For a blogger like myself, an organized desktop is a happy desktop. That’s why today I’m over at IHeart Organizing sharing how I tamed my mess of a desktop in just 30 minutes. Clickety click over to read the full post here. You might even find a free download for your very own desktop wallpaper!
In our family of 3, it’s very well established that Soda is our baby. But what would we do if we had a real (non-furry) baby? How would that work? Enter Tell Your Dog You’re Pregnant – An Essential Guide for Dog Owners who are Expecting a Baby by veterinarian and animal behaviourist, Dr Lewis Kirkham.
Seriously, if you’re pregnant, planning to have children, or just want to understand how your dog relates to children, do yourself a favour and get this book.
THE BOOK
Tell Your Dog You’re Pregnant is the ultimate guide for people expecting or trying for a baby and want to prepare their pet with minimal stress and change to their routines.
Filled with information, helpful tips and the latest behavioural knowledge, the book works from chapter to chapter walking you through the steps required to prepare your dog and your home for your new family member.
THE CD
With 13 different tracks featuring sounds, ranging from crying and giggling to bath-time, the CD works with the book to prepare your dog for your baby’s arrival. With detailed instructions on how to introduce these sounds to your pet, you’re able to analyse how your dog responds and develop an approach of introducing a baby to the household that is specific to their needs.
MYTH BUSTING!
In the first half of the book, a chapter is dedicated to busting myths surrounding babies and pets. Covering everything from “The dog will be jealous” to “The dog and the baby with instantly bond”, the guide allows you to see how preparation, observation and supervised interaction allows your dog to bond with your baby, all the while keeping safety as your number one priority.
ROUTINE AND ATTENTION
Possibly my favourite part of the book was the attention placed on the welfare and happiness of your dog. The fact that the guide is about ensuring everyone’s needs are met – the parents, the dog and the baby – is its crowning glory.
We all know the story – a friend has a much loved dog that sleeps on their bed and is the apple of their eye, only to be banished to the backyard when the new baby comes along. No one wants to be that person.
Through detailed tips – including establishing routines with your dog, ensuring one on one time, and baby-proofing their toys and bowls – the guide allows you to make your dog a priority during the transition. No jealous elder siblings, just happy families!
WHAT WE LOVED:
BEST FOR:
Tell Your Dog You’re Pregnant by Dr Lewis Kirkham can be purchased through Baby and Pet as an E-Book with MP3 audio or hardcopy version with CD. CLICK TO BUY
For more information, FAQs and testimonials visit Baby and Pet.
Wow – over the last weekend, dog lovers from across Australia swarmed to Melbourne to visit the inaugural Dog Lovers Show. It was heaven for every dog lover. After visiting every single one of the hundreds of exhibitors, here are the 5 Top Trends I took away…
INNOVATIVE TREATS
Say goodbye to the common dog treat. With dog owners sniffing out healthy treats, the focus is now on fresh, natural ingredients and innovative recipes – such as Pupcorn, Doggie Donuts and home made muffin kits. Stand out stalls included:
Diamond Dog Food & Bakery (pictured) – With a treat range featuring scores of original recipes, they have something for every dog. Their focus on fresh, natural ingredients is a huge plus.
Barkday Pawty – Creating handmade treats for pets, they also cater for pet parties – handling everything from cakes, treats, decorations and set up.
DESIGNER BEDDING
Portable, washable yet stylish bedding was at the forefront of the show. The trend towards travel beds, removable bed covers, and ergonomic design showed that owners are moving towards adaptable products without forsaking aesthetics. Stand out stalls included:
Dogtired – Launching at Dog Lovers, their lightweight, portable dog beds were truly a highlight featuring form and function.
Hey Pup – These innovators of the washable dog bed sheet cover show no signs of slowing down, introducing new colours into their bed cover range, and expanding into collars and toys.
ID Pet (Pictured) – A new release brand, ID Pet specialises in a product range featuring custom printed dog beds, leads, collars, clothing and toys. With a range of designs and bespoke products available, they’re one to watch.
RESCUE MATCHING
While rescue organistions have been matching the right owners to the right dog for a long time now, the dedicated rescue centre at Dog Lovers was a one-of-a-kind feature allowing Pet Rescue to work alongside breed specific rescue groups – all with the same goal of finding forever homes for rescue dogs. Stand outs included:
Pug Rescue & Adoption Victoria (Pictured) – With their gorgeous faces, and matching pink adoption bandanas, I don’t know how anyone could say no to these guys!
Kays Greys – Focused on finding forever homes for greyhounds, this group highlighted the plight of these gentle dogs exploited by the racing industry.
CREATIVE COLLARS
Decorative collars are exploding in Australia right now, with a focus on fashionable bow ties, special event collars and modern patterns. Stand out stalls included:
Remy & Co – Dedicated to collars alone, Remy and Co are the go-to place for stylish, modern collars made in Australia and abroad. Their range is expansive and has something for every dog.
Dharf (Pictured) – With an array of custom doggie bow ties, collars and bandanas, Dharf uses a range of patterns and designs from classic seersucker to modern neon. They also offer a bespoke service for weddings and special events, so your dog always looks their best.
Kelly and Sam – Another new launch, this boutique range features classic collars in pink, mint and lilac – making them ideal for preppy puppies.
