Inspire Your Heart with Art Day

Art was always one of my favorite classes when I was in school. It was a chance to do something creative, that was completely different from the other students artwork.

Art comes in so many different forms. It can come in paintings, drawings, pottery, ceramics, quilting, sewing, mask making, clay, wood, tattoo's, piercings, gumballs, etc. You can turn almost anything into a piece of art.

Today is all about finding/looking at different forms of art. Go to a museum, check out the internet, or check out a local art place. There is so many places to look for art! Who knows? You might even be inspired to create a new piece of art!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Yodel for Your Neighbor Day

I wonder what my neighbor would think if I actually did yodel for them? They would probably think that I'm crazy! But hey, in the long run it would be fun, right!?

Yodeling is a type of singing style that most people associate with Switzerland or being in the mountains. It consists of people going back and forth between octaves very fast to get a unique type of sound. There are many YouTube videos that claim to be able to teach you how to yodel if you wish, but like with anything, it takes quite a bit of practice.

Probably the one song that I can yodel would be the song in the Sound Of Music where Maria and the VonTrap kids are doing the puppet show. It's not that I sing it because it is my favorite song from the movie. I sing it because Blossom starts to sing along with it too! That was how I was able to get this photo! My dog was actually yodeling!

So go yodel to your neighbors, and if they don't think that you are crazy, maybe they will yodel along with you!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Seeing-eye Dog Day

There are many different types of jobs that we have used dogs for. One of them is as seeing-eye dogs for the blind.

Seeing-eye dogs are trained to be able to do many things for their visually impaired owner. They can lead them places, pick up small objects that they have dropped, let them know when the height of a building is too low so they don't bump their head, along with many other things.

Seeing-eye dogs go thru extensive training to do what they do. They must then be paired with the right companion. Once paired the dog and the owner, go thru another 4 week program to make sure that they are a right fit for each other.

I have only seen a few seeing-eye dogs at my work, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, they are a working dog, so don't pet them. Also make sure not to purposely distract the dog from it's job. Lastly make sure not to try and ask them to do commands, such as sit. They are trained to only listen to their owner.

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Kazoo Day

Kazoo day! It is the instrument that you have to hum into to make fun, goofy sounding music.

The kazoo was invented in the 1840's by Alabama Vest and a German clockmaker, Thaddeus Von Klegg. The kazoo has been made from many different materials, such as plastic, wood, and metal.

I remember when I was younger I had a hard time getting the kazoo to work. I was not a big "hummer" so it took me a bit to get a sound out of the little plastic instrument. Now, when I do get my hands on a kazoo, I play it pointless to the music that I already have on. . . . which can sometimes irritate friends and family that might be listening to the other music.

So, if you don't have a kazoo, they are sold in the party section of your local dollar store. The ones that I found either came in normal size kazoos or mini kazoos. Both fall apart really easily - but what do you expect from something that comes from the dollar store!?

Erin

   Reeses & Blossom

Punch the Clock Day

No, this is not a holiday were we need to find a clock and punch it. . . at least I don't think it is. It is not actually known who created this holiday or why, although it is guessed that this holiday is celebrating the use of punch clocks that you would find in most work places.

We have a punch clock at my work. It's not really that interesting. When we get to work we slide our card through it, and when we get off or take our lunches we slide the card again. It then keeps track of when we were working. I'm sure it makes it more efficient than the literal punch cards in which people would stick pieces of paper in and it would punch a time when they clocked in and out. I don't know much about that, but it seems like it would be more work. . . and waste more paper. But who knows?

No idea how to celebrate this holiday. I guess that I will literally punch my clock and call it good!

Erin

   Reeses & Blossom

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Today is the day that we appreciate bubble wrap and all it does! So why no appreciate it by learning more about it!?

- Bubble wrap was created in 1957 by Al Fielding and Marc Chavannes.

- Bubble wrap was originally designed to be used as a textured wallpaper, but when it flopped they found another use for it in using it for shipping breakable objects.

