The Blog

Dr. Brook Niemiec Shares the Important Role Oral Health Plays in Our Pets’ Lives

I know there are a lot of pet parents out there. I’m one of them. Our house is full of animals. We have 3 dogs {yes, we might be crazy!}, a ferret and a bearded dragon. But what many pet parents don’t realize is that the oral care of our pets plays an important role in their overall health.

We’ve all heard the term “dog breath”, but did you know that bad breath in dogs is not “normal”? It is actually a sign of poor oral health and potentially dental disease. In fact, by age 3, 80% of dogs show signs of oral disease, which can also lead to systematic disease of the heart, kidney and lungs.

Dr. Brook Niemiec has joined us in a video sharing his tips on caring for your dog’s oral health. If brushing seems to often slip your mind, try some dental chews and treats instead. I encourage you to watch Dr. Niemiec’s short video below. He shares some great points and tips for the overall oral health of your pet.

In the video Dr. Niemiec talks about service dogs and the importance of their oral health. You see these dogs play a huge role in someone’s life and their oral health care isn’t always easily attainable. That’s why the GREENIES? Brand has partnered with the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) in the Oral Care for Service Dogs program. Together, they will help fund the cost of vital dental care procedures for service dogs through grants. With this program, service dogs will be able to visit board-certified veterinary dentists to get the oral care that they need.

The GREENIES? Brand has pledged a $20,000 grant to support dental care for service dogs and will, through the remainder of October, activate pet owners and bloggers online to spread news about pet oral health as a means to realize the full donation amount:

Each new like on The GREENIES? Brand’s page on Facebook will activate a $1 donation to the Oral Care for Service Dogs program

Each tweet that uses #greeniesgives on Twitter will activate a $1 donation to the Oral Care for Service Dogs program

For every blog post written about the importance of pet oral health and how GREENIES? Dental Chews and Treats help to keep pets healthy and happy, The GREENIES? Brand will donate $100 to the Oral Care for Service Dogs program

You’ll be able to see this in action because the GREENIES? Brand will share real life stories and photos of these service dogs through their Facebook page. So if you’re a pet lover, I encourage you to “Like” the GREENIES? Facebook page right away!

I’ve shared below “The Truth About Pets & Bad Breath inforgraphic which has some shocking truths and is worth a look!

Headbands of Hope – Fashion for a Cause

Blog· Review

I am writing to tell you about an amazing company called Headbands of Hope, that sells an American-made line of colorful and trendy headbands. What makes them special is that for every headband purchased one is given to a little girl with cancer and $1 is donated to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to fund much needed childhood cancer research. Fashion for a cause ? what is better than that!

Cancer is such a scary thing, especially for kids. I love how these headbands can help put a smile on their faces! Please check out the video of the Founder of Headbands for Hope, Jessica, as she shares with you what makes this so important.

Most little girls wear headbands and even I like to wear headbands to keep my long hair out of my face. These are about the same price as other headbands I see around but with a much better reason to buy them!

I am a runner so I especially love the sweaty-band that they sell! This particular one is made to be no-slip so even on long runs your hair is out of your face!

These would make perfect gifts this holiday season for the little girls in your life. Think stocking stuffers for the holidays! Remember that Headbands for Hope is Fashion with a Cause!

Connect:

You can connect with Headbands for Hope on Facebook, Pinterest and/or @headbandsofHope on Twitter!

Buy It!

You can purchase headbands starting at $9.75.

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

CARS 3D Ultimate Collector’s Edition & My Super Cars Fan!

Blog· Review

~I received CARS 3D Ultimate Collectors Edition for review. Opinions and stories and the little CARS fan are my own.~

One of my son’s favorite things in the whole wide world is Cars. Every day he plays with his Cars, since he is an avid collector. I was so excited the day I got to show him the CARS 3D Ultimate Collector’s Edition! The very first thing he did was grab all his cars and put them up on the T.V. stand.

The 3D Ultimate Collectors Edition includes the 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy. The clarity on the Blu-ray copy is phenomenal. I was so used to the SD version that I was completely floored by the color and depth that the collection had to offer. I have literally seen this movie every single day for the last two weeks and it never ceases to amaze me.

Hotshot rookie racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is living life in the fast lane until he hits a detour on his way to the most important race of his life. Stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on the old Route 66, he meets Sally, Mater, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) and a variety of quirky characters who help him discover that there’s more to life than trophies and fame.

Living in the Midwest, there is a deep appreciation for small towns and out of the way places. My husband and I grew up in small forgotten towns with dirt roads and what seemed to be only a handful of people. Many of the places we love are like Lizzy’s Curios shop, forgotten little shops tucked away with memories of once being grand. The story of CARS is close to our hearts. Both of us having moved from the small towns into cities for years, we know the difference and we see year by year how some of those towns are disappearing just like Radiator Springs.

There is something beautiful about the idea of modernity coming into the stagnant past and giving it new life, as Lightning McQueen had. And how the slower, more tight knit communities hidden in the world can also show people a thing or two about trust, compassion towards each other and friendship. So while my Tot just loves the fast racing cars who he calls his “friends”, I love the movie because it also reminds me of home.

The Ultimate Collectors Edition includes these bonus features!

Epilogue
Inspiration for Cars
Five Deleted Scenes
Cars Short: ?Mater and the Ghostlight?
Theatrical Short: ?One Man Band?
Cine-Explore
Carfinder
Boundin? Cars
Doc Short
and more!