LIFESTYLE TRAINING
Throughout the show, demonstration performances kept the crowds entertained. Lifestyle training shows were easily the most popular, from working dog demonstrations to training lectures, the spotlight was on allowing your dog to use their natural instincts and talents in positive, fun training sessions. Standouts included:
Farmer Dave - Former Big Brother contestant, Dave Graham, showed off how giving your dog a job allows them to use their natural instincts of herding.
The Wonderdogs (Pictured – photo by RoseHip Vital)- Celebrity vet, Dr Katrina Warren and trainer, Kelly Gill, took crowds through the paces of the positive reinforcement training that goes into creating the ‘Wonderdogs’. With take home tips, they highlighted how dog training is all about consistency and fun for your dog.
Did you visit the Dog Lovers Show?
What were your highlights?
Nothing makes me happier to find a corner of the internet that is all about being positive. When I first stumbled across lovelucygirl I knew Kayla was a person who not only loved her gorgeous dog Lucy, but loved life! Because isn’t that what it’s all about? Let’s meet this pair that have their joie de vivre on speed dial…
Who: Kayla and Lucy
Where: lovelucygirl
In A Nutshell: lovelucygirl is a lifestyle blog for the everyday girl. It’s a place where I share affordable style, beauty tips, home improvement ideas, DIY projects and the ins and outs of my everyday life. I think (hope) it relates to the normal girl by giving a glimpse into my life and seeing that we really are all the same at heart. We are all trying to be the best person, wife, daughter, friend we can be!
Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging to challenge myself in all areas of my life. Honestly, I was a HUGE online shopper and probably thought I needed to focus my energy else where or I was going to end up broke. SO I thought I would use that energy to create my own little style space that I now call lovelucygirl. It challenges me to come up with outfits that are already in my closet and use pieces that I had completely forgot about.
I also have so many favorite things to share, and why keep those to myself? It is so much fun to share my amazing finds online or a new beauty product that I’ve tried and can’t live without. My husband and I had also recently moved into our first house and I wanted to chronicle all the projects we were working on and the things we were updating. We were newlyweds, on a budget, and I wanted to share how others could update things in their home without having to purchase all new items.
Tell us about Lucy…
LUCY! She is the absolute LOVE of my life (besides my hubby). I could go on about her for days. She is so lovable, kind, sweet, friendly, energetic, carefree, protective and so many other wonderful things. Lucy is a mix between a daschund and a terrier. She is a total sassy-pants but is the best friend I’ve ever had.
She usually stays by my side all day. We wake up together and we play toys while I get ready for work in the mornings. She has the roam of the house while we are gone and greets us with the waggiest tail and lots of kisses when we get home. She sleeps right underneath my arm or on top of my head, when she wants to protect me. She makes us SO happy and I’m not sure what I’d do without her.
If Lucy was a superhero what would her name and power be?
If Lucy was a superhero her name would be Loving Lulu. She would go around solving all the problems in the world and make sure everyone was friends. She’s a total lover.. not a fighter.
How is Lucy involved in your blog?
Lucy is the true inspiration behind lovelucygirl (hence the name, haha). The blog was named after Lucy because she is so happy-go-lucky and light-hearted. She doesn’t have a care in the world and never meets a stranger. She makes everyone around her feel loved.
That is exactly how I want lovelucygirl to be perceived. I want everyone who visits to feel a part of it and be happy they stopped by. Lucy often makes and appearance on the blog and will tell you about what is going on during her life at the moment or tell you about a special puppy product she thinks you might want to try.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
My idea of the perfect day would be to wake up early in the morning, have a huge cup of Starbucks coffee, cuddle with Lucy in the bed while we read our favorite blogs or write our own. Then I would take a little shopping trip with my mom or friends, have a sushi lunch and find the perfect pair of new shoes. After shopping I would come home and take a nap with Lu, wake up and take her on a walk, have a lovely dinner with my hubby and then take a long bubble bath. To end the night I would curl up on the couch with Lucy and the hubby and watch movies.
What is your favourite blog/website and why?
I have way to many favorite blogs to name but a few are The Average Girl’s Guide, Penny Pincher Fashion, Glitter and Pearls and of course Pretty Fluffy. I love them all because I can totally relate to each and every one.
What is your #1 tip for other bloggers?
My number one tip for other bloggers would be to consult with other bloggers that have been doing this for a while. Build a community of blogging friends that you can rely on for advice + ask questions when you are totally confused. The knowledge that experienced bloggers have is SO valuable. Most bloggers are nice and will totally help you out – just send them an e-mail and be yourself!
Kayla’s TOP 5 Pretty & Fluffy picks…
1. Totally, totally love Pet Head’s dry shampoo for Lucy. It is perfect for when she has been playing outside but doesn’t necessarily need a bath. Just spray it on, brush it out and she smells like perfection!
2. I’m obsessed with Buxom’s lip plumper lip gloss. It comes in several colors and lasts stays on all day. Plus it gives your lips that extra boost!
3. Lucy’s favorite Etsy shop is BowWow Couture (pictured). They have the cutest Dog Collars and accessories. Lucy owns a few and proudly recommends them!
4. Can’t leave home without my Michael Kors gold watch! It is a total classic, timeless piece and works with any outfit!
5. I’m a total lover of scarves – in the winter & summer. My favorite ones are from Express. I love their infinity scarves (pictured). They are the perfect length and give just the right amount of fluffness to them.