- Bubble wrap can melt if left in a hot car.

- Bubble wrap can be used as a cheap burglar alarm by placing large bubble wrap in front of your door.

- Placing bubble wrap on the floor while camping will reduce heat loss.

- Bubble wraps biggest use is for food packaging.

-There are 5 sizes of bubble wrap

- Enough bubble wrap is produced each year to wrap around he earth 10 times!

- Many people claim that popping bubble wrap is therapeutic.

So go pop some bubble wrap!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Opposite Day

Bad Morning! - Not really, cause it is opposite day! The topsy-turvy day where everything is backwards. Up is down, bad is good, quiet is loud!

So how do we celebrate this holiday? Here are some ideas:

- Eat meals at the wrong times. Example: Have dinner for breakfast

- Read books from right to left (unless it is anime, then read it from left to right)

- Say bye instead of hello

- Say the opposite of what you mean.

- Wear summer clothes instead of winter

So have don't have fun with this holiday and have a horrible rest of your day!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Peanut Butter Day

For those of you with peanut allergies, this is not the holiday for you! But for people like me, who love peanut butter, this will be a fun day indeed!

As most of you have figured out, I like peanut butter. So much in fact, that my dog is named after a chocolate and peanut butter candy (Not really, but we are going to go with it!).

So here are some fun facts about peanut butter!

- We, as Americans, consume 700 million pounds of peanut butter annually, about three pounds per person!

-75% of US homes have a peanut butter jar.

- Peanut butter is a good source of protein.

-  It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.

-  By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.

-  Four of the top 10 candy bars manufactured in the USA contain peanuts or peanut butter

-  Peanuts account for two-thirds of all snack nuts consumed in the USA.

-  Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter

-  The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before he/she graduates high school.

So I'm going to go get a Reeses and celebrate this holiday!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Measure Your Feet Day

Bet you didn't realize that there was a holiday about measuring your feet! So lets learn some fun facts about our feet!

- 25% of the bones in the human body are located in our feet. Each foot contains 26 bones.

- Our feet have more sweat glands than any other part of our body. Our feet have about 250,000 sweat glands! No wonder our feet stink!

- Our toenails grow about 3 times slower than our fingernails.

- Women have more foot problems than men, mostly due to our pointy toed- high heel shoes.

- 9 out of 10 women wear shoes that are too small.

- The best selling shoe size for Americans are 8 1/2 for women and 10 1/2 for men.

- The largest feet in the world belong to Matthew McGrory who wears a size 28 1/2 (US)!

- Most people have one foot that is larger than the other.

- Standing in one spot is more tiring for your feet than walking because the demands are being made on the same few muscles for a longer period of time.

- The average woman walks three miles more per day than the average male.

- The afternoon is the optimum time to shop for shoes because the feet tend to be more swollen then.

- The ancient Romans were the first to construct a distinct left and right shoes. Before that, shoes could be worn on either foot.

- The feet can get many diseases from communal showers, including planters warts, athlete's foot, and ring worm!

So lets go measure our feet!

Erin 

   Reeses & Blossom

Celebration of Life Day

It is the day to celebrate your life! You are alive, and hopefully well, so lets celebrate that!

I'm not really sure how to celebrate this holiday. To me celebrate your life day seemed like a holiday in which we celebrate our birthdays. So should we throw a big party? Have cake? Drink? Give presents?

Sure we could do all that, but I think it is more about appreciating our lives and the good things that have come/ will come from it. So here is a short list of possible things to do for this holiday:

1. Look back at old photos of you.

2. Write a list of your accomplishments.

3.Write about all the positive people/things in your life.

I'm sure there is many more, so please let me know. But for now, live life to its fullest and appreciate that you are here!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Hugging Day

I think that this is one of my favorite holidays! When I think of hugging I don't just think of family or friends. I think of Choir Camp.

