Dog baths and sleepy cats.

Today is sunny and the first time Crom has ever had a bath outside of a tub. It's obvious that it's so much easier to bath a large dog outside instead of inside, but are you aware how fun it is?! Well if your dog doesn't like water then you'll probably have a much harder time. The only difficulty I had was keeping Crom from wanting to drink the hose water.

Here's what I use and some tricks to get your dog to warm up to hose baths. If your dog doesn't like water and hates hoses, don't push them to get used to it quickly and provide lots of treats.

I bought this dog soap at TJ Maxx for only $3.99! It smells clean and a little masculine. The treats are grain free and even though they're kind of small, they break REAL easily to make smaller pieces. Me and Crom love Instinct grain free treats, for different reasons.

Provide treats every few minutes through a bath for your water-hatin' dog! The smellier and softer are many dogs favorites. Breaking treats up into smaller pieces does two great things... it lets your dog eat them faster which in turns doesn't stall you as you're frequently giving him rewards and it saves you from over feeding him while you need to give him plenty of rewards.

Bio-Groom is slightly pricey, maybe $11-$14, but Doberman have sensitive skin and are prone to drying out. This stuff keeps Crom's skin and coat moisturized for weeks and because of that, really I don't use it that often. I run my hand up Crom's back, against the direction his fur grows, and spray the product right behind my hand where the coat is standing up. It helps get it beneath his coat rather than just on top.

So we ran around for a little bit to exert some of his energy so I have a little easier time keeping him staying still/not wanting to play with the water. Soaped him up.

Gave him treats for being all good and soapy!

Sprayed him off then let him roll around in the grass that needs mowed...

Made him pose...

Speak...

Let him lally-gag some more...

 

Sprayed him down with his leave-in conditioner, of which I basically give him a body massage with to make sure it really gets worked in, and there is my happy Crom Noms end result!

If your dog really hates the hose, you don't feel like you can deal with it, or you just don't have time to work with them, you can always use a baby's play pool to bathe outside.

And there's the sleepy cats. Some of the photos are pretty bad because I was just using my phone to take these.

PS...

I got this shot and was reminded of one of my favorite photos of Crom as a puppy!

Chocolate soy milk, peanut butter and banana breakfast or dessert smoothie!

I made this delicious concoction this morning!

Back when my boyfriend and I used to live in a small town called Gallipolis we used to go to a restaurant that made chocolate, peanut butter and banana milk shakes (we'd also get marshmallow creme in it), well we won't have one of those for a long time and we try to keep dairy out of our diet anyway.

Well these were incredible!!

I didn't keep track of how much of what I put into the blender but I'll guess right now, as I did when I made them! If something doesn't taste right to you, add more of what you want. We love the very evident taste of peanut butter in ours.

1/2 cup chocolate soy milk

4 heaping TBSP natural peanut butter

2 very ripe bananas, diced

6 ice cubes

Blend until very smooth and chill in the freezer for about 5 minutes for added thickness.

Made 2 servings.

This is heart healthy and great for breakfast or dessert! If for dessert you could probably cut back on the peanut butter, if you wanted to make it even healthier.

Vanilla and other goodnesses!

So I want to make my first post light and not controversial, like vegetarianism and atheism would be, so here is a list of my favorite brands and products that don't test on animals and are almost all healthfully beneficial!

I'm a bargain shopper so you'll see a lot of drug store stuff and some stuff I'll splurge on if it's THAT good. I also like all natural products or at least paraben free. I err on the side of caution when it comes to my skin and cancer so paraben's aren't in anything I use.

 If worn right and you've figured out your skin needs, make-up can be good for you. Almost all foundations and concealers have SPF 15 in them, so that's a huge plus. If I don't wear foundation then I use facial sunscreen. The less sun hitting your face is less wrinkles and sun spots you're going to get! I also use primer so that my make-up doesn't fill into my pores or any fine lines. I use daily a leave-in conditioner and argan oil for my hair which I haven't had trimmed in nearly 6 months but is split-end free and so soft, so I think they're working. ;] Although it seriously needs to be trimmed!

Lastly and to no surprise, everything I use to my knowledge is cruelty free, meaning not tested on animals and contain no animal ingredients. My skin is slightly dry so if you have normal to dry skin, maybe you can try some of these things that work for me! Also I think I have vanilla running through my veins. So if you LOVE, like I mean love-love, not just love... vanilla, you might also want to try something here.

And if you're in your mid-20's and not using any type of anti-aging, skin repairing, antioxidant packed products then you're going to work harder at repairing your skin when you start seeing lines. It's a good idea to start early and that's why you'll see stuff like that here on my list.


