Tag Archives: Motherhood

Have An Anxious Dog or Human: Try Happy Dogs CBD

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Max, our Old English Lab, suffers from separation anxiety and hyperactivity.

I never really noticed his anxiety until I started working away from home in the middle of last year. When I’d come home for lunch, there would be shoes torn apart or papers shredded. This was not typical behavior for him.

He’s always been a hyperactive dog. Mila and him play constantly and in the summer we take tons of walks. It never calms him down so he can relax.

After having some personal experience with CBD and seeing a post on Facebook about CBD oil and treats for dogs, I was curious in trying it for Max. So, I reached out to Happy Dogs CBD. They sent me CBD goodies to Max and me in exchange for a review.

Although I got the items for free, this is my honest review that I’m happy to share with you.

First, what’s CBD? It’s the second most prevalent ingredient in cannabis. So, yeah it’s in marijuana, but its not the ingredient that gets you high.

CBD is great for physical, emotional, and mental health. It’s know for it’s healing qualities.

In the past, it’s helped me with my anxiety, depression, and just overall mood. There’s many different ways to take CBD, but before Happy Dogs CBD gummies, I had only used the oil.

There’s SO much information about the benefits of CBD on the internet that is readily available.

Happy Dogs CBD sent Max and me four of their products: dog treats, oil, pain cream, and gummies. We have tried each product and I can confidently say we love them.

Every time Max sees me pull out his CBD treats, he gets so excited. It’s definitely not like trying to get him to take medications. He seems to enjoy their taste and has taken the bag out of my hands a few times.

I only give him two of these treats when I have to leave for school or if I feel like he’s anxious.

He can also take the CBD oil. When I give him this, I put it over his canned food in the morning before I leave for work. I’ve followed the dosage on the back and it works for him.

Again, he eats his food like normal and doesn’t notice a taste with the oil.

Both CBD treatments have worked wonders for Max. He’s much more calm and during the day, he’s able to be okay with just his bones and music playing. It’s been so nice to have him not get so excited. He would always jump and scratch me or accidentally run MIla over. Now we can actually play with him and he settles down after a while.

The toughest thing about starting CBD is getting the dosage right. I found that giving him it every day is too much for him. So, I’ll either give him the treats OR the oil and space a day in between.

This is the best for Max. Obviously, every dog has their individual needs. If you try these CBD treats, you’ll have to do what works for your dog… and self!

I was happy to try Happy Dogs CBD for people! Humans can use the same oil dogs do.

All you need is to put the correct dosage under your tongue for forty-five seconds. Then swallow the rest.

They also sent CBD gummies, just for human consumption. I take two every other day, if I don’t use the oil.

Just like dogs, people need to find the dosage that works for them.

The first day I took them, I got really sleepy. I’m unsure if it was a mix of not feeling my normal anxiety or if I just took too high of a dose. Either way, I kept taking them and feel amazing.

Happy Dogs CBD also sent some of their pain cream. I used it on my neck and felt a difference quickly. Honestly, I’ve only used it twice, but the times I did use it, I could tell a big difference. I think it’s a great option for individuals who are looking for a new pain cream.

Over all, I’m so impressed with the quality of the CBD and products in general. Their customer service rocks and they just want to help your him have Happy Dogs and humans!

If you’re looking for a natural way to treat hyperactivity, anxiety, joint pain, and yours and your pets overall health, you should look in CBD oil.

Happy Dogs CBD is such a great company to interact and work with. They shipped their products fast and safe too.

All of their products are great quality and I’ll definitely purchase more in the near future.

You can use their discount code ‘buy2get1’ to buy two of their products and get one for free. They’re also currently running a sale.

This is a wonderful time to help your dog and you improve your health.

I promise you won’t regret it!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried CBD products and let me know what you think of Happy Dog’s products.

Happy Dog’s CBD contact information:

One Way to Trick Your Toddler Into Brushing Their Teeth.

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If your child is anything like mine, they can’t stay still. Especially when they’re doing something as mundane as brushing their teeth.

I’ve finally found the trick to get Mila to brush her teeth and do it right.

All it took was Pizza and his friends.

