Just like humans, pets deserve a special treat every so often, and times like these call for dog owners to go out of their way to do something their dogs will love. Surprises of this nature go a long way in showing your canine companion that you appreciate them for all the unconditional love they give you.
Dog owners have all …
Dog’sHealth.com Blog
Pig Ears For Dogs
When A Dog Is Ready To Whelp
Is your dog about to give birth? Read this blog for some answers to common questions about whelping.
The first thing to do is talk to your vet. It is important to understand the potential risks and be able to identify signs of complications. Ideally, your vet has been checking on your dog throughout the pregnancy. The vet will talk to …
Dog’sHealth.com Blog
Why Dogs Sleep So Much
Does it seem like your pup is sleeping all the time? It’s not just your imagination. Dogs spend a good part of their life sleeping because that’s how they’re genetically designed. In fact, the time to worry is when your dog isn’t sleeping as much as he used to. Changes in sleeping patterns can indicate a problem—whether that means a …
Dog’sHealth.com Blog
We have come to love each other
I must admit that I never really new sighthounds other than retired racing greyhounds until these past few months. I knew that Jenna had a special relationship with Zoom, her cream and white whippet, and when we moved in together, she had just brought in a brindle and white whippet puppet.
I figured that the puppy would wind up being her dog, and although I was quite aware that whippets were quite trainable dogs, I never really thought I’d become attached to one.
As Poet has matured, though, he and I have drawn closer to each other. It was he who made the first mood. A few months ago, he just sort of declared in his subtle sighthound ways that he was my dog, end of discussion.
And I’ve accepted the arrangement. I have found him to be as biddable as any golden retriever, and I have trained him to sit, heel, lie down, stand, and speak. He fetches the ball like a demon, which is to be expected. His father is a Frisbee nut.
He likes to go with me everywhere, and because he’s smaller and innocuous, I generally don’t have a lot of trouble taking him places. He is genteel and kind, but he is not demonstrative with strangers.
Through one family line I trace to the rugged counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, the same counties that spawned the modern whippet as a rag racer. I suspect my Quaker ancestors in that part of the world may have had little greyhounds much like whippets, perhaps to fill the pot with rabbit stew on cold winter nights.
So we are now attached to each other. I have a nice little whippet with a show and coursing career ahead of him, and I now know the full appeal of this breed. Once they choose their person, you are it. No one else really matters.
And that is strange and moving feeling, especially when you’re used to golden retrievers that are so socially open.
Poet is my little boy. My little whip. And I am his person.
6 Delicious Vegetarian Game Day Recipes
I’m just going to come right out and say it: I don’t like Football. I think it’s super boring. This doesn’t mean I haven’t tried, because trust me, I have. I even had a brief stint as a varsity football cheerleader in high school. My husband likes football. Plenty of my friends like it. I just don’t.
That said, I freaking love Super Bowl Sunday. It’s basically a holiday in our house. Every year, my husband gets a break from the band’s winter tour where he arrives home on Super Bowl Sunday, and our little family spends the day together just hanging out, cooking, eating, watching the Puppy Bowl (the best), and watching the game. (Okay, so I don’t watch outside of the Half Time Show and commercials. But still.) And the very best part of it is the food. It’s one day I actually really love to cook (because let’s face it, it’s pretty much just all snacks).
Not everything we serve on Game Day is vegetarian, but since I’m veg, I mostly make veg foods. And since the Super Bowl is this Sunday, today I thought I’d share some of my favorite vegetarian Big Game recipes with you guys. Just click on the images or links directly below them to access the full recipes!
What are you doing for Game Day? Are you a football fan or on Team Food + Half Time Show like me?
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7 Tips to Keep Your Dog Safe at a Super Bowl Party
Sunday, as most of you know, is the Super Bowl or, as apparently we’re now supposed to say, “the big game.” For many of you, that means Super Bowl parties. For all the fun of a…
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How I’m Going Easy On My Skin in the New Year
I’ve partnered with the Dove team to share with all of you how I’m going easy on my skin in the New Year.