I started going to choir camp when I was 9 years old. It was a church camp for kids going into 4th grade thru teens that just graduated from high school. I was a camper for 10 years and this summer will mark my 5th year as a counselor. One of my absolute favorite things about this camp is how close we all were. A lot of this was thanks to some of the awesome staff at the camp.

Hugging is one of the most common things that you will see at choir camp - along with random bursts of singing, drum cadences with cups on the dinner tables, and people dressed up in funny hats.

Amy, along with her husband Cecil, have been coming to choir camp for many years. She was probably the first counselor I met when I came my first day in 4th grade. The first thing she does when she meets you is give you a big hug, and tell you that her most important rule is that you have to give her a hug every day when you see her - and this doesn't just apply to her elementary girls cabin. That "rule" has been ingrained into my head. Even if we are not at camp, if I see Amy I must hug her.

It is a fact that hugging has a lot of health benefits, such as reducing stress and lowering blood pressure.

So if not for your health, than for others, go hug someone! Family, friends, pets, etc. And for those of you coming to the choir camp reunion this weekend, you will get your hugs then!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

CamCorder Day

When I was a kid, I thought that our video recorder was the best thing ever. It was a big recorder that actually took VHS tapes and it was so old that the battery didn't hold a charge. So in order to use it we had to keep it plugged into the outlet. That didn't stop me from using it though. I video taped everything! I recorded my brother and my friend down the street playing foursquare, our dogs sleeping, the blister on my foot, my beanie babies, terrifying my sister with worms that my brother and I dug out of the backyard, along with lots of other pointless things.

I got my own camcorder for Christmas when I was 17. So not only did I get to video tape all of the presents that we got, I also made a skit with my siblings for a workout video. I still have that video camera and use it from time to time - although I've noticed I mainly pull it out for holidays or special occasions. I try to make them somewhat fun though. It doesn't always work, but when I look back at them years from now, at least I will know that I tried. . . . Cause as much I love watching the home videos of me when I was one year old, it gets rather boring watching me play with Cookie Monster for 30 minutes straight.

So go out and record something that you will enjoy watching 20 years from now!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Popcorn Day

Popcorn has been around for thousands of years. We see it everywhere. Movie theaters, grocery stores, ballparks, and most of us have some in our own homes. It is one of the few snack foods that is not too bad in calories and that a lot of people love to eat. So lets learn some new facts about popcorn!

- American's eat more popcorn than any other country. We actually consume about 17 billion quarts each year! That's enough to fill the Empire State building 18 times!

- Most US popcorn is grown in the Midwest, primarily Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri.

- Popcorn is the official snack of Illinois

- Popcorn has been served in movie theaters since 1912. At first movie theaters didn't want to sell popcorn because they thought the crunching would distract from the movie, but later found it helped to increase sales.

- Popcorn comes in 2 shapes, Snowflake and Mushroom. Most movie theaters use snowflake because they are bigger, while the mushrooms are used for confections because they are less likely to crumble.

- The worlds largest popcorn ball was 12 feet in diameter and weighed 5,000 pounds.

- A cup of plain popcorn contains just 31 calories.

- The popcorn business was one of few that actually thrived during the Great Depression because of it's affordability (about 5 to 10 cents per bag!).

So go pop some corn and celebrate popcorn day!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Thesaurus Day

It's a day for the English people in your life. A day to take ordinary, boring words and make them more interesting and exciting!

On this day  in 1779, Peter Mark Roget was born. Who is this person you ask? He is the one that wrote the first thesaurus. He liked making lists, so much so that it helped him to make the Thesaurus, in which similar words are listed together.

I know in school, I actually liked learning about the Thesaurus and its different words. It was SO much better than the dictionary. . . but that is mainly because every month in elementary school we had to look up 25 words from the dictionary and write ALL of the definitions, word for word, and turn it in. With a Thesaurus though, you can take normal words that we use all the time, and make them more interesting. This is expecially helpful for those going into the English or writing field.