Foundation... Revlon Photo Ready, $8... awesome stuff! Doesn't dry my skin at all! My cheeks and cheek bones, normally the driest part on my skin, keep a really nice healthy and "dewy" complexion. Not OILY... light and dewy! Doesn't run or come off easily if I was to touch my face. It reminds me Lancome's photogenic foundation, but even better (seriously. that stuff to me is too moisturizing and made my T-zone oily) however 1. Lancome tests on animals and 2. they're extremely pricey. I also can compare to this Loreal's Visible Lift but they also test on animals, being owned by Lancome anyway.


Primer... Revlon Photo Ready Primer, $8... I've heard of other miraculous high end primers, like Benefit, but this stuff has just been so good to me for just 8 bucks! I'm not even tempted to try anything else.


Concealer... unfortunately I loved the result that Rimmel Match Perfection gave me, but they test on animals so I have to find something else. Revlon FIT ME was weak and terrible color matches.


Mascara... Revlon Soft 'n Full or Grow Lusious... Soft 'n Full does exactly what it says, makes your lashes fuller but yet leaving them soft looking like feathers. Grow Lusious I think is less of a thick consistency and apparently is good for your lashes. I haven't noticed a difference in my lashes, except that I love these two, and I've used Lancome, Clinique, MAC, Estee Lauder stuff...


Blush... e.l.f. Contouring & Bronzing Powder, $3 (I only use the blush that comes in this duo... I don't much like bronzer) this stuff has been reviewed and compared to NARS "orgasm" blush and yesss it's amazing! I use it VERY lightly but it's absolutely build-able.


Face power... Clinique redness solution, no idea how much because I won it in a drawing on their facebook! Woooo. I only use this at work since I sweat there and need powder to keep foundation/concealer on better. Doesn't break me out or dry out my skin, but it does give that matte finish which I don't like. But like I said, I won it PLUS it's a full size compact. It doesn't irritate my skin (I think the redness solution line is suppose to be for sensitive skins anyway) and works like a powder should so it's good, I just don't like powders... but need it for work!


Tinted Moisturizer... NARS Pure Radiant, $42... actually more of a wish because I'm still using just a sample bottle but this stuff is A-mazing. SPF 30 and so soft and moisturizing. Ironically I use the shade Alaska.


Facial lotion (not tinted)... Yes To, $7... Say Yes To is a fun brand name and intro to WHAT line you use, which are tomato, carrots, blueberries and cucumbers. I use Yes To Carrots, the "nourishing" line.


Eye cream... Burts Bees Radiance Eye Cream, $15-$18... my eyes feel so refreshed and moisturized. Dry skin will lead to lines so it's important to keep your skin moisturized, especially the soft and delicate skin surrounding the area.


Night cream... Burts Bees Sensitive Night Cream, $15... it's called a night cream yet it isn't heavy like one but moisturizes like one! I actually like serum's better but I'm out of what I had so I use this.


Lips... Smash Box Lip Emulsion, $18... described as "...sugar-based, peppermint, lip exfoliator that is perfectly edible, and smells delicious. Experience a cooling sensation as poppy seeds and sugar granules gently remove dry, flaky skin, while shea butter, jojoba, and antioxidants condition and revitalize lips."


Serum... Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, $52-$80... again more of a wish list item since I'm using a sample bottle. Hehe. But this stuff is worth it's cringing price tag and it goes a LONG way. Luckily most expensive stuff does, and in the end, when those lines don't start appearing for another 10 years, it's worth it. This is what I'd rather use over the Burts Bees night cream by the way!


Argan oil... Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal, $8-$11... after every shower I put this on the ends of my hair first and then whatever is left on my hands I'll smooth it all over closer to the roots.


Leave-in conditioner... Bed Head Superstar Volumizing Leave-in Conditioner, $8-$15... it's just amazing and smells so good, all through the day. I used to love Garnier Fructis stuff, which works absolutely stunningly (I swear it really did make my hair 15x stronger and healthier) but they test on animals.


Shampoo & conditioner... V05, $.85... seriously. I mean I love Biolage, Paul Mitchel and Bed Head's conditioning line, but I was in a bind and needed something cheap. The bottle listed 'we don't test on animals' and there were no parabens so I grabbed it. Now they make a vanilla smelling shampoo & conditioner (Shea Cashmere) and that's what I'm using and love it! The consistency of their stuff is thinner and I feel the conditioner doesn't go as far as say Bed Head and Biolage, but for the price and the delectable smell... I'm enjoying them as of right now!