Those of you who have been reading here for a while know that I am not normally a fan of New Year’s resolutions for myself. It’s interesting, because my personality screams “New Year’s Resolution Lover!” I enjoy a good challenge (a few weeks ago I completed a 100 day fitness challenge), I am naturally a planner (even though I try to be spontaneous to pretend I’m cool), and I truly love to set goals that help me to be the best version of myself. But there is something about the pressure of coming up with a resolution at the start of every new year that leaves me feeling incredibly anxious, and if I do set a resolution and it doesn’t pan out, I end up feeling disappointed. I decided years ago that New Year’s resolutions just aren’t for me.
That said, this year I vowed to approach the new year a little differently. Since I tend to be naturally hard on myself, and I have a strong feeling that’s the main reason New Year’s resolutions create anxiety for me, I thought to myself, “what if your resolution is to be easier on yourself?” It’s the simplest concept really, but I think sometimes it can be difficult to grasp. So I came up with a list of ways I’m going easy on myself – from practicing self-compassion to allowing myself a lot more breaks – and I’ll share more about all of that with you soon. I also decided to go easy on myself beyond the abstract, with my physical self as well – starting with my skin. I’m excited to be partnering with Dove to share how I’m doing just that.
Despite the advice of every dermatologist and aesthetician I’ve ever seen, I’ve always been rough on my skin. It doesn’t matter how many times I repeat “gentle is better,” I constantly find myself using products that harshly exfoliate, dry my skin out, and, ultimately, cause damage. So in my efforts to go easy on my skin as part of my 2019 resolution, I decided I needed to be gentle with my microbiome. Never heard of your microbiome? I hadn’t either, but it turns out it’s pretty important. The microbiome is the skin’s living protective layer and a balanced diverse skin microbiome serves an important role in keeping skin healthy, moisturized, and resilient. It turns out that I’ve been as harsh on my microbiome as I’ve been on myself.
To maintain a balanced skin microbiome, you need to be gentle on your skin. I knew that meant I needed to change the harsh products I was using to wash and exfoliate my skin. Dove Body Wash microbiome gentle, so it made perfect sense to give it a try. And guys, I am so glad I did. I picked up a bottle of Dove Gentle Exfoliating Body Wash, and after just one wash my skin felt smooth and soft. I love that the scent is refreshing but mild, and that the exfoliating beads are effective without feeling like I’m sand blasting my skin. My skin feels nurtured, instead of abused, and I understand why: Dove is the #1 dermatologist recommended body wash, made with 100% gentle cleansers, free of sulfates and pH balanced. It works with my skin, instead of against it. No body wash is gentler to skin than Dove.
Honestly, the softness and smoothness of my skin after going easy on it with Dove Body Wash is almost like a metaphor for how I feel – body, mind, and spirit – now that I’m going easy on myself in general. Instead of entering the new year feeling and looking stressed, it’s like a weight has been lifted in many ways. And that’s pretty great. I love my Dove Gentle Exfoliating Body Wash, but I’m also looking forward to trying out Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash and Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash. If you’re looking to go easy on your skin and cleanse without stripping away its healthy, nourished qualities, give one of these body washes a try. You’ll be glad you did! Dove Body Wash is sold at mass, food and drug retailers nationwide with a suggested retail price of $ 5.99/22 fl. oz.
Will you be going easy on yourself this year? Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?
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Reliving My Childhood Snow Days
Thank you Idahoan® Steakhouse® Soups for sponsoring this post. Enjoy the flavorful, slow-cooked taste of restaurant-quality soup at home, in minutes.
There are countless things about having little kids that make me feel profound levels of gratitude and excitement (and lots that make me feel like pounding my head against a brick wall too, but that’s a whole separate post). It’s so much fun to see them just live life, and it’s also pretty wonderful getting to relive favorite parts of my own childhood through them. From holiday traditions to exploring new places to the simplest everyday discoveries, my own childhood memories are unearthed just by watching their experiences. And one of the greatest of these experiences is a good old fashioned snow day.
Now you guys know quite well that winter is not my favorite time of year, and this goes all the way back to the days of my youth. But there was something about playing in the snow that brought a hidden love for winter to the surface for me, and I had my coat and snow boots on pretty much the second the first snowflake hit the ground. It wasn’t just playing in the snow itself that defined snow days for me though. It was everything from watching the snow begin to fall to getting bundled up and immersing myself in play (from snowball fights to making snow people to snow angels to sledding) to coming inside to cozy up after being in the cold. I remembering stripping off my wet boots and snow clothes, getting under cozy blankets, and enjoying bowls of hot soup my mom or dad would make for me. Sometimes getting warmed up was the best part of all.