Erin
   Reeses &Blossom

Ditch your New Years Resolution Day

Today is the day that a good chunk of people give up on their New Years Resolutions. We are "gun-ho" for the first week or two and then we start to go downhill from there. Don't worry though! Your not the only one! Only about 8% of people who make New Years Resolutions actually make it to their goal.

Once again, I haven't made a New Years Resolution in quite a few years. When I did usually never made it past the first month. I eventually just gave up making a New Years Resolution because I was sick of never actually succeeding.

So if your still hanging in there on your resolution, good luck - or as my college english proffessor said, "HARD WORK!"

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Appreciate a Dragon Day

If you like dragons, then this is your day! Appreciate a Dragon Day!

For most people, we don't own a dragon (that is unless you have a water dragon or a bearded dragon!). So how do we celebrate this holiday? Here are a few ideas:

- Draw a picture of a dragon (or in my case, take a photo of a dragon)

- Read stories or myths about dragons.

- Write a story about dragons.

- See a movie that has a dragon in it (Eragon, Harry Potter, Mulan, Shrek, etc)

- Act out a skit about dragons

Essentially, this holiday is about learning more about dragons and their history.

Not going to lie, I have never been into dragons. Not that I don't like them, just not something that I was obsessed with. I remember there was a girl in elementary school who loved dragons. She was really good at drawing and would doodle elaborate pictures of dragons. It was pretty awesome.

So have a great day, and do something today to appreciate a dragon!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Hat Day

It's Hat Day! So get out your fun hats and put em on! Top hats, baseball caps, fez, graduation cap, goofy hat, or whatever hat you can find!

I have just recently gotten into watching Rhett and Link on youtube. They have multiple songs and their own show that they put on youtube. One of their songs has been stuck in my head for 3 weeks. It is called "Nilla Wafer Top Hat Time" (If you haven't seen it, check it out on youtube). So my sister decided that we were going to make a Nilla Wafer Top Hat.  She had a blast wearing it, taking photos, and putting them on facebook. I was rather disappointed that it was too heavy to fit on either of my dogs heads without falling off or, in Blossoms case, completely engulfing her body. My sister spent so much time working on it though, that I had to get it into the picture somehow!

Have a great Hat Day!

Erin
    Reeses & Blossom

 

Dress Up your Pet Day

Is it Halloween? No! It's dress up your pet day! The day where you can dress your pet in any ridiculous thing that you want because it is a holiday!

Growing up, my dogs never wore clothes. They have fur, so what was the point? Now that I have Reese and Blossom I still don't have them wear clothes too often. Only for these photos, on Halloween, and when the weather is in the negatives I make them wear booties. They don't enjoy the booties, but without them they go out in the snow and before they can even do their business they are holding up their paws, trying not to touch the snow because their paws are so cold. I have even had to pick ice chunks out of Blossoms paw pads before. The cold is not fun (unless you are sledding!).

Working at a pet store I have seen all sorts of goofy clothes. Shirts, tutus, costumes, sweatshirts, rain jackets, winter jackets, goggles, sweaters, hats, dresses, tuxedos, bowties, and even a bikini! Why you want to put a bikini on your dog doesn't make sense to me! 

So if you enjoy dressing up your pet today is the day to do it! Even if it isn't a dog you can still dress them up! I once had a lady bring in her bearded dragon that had a bandana on it!

So have fun, and be creative! (And if it is something awesome then post a photo so I can see it!)

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Rubber Ducky Day

Rubber ducky, your the one, you make bath time lots of fun! Rubber ducky, I'm awfully fond of you!

If you grew up watching Sesame Street then this song should sound very familiar. It is Ernie's most popular song that he sings. It is actually Ernie's song that helped to popularize the rubber duck in the 1970's. 

Here are some fun facts about rubber ducks:

- The rubber duck was patented in the 1940's by a man named Peter Ganine.

- In 2013 the rubber duck was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame.

- The worlds largest rubber duck was 54 x 65 x 105 feet and weighed 1,323 pounds!

