Because Dogs Love Paper Lanterns

For the Fourth of July, I bought some paper lanterns at the dollar store and hung them from the ceiling. When the holiday was over, Cody was holding Exo and bumped into one of the lanterns. Exo really wanted to get his paws on it.

So we added some string to it so it would be at the puppy's level and let him go! 

And of course I videotaped it.

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My French Mexican Hotdog

Pet owners know that our pets get into some messes. They have an uncanny ability to be right where we don't want them and have something in their mouths we don't want there. As frustrating as it can be, it sure does make for some interesting stories.

If you're a reader of this blog, you've seen this little guy. Sweet as can be right?

Of course he is! 

Unless you look like this that is:

See, Exo either really likes frogs or really hates them. We aren't quite sure which. 

So one night, we were deep in the process of house training. It was at least the millionth time I'd taken him out that day and it was now night time. 

We run to the back door, attach the leash with a little bit of fighting and all three of us (Me, Cody and Exo) trot outside for Exo to do his business.

He had other ideas. 

He saw a frog hopping on by, minding it's own business and snatched it out of mid air.

It happened so quick we couldn't do anything but before we knew it, the frog was in his mouth and Cody was snatching it away from him, leaving the frog's leg in Exo's mouth.

Exo must have thought he had a delicious treat because he swallowed it whole and promptly started choking.

Cody and I just stood there. I started shouting "What do I do?!" and Cody says "I don't know! You're the nurse aren't you!?" 

"NOT FOR DOGS!" I shouted.

Finally, I decided to act like my little puppy was an infant and snatched him up, threw him over my leg and started hitting him on the back, hoping to dislodge the frog leg.

It was finally expelled from his throat and he happily went about his business after getting lots of cuddles and kisses from me.

My Mexican Taco must be french, because he sure does love his frog legs!

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I'm That Dog Mom

A friend recently invited me a resale facebook group for our area. If you aren't sure what they are, essentially, people post pictures of their stuff and sell it. It's like a yard sale, only I don't have to wake up super early and I can sit in my comfy chair and shop in my pajamas.
Yeah, it's pretty bad for my wallet. Let's not even get into the fact that everyone sells baby stuff and sometimes, I get the urge to "stock up" just for the future. Yeah, so far I've been able to kill that impulse but people better still be selling baby stuff when I'm ready to procreate, thankyouverymuch.
There is one thing I couldn't pass up. 

Yep, dog shirts. Now, when I got Exo, I swore up and down I'd never put him in clothes. Just because I have a small dog doesn't mean that I need to decorate him, mmkay?

But then I saw that adorable stars tank top and I just thought it would be perfect for any patriotic holiday. Then the rufferee shirt was perfect for football season and superbowl and of course the bite me shirt would be perfect for Christmas time. 

And the person was selling them for $5 each. Then I asked her if she'd take $12 for all three and she agreed.

(Score!)

So I told Cody what the deal was and why he had to come with me to pick them up. He was not amused. After much begging and probably just out of fear for my safety in picking up dog shirts from a complete stranger, he agreed to go with me.

After we got home, I threw them in the washer and then decided to try them on Exo.

The only one that fits him is the star tank top.

You guys. Look at the cuteness.

I die.

He was not amused.

This quickly ensued.

So, I took it off of him and now, he's officially made this tank top his favorite thing to chew.

Yeah, I can't believe for one minute I was the dog mom that dressed her dog up for holidays. Exo quickly set me straight on that idea.

There's a Method for Everything

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was provided the product mentioned for free. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. There are a lot of things in life that you just don't really care about until you're in that situation. I could easily think of a million examples but let's focus on one. Animal safe cleaning products. Seems random right? In the past, I would have said "oh neat" and then gotten my regular brand of cleaning products. Now that I have my sweet little puppy, I pay a bit more attention to things like that.

Let's face it. I have one of the cutest and smartest dogs on the face of the planet. But, even with as smart as he is, he still likes to lick and eat random things.

So, if I use a dangerous cleaning product on my floor and he decides the floor tastes good, then he's going to lick all those harsh chemicals up.

Same way with my hands. I don't want to use a nasty chemical-y product on my hands because Exo's mouth is around my hands alot, whether it's to grab a treat or because he thinks there might be food on them so he licks them.

I had seen Method in the store, especially at Target, before and always thought they had nice bottles but I hadn't ever really paid much attention. When they contacted me about trying out some of their products, when I read that they were animal friendly, I knew it would be a great fit!

They sent me two handsoaps to try. When I got my package, I was in love as soon as I opened it.

At the very top was an info card about Method Products and under that was a sheet of stickers! I love the stickers. They are adorable and say things like "I like big mutts and I cannot lie" and "Wag what you have."

