Finally the weather is consistent and warm! Thank God! However, with warm weather comes BUGS! All types of bugs seem to be crawling around everywhere, inside and outside. Our most recent experience with a bug was with a not so nice bug.

Today we went out to play and Big Sister was playing nicely in the playhouse when all of a sudden she screamed bloody murder. Unbeknownst to me a wasp mama had made a nest in the inside roof line of the girls' playhouse. I looked up to see a wasp buzzing around her then diving down to sting her again. I ran to get Big Sister out of the play house and then set her down on the picnic table to assess the damages. She was only stung once, on her shoulder blade, but it was red and starting to swell a bit. She isn't severely allergic to bees or wasps (this is the seconded time this year she has been stung) so I wasn't worried about a serious reaction, but it still hurt badly so I ran in to get some reinforcements. My "Go To" for stings is allergy medicine and baking soda. I measured out the allergy meds and gave it to her orally, just to be sure she didn't have a reaction to the venom from the sting. Next, I mixed up a paste with baking soda and water and spread it over the sting. Instant relief, and the screaming ceased and swelling started going down. I don't know WHO figured out baking soda has this amazing quality, but if I did I would go up and hug and kiss them and thank them a million times.

So, moral of the story. Bugs are everywhere, even ones that pack a big punch, or sting rather. Check your children's play equipment and make sure a bug hasn't taken up residence in their toys! I know that this will be on my spring/summer checklist for next year for sure!

Have you encountered a not so friendly bug this yet this year?

Have a wonderful day dear followers and stay safe!
 





Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a doctor, so please check with your doctor before administering any medications to your children in the even of a insect sting or bite.

You will notice I don't have a Freebie Friday up today, which I will go into more detail about later. Instead I have a Review and GIVEAWAY!

So, I was at the lake with my Women's Group from church, several weeks ago and we took a long walk one morning. As we were walking we came up on a man walking a little dog. As the dog turned around there was an instant "AWWWW" effect that came from all the women. Not only was he a cute little dog, but that cute little dog was wearing sunglasses, Doggles to be exact.


"Doggles ILS are the first and only protective eyewear designed just for dogs!  They are actually goggles for dogs, hence foreign objects, wind, and UV light. They are modeled after sports goggles.  They currently have 2 styles of Doggles, fitting dogs 3 pounds  to 250 pounds.  All models have flexible, snug-fitting frames, which have foam padding against the face; polycarbonate (shatterproof) and anti-fog lenses; and adjustable elastic head and chin straps to keep the Doggles securely on the dog. Doggles ILS feature patented wide nose bridge, deep lens cup, interchangeable lenses.
Dogs have a much wider nose bridge than humans, along with protruding eyes.  You need a goggle
designed specifically to fit a dog's unique face structure.People use them for various reasons; everything from medical conditions like Pannus, to keeping them safe while riding in a car, truck, motorcycle, ATV and even boats! They are vet recommended/approved and even used by military dogs! " - as stated from www.doggles.com  
 
After seeing Doggles on the little dog at the lake, I just HAD to find out if Doggles would work on our 75 pound Standard Poodle!  Doggles was kind enough to send me a pair to try out on our Poodle. We chose the Large Doggles ILS with a Shiny Red Frame and Smoke Lens.

After I adjusted the straps correctly, the Doggles fit him snugly and he was able to run around the yard and play as normal. He thought they were a little funny at first but once he realized they weren't coming off and he could still see, he was fine and went on with his normal business or running and playing.

Since the Large size is supposed to fit dogs from 50 pounds to 100 pounds I decided to put them to the test by sending them to work with our local Animal Control Officer and here is what the staff had to say!

"Kelsey! --- The doggles were a HIT! Not a single one of these guys even offered to take them off. They appeared to be very comfortable for the animals, and stayed on pretty well (for those whom it fit well! Lol) Very good product! (I’d pay $20 for them!!!) Thanks for letting us test them out for you!!!"

Check out the Doggles ILS on several of the Shelter Dogs! 


Blaize is an approximate 30-40 (current), 5 month old Lab/mix, male. Blaize enjoyed wearing the Doggles! He is working on leash training, but LOVES to be with people! He is just a very LARGE house dog! LOVES KIDS!!

Jersey is a Shepherd/Greyhound mix about 11 months. He is an approximately 50-60 pound Male. Jersey is a very sweet and docile boy. Still not 100% comfortable with walking on lead, but had a blast getting his photo shoot done! Quiet and well behaved. Good with kids, would do better with children over 5. (hyper)

Lacey is a Collie/Mix. She is an approximately 30-40 pound Female that is about 11 months. Lacey is a very well behaved and happy girl. LOVES to play and LOVES attention even more! Not your typical “working” collie, but would make a phenomenal family companion! LOVES KIDS!!!

Marco is a 3 year old Shepherd/mix Male. Marco amazed us when we took his photos! Very calm, quiet, gentle, loving, and obedient. Has great focus with handler, listens very well. Would make an amazing family pet, better in a home with kids over 10. (timid)

Okay so this is sort of a TRIPLE Review! I happen to be talking to a friend on Facebook and told her I was reviewing a pair of Doggles. I was in shock to learn that she uses Doggles for her dog, who knew! Here is what my friend Katie has to say about Doggles:

"Pictured here is Sir Francis Bacon in his Doggles ILS with metallic black frame and smoke lens. When driving, Beykee doesn't believe in the air conditioner. He feels that the windows should always be down and his head should be out. If I don't roll down the window for him, he whines and then resorts to licking the window until I cave and he gets the wind in his hair. I frequently take him on long trips, with most of the time spent on the highway at fast speeds. I worry about things hitting him. 
 I heard about the Doggles from a friend and decided to try them out. I feel much more comfortable letting him have his head out the window when he has these on, as they protect his eyes from dirt and bugs that might hit him. The only problem I have is that he has a pretty powerful shake, so he if shakes his head, the Doggles do come off his eyes and end up hanging around his neck, but that is an easy fix! Overall, I would give these 5 stars as they allow my dog to be happy while reassuring me that he is as safe as possible under the circumstances!"

Overall, as you can tell we were ALL impressed with Doggles! I think it is a great way to keep Man's Best Friend's eye safe! Check out the specs on Doggles and find out how YOU can get a pair for your dog!


Click here to see what My Rating means! 
Cost: Doggles ILS $19.90 per or the less active dog K9 Optics Sunglasses are $12.99   
Where to Buy: Online at Doggles.com
 
Like Doggles on Facebook! They have a monthly photo contest where readers can win any Doggles product of their choice! Instructions are posted on their website, here.



Do you think Doggles are the way to go for your Dog? How about winning a pair? Submit your information in the Rafflecopter form below for YOUR chance to win a pair of Doggles ILS!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Have a wonderful day dear follower and please remember to spay and neuter your pets!


 



Disclosure: Doggles provided me with a free pair of Doggles ILS to review for this giveaway. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions, except those comments identified as coming from another person, are my own based on my experience with the product. I, nor, Doggles makes any guarantees.

I was surfing the net a couple days a go and came across a wonderful blog, The Peaceful Mom. In the parenting section of her blog, I found a link to FREE Child Safe Kits. Naturally, I was curious so I  clicked on the link. The Statistics on their main page just floored me:

Around this time of year Moms around the country are starting their "Spring Cleaning." Most of the time when I think of Spring Cleaning I think of heavy vacuuming/mopping, intense window cleaning, cleaning out closets and putting away winter clothes. One thing I hadn't thought of until recently was cleaning out our medicine cabinet.

Last night I opened out medicine cabinet and it was in total disarray. There were items everywhere and they were in no particular order or in any form of organization. I felt the need to fix it and decided to add it to my "To Do List" for Spring Cleaning. As I pulled bottles and boxes of medication out of the cabinet I couldn't help notice how many items were expired. About 2/3 of everything we had were expired and I hate to admit this but the oldest had expired in 2008. I threw away everything from prescriptions to over the counter medications like Caladryl.