- Rubber ducky races are held all over the world. They are most commonly used as fundraisers where people can sponsor a duck. Then all of the ducks are set in a waterway and the first one to make it to the finish line earns a prize for their sponsor.

- The largest collection of rubber ducks is currently held by Charlotte Lee who has 5,631 different rubber ducks!

- The longest line of rubber ducks measured over a mile long and consisted of 17,782 rubber ducks.

Have a great rubber ducky day everyone!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Clean off your Desk Day

Whenever I think of desks I think of school. Sure I have a desk in my house, but the ones from school were so much more fun!

Lets see, there were the desks from early elementary that had the table top with the seat attached to it and a small place to put our books underneath the seat. They had wooden seats and after my 2nd grade year the school sold them to get new, more updated and modern desks. I remember that my parents bought two of the desks. A small one (made for children under 7 years) and bigger one (used for the 7th and 8th graders). They thought it would be a nice place for my brother and I to do our homework. My brother and I, on the other hand, only used them to play "school". We would take turns being the teacher and the student, and it usually ended with one of us being forced into detention (a wooden toy box) or having to write an essay on how awesome the other sibling was (in which we never actually wrote nice things).

In fourth grade is when we got the desks without the chairs attached. They had a table top and directly under the table top was the area to put our books. I remember that mine, along with 90% of my class, was always messy. I even remember having a pixie stick that I wanted to eat, but didn't want to wait until lunch. So I poured the pixie stick into the inside of the desk. Then when the teacher wasn't looking I would lick my finger, stick it in the pixie powder, and then eat it. Thinking back on it, that probably wasn't the most hygienic thing to do. . .although it must be better than the girl in my class who had a lime green gel pen explode in her mouth because she was chewing on it!

Then we got to the desks in high school. They were very similar to the ones from early elementary but were made out of more metal and thicker material. I guess the creators of the desk knew that high schoolers are not always known for being gentle with school property. Although I don't think the creators thought that they would be used in "desk wars". What is desk wars do you ask? That is when you walk into your tenth grade math class to find 4 of the kids had flipped the desks upside down and were trying to "battle" each other by ramming the desks into each other. The teacher was not too happy and I believe they got detention. The only thing that I miss about these desks are that even though they were uncomfortable, they were really great at cracking your back!

No matter if you use your desk for school, homework, bills, drawing, your computer, or for taking photos, make sure that you find the time to clean off your desk. You might even find something that you have been looking for, or a bill that you should have paid last week!

Have fun Desk Cleaning!

Erin

   Reeses & Blossom

National Jump in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day

I have deducted, that the person that made this holiday either does not live in Michigan, or was in Michigan on one of our weird weather days. Cause right now there is no way that we could jump in a puddle with all of this snow unless we melted it down first. . . although that would be really cold and if we were standing outside then it would freeze and we would turn into popsicles.

To me this holiday is more about appreciating our friends and all of the weird stuff that we do. Lets face it, we do stuff around our friends that we would probably never do with co-workers, family members, or people we just met. Some friends even come up with their own way of talking to each other. In high school I had a friend that I would "write" to back and forth. We had created a "new" form of writing where we took every letter in the alphabet and made a picture for the letter. For example for the letter 'I' we would draw a box that was suppose to be an ice cube. For 'R' we would draw raindrops. We would spend forever writing the letter just to spend over half a day trying to decode it. This only lasted a month before we gave up on it.

There are so many strange things we do with our friends. So today is the day to appreciate our friends and the weird things we do!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Houseplant Appreciation Day

I don't have much experience with houseplants. Not that I don't like them, my family just never had any when I was a kid. I was told that it was because my mom is good at killing plants. I guess that I take after her. Even just trying to take this picture I borrowed one of my grandma's plants that she didn't care too much about. . . . I'm glad she doesn't care about it because I accidentally killed it. I forgot about it in my car overnight when it was -3 degrees. By the time it thawed out, it had started to turn brown and was wilting. I felt so bad, but my grandma was just happy that she didn't have to figure out where to put her new houseplant that she just received. So I guess it worked out for everyone?