Body Wash... Nivea Cream Oil Body Wash, $3-5... the only body wash for me! I use Touch of Harmony, it has vanilla blossom and something else in it. It smells like vanilla warm goodnesssssssss! The skin all over my body dries out like the Saharan desert--it feels TERRIBLY uncomfortable if I don't slather on some lotion (St. Ives Naturally Soothing Oatmeal & Shea, btw!) immediately out of the shower. My body is also highly sensitive and if I use anything with soap in it I'll itch like fleas are scampering all over me, even DURING my shower when I'm still standing in falling water. Then I get out and my skin is all red and blotchy--but not when I use Nivea's Hydra-IQ Cream Oil body washes! <3


Shaving Cream... EOS, $7-$9... this stuff is the heir to Moisturizing. I'll smack any bottle of "moisturizing" shaving cream in it's bottle-face for being such a disgrace. You can shave with this wet or dry, and I prefer dry because it's like shaving with lotion and it's soooooooooo niiiiice! And obviously I use the Vanilla Bliss fragrance.


Facial Wash... Simple 'Sensitive Skin Experts', $3... a new product that has vitamins, no perfume, no parabens, no dyes and states "non-drying" so I was like hokay dokay artichokay lets see what you can do for 3 bucks. I only wash my face at night and this stuff really doesn't dry it out like it says so. It contains bisabolol that is soothing and calming to the skin, vitamin B5 and E, and no perfume or dyes that can irritate the skin. I use the Moisturizing Facial Wash... not sure how many other ones there are.


Facial Scrub... Burts Bees Citrus Facial Scrub, $7-$9... my most favorite, most cherished and worshiped product I own. I keep two jars of these citrusy scrubbery goodnesses in my bathroom at all times just in case I run out. I will NOT live a day without using this every morning. I got a jar for my mom for mother's day and she loves it. She says it feels like she doesn't even need moisturizer (though I insist you should still use it!) and that's exactly how I feel. It has so many different natural particles for scrubbing and almond oil to moisturize. It removes dirt and oil so you don't need to use a facial cleanser with this.


And here's just a tiny list of beauty product brands that are my favorites and don't test on animals, followed by a small list of ones that do, and then higher end brands that also don't! YES using products that don't test on animals does make a difference! MAC, Urban Decay, Laura Mercier, Revlon and Nivea are perfect examples of extremely expensive or very cheap brands that are successful and support other means of product testing.


Commercial brands (cheaper) that don't test on animals and I love:
St. Ives
Revlon
Wet 'n Wild (they have a matte natural eye shadow that's only $1.50 and it's like a MAC dup!! it's GREAT.)
Nivea
V05
Bath & Body Works (not super cheap but not high end)
Almay


Commercial brands that do test on animals that you can easily avoid by using the ones above!:
Loreal
Cover Girl
Neutrogena
Axe
Aussie
Garnier Fructis
Aveeno


Brands that are high end and don't test on animals that I also love:
Urban Decay
MAC
Origins
BeneFit
Estee Lauder
Laura Mercier
Aveda
Biolage
BedHead/Tigi


Well this was MUUUCH longer than I was expecting to write, but it was full of love and carefully thought out words, so I hope you enjoyed it!!

Blog inc in 3, 2, 1...

Gogogo!
Blog, meet my friends! Friends, meet my blog!

Ryan suggested I should blog instead of using that boring Notes tab on facebook. Since this is so much more customizable and I'm able to upload videos and photos of things, I warmed up to the idea.

What to expect when you're... reading my blog:
an eventful day
beauty and health
bike ride trips
dishes, as in food, including pictures that are to promote drooling
vegetarianism
atheism
dogs
cats
animals in general
nerdom
my personal life like work, traveling, school and volunteering, IF  I ever get a break from traveling to actually be able to volunteer like I've been planning to do for 4 months now...
and whatever I feel like

And just putting this out there: this blog isn't with intentions to "brag" or whatever a bitter person might think. I can actually be pretty insecure about expressing myself or trying to help people when I think I have advice. I'm a nurturing person and I like to be helpful. So before you start judging me thinking I'm reveling in blabbering, that's definitely not the case. For me making a blog that's revolved around myself, my happinesses and enjoyments, it's taken a lot of courage and I know this is juicy bait for a hater. So again, if you've got some crazy idea that I'm a self-absorbed person just because I have a blog and I like to share stuff with my friends then you've got me all wrong and I couldn't understand why you've read this far.

Sometimes things just pop into my head and I want to write about it. I hope this turns out to be fun for me and others! See you on the next real blog post!

PS. I also hope I can learn how to fancify my blog when I get home! Right now I'm using my mom's very basic laptop and I don't want to clog it up with zip files and stuff, so yeah, I'm pretty aware this is the most boring looking thing ever right now.