Some pets love traveling while others can find it very stressful. Owners can prepare and minimize stress by knowing ahead of time what dangers and triggers affect their pets, and head them off at the pass. These travel tips from the American Humane Association can help ensure that holiday trips, and travels year-round, are safe and enjoyable for people and their pets!

1. Properly identify pets with ID tags and microchips: Make sure you have your pets’ ID, current rabies tags and that they’re microchipped. To be extra cautious, attach an additional tag with the address and phone number of …read more

Talk To Me Pets brand pet treats have introduced a fun new pet product especially for the holidays:

These “howliday” greeting cards are not only a nice little thought for your favorite four-legged friends, but they come with treats built right in that they’ll appreciate even more!
The Talk To Me Treats greeting cards come filled with 0.7 oz of Talk To Me Treats Fresh Breath and Dental Care treats (which are the perfect size to put inside the Talk To Me Treatball), and dog-lovers can choose between “Happy Howlidays,” “Merry Christmas,” or a brand new “Tis the Season” cards.
The greeting cards, …read more

During the course of my substitute teaching, I’ve encountered situations where some students and their families don’t celebrate specific holidays or occasions that the majority do.  Or they might have holidays that are new to the other students.
What do parents do?

Simply bring this to the attention to the teacher, or the principal if it involves a number of classes.
Ask that your child might do something else during this time.
Offer to come into class and explain your holiday to the youngsters.  Or provide your child with material to do so.
Refrain from taking a defensive attitude until you’ve explored the possibilities to …read more

As much as I try to take my holidays one at a time, and Halloween is still weeks away, there’s no getting around the fact that people are getting ready for Christmas.  So, I’m being drug, kicking and screaming, into my first holiday post!
One of the popular places to be during the holiday season, is New York City.  From the beautifully decorated department store windows, to ice skating at Rockefeller Center, to the parade and the Rockettes, and everything else that the city has to offer.
One of the highlights of the season is the lighting of the tree at …read more

October isn’t just about candy, apples and pumpkins! It’s also packed with food holidays and awareness days, from the aforementioned apple day, to awareness about eating better and healthier.

October is:
National Apple Month
~ Apple Recipes
~ Old Fashioned Apple Cakes
~ Apple Almond Tart
~ Granny Smith Apple Pie
~ Apple Crisp
National Apple Jack Month
~ Apple Jack Recipe
~ Apple Jack Pound Cake
~ Apple Jack Cocktail Recipe
~ Apple Jack Brandy Recipes
National Caramel Month
~ Caramel Sauce Recipe
~ Caramel Apples
~ Caramel Apple Cookies
~ Caramel Banana Cream Pie
~ Homemade Caramel Corn
National Chili Month
~ Turkey Chili in the Slow Cooker
~ Beef Chili
~ Vegetarian Chili
~ Healthy Chili (video)
~ Ten Tips for …read more

Great Depression Cooking with Clara on Youtube is one of my favorite channels to watch. Clara, now 94 years old, and her siblings grew up during the Great Depression in the late 1920’s and 1930’s, and like many families they made do with what they had, which included some creative family meals. You can see some of her previous videos here, here, and here.
In this video, Clara shows how to prepare Sicilian Fig Cookies, a treat that her family only made once a year around the holidays. She mentions that it was pretty much something they only did after the …read more

You may not be a big American history buff, but you can still appreciate the wonderful cultural tradition that is the Fourth of July.  Holidays like this are a great time for meaningful bonding with friends and family.
I love American holidays for their celebration of families and traditions.  National holidays provide a day off so hopefully there can be that one special day when fathers and mothers get to spend time with their children, and friends and family can travel across long distances to see each other for a special weekend.
If you have are having a Fourth of July celebration, …read more

Wait – Thanksgiving . . .

We went on a hike. I’m super impressed that my kids can walk right up a fallen tree 4-feet off the ground. Even the 2 year old.

My Better Than Robert Redford Pie ever had to be thrown out – something about the barometric pressure and humidity turned it into soup. Bummer.

Called a boycott on 2 Thanksgivings on one day. Spend Thursday with my extended family and Saturday we had a Thankgiving Feast with his. It was a much more relaxing holiday.

Next year his extended family will get Thursday and I’ll celebrate with leftovers on that …read more

I’ve compiled a list of the products I’ve recommended on Blog Fabulous in a special page —-> over there in the side bar.

Click here on the Blog Fabulous Giving Guide. < -----------
I’m truly grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to try all these wonderful products, read the great books and discuss all this fantastic information with you. I will be working on the list over the holidays, but for now it’s some skin products and some books.

I’m waiting to be approved for some of the other recommendations.

That’s about Black Friday.

But, Thanksgiving – today. I want you to try this … …read more

Don’t let the Holidays stress you out.

Prozac $12
Zoloft $86
Xanex $4