The winter berry doesn’t fall far from the tree (see what I did there?) with my little ones, and their reactions to snow days are nearly identical to mine. When they wake up to snow on the ground, it’s like a fire has been ignited inside them. It’s genuinely incredible seeing the joy they get out of playing in the snow, and how something so simple creates such delight. And just like me as a child, the best part of a snow day for them is coming in to warm up. Sometimes we light a fire in the fireplace and put on movies. Sometimes we get in our pajamas and snuggle under blankets and listen to music. But we always eat warm bowls of delicious Idahoan® Steakhouse® Soups.
When I was a kid, potato soup practically defined getting warm after a day of playing in the snow, so whipping up Idahoan Steakhouse Creamy Potato soup for my little ones (and myself!) is a big part of remembering my own childhood snow days. And lucky for me, Idahoan Steakhouse Soups make it so we can enjoy delicious, slow-cooked flavor (that reminds me of my favorite restaurant soups) that bring true comfort, with very little effort. I just add water, then heat and simmer for a few minutes, pour into bowls, and we’re all comfy, warm, and satisfied. The best.
I recently asked my 5 year old daughter to tell me what she loved most about winter. (She’s a summer girl like me and we’re working on expressing gratitude every single day, no matter what the circumstances.) Her top answer (followed by Christmas, of course) was snow days. I asked her what she liked the most about snow days, and she said “snowball fights, building snowmen, and coming in to get cozy warm with movies and soup.” For a second, when I looked into her eyes, I was my mother, asking my childhood self the same questions. It was weird and wonderful, and I’m so grateful for it.
Whether you want to relive your own childhood snow day memories or just enjoy a delicious bowl of creamy, hearty soup this winter (in a matter of minutes!), go grab yourself some Idahoan Steakhouse Soups. In addition to Creamy Potato (our favorite), they’re available in Loaded Potato, Cheddar Broccoli, and Cheddar Potato.
What are your favorite childhood snow day memories?
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A Scrambled Work-Life Balance + Reminder to Be Free
You may have noticed less posts than usual here this month, and that’s because my work-life balance has been majorly scrambled. January is always slower for work, which is honestly a blessing after the 60 hours a week I put in during the holiday season. But this month, my husband, who most of you know works for a band, has also been on tour for the last two weeks straight. In total, Robbie is gone about half the year, but he always come home once a week for two to three days, during which I work full time while he cares for our kids. When he is on the road, I have child care a couple of days a week to work, but the rest of the time it’s me being a (temporary) single parent, and I’m admittedly usually on the border of losing it by the time he arrives home. As much as I adore my kids, I’m more than ready to hand them off when he walks in the door. It can be a bit much for both of us at times, but over the years, we’ve created a routine that works well for both of our jobs and our roles as parents. But having him gone for two weeks (the longest in a row he’s been gone since before we had kids) and trying to work full time, get the kids to school and activities multiple times a day, get them fed and bathed and dressed, and taking care of stuff around the house, etc. without a break has been pretty freaking exhausting. I like to post here at least three times a week, but this month I just had to take a step back.
I will say that in the past, I probably would have stayed up until 2 AM to work, gotten four hours of sleep tops, and then pushed myself to run on fumes to get through each day. This year one of my goals has been to go easier on myself, and allowing myself some time to just breathe or meditate or watch freaking Netflix for a half hour before I go to bed (which has been by midnight every night) has definitely helped me operate on just more than survival mode during this time.
Essley and I stopped at a local forest preserve the day before Robbie left (back when it felt like early spring at the beginning of the month; it is 100% winter now), and I snapped these photos with my phone. When things have felt like too much over the last couple of weeks, I look at them as a reminder of how easy it is to take a moment to just allow myself to be free, like Essley. I mean, this girl is truly on the most free spirits humans I’ve ever met. It’s so easy to be inspired by that. It’s also kind of amazing how our little ones, no matter how much they push us to the edge, can be teachers to we adults, isn’t it?
Things will be back to normal here in February, both at home and here on Bubby and Bean. In the meantime, I’ll just going to do what I can, and keep looking at the photos as a reminder on the best way to be. I also want to give a major shout out to actual single working parents and those who have their partners gone for truly long periods (like those in the military). This shit is hard, man, and you are amazing and inspiring and strong.
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