Welcome back to Simba Sitting shenanigans! For those of you who are new around here, my name is Heather and this is my blog. I started this blog as a joke the first time Jason went to Disney and left me in charge of Simba. The blog was such a success, that we are now on take 5!

Before I begin, I just want to give a very special shout out to my loving parents on their 35th anniversary today. Thank you for everything you have done for me and for being the best parents anyone could ever ask for. I love you both more than you will ever know.

Ok, sorry for that brief interruption, now back to the blog. A few things have changed since the last time you were here, so let me give you a quick update on Simba’s life.

Thankfully that scary dog illness seems to be something we do not have to worry about anymore. Thank goodness! I do not need to run away from other dogs if we see them outside. Simba has returned to going to the groomer and is now allowed to have play dates again.

Unfortunately, Simba has developed some allergies. Apparently, he is allergic to everything under the sun. However, his most severe allergy is to dust. He takes after his Aunt Heather, because that is my most severe allergy as well. Simba’s food is now stored in the freezer to prevent dust from forming. Jason bought a special freezer just for Simba’s food.

Simba has become a little overweight (haven’t we all?) and his father put him on a very strict diet. He is not allowed to have too many bully sticks or treats, and his portions were made smaller. I am very thankful my parents are not as strict with my portions as Jason is with Simba’s!

Jason has left me a list of rules to follow while he is away. As a new feature on this blog, every day I will pick a rule, and tell you why I am not going to follow it. Let’s start with rule number 1.

“The care guide has been updated. Please carefully review the guide in its entirety.”

For those of you who are unaware, Jason has created an almost 30 page care guide of extremely detailed instructions of how to take care of Simba. I’ll admit there are some useful things in there for when I was first watching Simba, but at this point it’s not necessary. Jason and I talk very often, and any new information I would need to know, Jason has already informed me (more than once, I might add.) Jason also updates the care guide quite often. When he adds new information, he finds mistakes and resends it to me 10 times in a row. No, I am not exaggerating. So….Sorry Jason, I am not rereading Simba’s care guide because you fixed a typo on page 25.

This morning, Jason brought Simba by my office to say hello and give me the keys. We told Simba that I was going to be his roommate for the next 9 days and he was very excited! Simba loves when I come to visit!

After work, I was greeted with such a warm welcome. Simba could hardly contain himself! He ran around in circles and grabbed a toy. I was so proud of Simba because he left the apartment clean! Then I broke one of my biggest rules when it comes to Simba. I always tell people not to buy him toys because he has way too many. Last weekend at my shul’s Purim carnival, I won a basket of dog toys. I am going to give Simba a toy every few days if he is a good boy. Today I gave Simba a rope toy which he really enjoyed.

I put my stuff away and then we went for a walk. It was raining and gross outside so I put on Simba’s raincoat. He was so well behaved while I was putting on his harness, coat and leash. He quickly did his business and then we came back inside.

After our walk, I ran to the store for a little while and Simba took a nap. When I returned, I started cooking dinner and Simba played with his toys. While the food was cooking, I put on a movie. I forgot there was a dog in the movie and Simba started barking like crazy! I quickly shut the movie off and gave Simba a cheese chew so he would be quiet. Don’t worry, the cheese chews are a treat that’s approved by the vet!

I got a call from Jason that Simba’s friends Lucy and Tzvi wanted to have a play date. They came over to get Simba and he was so excited to see his friends. Simba was a little confused when he was going to their apartment, so I walked him down the hall. Once he got there he was very happy. However, the playdate was short. Simba wanted to come back home. I think he missed me!

I prepared Simba’s dinner but he had no interest in eating it. He was way more interested in my water bottle. I gave him the water bottle and he played with it while I ate my dinner. I prompted Simba many times, however he still doesn’t seem hungry. Hopefully, he will eat soon!

We are now relaxing and cuddling on the couch.

By the way, rule number 2 is absolutely ridiculous…tune in tomorrow for more Simba Sitting Shenanigans!