After I took those out of the box, the prettiest handsoaps I've ever seen were resting on a bed of packing.

They sent me two scents: botanical garden and mimosa sun. We're using the botanical garden in our kitchen right now and I love it!

If I were you, I'd definitely put Method on my list of products to try out and the best part? If you buy your method products at soap.com you can save 20% using the code PAWPRINT if you are a first time soap.com customer.

It's definitely a great deal for some amazingly pretty and SAFE product for your pets! Not only is method never test on animals and animal friendly, they also use no animal by product in any of their products.

To further support the cause for prevention of animal cruelty, Method and Soap[dot]com are teaming up to donate 15% of Method product sales on Soap[dot]com in June to the ASPCA®, whose mission is to prevent animal cruelty to animals all over the US!

So essentially, YOU save 20% and then 15% of the sale is donated! Win win!

They are also running a photo contest right now! If you think you have the cutest pet in the world, read below to find out how to enter to win some awesome prizes!

Step 1: Take a photo of your adorable pet. 
Step 2: Choose how you want to enter the contest: Facebook or Instagram –
Facebook: Find the ‘pet photo contest’ tab on Method’s Facebook page and follow the instructions on the tab for uploading your photo.
Instagram: Post your pet’s photo to your Instagram account using the hashtag #methodcutepets. You must also follow @methodhome in order to be eligible to win. 

The contest will begin on June 11 and end June 30. Method will select one winner each week to receive the two “designed for good” soaps and a $50 gift card to Soap[dot]com. NOTE: Only residents of the US and Canada (excluding Quebec) are eligible to win.

If you are viewing this post on a cell phone, you can use this link for a mobile friendly version of the contest rules and how to enter!

Have you ever tried Method Products?

Would you now that you know they are animal cruelty free?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was provided the product mentioned for free. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Puppy Essentials

*This post may contain affiliate links. However, they do not affect my opinions and I will never link anything I do not or would not own myself*

When we got our puppy I instantly knew there were going to be some things we needed and other things that would be a waste of money. Looking back over the past couple month of having our puppy, I put together a small list of things that I've definitely used the most and have found to be essential.

The first thing are these bones from NylaBone. They are great because they are not super hard like a lot of bones are, so puppies have an easier time. They come in both edible and nonedible forms and we have both around our house. Exo really loves them and gets so excited when he sees them when we come in from the store! The downside is that I've only been able to find the edible version at pet stores like Petsmart and Petco, which are kryptonite for me. I can spend hours in them and come out with way more than I went in for! 
Another essential are those plastic bags that are used to pick up puppy poop. My mom thought I was crazy for spending six bucks on plastic bags when I save my walmart bags anyway but since Exo is such a tiny dog, he doesn't do very big number twos. Plus, these bags fit great around my hand, almost like I have a little glove and they are super easy to tie and then just toss in the trash! You can grab these at Wal-mart, Target or pet stores! I've even seen them at TJMaxx!
For our dog, dog bowls that have a base to them are the best. He can't knock them over or push them around so they actually stay put. No one ever wants to have to clean up spilled water and food so these are amazing! You can purchase these at Wal-mart, Target, or pet stores!
A retractable leash is also a must have. We have one cute little green leash and collar matching set but it's only 5 feet. The retractable leash is 13 feet, meaning he can do quite a bit of wandering and we don't have to stay right up on top of him. Our trips outside have been so much nicer since we bought the retractable leash! We got ours from Wal-Mart but you can find these at pet stores as well. 
Of course the nurse in me picks hand sanitizer as a must have. I'm a contact wearer and I pick at my eyes a lot. After petting and loving on my puppy, it literally grosses me out so bad to stick my finger in my eye or eat any food so I keep hand sanitizer all over the place. Obviously you can find hand sanitizer just about anywhere!
Last, and best, is this puppy pen! We were keeping our puppy in a little kennel while we were gone but with our class schedules, we may be gone 8, 9, 10 hours in a day. I felt like it just is not fair to keep him in a tiny kennel all day long while he's not even sleepy so we bought this pen. It's 8 panels that are each 2 feet each and you can shape it however you want. Now, he's got some room to play. We have it set up so that he has his dog bed on one end and puppy potty pads in the other half so he can go to the bathroom. It is working great! In the petstore, these will run anywhere from $80-$100 but we got ours on Amazon for $45 and it's definitely worth it in my opinion! We got this one: Pet Trex Premium Quality 30" Exercise Playpen for Dogs Eight 24" x 30" High Panels with Gate (*This is an affiliate link but I own this product and use it daily in my own home and LOVE it!*) for many reasons. The main one was that it had a door so I could leave it open for the puppy to go in and out during the day and the other, very nice, one was that they offer free shipping!