I remember when I was in high school I decided to do the experiment that lots of kids did for their science fair projects in elementary school. I got some flower seeds, pots, and soil and tried to see what would happen if I gave them water that had different colored food dye in it. I had a friend that did this exact experiment and they got flowers that turned blue, green, yellow, and red. Guess what I got? You got it - Mold! I even brought it in for my science teacher so that he didn't think that I faked the whole thing. He just looked at the rotting pots, gave a grimace, and demanded that I throw them in the trash. He thankfully gave me a good grade for my effort, even though I failed miserably.

I do have a houseplant that I got for my birthday that I haven't killed. It has lasted almost 9 months! It's a record!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Static Electricity Day

Static Electricity day! Who ever created this holiday definitely put it in the correct month. I have been getting "shocked" for over a week now!

Every time I am at work and I touch the handle on our office door I get shocked. Doesn't matter if I had just touched it less than 60 seconds before - It still gets me. Blossom with all of her fur has been getting lots of shocks too.

I work part time in the salon at our store as well, and because of the dry air and cold the static electricity is everywhere! I brush a dog and if the fur doesn't cling to me then it clings to the windows, the broom, or anything else it can attach to.

So I thought, what is the best way to reduce our static electricity build up?

1. Humidifiers - Static Electricity is amplified in the winter because it is so cold and dry. Humidifiers help the add moisture to the air.

2. Anti-Static Spray - Apparently you can find this spray and put it on your furniture. . . where do you find this spray? Just at your local store? I must look next time I go!

3. Moisturize - Dry skin can cause a buildup of static charges which could cause more static electricity. Staying moisturized helps to reduce your static.

4. Wear 100% cotton or wool clothing - Different materials can cause more static electricity than others.

Another random fact I found as well is that 50% of dogs that are afraid of thunderstorms are afraid not because of the noise or the lighting. They are afraid of the static that is built up in their fur from the storm. A great way to help them is to rub a dryer sheet on them to reduce the static. It also makes them smell better!

So I guess that I need to go get a humidifier. . .

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Bubble Bath Day

Woot woot! It's Bubble Bath Day! Who doesn't love bubble baths?

I wasn't able to find many, but here are some random facts about bubbles and baths:

- The longest Monopoly game in a bathtub lasted 99 hours.

- It would take 17,000 McDonalds strawfuls of water to fill a standard size bathtub.

- According the the Guinness World Record, the most soap bubbles cut from one bubble was six.

Make sure to save time in your day to enjoy this holiday!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Old Rock Day

This was a difficult holiday for me to take a picture of. It seems easy enough - take a photo with an old rock. But aren't all rocks old? Or at least older than anyone that is alive?

It is unknown as to who created this holiday, but it is believed that it was created to celebrate not just old rocks, but more specifically, fossils.

Fossils are the persevered remains or traces of a living organism, plants, or animals. I remember when I was in elementary school and I found a fossil. It was a rock that had the impression of a plant in it. I didn't realize that it was a fossil until my teacher told me, I just thought that it was really cool. After that day I tried to find more fossils. I remember digging up our back yard, looking through all the rocks to see if I could find a fossil. This went on for maybe a week before I got bored with digging and not finding anything. It also didn't help that my parents thought that the holes were from our dogs trying to dig out of the backyard!

Even if you are not that big into fossils, it is still a great day to celebrate rocks. We don't think too much about rocks, but they are everywhere. What would our life be like without them? We wouldn't have Stonehenge, Mt. Rushmore, or the Blarney Stone. Plus how would the 70's have survived without selling pet rocks to people and children everywhere?

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Cuddle Up Day

After our adventure yesterday, I am ready for this holiday!

So I got a text from my manager about an hour before I went into work yesterday.  She wanted to let me know that it was cold at work so make sure to dress warm. She wasn't kidding. I guess that there was something going on with the heat and it was about 54 degrees in most of the store. It was colder if you were stuck at the register, which was right by the door. Because of the cold, we were allowed to wear sweatshirts, gloves, hats, and my store manager even had her big winter jacket on!