These are only available on the Ultimate Collectors Edition. One of the neatest bonus features is the Carfinder which showcases all the cars in the movie! It is part of a game where you have to point out all the cars you see as fast as you can. Tot just likes to go through the car list and see which ones he has.

This is a wonderful collection with a lot of new additions for CARS fans, young and old! With the Holidays coming up, this is a must-have for collectors and a gift that any child with a love for CARS would be ecstatic to have.

CARS 3D The Ultimate Collectors Edition releases today! You can pick it up while you are out shopping or snag it on Amazon for $34.96!

Spend Less Time in the Kitchen with the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven with Rotisserie

Blog· Review

I’m a busy mom and I don’t always have the time that I wish I had to slave in the kitchen. Some may call me a stay at home mom. However, I am actually a work at home mom. I work anywhere from 40-60 hours each week, plus I have household chores to do like laundry, cleaning and cooking. I swear my family thinks that I just sit at the computer and play all day, that the money just magically appears in my account. The workload never ends.

That being said, I heard about something that could save me time in the kitchen and I jumped all over it! In fact, I could save 1/3 of my time cooking. That’s huge to me!

Pressure Controlled EnvironmentImagine the speed and flavor infusion of a pressure cooker expanded to the versatile function of a countertop oven. With the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven you can roast, bake, broil, toast and re-heat, all in record time. The heat is in constant contact with the food for perfect, even browning and caramelization.Pressure meets VersatilityPoultry cooks in a third of the time. Steaks and ribs are finished in record time. Roast tender vegetables more quickly. Even baked goods rise perfectly faster than normal in this incredible electric oven.

When my Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven with Rotisserie arrived, I couldn’t wait to start cooking in it. But I just kept putting off setting it up because I figured it would be a whole ordeal. However, that was not the case at all! The oven was pretty much fully assembled, we just had to put the accessories in it.

It came with a Baking/broil rack, Drip/baking pan, Roasting pan, Crumb tray and Rotisserie kit – includes rod, tines and rotisserie-removal tool. A recipe booklet was also included.

We put it right on our counter-top, where it fit perfectly. It really doesn’t take up much space at all! It’s stainless steel, so it blends in with our other counter-top appliances nicely!

I was ultimately surprised at how much room was inside of this oven. It was more spacious than I thought it would be! There is definitely plenty of room to cook in.

The rotisserie is my husband’s favorite feature since he really enjoys rotisserie chicken. He is so excited to make a rotisserie chicken in it, so we will be trying that later on this week. It’s also great for a tenderloin as well!

Before using our oven, we had to do a trial run to eliminate any protective substance on the heating elements. Once that run was over, we popped in some brownies. I love that you can see how the food is coming along right through the window on the oven door. It helped reduce the amount of times that I had to open the door to check on the brownies. They were done in no time flat.

Now, I will admit. I did make a mistake. I lined the baking pan with foil because I didn’t want the pan to be ruined when we cut into the brownies. The foil made the edges get done faster than the middle. I do not recommend doing this and really, I should have known better! They were still quite tasty though!

Our overall opinion of the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven with Rotisserie is quite favorable. It will definitely come in handy on nights when I need to get dinner finished more quickly. Holiday baking will also be a breeze between this and our regular oven! I’ll be sure to share the recipes as I try them too.

With our large family and the amount of time spent in the kitchen cooking, the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven with Rotisserie is going to be a huge time {and sanity} saver for me! My husband also plans to take it with him to Deer Camp each year since there aren’t any cooking facilities, aside from a microwave oven. This Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven with Rotisserie with help ensure that my boys are eating properly while on the hunt!

Connect:

You can connect with Wolfgang Puck’s Oven on Facebook, Pinterest and/or @WP_PressureOven on Twitter!

Buy It!

You can buy the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven with Rotisserie for $299.95

DIY Chocolate scented Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair

Blog· DIY

My hair has gotten increasingly wavy since I had my two boys. And I’m not talking about the sexy beach blown wavy either, my hair is wavy in all the wrong places. This means that in order for my hair to look half way decent I have to flat iron it. I don’t have a ton of hair, but it definitely takes some time to do and it is not something I want to do everyday. I usually wash and flat iron my hair every other day. But on the second day, my roots start to look a little greasy. Enter Dry Shampoo. I have recently become obsessed with this stuff, but the kind that comes in the aerosol can is expensive. I’m talking 8 bucks or so a can and it only lasts a month. I need something that is going to work and costs me next to nothing to make. So here?is what?I have?been using as an easy and super inexpensive DIY dry shampoo for dark hair.

DIY dry shampoo for dark hair

What you need:

1 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (skip this if you have light hair)
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
Essential oil of your choice if you would like it to be scented. I skipped this because I already had the sweet smell of cocoa, but you may want to add EO to yours if you are just using the cornstarch.
Something to store it in, I used an empty spice container that I had on hand.

How to Apply:

Start by applying to your main part. Sprinkle just a bit down that part line.
Section hair off into quadrants and apply to those partings as well. Apply lightly at first, you can always go back in and add more if you need it.
Run your fingers through your hair to distribute the dry shampoo. You want it to blend into your hair so it does not look too powdery.
Run?a brush through it and you should be good to go.

I hope that you love this really easy and inexpensive Dry Shampoo as much as I do.

« Previous Page