Hairstylist Appreciation Day

We all get our hair cut at some point or another. When we are young it might be a haircut from our mom, but usually by the time we are adults we are going to a professional hairstylist. So today is the day to thank the people who make our hair look great!

When I was younger I hardly ever went to get my hair cut. My hair was down to my hips and I went to get it trimmed maybe once a year. When I got older and wanted a change I just went to the local hair place that I saw in my town to get it trimmed. I wasn't really sure what I was looking for and tried to explain to the woman the general direction I wanted it to go. She sort of got it. It didn't look like what I was thinking, but it didn't look horrible. Then a little over a year ago my friend recommended me to Jennifer (my current hairstylist). I went in and showed her a few photos and said I didn't know which would look the best on me. She then modified the hairstyle a little to make it perfect with my face type. It looked great! I have been going to her ever since.

Happy Hairstylist Day!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Zipper Day

Zippers are considered to be a modern day invention. They were invented in 1913 by a Swedish American inventor by the name of Gideon Sundback. Although there were a few zippers out before the one that Sundback made, none of them actually worked. Before the zipper most clothing would have buttons or eye hooks on them instead.

So lets learn more about the zipper:

- 90% of all zippers now a days are manufactured by one company, YKK, a Japanese manufacturing company.

- The biggest competitor to zippers is Velcro which was invented in 1948.

- Over 1,700 people (mostly men) go to the ER every year for zipper related injuries.

- There are over 1.5 billion zippers produced in one year.

- The largest manufacture of zippers is located at the National Manufacturing Center in Macon, Georgia.

So there are your fun facts about Zippers!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Emotional Overeating Awareness Day

Weight Watchers really hit the nail on the head earlier this year when they came out with their latest commercial. It is the kids song "If your happy and you know it" but it switches the words to have to do with our emotions and eating. For example, "If your happy and you know it, eat a snack" "If your sad and you know it, eat a snack". It is actually really cute, and extremely accurate.

If you are an over eater (like myself), it usually has more to do with our emotions rather than actually being hungry. Think about it. You just won an award or go to a party. What do we do? Usually we eat cake, ice cream, or some big fancy dinner. Now lets flip that. You have to go to a funeral. What do we do? We eat food and celebrate the life of that person. Lets say that you are bored and sitting around the house. What is the first thing we tend to do? You got it! We eat food!

We are programmed as kids to eat food for our emotions. It is a never ending battle that is much harder to conquer than it seems. Today is all about being aware that our emotions do affect our eating, and finding different ways to channel our emotions other than food.

So what are some things to do instead of eating thru our emotions?

- Exercise! Even just moving around a little tends to make us feel better and if we are bored, keeps our mind off of food.

- Drink water.

- Find a fun hobby. Could be things like sewing, roller derby, gardening, etc.

So what can you do to help stop emotional over-eating?

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Scoop the Poop Day

This day is just what it sounds like! It is the day to go outside, and scoop your animals poop. For most of us that means your dogs, but for some it could be cows, horses, or other animals. Cat owners get to do this at least once a week.

When I was a kid I, like many others, could not stand to clean up the poop from the backyard. What would happen is right before my parents went to mow the grass, they would have me and brother go outside and "scoop the poop" along with picking up any other random toys or objects that could get in the way of the mower. Now that I am older it isn't as big a deal to pick up poop. . . but maybe thats because I work at a pet store and pick up poop at least 5 times every day? Who knows?

Whatever the case might be, if you have an animial, today is the day to scoop the poop and make your backyard a more pleasant place to walk!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Kids & Pets Day

Today is the day to educate kids about their pets! Kids are always very curious about animals and usually want to own some type of pet. Today is about teaching them how to take good care of their pet, and learn how to interact and communicate with their pet.

Pets come in all different shapes and sizes. They could have a dog, cat, reptile, bird, fish, hamster, guinea pig, sugar glider, rabbit, along with many other household pet. With each animal comes a different type of responsibility. Growing up my first family pet was a dog. I was about 4 or 5 when we got Maggie. She was some type of mix that we got from the pound. She was very affectionate, but I had to learn very quickly that I some times played too rough. Dogs are not made to ride on their backs like horses. I also got to help with feeding and taking her outside to use the bathroom. Along with Maggie we also had a fish tank. It wasn't until I got older that I learned how much hard work goes into a tank. When I was a kid, I thought it was just about turning the light on and off and making sure that they got fed. Now that I'm older I know that they also need frequent water changes and to make sure that the temperature is in the correct range.

Pets can be a lot of fun. We want to make sure that both the pet and the kid stay safe when interacting together. So take the time today to teach a kid how to play with/ interact/ care for their pet!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

World Veterinarian Day

It is World Veterinarian Day! A day to celebrate and appreciate the doctors who help to keep our animals as healthy as possible.

I have been going to my vet for about 5 years now. She is a traveling vet and myself along with my dogs love her! I first went to her for a second opinion when I found out that Reese had to have surgery on his knees. She told me that he did need to have surgery and explained exactly what he had and what needed to be done to fix it. She then recommended me to a specialist. I have stayed with her ever since. A few years ago Blossom had a issue where she had diarrhea for a few days. When I called my vet she gave me a lot of things to try at home before I had to pay to have her come to my house. I was bummed when she came for Blossoms annual checkup yesterday and found out that she is moving her practice 300 miles away. The only bright side to that is that Blossom is in tip top shape!

I work at a pet store, so I hear a lot of positive and negative things about every vet in town. For me the most important thing is finding a vet that I feel comfortable with. We are all human, we don't "click" with everyone. For me I want a vet that I can trust and my dogs are comfortable with. It will be hard to switch to another vet, but I am confident that I will find one that will take care of my puppies so they live long, happy lives!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Hairball Awareness Day

When I think of a hairball I think of cats. They seem to be the most common animal to get hairballs because of their ability to lick themselves to stay clean. Although not having to bathe a cat as often as dogs is great, it also means that you will have to pick up hairballs more often than not. Essentially a hairball is a mass of hair that gets thrown up because it is hard to digest. So lets learn more about these nasty hairballs:

- Longer haired cats tend to get more hairballs because they have more hair that they can ingest.

- Hairballs are seasonal. They tend to get worse in the spring because they are losing their winter coat.

- Hairballs are not as common as we think. Most cats only get 1 to 2 hairballs a year. If they are getting more than that it is recommended to check with a vet and make sure it is not something worse.

- Hairballs are not just something that cats get. There have been cows, rabbits, dogs, and even humans that have gotten hairballs. Some of them though, (Like rabbits) can prove to be deadly because their stomachs were not made to throw up the hair. Thus killing the rabbit from hair.

- If a hairball gets too big it might have to be surgically removed. . . ouch!

So there is your facts about hairballs. Now you are aware!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom