Why You Should Consider Adopting a Rescue Dog

I have a dear friend in Connecticut that was with me on my last scuba diving trip. It was the first time I had seen her in several years, and we enjoyed catching up. Since I am such an animal lover, she knew the first thing I would want to know about were her dogs. I asked her if I could share her story, because it represents so much of what we all go through when we have pets: joy, routine, heartbreak, and the decision to go through it all again!

Lily’s Story

I had Max, my Shih-Tzu/Maltese mix, for almost 16 years when he passed away. Life felt empty without him following me around the house, barking at people walking down the street, even sleeping next to me on the bed. I was sad.

Initially, I thought I …

Wedding Invitations Don’t Have to Be a Nightmare — Personalize Your Own at Hello!Lucky

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hello!Lucky. All opinions are 100% mine.

Every time I think of the stress that accompanies finding the perfect wedding invitations and making sure they show up on time and without error, I think of an episode of Gilmore Girls. Granted, I can very well compare most of life’s events to an episode of Gilmore Girls because I am one of those obnoxious fan types, but bear with me here. In this particular episode, Sookie’s wedding invitations arrive at the inn she works at with Lorelai. When Lorelai brings them into the kitchen, Sookie immediately begins to rip open the box, eager to see them while excitedly telling Lorelai how they are pearly white with a beautiful lavender stripe and how she …

Teaching Kids Responsibility: Don’t Go It Alone

Raising responsible, caring kids is a tall order, especially when we live in a society steeped in rampant consumerism and narcissism. The task can seem downright overwhelming at times, and I don’t believe parents can do it alone. We need all the help we can get.

Teachers and Other Caring Adults

My son had a fabulous student government teacher that believes high school is about more than algebra and college application essays. He believes that high school teachers can, and should, teach students lessons in integrity, service, and community involvement. Instead of asking continually for donations and pledges from community business owners, he constantly looks for opportunities for the students to serve the community.

Students are expected to complete at least 30 hours of community service on their own. Additionally, they complete several service …

Stop Bad Pet Behavior — Comfort Zone with Feliway Review

I have written about our younger cat Vincent here before, and about the behavioral issues we experienced with him from the time he first came to us when he was just 8 weeks old, up until fairly recently. Vincent was the second cat to come into our home. We also have Devin, a female cat who is significantly older than Vincent, so I really didn’t know what I was getting into when my partner and I were asked if we would be willing to take in a kitten who was very different than the exceptionally-behaved, low maintenance cat we had for years.

Vincent had energy like I had never seen before; he climbed up curtains, scratched our furniture obsessively, was afraid of the lid on his litter box, and would urinate where he slept, whether it …

Choosing a Pet: The 5 Best Pets for Children

“The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic.”
-Henry Warren

When I was a child, I put “puppy, kitten and small zoo” on every birthday and Christmas list I ever made. Children love animals, and many of them spend months and even years pleading with their parent for a pet. For their part, parents are often unconvinced that their children will be able to properly care for a pet. Choosing the right pet for your child can be challenging, and the truth is that there’s no universal perfect pet. Instead, it’s important to take into account your child’s age, responsibility level, and unique personality. There are good pet choices for almost every child, and here are five of the best.

Small Furry Animals

Small animals like guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits …

A Healthy Mom Means a Healthy Baby: 3 Important Pregnancy Health Tips to Practice Today

If you’re pregnant or trying to conceive, then you’re probably overwhelmed by all the information surrounding the topic. You can’t do this, you shouldn’t do that, you can’t eat this, and the list goes on and on.

The good news is that you can sit back and relax. It’s time to cut to the chase with the top three tips that you can use today to have a healthy, safe, and happy pregnancy before you welcome your bundle of joy into the world:

Consider your dental hygiene. When you’re pregnant, the last thing on your list may be making a dental appointment. But due to higher levels of progesterone and hormone changes during pregnancy, it can promote increased bacterial growth on your teeth. Basically, your gums will be much more susceptible to infection and inflammation, which leads …