I have a 2 1/2 year-old son and we also struggle with working in the yard at times. IT is better this year here are some things I have done... Let them water your containers or play with water. Drexler now tells me the flowers are crying because they are thirsty. I then give him the hose and let him have at it...last night he was right. One of my pansies was thirsty! Get excited about things. Right now EVERY DAY when I get home from work my son asks to go pick the strawberries. We go out and usually a new one is ripe (can't wait a few more weeks). He is still working on not picking the green ones, but he'll learn. Teach them what is yummy. Last year we planted carrots in a container and he would go out and pick a carrot out, wipe it off and eat it. Clean soil, no chemicals and hey he was eating carrots. Teach them to love flowers. How does it smell? How does it taste. Have them help you pick out what ones to pick. Drexler and I will do this together, go into the house and put them in vases and then talk about how pretty they are. I have a small vase by my bed that he empties out every day and replaces the water in...and then the flowers. A bit of a pain, but he is learning to appreciate my yard. Don't freak when they step on a plant, but do teach them to be nice to your plants. I have a large yard and Drex has hurt some of my plants, but we talk about how to treat them. Teach them to watch for bugs and to be interested in them. Ants can keep a kid busy for at least fifteen minutes. Tell yourself you will most likely not get a lot accomplished with your helpers so when you do accomplish something it feels good. Make them an area that is all theirs.

Thanks for the responses! @live_wire_oak, I think I can safely be classified as a masochistic gloss floor lover! It's not the least bit unusual here for people to remove their shoes upon entering a home and that would definitely be my rule. I have a dining room and an eat in kitchen where all glops will be relegated to. Neither of those rooms will have the glossy wood floors. If it gets a glossy as I want, I will wear a bib to handle my drooling. I will check out a flooring store for that piano finished flooring, though! @JFCWood, that is an excellent point about the wood expanding and contracting. I hadn't thought of that. Is there an oil-modified poly that you would recommend? @gregmills, the sample idea is another good one! What I think I'm going to do is buy a sample of a couple of the recommended ones, buy some salvaged flooring and have at it to see what it looks like in person. It was also suggested that I look into whatever marine products are used on boat decks so I will investigate that as well.

First of all, you don't mention if issues "in her youth" took place with you or before you came along in your dogs life. Why did she go through this?? Second. It is extremely important that you get over your anxiety about your dogs issues. Take a patience pill. Your dog is picking this up and things are only going to get worse. Third. You are expecting way to much from your dog, way to soon. Your dog was traumatized by the rock throwing etc., what do you expect??? She really does not know what is going on at this point and is trying to find her way. Third. It is a HUGE mistake to do anything that is going to scare or ingest pain. You need to throw the damn shocker and muzzle away. Would you put a shocker and muzzle on a child who went through a similar situation and induce shock when it misbehaved???? Trying to force a positive behavior with a negative act is just not the way to go. Your are going to only make things worse. Your dog is going to start to show all sorts of "negative" behaviors, such as submissive peeing, and this "negative" will build on itself. And it will be your fault. You need to VERY SLOWLY build on "POSITIVE" behavior over the course of the next year, maybe more depending on how you and your dog progress. I adopted a 4 month old Shepard/Hound 2.5 years ago who was traumatized before I came along, and Im STILL dealing with her issues. She has come a long way, but is still not there yet, and I realize this. You really do need to give more history concerning timing with all of this both before you came along and after. You have an extremely confused dog, that has humans wrong things to try and make things right. As you mentioned, your dog is a very playful one. Can't you see that this is the "natural" way she was born? This is the way she should be. Not frightened that when she does something she is going to feel pain. Why are you doing things that are going to destroy this?? Sorry to be so blunt. I really have a difficult time holding it when people suggest or do "negative" acts to try and create a "positive" behavior. IT JUST DOES NOT WORK. NEVER HAS, NEVER WILL. SG

Wow, Laura.....You can definitely see Jellyroll Morton in that last picture of it! I really like the pinching too. I especially like the way it looks in photo #1. This will be an interesting daylily to keep us updated on over the season and next year. It reminds me of some of Curt Hanson's newer daylilies. (Jellyroll makes a good parent) .You did good! I don't suppose you know who the other parent is, do you? I will have to use Jellyroll in my hybridizing this summer, for sure.