Oliver's 3rd PAW-ty!

We did it again...a birthday party for my puppy! Before you make fun of me...we just invited a bunch of his "friends" to the dog park for a puppy playdate...and it was awesome!

Of course, an invite had to be made!

All the humans!

Hey Lily and Daddy!

A very dirty birthday boy! He needs a birthday bath time now!

Hey Jax!

Hey Abbey and Eleanor!

Hey Rocky!

Having fun at the Dog Park!

Always at the Mommy's feet...what a Momma's Boy!

Our "doggie treat" bags for Ollie's friends!

Thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate Oliver's 3rd Birthday!

He is such a special part of our family and we just got a kick out of watching them all play today!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ollie!

Dog Park Fun

To celebrate this beautiful weather, we went to the Cane's Dog Park. Ollie had a good time with his friend Jax! He also made some new friends...so adorable! Enjoy!

Canine Earth

I love my puppy.

I love Spring.

But the two aren't mixing!

Poor Ollie is scratching like a crazy! He has super sensitive skin and all the pollen in the air is causing him much stress. It just breaks my heart! After much frustration, I posted on Facebook begging for suggestions. I got the typical "take him to the vet", "give him a shot", "medicated shampoos are the best"...but then, I received a suggestion that didn't make my own skin crawl a bit! It was for a balm and shampoo made by Canine Earth.

Let me give you a little run down of Canine Earth. This company produces products for our adorable furry friends that are formulated with 95-100% certified organics under the USDA National Organic Program or are Verified Natural. In addition, they are aroma-therapeutic, naturally deodorizing, pH balanced, hypoallergenic and eco-friendly! AND they are sulfate, paraben and soap-free! To get me more excited, this is a local Baton Rouge company! Can't beat that!

We purchased the Wash and Wag! Oatmeal Aloe Soothing Shampoo, in hopes to give Ollie a little relief. What I loved was that it didn't have that harsh "medicated" smell...it was refreshing! Thanks to Chris, Ollie is pretty good when it comes to baths. Ok...he doesn't love bathtime but he endures it. Our first bath with Canine Earth's shampoo was especially successful! Ollie remained so calm and seemed to really appreciate the nice massage he was getting as he got clean! According to their website, this specific shampoo contains oatmeal to soothe skin and aloe to hydrate...making it perfect for dogs with allergies and itchiness!

There are a couple spots that are particularly sensitive for Ollie so our next try is the Tail Wagging Terrific Tea Tree Balm. As soon as we give it a spin, I'll let you know how it goes!

So far...we are huge fans of Canine Earth! I love supporting local companies, especially when they are made with such love and care! My Ollie deserves it!

Cupcakes for Puppies = Pupcakes!

So, I threw a birthday party for my puppy...please keep your eye rolls to a minimum! =) I knew this would be one of the last chances I had to truly spoil him with Baby Henry on the way so we went all out. We had a table of all his "Favorite Fuds", we invited all his puppy friends to romp in the backyard and I made "pupcakes". Which, were surprisingly easy and tasty....for the puppies...and humans! I found the recipe on Bake Space and only tweaked a little.  If you have a puppy friend, try this out:

Peanut Butter Pupcakes

2 ripe bananas
2 cups water
1 egg
1/2 tsp double strength vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Spray cupcakes or mini cupcake pan with olive oil.

In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Add all ingredients but peanut butter and mix until well combined. Add peanut butter and continue stirring until well blended.

If using mini cupcake pan, spoon 2 Tbsp (or 1/8 cup) batter into each well. If using regular cupcake pan, fill each well to the top. The batter will not rise or smooth out very much, so be sure to smooth it out and make it pretty.

Bake mini pupcakes for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Bake larger pupcakes for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes in pan before inverting onto cooling rack. Allow pupcakes to cool completely before feeding them to your dog.

They were such a hit! Most of the puppies ate them right up and a few of the humans did as well! They just tasted like bran muffins.

Here are some more pictures from Ollie's Birthday Bash:

I made little favors for his puppy guests out of toilet paper rolls and paper!

It was super easy and a great way to recycle!

A happy...and full...birthday boy!

The Swheat Stuff!

This is my kitty Lola. She looks ashamed, because she is. She doesn't really care about the environment...let me share...

The blessing and curse of having a cat is the litter box. They make potty-training a piece of cake, you don't have to let them outside to do their business, you know exactly where to go to clean up after them...easy. My issue comes with the litter...traditional clay litter is incredibly toxic, made with fragrances and chemicals, and creates a dust that nearly kills me each time I empty or scoop. PLUS, more than 2 million tons of this non-biodegradable cat litter ends up in landfills each year. GROSS!

I have tried eco-friendly options to no avail! Lola is a bit of a diva...she lets me know when she isn't pleased and it is disgusting. I tried Yesterday's News, made from recycled newspapers. No dice! I tried Feline Pine, made from pine. No dice! Recently, however, I purchased Swheat Scoop...and so far, so good!

                            

Swheat Scoop is made from wheat, which is safe for both kitties and their humans. The litter's natural wheat enzymes safely neutralize odor. It is clay and chemical free, so no dust! I found it locally at Wal-Mart, so it is easy to find and the price isn't ridiculous. And, best of all, Lola hasn't noticed yet! Woo Hoo!

I have seen other reviews mentioning that it is difficult to scoop and that the cats are confused by the smell of wheat...do we pee in it or eat it??? We have been using it for about a week and no issues like that yet.

Now, those that know me know that we actually have two kitties. Mr. Kitty isn't as high-maintenance as Lola. He is a little older, a little wiser...but still adorable!

                        

Have you had similar issues? Let me know how you handle it!