After the management spent hours (literally) on the phone trying to find out what was going on, we finally got someone at our store to check out our heat. Come to find out, 80% of our heaters were frozen, so they had to be thawed before they could even fix them. After a few hours, lots of marching in place, jumping jacks, and some hot chocolate, the heaters finally started to kick in! Having a day with no heat definitely made me appreciate having a warm house to go home to and my two furry puppies to cuddle with.

Hopefully none of you have to worry about being too cold. But either way, remember that it is cuddle up day - so find a friend, spouse, partner, family member, or pet that you can cuddle with!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Weigh in Day

 Losing weight tends to be one of the most popular New Years Resolutions there is. I mean, it makes sense. People want to look better, feel better, be healthy, live longer, and spend more time with the ones they love. Today is the day to face your fears and get on that scale. To see the damage that we have done to ourselves.

When I was younger, losing weight was my New Years Resolution each year. I would gorge myself on food right until I had to weigh myself. I thought that once I got on that scale I had to eat "right". I wouldn't be "allowed" to eat the foods that I enjoyed, and god forbid that I ate any type of candy. The first week I would do great, lose quite a few pounds. But as the weeks progressed the weight loss would slow and I would crave food that I would tell myself I couldn't have. So if I did have a bite of "bad" food, I would beat myself up. This usually caused me to eat more of that bad food, making me feel worse, and it became a vicious cycle. Because of this diet mentality, I would eventually give up. 

In 2005 I joined Weight Watchers with my mom. It wasn't easy at first (though it will NEVER be easy), but it works. From Weight Watchers I have learned that in order to succeed you need to want to lose weight for yourself, and it needs to be a LIFESTYLE change. It needs to be something that you can do for the rest of your life. Do you really think that you could go forever without eating a piece of cake? Ice Cream? Reeses? Mashed Potatoes? I doubt it. Or that you could live on tuna and egg whites the rest of your life? (Yes, I actually did a diet before Weight Watchers where all you ate was tuna and egg whites. . . didn't help that I don't like either of those two things. . . ) I know that Weight Watchers works for me, but whatever you do try, it needs to be something that can become a healthy lifestyle. 

Weight loss isn't easy, nor will it ever get easier. Once you hit your goal weight you can't just go back to what you did before. . . or you could, but you will probably go back to what you weighed before too. You have to keep going! I'm not saying that I am perfect - far from it. I have been on and off Weight Watchers for over 9 years. Currently I have been going to Weight Watchers for 3 consecutive years and have lost over 48 pounds. 

The biggest advice I would have for those with a weight loss goal is this:

Make it a Lifestyle

- Make sure it is something you can do for the rest of your life

Don't beat yourself up

- We all make mistakes. Just pick yourself up and keep going!

Do it for you

- If you don't want to lose weight you won't. Its all about your attitude and how much you want it.

Have a support system 

- Having someone to talk to and help motivate you really does help! This could be a friend, co-worker, family member, or a group (like Weight Watchers!)

Accomplishments

- Make a list of accomplishments. This could be things like losing weight, fitting into a new clothes size, being able to fit on a roller coaster, being able to walk further, or driving past McDonalds. It allows you to look back at how far you have come if you start to lose motivation.

Good luck!

Erin
  Reeses & Blossom

Spaghetti Day

Spaghetti and I have never really gotten along. Sure, it's looks great, smells great, and tastes great. . . .but it is MESSY!  Just trying to take this photo there was spaghetti sauce all over the table cloth I was using!

When I was a kid I was never allowed to get spaghetti when we went to a restaurant until I was a teenager. My parents told me this was because when I was two they let me have spaghetti and it ended up all over my face, clothes, table, and the chair. On my defense though, I was two. Is there really a two year old that can eat spaghetti and not be messy?!

