If you read my post on 5 Easy Ways to Teach Kids Respect for Dogs, you may be interested in this post too! Here are 5 easy-read books that will teach your children how to properly interact with dogs. Tails Are Not For Pulling If pets could talk, what would they say? Maybe “Fur is for petting, backs are for scratching, noses are for nuzzling... and tails are not for pulling!” Toddlers and pets belong together—as long as toddlers don’t chase, grab, squeeze, yank, and tease. In simple words and delightful illustrations, this book teaches the basics of kindness to animals: careful handling, aware ..read more

If you haven’t heard of Fat Brain Toys, then I am positive you have at least seen their amazing products! If you haven’t, then you probably live under a rock. (I’m sure it’s a nice rock though!) If you have been to my house on any occasion, I would say a solid 50% of the toys your kid played with are from Fat Brain Toys. (We’re pretty obsessed with them!) Fat Brain Toys is a company that specializes in educational toys and games for children. There are several benefits associated with their products. Here are a couple handfuls of the reasons I could list right off the top of my… brain! EDU ..read more

Before Liam was born, we had to make sure Abbie and Gunner were ready for a tiny human. I would never ever want to take a chance in something happening to any of our babes! Abbie and Gunner are great with kids, but... Our dogs were our first children and we didn't want them to resent us or our baby. Also, Abbie doesn't like to share her toys and Gunner gets too excited sometimes! So, we naturally had concerns as soon-to-be first-time parents! We went to the expert on how to prepare our pups for the meeting of our son. Stephen from On Point K9 has kids of his own so we knew he'd be a great reso ..read more

WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS I am no stranger to living on a budget. I grew up with a single mother who showed me how to take life’s lemons and make lemonade, lemon tart, and lemon meringue. This glitter-magic has come in handy when turning mediocre things into exceptional things! One of our family goals over the next couple of years is to get (mostly) out of debt. Although this goal seems inconvenient often (especially when you you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck), it has amplified my ingenuity and helped me enjoy the affordable things in life. Photo Credit: jonathanpielmayer THE VALENTINE’S ..read more

Having a designated playroom with quality toys is essential to a child’s growth and development. When you have an organized playroom with carefully chosen toys, it allows your child to engage in creative, independent play. It has positive effects on the brain by helping their ability to learn by doing, it encourages sharing and cooperative play, and helps them learn about their emotions and how to gain self-control. Here are 10 playroom items that your child will benefit from playing with. Activity Table from Fat Brain Toys This is not your everyday run-of-the-mill activity table. It’s the p ..read more

Who knew that such a dog-friendly city was right under our noses?!! In general, Dallas/Fort-Worth is pretty dog-friendly (thank goodness), but Plano is a certified Better City For Pets, within driving distance for many Texans, a short plane ride away for many Americans, and is SUCH a fun destination for you and your fur baby! My family and I recently went on a weekend getaway to explore Plano and all it has to offer dog moms like YOU! Something that stood out to us when we searched for “nearby dog-friendly destinations”, was that Plano is one of only twenty-five Better Cities For Pets in the ..read more

Being admitted to the hospital with your child is a challenge. Unexpectedly being admitted to the hospital is even more of a challenge. I’m not trying to brag or anything, but I feel like I’m a pro when it comes to staying in the hospital with my little ones. Reagan spent 155 days in the hospital during her first year of life; 130 in the NICU, 4 days in the PICU, and 21 days admitted to regular rooms. Since these were on 4 separate occasions, I’ve learned a thing or two about what makes the stay more comfortable. Here are 5 Uncommon Essentials for Extended Hospital Stays: 1. Mattress topper ..read more

I’ve been researching calming treats lately because I have some big trips coming up! I don’t want the dogs to be super anxious while I’m gone and I can’t rely on dog sitters to apply their essential oils and give their medicine as necessary. As I have found calming treats online and in stores, I noticed that most of them contain CBD oil but not much else. So, I decided to make my own natural treats! INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 free-range, large egg 1 cup Pic’s smooth peanut butter 2 ½ cups organic whole wheat flour ¾ cups nonfat milk 2 tablespoons USDA organic honey ..read more

Have you noticed how often your floors look and feel dirty? If your kids and dogs are anything like my kids and dogs, they track inside exponential amounts of dirt and debris and anything else they can get their hands and paws on and into! Since we have a little immunocompromised baby girl crawling around and we enjoy getting on the floor to wrestle with the boys and the dogs, I want to be sure we aren’t roughhousing in germs and bacteria! Enter stage, Quantum X. I was such a believer in the pet vacuum from Dyson. I thought, “Oh, this is the most expensive animal vacuum from Dyson so it MUST b ..read more

I’m all about getting better sleep when the dogs are in bed with us (and when they choose to sleep in their own beds) and I’m also all about making Abbie and Gunner feel comforted when we’re away. So, when I saw that GhostBed had an available campaign for their down-alternative pillow (GhostPillow), I knew I wanted to try it out! I have read some pretty amazing reviews online and wanted to test it out for myself… and I’m so glad I did! This huggable pillow takes comfort to a whole new level, y’all! The interior of the pillow has microgel fibers that don't retain heat so you don’t sweat even ..read more