Okay, I know everyone loves Pizza updates. You’d never imagine how central he is in our everyday life. This time, it was finally for my advantage though.

Mila has had issues with brushing her teeth since the beginning. I would have to hold her down to get them cleaned

I did different tricks like making her laugh, having her brush mine then me hers, and changing her tooth paste and brushes. For a few months, I even told her they’d fall out if we didn’t brush them. Some things worked… for a little while.

This time though, I’ve found the golden ticket

Since Mila has started dance class, she’s become this little performer. All eyes have to be on her and she loves when she gets to teach dance moves.

One morning, when it was time to brush her teeth, she did her usual refusal.

She was playing with Pizza and his friends and a light bulb went off. I asked her if Pizza knew how to brush his teeth. She said no and I asked her if she wanted to teach him.

Weirdly, she said yes.

For the extended weekend, she had to have an audience while brushing her teeth. I set them up in the morning and she did her lesson.

Now that it’s routine, she doesn’t give any complaints when I ask her to brush her teeth.

All it took was the power of teaching, Pizza, and a few toys.

Does your child have any issues with teeth brushing? What are some tricks you’d share that made the journey easier?

Toddler Activity: Mardi Gras Beads Process Art

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Happy Fat Tuesday!

If you’re looking for a quick activity to do with your child today, this one goes perfectly when listening to some jazz music.

You probably have most of the supplies at home too. Here’s all you need:

  • Paint (purple, gold, green)
  • Canvas
  • Beads

Since everyone knows we love process art here, using beads is a fun way to create.

I chose traditional Mardi Gras colors for Mila to use and we had some random beads already here. There were two different sized beads she used too!

All you have to do is instruct your child to dip the beads in the paint and drop them on the canvas.

It can get a little messy, so put paper underneath.

I had to help Mila get paint on the beads. It’s a little tricky, but older kids shouldn’t have a problem with it. It’s also nice to make sure to leave one part of the necklace clean so it’s easy to grab.

I absolutely love how this painting turned out. It would be cute to add an outlined fleur-de-lis too!

Mila loved being introduced to jazz music too. She dipped the necklaces along with the beat! Next year I’ll have to find a beignet recipe!

If you decide to do this activity with your child, let me know how it goes in the comments!

For more Mardi Gras activities check out these blog posts:

To the Women Who Puts Everyone Else First:

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I know how these days feel.

You try to share you love to everyone you hold close to your heart. No matter what’s going on, making sure they feel loved is most important.

There are nights you don’t sleep to make sure everything gets done for them.

When you need something like clothes or a new haircut, you make sure your kids or partner have them first.

Sometimes you spend hours listening to others to make sure they’re okay. You know your problems will work themselves out eventually.

Instead of a long hot bath or shower, you rush through yours or share them with your littles.

Your meals are cold because you make sure everyone else gets full first.

We put them first because we love them. We’re the glue the helps holds those we love together.

But…

You deserve the same love you give to others.

Never forget that you deserve a good nights sleep, a new hair cut and clothes, knowing your problems are important, a long shower or bath, and a hot meal.

That’s just touching the surface of all you deserve and need.

It’s hard to put yourself first or accept the love that we give out. When you do, don’t feel selfish. You are in need of those things too.

You cannot continue keeping everyone else afloat when you’re drowning.

Allow yourself that space. You’re worth it.

When you put yourself first sometimes, you give all those you love the opportunity to be around the best you.

More importantly, you get to give yourself that love that you pour into others.

You deserve all the things you want and more.

Love,

Another Woman Who Puts Others Before Herself

Red Velvet Cookie Recipe

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If you need a last minute Valentine’s Day treat/present or are really craving something delicious, you’ll love these cookies.

They take about twenty minutes to make and everyone will want more. It’s easy too!

This recipe also reminds me of Jensen. I craved these throughout my pregnancy. They’re always fun to make and honor him too.

The best part of this recipe is there’s only FOUR ingredients:

  • Red Velvet Cake Box
  • Two Eggs
  • 1/3 Cup of Vegetable Oil
  • Powdered Sugar

First, preheat your over to 375.

Then mix the red velvet cake box, eggs, and oil together. It’ll get to a cookie dough consistency. When it does stop mixing.

