreaking.

My sweet Princess cried herself to sleep three nights in a row. Mr. B was sad, too, but The Princess is my very sensitive, sweet girl and she was taking it very hard.

On Tuesday Reepacheep died. And I attended my first pet funeral. Not that I didn't bury any pets as a child, but I don't recall any actual funerals for them. Just simple burials.

My husband prepared our little mouse for burial in a shoebox filled with her favorite cotton fluff and some fresh cedar shavings. When the kiddos were ready to put the lid on the box, we tied it with a ribbon and they decorated it with stickers.

Then The Princess wrote on the box: "Reepacheep, a verry good pet". It was precious.

After that we drove the appointed burial place where Vince dug a hole and the kiddos collected some rocks to mark her grave. Then we all said a few words about what we appreciated about Reep and it was finally over.

I was so proud of my kids. They were so brave, standing there with their little broken hearts.

It's been better since then, although they still have sad looks about their faces at times. But they are going to be okay. And frankly, after watching her suffer for three days, I felt relief that it was finally over.

So this week I've been tucking away Reepacheep's things and spending a lot of time giving hugs (and tissues) out. It's been emotionally draining at times, but I won't ever forget this precious time in my kiddos' lives.

Popular posts from this blog

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

Door Hanger Chore Charts

My kids have had a chore chart for a while.  It's one of those magnetic boards and they share it.  However, it's not by their rooms and often they (and I) forget to update it.  Plus it's a little bulky.   When I saw the concept of a door hanger chore chart on Pinterest, I loved it!  It was compact, right there were the kiddos could see it coming out and going into their rooms, and it costs almost nothing to make.   I headed over to one of my favorite stores: Hobby Lobby, of course.  They  have these little wooden door hangers for .79.  I also grabbed a couple of packets of decorative buttons for $1.99 each.  I already had the clothes pins and the paint so those cost me nothing.   I began by painting the door hangers (I used tempera paints because that's what I had).  Then I grabbed a fine point Sharpie and the clothes pins and started writing chores on them, making sure to write them correctly so they will ...

One Way I Refresh During the Summer as a Homeschool Mom

As our homeschool takes some time off this summer, my mind almost never stops thinking of and planning ahead for the upcoming school year.  This is probably because I'm Type A and an obsessive planner...lol Whatever the reason, I do enjoy this season of planning.   But I also need to be refreshed as a homeschool mom.  Homeschooling can be incredibly exhausting and all-consuming.  It's not easy and it's a lot of responsibility.  And I take that very seriously when I am researching curriculum and planning toward the next school year.  So also taking some time to rejuvenate and refocus myself is very important.   How do I do this?   Each summer I take some time to read something inspiring and motivating that speaks to me as a homeschool mom.  Some of my fave reads from past years--that I have nearby on my shelf and refer to often--are Educating the Wholehearted Child, The Well-Trained Mind, The Charlotte Mason Companion, A T...