Crazy Daisy's Toys

Since my in-laws do not have any grandchildren yet (my husband is their only married child and we aren't popping any time soon) they of course had to spoil Daisy as their first grand-dog with toys and treats. We learned very quickly that Daisy has great teeth! 

We are so lucky that she has never tried to nibble or snap, even while being playful. 

Daisy loves the animal looking toys with squeakers in them - the more squeakers the better! You bet that the squeaker will be out in a maximum of a day's time, or less. When we through three destroyed squeaker toys in one week, we knew we needed to seek new options.

After several destroyed toys, we had to find some alternatives or the cost of upkeep on her toys would drive us to bankruptcy! 

We were told the best types of toys to give her while she is in the crate are ones she has to work at...her all time favorite is her Kong. I used to think this was just used to put peanut butter in, but they have Kong treats that fit right inside and really make the pup work to get it out! Daisy wasn't a huge fan of the peanut butter anyway. We have two Kongs for Daisy...she loves to play and nibble on them even without the treats! She likes it in the crate, on the couch or outside. Worth the purchase!

Daisy's First Day Home

My husband and I adopted Daisy on May 10, 2014. She was named Emma by the shelter we found her at, but she wasn't yet responding to that name so the transition was quite simple. She is approximately one year old and according to her records she is a Lab/Pug mix. When she feels like playing her Lab role we call her Crazy Daisy and when she feels like acting like a Pug, we call her Lazy Daisy. She is a great mix of both.

Since adopting Daisy, Brendan and I have learned so many new things about ourselves, as well as the newest member of our family. I can’t imagine what it is like to have children because this 35lbs bundle of pooch has opened my heart in new ways I never imagined! Daisy has not only taught us new ways to love, but also new ways we must work together. Since she was a rescue, she had very little training or boundaries in her first year of life so we basically have to start fresh with her as if she were a new puppy. Training must be consistent with Daisy and we don’t expect anything to happen over night.

I hope through our new life with Daisy, we can share some fun stories with you about the experiences we have as first time dog parents.

Here she is on her first day as a McCaffrey. She hated her first car ride home. I imagine it may have reminded her of her long ride from Indiana to Massachusetts. 

Needing some strength & convenience?

I would have to say that the smallest touch of style you can add to your personality or wardrobe is your nail polish. With all of the new nail trends out there and the monthly new colors schemes by popular brands, there are truly endless possibilities!

To make your life a little easier this summer, I wanted to tell you about a few fabulous nail products that are worth purchasing if you like to keep your nails in tip top shape!

There are three typical excuses of why women do not paint their nails:
1) I don't have the time (mostly the time for them to dry)
2) I have ugly nails; they are short, weak and don't grow.
3) I can't afford to get my nails done.

Although there are several good nail care lines out there, one of my favorites is OPI and I am about to drool over some of their products for you.

For excuse number one, meet Drip Dry. After one or two coats of polish, put one to two drops of this on each nail and voila! OPI tells its consumers that in just sixty seconds, your nails are dry to touch and in five minutes they will be completely dry. This formula also hydrates your cuticles with its jojoba ingredient.

Rid excuse number two immediately with OPI's Nail Envy. You will truly have envious nails after using this for only a couple of weeks. Put one to two coats on to begin and repeat every other day for a week. Remove polish after a week and start over. I really like to use this as a base coat too since it is clear. There are 6 different envious formulas to really reach each customer's need.

 

Are you still thinking you can't afford a manicure here and there? Pah-leeezzzz. If you stock up with the right products and can find affordable nail polish you won't even have to think twice about going to a salon. CVS puts their Spoiled line on sale very often with fun colors for only $1.50-$2.00/bottle.

Utiltize Google & Pinterest also...home to many fun and trendy colors and styles! I got the idea for this recent manicure on Pinterest

Honoring Our Heroes

This past week, Boston laid to rest two fallen heroes, both Boston Firefighters from Engine 33 Ladder 15 on Boylston Street. I can’t help but feel this tragedy at home even though I have no true connection to either hero we have lost. There is something about those special people who put on a uniform to keep us safe – Police Officers, Firefighters and Military personnel – that can’t really be put into words. I think it may be hard for some people to feel this connection, if you don’t personally know someone whose job consists of these primary factors: 1) putting their life at risk and 2) for the safety and well-being of others. How many words can be said about someone who has the heart and soul to do this? In my opinion, never enough. Any one of these men or women who do such, will also humbly tell you the love and passion they have for their job.