I realized that we had most likely taken some of the expired medications in the past and decided to look up possible effects. I found an interesting article on Helium.com that described the dangers of taking expired medications, you can check it out here. I also found an interesting article on the Harvard website, that gave some interesting information as well, which can be found here.

Based on the information I read from the Helium.com article and the Harvard article, I've decided to keep the "Medicine Cabinet" on my PERMANENT Spring Cleaning "To Do List"! I know that most of the medications were probably still okay, especially the ones that just recently expired, but why risk my family's health if they weren't? Better to be safe than sorry!

What items are on your Spring Cleaning "To Do List"?

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I have to admit that before I gave birth to my daughters, I never really thought about child safety much. It wasn't until I became pregnant with Big Sister that I really started reading up about safety with babies and young children. When Big Sister became mobile I felt the need to get the foam corner protectors for my coffee table, outlet covers to keep fingers out of plugs, and other similar items. Our home was safe for our little one and I was happy with what we had put in place to prevent any big mishaps. Big Sister didn't really crawl normal and most of the time she would sit in one place and play for a while, so her mobility wasn't a huge deal for me with regards to her safety. It wasn't until Little Sister became mobile that we started looking for ways to protect her from herself. Little Sister started trying to walk just before she turned 9 months, which totally blew my mind because Big Sister didn't start trying to walk until 13 months. So, here I had this tiny, little, wobbly baby trying to walk and follow her big sister EVERYWHERE. Needless to say, the falls came on strong and although she would cry when she fell, it didn't stop her. So, my husband and I decided to look for a way to protect Little Sister's precious head from all the falls and bumps. I did some research online and found a couple companies that sold safety head gear for babies and toddlers. I settled on a product called the Thudguard. I have to admit that I felt a little silly buying the Thudguard. I mean come on, babies have been walking and falling for thousands of years, right? Why should it be a big deal?

Well, we bought the Thudguard and we love it! It gives us peace of mind that we are protecting our daughter, helping her precious head and brain grow safely. I think Little Sister appreciates it as well. The first night we put it on her she was mad and wanted it off. The next day, she didn't seem to mind as much. And now, she loves it! She has figured out that it helps her head not hurt when she falls. She will sometimes bring me her helmet if I don't put it on right away and she wants to play. And, I think it has kept my husband from having several heart attacks when Big Sister or the dog has knocked her down on accident.

So, what do you think? Are we being overprotective or practical? Would you buy a Thudgard or a similar product for your child?

If you are interested in more information about the Thudguard, please visit their website!

Have a wonderful day dear followers and a VERY Merry Christmas this weekend!
Kelsey


Disclaimer: The information expressed in this post are my opinion based on my experience with my children and the Thudguard we purchased. I was not compensated in ANY way by posting about the Thudguard. I, nor, the producers of the Thudguard make any guarantees about the Thudguard or its use with babies and toddlers.

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We finally have a winner for the Kubota Kid Safety Kit as well!

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Living on a horse farm is not all fun and games (but for the most part it is fun), it’s a lot of work. And to do that work, we rely on farm equipment to help us get the job done. Having small kids around the farm can be somewhat stressful and teaching your kids Farm Safety could mean the difference between a fun time and a trip to the ER!

•  Stop, look and listen when playing outside, especially on the farm, and always be aware of your surroundings.
• Farm equipment is not safe to ride on even when an adult is present.
• Tractors are not toys. They are powerful machines only to be used by adults who are thoroughly familiar with the equipment. 
• Children should never ride on a tractor; a tractor only has one seat and that seat is intended for the operator. Just say “no” if someone wants to give you a ride. It is not safe to be a “rider” when the tractor is intended for one operator. 
• Stay out of the path of all moving equipment. And, stand far away from a tractor when it is being started; when it is running; and, especially when it is working.
• Never stand behind a tractor – whether it is running or not – the operator might not see you and you could get hurt.
• Be a “safety first sheriff” and encourage use of seatbelts for your entire family. Just like in a car, a tractor is equipped with a seatbelt for safety. Additionally, a Roll Over Protection Structure (ROPS) on a tractor is in place to protect the driver.