Over the years I seem to have gotten a lot better at eating spaghetti, but I still always end up getting some of the sauce on my shirt. I guess that I like spaghetti so much that I am saving some for later!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Festival of Sleep Day

Today is a day devoted to sleep. So I thought, what a better way to celebrate than to learn some new facts about sleep?!. . .So here we go!

- On average Humans spend 33% of their life sleeping while dogs spend over 50% sleeping and cats tend to sleep for 70% of their lives!

- Giraffes sleep for just 1.9 hours per day while Koalas can sleep up to 22 hours per day.

- Dysania is the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning.

- Lack of sleep can cause weight gain

- You burn more calories sleeping than watching tv.

- Dogs tend to circle before lying down because it is a natural instinct. When in the wild they do that to pat down the ground/grass to make a bed for themselves.

- 65% of Americans lose sleep because of stress.

- Withing 5 minutes of waking, 50% of a dream is forgotten. Withing 10 minutes of waking, 90% of a dream is forgotten.

One of the most interesting things that I found out when researching, is that we, as people, could go longer without food than we could without sleep. The longest documented person to go without sleep made it only 11 days. During that time they had paranoia, memory problems, and suffered from hallucinations. 

Sleep tight everyone!

Erin,
   Reeses & Blossom

Pet Travel and Safety Day

Have you guys seen the movie Marley and Me? There is a scene in that movie where Marley tries to jump out the window while his owners are driving. The owners, in panic, grab a hold of Marley and are holding  his back end while his front half is walking on the road. Most of us laughed at that part, relieved that Marley wasn't injured. But this is more common than a lot of people think. I remember someone who was in the parking lot at the pet store I work at, and the dog got so excited when she saw the building that she jumped out of the window the second that they stopped. She was a little dog, a yorkie mix, and ended up limping into the store. Thankfully she ended up being fine, but what would have happend if they were still driving or on a busy highway?

I am a slightly paranoid (or very paranoid according to my best friend) when it comes to my dogs and cars. Here are some things that could help keep your dog safe while your driving.

1. Windows - I do my best to roll my window down a little, but never enough that they can stick their whole head out. Although it is fun to watch the goofy faces that our dogs make as we drive, they can potentially get hit by objects (rocks/pebbles) that fly up from your car or the car next to you. Also, for some dogs, if they can get their head out then they can get their body out. I know that I don't want to re-create Marley's window scene!

2. Seat Belts - Most people don't put too much thought into seat belts for their dogs, but just think about it. If someone pulls out in front of you and you have to slam on the brakes what happens to your dog? Usually it ends with them hitting the dash board or the seat in front of them. I would think this would be a great way to end up with a concussion or in severe cases, like a car accident, getting ejected from the car. Although these are on more of the extreme side it is always helpful to have your dogs in a seat belt, or even a crate when traveling.

3. Don't let your dog sit on your lap while your driving - There is a few reasons for this one. Firstly, if they dog gets excited and starts jumping, moving, or barking it is a major distraction for the driver. Second is more for the reason that if you get into an accident, most likely the dog will be ejected or hurt/killed by the airbag. I have unfortunately had a relative that had that exact thing happen when she got into a car accident.

Now you can take it or leave it on this advice. I'm not saying that everyone should follow my lead, or that this is all 100% correct, but this seemed like a few ways that I can keep my own dogs safe when they get in my car.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any pet travel safety advice in the comment section.

Safe Travels!

Erin,
 Reeses &Blossom

New Years Day

Today is the first day of my 2015 Holiday Pup Challenge! This challenge consists of three things:

1. Take/upload a photo every day of 2015
2. A holiday
3. My dogs (Reeses and Blossom)

Through this challenge we will see well known holidays, such as today's, and we will see many "new" holidays.

We start off with New Years. A day devoted to celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of a new, and hopefully even better year than the one before. I, along with my two pups, wish you and your family a great start to 2015, and hope you stick around to enjoy this Holiday Pup Challenge!

Sincerely,

Erin, Reeses & Blossom