I am lucky enough to live among one of these heroes. There are behaviors and words of his that illustrate this indefinable character I write about today and I am not sure I will ever understand fully, but I know I will always honor it. It takes a tremendous person to put themselves directly in danger, solely for the safety of others. I’m not sure words can express how courageous, heroic and special that is and I my only wish is for people to recognize this more often.

My husband served four years in the United States Marine Corps during which he was deployed to Afghanistan for two, eight month tours. While your spouse is away at danger, you can’t help but have those kinds of thoughts. You fight it, you deny it, you avoid the news, but it’s still there.

I never really expressed these questions and thoughts in depth with anyone, because well, you don’t want to think them, never mind let others know you’re thinking them.

When they come back and after some time passes, most of those thoughts become irrelevant. So as I reflect on the heroes we lost last week, I can’t help but think about their spouses and families. My thoughts were steady for 7-8 months. A Police Officer and Firefighter could be in the line of duty at any moment, any day of the week. But again, that is your husband’s job. You support him, and you pick up the pieces and keep them together when he can’t because his job is calling him to protect not only you, but others.

So today, not only do I raise my glass to all of our heroes, especially those we most recently lost, but also to their families for you are the ones who are behind our heroes. To the parents, you are what made our heroes and to the spouses and children, you are the ones who continue the support, carry the honor, and remain the backbone at home.

Like anything unfamiliar, it is hard to relate to something whether it is tragic or not, if you are not well informed about it, or have no real connection to it. Our country and even more so this generation, is too far disconnected from our heroes.  I hope that through my small circle of friends and family, and also through this blog, I can share the importance and awareness that some people may be missing so that they too, may honor our heroes and their families , even if it may be a simple thought or prayer from time to time. 

My Newest Fitness Partner

The mornings are still cold, but the afternoons are finally warming up. Spring weather is finally making its way to Boston and I am trying to find every possible way to enjoy it.

Have you thought of ways to enjoy the nice weather (which is only going to get nicer)? Any extra holiday or winter pounds you need to shed before you put on a bathing suit? I can say yes to both of those! Here is a new tool to help you put a few extra steps in your day while being interactive and tech savvy.

One of the latest fitness trends which takes no effort at all is tracking your daily steps. I started with a pedometer a few months back. I wasn’t faithful to wearing it but it was interesting to see how far I walked (or didn’t) the days I chose to wear it.

For my birthday, my husband bought me a Fit Bit. I use it every day and I am loving it! They say your average day should consist of about 10,000 steps or roughly 5 miles. This will vary on your stride distance or how long your legs are…for example, it only took me about 4.5 miles to break 10,000 steps. Vertically challenged here.  If you are interested in a pedometer or Fit Bit, you have plenty of options. The fun thing about the Fit Bit is that you get to track all of your stats on your smart phone!

This was the simple pedometer I got at an athletic store a few months back. I think it was about $15? Pedometers like this can range between $5-$30…depending on how many options you would like. Regardless, they still do the job and only take 2 minutes to set up.

Here is my Fit Bit Flex. If you look at their website, you can see there are few options. The Flex is worn as a wristband and tracks your sleep and steps. With the Smart Phone App, you can also link other Apps to it like My Fitness Pal to track your calories and water intake. I also heard (but haven’t figured out yet) that you can hook it up to Netflix so if you fall asleep while watching, Netflix will immediately stop playing so you don’t miss out on a minute of your show. I’ll keep you posted if I ever figure that out.

After a run outside as the sun was going down last night, I hit my 10,000 steps! It was such a refreshing feeling coming in from nicer weather with the sun out longer and reaching my daily goal! A few other great things I love about this is that you can track your sleep, calories burned, active minutes and can interact with other Fit Bit friends. The Fit Bit even motivates you to reach your daily goals. Sending you reminders when “You’re Almost There!” and when you’ve completed your daily goal, as I did yesterday.