Next, make the dough into little balls. I did one at a time and then coated them into powdered sugar. Without the powdered sugar, they’ll stick to a baking sheet. That makes it hard to pick them back up again.

Put them in the oven for ten minutes.

After you pull them out, you’ll notice they’ll fall. Don’t worry, they’re not supposed to stay risen. They still taste fluffy!

One little word of caution with the doughs stickiness… throw some flour or something on your hands.

Mila tried to help before I could cover her hands and…

She had fun helping roll little cookie balls, but it got messy quick!

This would definitely be a great and quick way to surprise your kids, partner, or whoever your celebrating Valentine’s Day with!

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments.

Toddler Activity: Icy Heart Melt

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Two science activities in two days? Yep!

This ice vs. salt activity is a fun way to freeze time for you and keep your toddler busy. It challenges them to see what’s making the ice melt and how they can do it quicker.

Before doing this activity, you have to freeze ice cubes. I used a mini heart mold, but you can use anything. To get the colors, I used food coloring.

Here’s what we used to set up and do this activity:

All I told her before I let her experiment was to melt the ice. I told her salt and blowing on it would help.

I’m all for giving myself some time to clean or cook. Mila played with this set up for quite a while.

She gave me enough time to cook and clean up, which is a win for me.

After she was done, I let the liquid dry and brushed the salt off of it. With this you can hang it up, have your child make a picture with it, or incorporate them into a Valentine’s Day card.

We had a ton of fun doing Valentine’s Day activities this year. I can’t wait to see what we get into next!

As always, I hope you enjoy this little icy heart melt. If you experiment to, make sure to let me know how it went.

Toddler Activity: Candy Heart Science Experiment

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Valentine’s Day projects don’t always have to be sweet. This spin on a classic science project is just as fun and festive for toddlers.

Most people will have the basic supplies for this already at home too!

Here’s what we used:

  • Conversation heart candies
  • Rubber heart tray
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar
  • Cup
  • Eye dropper

Before we started, we did a little stacking game to see who could stack the hearts the highest. We also did a color match game too.

These little conversation hearts have so many different and educational uses.

Back to the experiment though.

I had Mila place all the candy hearts into the mini heart molds. Once they were all placed, the fun really happened.

Since it was her experiment, I had her place as much baking soda on the hearts as she wanted.

Then, with an eye dropped, she added vinegar.

Although adults know this reaction and I’ve done this a few times with Mila, she’s always amazing.

She kept saying how cool it was to make bubbles and was perplexed when the bubbles changed colors. It always makes me laugh when we do this too because she ends up pouring everything out.

There’s always a big reaction.

Even after being told that the candies were covered in vinegar, mila wanted to eat them.

Thankfully, she didn’t get any!

This Valentine’s Day science experiment was a fun one for us. It’s simple enough to let them do supervised, but complicated enough to help them learn more through it.

We’ll definitely keep doing this experiment, but this is great you have a science minded kid. It’s fun for them see the hearts and come up with their reasons as to why the hearts have disappeared or gotten smaller.

If you give this experiment a try, let me know in the comments.

Toddler Activity and Snack: National Pizza Day

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Today is National Pizza Day.

I love that it feels like everyday is a holiday. It makes not being able to do things like normal feel a little more special.

Anyways, since Mila is learning to count, I decided to make a fun counting activity and a pizza wrap for the occasion. Of course, her friend, Pizza, had to be involved too.

All I used for this little activity was construction paper, a crayon, scissors, and tape!

I divided the pizza up into eight slices. Then cut out enough square pepperonis for them all the have the correct number on them.

If your child is working on scissor skills, this would be great for them too.

This is a simple activity, but the repetitiveness helps solidify their counting skills. Mila has a hard time with four and five and likes to skip them. By doing this activity, it made her see four and five and do it eight times in a row.

I also love that she’s using her fine motor skills to pick up and place the small pieces on the pizza.

After she went through the activity once, she had time just playing with the little pieces. Pizza and her Barbie dog enjoyed it as well.

Even though this is a simple game to put together, it really does help with counting. It’s always such a good feeling to see them put their knowledge to use. Not just repeating numbers. Plus it gave me time to make food too.

