Prologue

My sister once suggested that maybe a camera crew should be following us around our house. Not because we'd make a raunchy reality show, but because we live in my old New England house like a "bunch of Mexicans." We are packed in like sardines; there are my two kids, Noah (9) and Ariana (7), my sister and her son Cayden (5), my boyfriend, and his daughter Zoe (9). 

This kind of dysfunctional Brady Bunch would not be complete without a variety of pets. Guinness, Roxy, and Pikachu are guinea pigs that live upstairs in the boys' room with them. There is Kassy, a disgruntled Himalayan/Siamese cat, Teddy the lovable tiger, and Angel (aka "Skunky"). And of course Lucy, my Peek-a-Pug who is almost definitely her own grandma. She looks like a pure bred pug, except she is smaller and has a constant dopey look on her face that can be attributed to the fact that her tongue does not fit in her mouth.

So all 7 of us live with all 8 of these animals in an essentially 3-bedroom, 1 bathroom home. Needless to say, we've turned a few rooms into bedrooms that have no right to sleep anyone, and would more appropriately be used as a walk in closet or office. 

Hilarity ensues.