The Fit Bit has become my new fitness buddy and I know we will only get closer in the days to come. Want to know the best part? It doesn’t matter what color wristband you buy with your Fit Bit because they sell a variety pack of colors separately so you can always match your outfit of the day! Fitness & Fashion – my two favorite things in one. 

The Best Bar Concept Yet...

The only thing that upset me about dry bar is that I didn’t come up with this concept myself. Their marketing is creative and spot on to say the least. All blow dries are $40. No questions asked.

This is the perfect place if you are going somewhere nice or if you just don’t have the time or means to blow dry and style your own hair.

Their eye catching  website had me at hello with their menu of services being named after cocktails, of course and the fact that you can book online on almost any 15 minute increment.

The salon continued its expectations once I arrived. I was immediately greeted and my coat was taken care of, followed by my drink order which was an option of coffee, tea or water (it was a Sunday afternoon). I was told they serve big girl drinks if you have an evening appointment and mimosas in the morning.

The set up was adorable, as expected. The entire salon is set up like a “bar” where you put your drink on a coaster and your feet on a metal bar that lines the floor. I had about a 10 minute wash and scrub and she spent about 30-40 minutes blowing out and styling my hair (keep in mind, I have long, wavy, sometimes frizzy hair.) She asked if I was okay with using product and then showed me what she was using and explained why she was using it. Having worked in a hair salon for many years, I am not afraid of product and usually don’t care what the stylist or salon prefer to use, but it exemplified her professional customer service by explaining because I know most people like to know what is being put on their locks!

My hair came out great and I am still loving it two days later. The receptionist gave me a yellow dry bar umbrella when I left because it was a rainy day. It was the cherry on top of my Shirley Temple of an appointment. You can leave gratuity on your credit card, which most salons do not allow or prefer. I grabbed some of their ads lying around – a card that looked like an iPhone informing about their Smart Phone App and a business card which was, what else, a cardboard drink coaster!

My stylist told me they just recently came out with all of their own products. I think it is the perfect way to trademark their business and also, they continued over with the great drink-related names…

Check out their website and give them a try! You won't be disappointed! http://www.thedrybar.com/

Day 4: Shampoo without the water

Since I was younger, I have always found ways to not have to wash and style my hair daily due to the fact that not only do I prefer my hair long, but it is wavy and thick. From wet to dry, my styling time can range anywhere between 20 and 40 mins....Can you imagine...40mins out of your sleep cycle EVERY day?!?! No thank you.

In the past few years, I've gotten really good at only washing my hair about twice a week. If I am working out a lot, I usually have to do it three times. Aside from the hair styles that are trending right now that can help disguise a few days old wash (i.e. sleek ponytails, top buns, braids), product is what really can help you here. In high school, I used to slap some baby powder on my root, rub it around and put a hot blow dryer to the root. It was a decent fix. Even now if I'm in a bind I resort to using it. (Once again, don't underestimate products that have the word "baby" on them.)

This was all until I discovered dry shampoo. They are everywhere now. They are great for absorbing some of your natural oils, but they usually have an extra benefit of volume and/or texture. Feast your eyes on this...

Bumble and Bumble has won my heart AGAIN. I can't get obsessed with their shampoos quite yet, but their styling products had me at hello every time. One of their newer products, the pret a powder, is AMAZING. I am not exaggerating when I tell you, this product can save you from washing your hair for over week. Yes. Double digit days.

I don't exactly ever stretch it that long...but you get the point. It is a white powder that you shake onto your roots; massage in the way you would if your hair were wet with regular shampoo; top off with a little blow dry at the roots if you would like for some extra volume and voila!

The product description also says it is good for texture with braids and buns so I gave it a whirl using it at the ends of my hair in combination with their Surf Spray (another fabulous product) and it was great!

Buy this product and you will be pushing snooze a few extra times tomorrow morning. Thank me when you don't need that afternoon coffee :)