What are your pet essentials?  

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Because I Never Do It

On Saturday night, I was laying in bed and I suddenly had a brainstorm.
I said to myself, "Self, you need to write a weekend update post on Tuesday." and then I said "But I never do weekend update posts" and then I thought "and that's exactly why you should! Besides, you actually did stuff this weekend!"
Then I realized, I can barely remember what I did yesterday, let alone what I did three days ago, but I'll try.
On Friday, we went to Target.
Which reminds me, I am sick of building furniture. If I never have to build another piece of furniture again, it will be too soon.

But, we picked up a tv stand for Cody's office and a few other things and we came home, and you guessed it, built it.  After that we went grocery shopping and took Exo to petco. He was so shy around all the other dogs. I think it's because when we visited my aunt a week or so ago, her pompoo decided he didn't like having another small dog around. We had to keep them separated for most of the weekend.
We ended up picking up a new fish tank and some upside down catfish. So far, it's been pretty interesting to watch them but they must not be big enough for Exo to see because he just ignores them.
Cody also came up with the idea to put one of the toys Exo is obsessed with in a clear box. The puppy figured out how to get it out and now he also knocks over his toy basket and our bathroom trashcans. Yay!

Then I did a little crafting. Some of it is going on the blog but here's a sneak peek for you.

On Saturday, we went to eat at Applebees and Cody parked us right by a homeless man on a shopping cart. Literally, he was sitting on a shopping cart. I honestly thought that it was a bus stop at first and then I realized what it really was. When we left the restaurant, the homeless man was gone but he had left his shopping cart and a huge beer can so I think he was coming back. 
Sunday was probably the highlight of the weekend. We finally had the apartment all set up, except for the curtains in Cody's office and we had a make up mother's day celebration for my mom and his grandmother.
So, we made enchiladas and had them over. It was fun to show them the finished apartment. My mom had seen most of it already but Cody's grandmother is sick so this was the first time she had seen our apartment. 

I think one of the funniest parts of the day was when we figured out how to make my washing machine do a quick rinse cycle so we could show everyone how it sang to us. Seriously, I'm amazed and excited about laundry whenever it sings to me. It's crazy. And that ladies, is the secret to liking chores.
Other than that, we had a pretty relaxing weekend. I did a lot of drinking my Woodchuck Hard Apple Cider and playing with the puppy and blogging.

Oh and making a new blog design. Do you like?
Yesterday was my blog's birthday so I think I'll go eat a piece of cheesecake and have another apple cider to celebrate that I actually stuck with a hobby for a full year.
And just because we all need cute puppy sleeping pictures...

What did you this weekend?

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The Newest Family Member

A few weeks ago, I put up a poll in this post for you all to guess what mine and Cody's big news was. A ton of you voted that I got a new job, we bought a house, we were having a baby, we bought cars and a couple of you said we got a puppy.
In this post I revealed that Cody and I were actually getting our own place, an apartment, closer to the center of Memphis (we lived in a small town about 20 minutes away before) but I guess, in reality, there was another option that worked too.
The Saturday after we officially got the apartment, Cody and I went for a visit to my Mom's house where she introduced us, and later convinced us to take him home, this little guy.

If you follow me on my twitter you've seen me talking about him. His name is Exo and he's a miniature  (well, we aren't sure about the mini) dauschund and chihuahua mix aka a Chiweenie aka a German Taco or aka a Mexican Hot Dog. You know, whatever. (I'm partial to German Taco myself)

I didn't reveal him on the blog yet, partly because I've been so busy but also because it was touch and go as to whether or not we were going to keep him permanently. He was completely unhouse trained and house training a puppy is something I have never done before. It was rough. Especially during finals.

So much so that I had to send him back to my mom's just to get some studying done. While he was gone, I realized I really really missed him and convinced Cody to give it another chance, since we still had over a week before we moved into the apartment.

When he came back home, it was like a switch went off in his head! He suddenly knew where the back door was and went there when he needed to go! We also invested in a big puppy playpen (it's 8 panels that are each 2 feet long that you can configure in any shape you want so it's plenty big for him) and some puppy potty pads and we've all reached a happy medium.

So now, I'm ready to reveal him on this blog! He's 13 weeks old and he's officially the baby of our family which is good, because I don't want a real baby for a long time!

If you're anything like me, you want to know why we named him what we did. Well, since he's part chihuahua  his eyes bulge out. In hyperthyroidism (Grave's disease to be exact), you can develop a symptom in which your eyes bulge out called exophthalmos and so, Exo was named!
We had a rough start, but I am so glad that he's part of our family now. I honestly can't imagine life without him and I'm so glad that his breed can live for a long time! Would you want to see update posts about the puppy on the blog?

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