Dog treats!
All the time on Facebook, my friends post horror stories, warnings, snippets intitled “Don’t do this or this will happen to you.” Today it was a warning against giving my dog chicken strips dog treats. And like usual, I go do a google search to check the validity of the warning posts.
For one of the first times, a post actually had some validity. It seems that those inexpensive, huge packs of chicken jerky we pick up at our local superstores actually could be harming our dogs. According to one article by a vet, something in the chicken actually causes a syndrom in our dogs, making their kidneys go wonkey. Doing further research, I found that this has been going on since at least 2008. No forced recalls that I could find, just voluntary ones.
So by the looks of it, any chicken made anywhere could actually harm your dog. I wouldn’t take a chance on it. Stick to other treats and snacks for now. You can read the 2 articles I read here, http://www.askavetquestion.com/news/2011/chicken-jerky-fanconi/ and http://dogfoodchat.com/kramar-dog-food-recall/.
One thing we did for our omnivorous lab/rott mix was purchase a small bag of a different type of dogfood than we normally feed him. For him it was kibbles and bits. He daily eats IAMS. But for treats and training we’ll give him a few kibbles and bits. It’s inexpensive, different than his normal dogfood so it’s still a treat and it has different shapes and textures to keep him interested. Much less expenive than the $20 for 8 ounces of liver treats he got during training.
Cold Season, How to deal with a Nosebleed.
It’s not uncommon for our kids to get a nosebleed when they have a cold. Nonetheless, it still freaks you out to see blood pouring out of your child’s nose. First rule of thumb is don’t panic, even if you feel paniced inside, don’t let them see it, they’ll be even more scared.
Get a paper towel or tissues to press against the nose. Then pinch gently but firmly the fleshy part of the nose right above the nostrils, below the boney part at the bridge of the nose. Keep pressure on it and usually within 10 minutes the bleeding will stop. Make sure they tilt their head forward and not backward. If it bleeds down into their throat it can cause gagging, coughing and if the blood pools in their stomach it can make them nauseous. All of which in turn can cause their nose to bleed again!
I stumbled across a great website that has some tips on our kids health! Kidsheal.org has a plethora of information!
IHOP at home stuffed pastries
Lately I’ve been trying quite a few easy food products. The ones you can have for a quick lunch or snack. This past week I tried a new product called IHOP at home stuffed pastries. They came in several varieties with several different flavors within those varieties.
They have the Omlete Crisper which comes in egg and cheese, country style, bacon and cheese and sausage and cheese. Then you have the Griddle and Sausage wraps, which come in griddle and sausage and blueberry griddle and sausage. I opted for the French Toast Stuffed Pastries variety, since I have a sweet tooth.
The French toast varieties come in strawberry, strawberry cream cheese, cinnamon apple, sweet cream cheese and the flavor I tried, blueberry. They were quick and easy to make in the microwave. Unlike a lot of microwave pastries, it didn’t take 3 times to get it to heat through thoroughly.
Being easy to cook was pretty much the only really good thing about it. The pictures show it litterally bursting with blueberry stuffing, yet I’d guess there was maybe a teaspoonful in the middle, baked into the pastry and not a dollop of juicy filling. The pasty portion itself wasn’t bad, but it seemed awfully dry and kind of rubbery textured. Being the good friend that I am, I made everyone else try one along with me.
I don’t rate my food reviews, but this one would get a low score. I would not recommend it as a product to pickup for a quick snack for your family. Give this one a pass.
Edy’s Shakes and Smoothies!
I think I’ve mentioned before that I work at a retailer. One thing I’m known for is the fact that I love our new products. If it’s new, I buy it and try it and make everyone else at work try it.
This week I tried Edy’s shakes and smoothies. They come in 8 flavors; cookies and cream, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry banana, mixed berry, sunrise blend and tropical. I bought one of each flavor and made my family try them out with me. They were $1 each at my local Wal-mart.
I personally loved the fruit flavored smoothies. My husband liked the vanilla the best. Strawberry was ok but not strawberry enough. Chocolate was good and the cookies and cream is just like most cookies and cream flavors.
The nice thing is they are super easy to make, just add a little bit of your favorite milk and stir. They’re easy to mix, not to hard and you can customize your consistancy. My husband likes his thick, so he adds less milk. I have a friend who likes Soy or almond milk and you can use that also. My son had the great idea to spice up the chocolate with adding already chocolate milk for a double chocolatey taste.
They’re a great quick snack. No mess to clean up. The calories aren’t bad, only 170 to 270 depending on the shake or smoothie. You can also eat them like an ice cream and not add the milk.
To try one a little cheaper, check out the coupon at Edys.com. The $1 coupon lets you try one for free if your store sells them for $1 like mine does!
Keurig coffee maker
If you haven’t gathered by now from all my other posts about the subject, I’m a true coffee aficionado. I drink coffee every day. I love the smell, the taste. I hardly drink anything other than coffee or water. Last year my husband and I bought my mom a Keurig machine. We figured with her being single, a one cup brewing system would be perfect. I liked hers so much that I begged my husband to get me one, and the next holiday he did.
Coffee!!!
I love coffee. The taste, the smell, the subtle difference in flavors between types. On my list of dream jobs would definitely be tasting or working with and around coffee. In my home, growing up and now, there is always a pot of coffee on or ready to be made. Come to my house and the first thing I’ll ask you is if you want a cup of coffee.
Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee
One of my passions is coffee. I love coffee, the smell, the taste, the aroma when it brews. For Christmas I recieved 2 vacuum sealed bags of the Dunkin Dognuts Original Blend Medium Roast whole bean coffee. Here it is not even the 2nd week of January and I’m already down to less than one bag left of it!
It’s a nice truely medium roast coffee. It’s almost buttery tasting, with a sweet undertone. It’s really has none of the bitterness you get with some other medium blend store sold roasts. It’s very different than all the other whole beans I’ve bought, and almost I daresay it’s better than Seattle’s Best. It’s very smooth, very tasty and has a slight carmel smell. When it brews the whole kitchen smells good it’s so fragrant. If you get a chance try some!
Sangria!
I’m not much of a drinker, in fact I could probably count on 1 hand the amount of drinks I have in a year. But the last few weeks I’ve sold so much alcohol that some of it catches my interest. One of those has been Sangria. I get a lot of folks going through my lane getting Sangria and they all swear it’s great. One gentleman said he even married his wife because of how she made an excellent drink with Sangria.
There were several different brands, but I bought the one that I see sell the most, “Cruz Garcia Real Sangria”. It’s in an interesting triangular shaped bottle with an orange, gold and white label. I think I’ll save the bottle.
As for the taste, it’s a nice fruity, not bitter at all flavor of wine. It doesn’t give you that “fuzzy tongue” feeling that red wines do but it’s not as clear tasting as white. It does have more similar characteristics of a white wine than a red or blush. It is sweet but not oversweet, just a bit sweeter than a zin I’d think. It’s very fruity.
Like I said I’m not much of a wine connoisseur but this is one that I do find nice enough to try again one of those few occassions when I do drink.
Happy Day Before Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mommies who peruse my site! It’s a day of recognition of all our mommy actions normally taken for granted; like kissing owies, worrying needlessly, picking up socks, vacuuming, praising, organizing, working, etc etc etc.
Now for all you daddies and kids out there trying to figure out what to do for mother’s day. #1 rule is DO NOT LISTEN if the mommy says “aw, don’t worry bout it, I don’t need anything.” We’re programmed to not ask much, it’s the mommy nature. If you want to get your mom or mother of you kids bawling happy tears then do something big, celebrate all she’s done for you.
Here’s some simple tips and ideas on what to do for her.
Handmade cards rule over store bought ones — take 10 minutes and make her a card using a few sheets of construction paper and colored pens.
Bring her tea/coffee in bed. Even if you have to set your alarm to get up before her. It doesn’t have to be a full breakfast, just something you know she normally would have.
Do the dishes without being asked or any other chore she normally does daily. (IE vacuum, dust, bathe the dogs.)
Skip the flowers and buy her her favorite candy bar, coffee or other extravagent item she normally wouldn’t buy herself but always wants.
Clean out her car! Vacuum, wipe down and windex it all. Don’t let her lift a finger!
Tell her you love her and really appreciate all the things she does every day to make your life easier. Hug her and tell her she’s the best mom!
Happy Mother’s Day!
New Section
I’ve added a new section, Mommy Tips:Faqs. In this section I’ll be putting things like what to do when your kid has a fever, when to call the doctor, potty training, bottle weening and topics along those lines. Feel free to email me any suggested faq questions at mommy @ mommytested. com.