I don't often participate in group gift exchanges. Not because I don't believe in giving, but because I don't need any more junk from someone who only kinda knows me, and I don't really want to spend money on a bunch of crap for someone I barely know. So when Pamela from Something Wagging This Way Comes gave me the opportunity to participate in the Pet Blogger Gift Exchange and no material gifts were required, I had to check it out.

Here's the deal: I signed up, and I got partnered up. Not with some secret-santa-gift-pressure-thing, but with a genuine blogger. Our only gift to each other is to get to know one another and each other's work and share what we like of each other, and it's all good.

I am thrilled to be getting to know Love is Being Owned by a Husky.

Although I haven't read all she has to offer, yet, Jenna, the author, has already taught me so much.

She's all about love. Just pure love of her pets. Her glorious huskies. A cursory look at her blog made me realize that I need to do more love on mine. As a professional pet sitter, I see so much. There are the pets and the business of it all and the causes and the rescues...well...I love it all, but I don't think my blog is showing the love like I feel it. Looking at "Love is Being Owned by a Husky" inspires me to do more love.

Jenna and her huskies are just getting to know me and my blog, too. So here's something they (and you) may not know: My dog, N.A.S.H.A., a scraggly mixed terrier, has some serious husky ties, though you'd never know it and you might have to read about her to understand.

So check out "Love is Being Owned by a Husky" and feel the love!

With the royal baby-naming on so many minds, I started to evaluate the names we've given our family members, and how we hardly ever use them. I never call my kids or my pets by their given names. I spent all this time carefully considering the perfect monikers, and, yet, those names are only used on formal occasions. You know, in times of punishment. Here are a list of my kids' and dogs' names and what they have morphed into: Porter (my son, currently age 6): Po-po, Po-diz, Diz, Po-dizzy-diz, Po-dizzily-diz, Dizzy (um...perhaps the kid was lacking in balance as a toddler?), P (only used by close family friends...we never call him this, but it's totally cool), Shiz, Fo-shiz, and, most commonly, "Po."

Fluffy (our Sulcata tortoise): Fluff, and most commonly, "Fluffers."

Campbell (my daughter, currently age 4): Campbellina, Tam-bo (coined by Porter when she was born because he couldn't say Campbell), Tambelina (you can see where I'm going with this, right?), Tam-tam, Tam-tam-a-roonie, Tam-a-lamma-ding-dong, ding dong, Sissy-moo, Sissy-moo-too-head, Tap-tap (coined by the same family who calls Po "P," because their youngest can't say "Camptell," Tu-tu head (what we called her for the first four days of her life when we couldn't decide on a name) and, most commonly "Sissy," "Sis," "Tam," and "Cam," used in equal proportion.

N.A.S.H.A. (our dog. Hubby named her as an ackronym for "Not A Siberian Husky Again." He wants one of those, and I tend to bring home squirrely-looking mutts). Nashie, Nashie-ree Nasie-ree-made-out-of-pee, Nash-a-rino, Nash-Nash, Nash-Nash b'gosh, and, most commonly, "Nash."

Brennen Jr. (my step-son, currently 16): Brennenino, Dude-seriously, and, most commonly, "B," which is why I have this tattoo, along with the fact that the queen bee protects her worker bees to the death, even if they aren't biologically hers...

Brennen, Sr. (my hubby): Babe, Honey, and, most commonly "have you mowed the lawn, yet, bleeper?" Yes, he counts as a kid or a pet, or something like that.

Kermit (our first dog as a married couple, preceded our children, no longer with us, but deserves a mention): Kermie, Kermalicious, Kermalicious and nutritious, Kermalicious and nutritious–we eat you on our very best dishes (for real), Ker-meister, Pookie-peanut, Pook, Pookie-peanut with sugar on top and a cherry, OPP (original pookie-peanut), Kermit the dog, and, most commonly, "Kerm."

Kristen (that's me): I'm mostly called Mommy or Mama (even my hubby and friends call me Mama). B calls me "Kristen," which is not really a nickname. I've encouraged him to call me "evil-stepmother-extraordinaire," but it never took. My favorite is what Po will occasionally call out: "Mamacita, salty senorita."

Aren't nicknames the BEST? I think we sometimes don't even realize we are giving them, they become so second-nature. They make us feel bonded and closer to each other, and I just can't argue with that.

What are the nicknames in your family? Mamacita-salty-senorita is dying to know!