Of course, we had to make something pizza inspired for the day!

Using the same wrap style as I did for the Cheesy Beef Quesadilla, Mila and I had cheesy, pizza wraps.

All you need are these things:

  • Tortilla
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Cheese
  • Any toppings you’d like!

Make a cut halfway through and down the center. Then add pizza sauce and cheese all over it.

Next fold the tortilla and place it on a hot pan.

Once it’s brown on both sides, you can take it off and serve it. I turned the pan on a lower setting so the cheese could melt more.

We love having handheld food, especially when it tastes so yummy.

We had a blast celebrating National Pizza Day!

One funny thing that did happen was Mila thought it was Pizza the Sloths birthday. So, it was just a day of being happy for all types of pizzas.

I hope you can make or order some pizza in really soon!

If you do the counting activity, let me know how your child likes it.

Also, check out these two AMAZING pizza recipes from my friends Erica and Irma. Erica did an amazing Rainbow Veggie Pizza that I want to immediately make. Irma made a yummy bubble pizza too. Another recipe I’ll try soon too!

Italian Chicken Dinner Recipe

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I know I say this with almost all my recipes, but this is truly an easy recipe. This Italian chicken dinner recipe comes with potatoes, green beans, and a lot of Italian seasoning.

It’s be perfect to make for a romantic dinner or putting it in your meal rotation.

Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Here’s all you need:

  • Chicken breasts (I used four for lunch leftovers)
  • Green beans (I used frozen)
  • Russet potatoes (2)
  • Zesty Italian dressing mix
  • Salt and pepper
  • Butter

Preheat your oven to 350.

Then peel your potatoes and cut them and the chicken into bite sized pieces. You can leave the chicken as whole breasts, but it gets more seasoned when cut before.

If you have fresh green beans, you’ll also want to cut them into smaller pieces.

Place the chicken in the middle of a pan with the potatoes and green beans sandwiching it. This way the chicken gets the most flavor.

Next, evenly pour over a packed of zesty Italian seasoning, leave some behind to season the other side. Then top with salt and pepper.

Grab a stick of butter and evenly cut slices of it. Place over top the chicken, green beans, and potatoes.

Put the dish in the oven for forty-five minutes.

Then take out your dish to mix or flip (whatever’s easier for you) each section and add the rest of the seasoning too.

Pop your dish back in the oven for fifteen more minutes.

When it’s all done, it’s ready to serve.

I seriously was pleasantly surprised with how this turned out! If you’ve read my recipe posts before, I’m not super confident with chicken. Yet, this meal gave me the chicken confidence boost I needed.

Mila loved it and I loved being able to have amazing tasting leftovers for work.

As always, let me know if you try this recipe!

You have the strength.

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Whenever I’m feeling down, I remember I have the most important cheerleader looking up at me. 

She reminds me that I have the strength, especially when she hits this power pose.

Even on the days, I can’t imagine getting through, I know she’s watching. She reminds me that with love and determination, I can accomplish anything. 

Now I know motherhood, and parenthood, in general, is hard. It’s even harder when the last year has been all out of whack. We’ve been through a pandemic, crazy election, and overall change in every aspect of life. 

Somehow, we’re still doing it. Every day we come back better than ever. Before we know it, this hellacious time will be over. 

Today, I’m going to be your cheerleader and verbally scream online, you have the strength. 

If twenty-two grown men can go play a football game and are considered strong, you have the strength to do anything you set your mind on. 

When your kids (human, animal, or plant) are demanding all your attention, you have the strength to keep doing it. 

You have the strength of all the energy you put out in the world because all that good comes back.

No matter how long we have left with this pandemic and lockdown, you have the strength to do your best with it all. 

You have the strength to decide what’s best for you.

During your time at work, school, or home with your children, you have the strength to crush all your goals. Whatever goal you have, big or small, I know you’ll hit it.

You have the strength to be the badass woman (or man) you’ve always been. 

On the days where you don’t feel strong enough to keep going, I know you will find the strength to keep moving forward. 

You have the strength of the stubborn toddler you raised.

If you haven’t raised a toddler… I’m still cheering on that strength to you because the energy that’s in a toddler could move mountains. Everyone deserves that.

You have the strength.