Friday, June 5, 2009

Dogs in cars :(

So I went and (finally) did the grocery shopping today, and when I went back to my car after being in the store for about an hour, I noticed a dog in the car across from mine, panting. It was a pretty dog, short haired, kind of grey-brown, with blue eyes and medum sized. Kind of like a Weimeraner only smaller and more brindled.
I checked to see if the windows were open in that car, and there was one window open, about 2". Today was clear and sunny here at about 22 degrees outside. It was noon so the sun was hot and direct in the parking lot. I put my groceries in my car and felt immediately how hot and stifling my car was - my window had been open about the same amount. That poor dog!

I went directly back into the WalMart and gave the license plate number to the customer service staff, who put out a page on the speaker system for the owner of the car to come to customer service. I didn't stay long enough to see if they came - I went back out to the parking lot and saw the dog still in there, so I headed home and called the Ontario SPCA who told me to call our local police as they didn't have an inspector in the area. I reported it to the police who said they would send a car out.

It is SO NOT COOL to leave a dog in the car on a day like today. I can see maybe if you are just running in for 5 minutes but if so then why not open all the windows up? And park in the shade for goodness sake! Why on earth would someone take their dog to the grocery store anyway? You wouldn't leave a baby in there, leaving a dog is just as bad. It made me so mad and upset. I'm not the kind of person who normally calls the cops on someone - I have done it once before when I lived in an apartment and the couple below were having a violent argument at 3am and I could hear him hitting her - but I really felt like that dog was in danger of dying.

Now I am just hoping that poor dog was okay. And giving our dog lots of pats to try to make up in a very, very small way for the people who don't treat their dogs right.

From the SPCA website:
  • NEVER leave a pet alone in a vehicle, even in the shade. Pets left in cars, or other unventilated areas, or tied in the sun, are susceptible to heat stroke. Since dogs have only a limited ability to sweat, even a short time in a hot environment can be life-threatening. Temperatures inside a parked car can rapidly reach dangerous levels even on relatively mild days, and even if the windows are slightly open. A dog's normal body temperature is 39°C and a temperature of 41°C can be withstood only for a very short time before irreparable brain damage or death can occur.

*grin*

I'm still loving the literal video of Head over Heels (see below post). I love how the singer sounds just like the original but the words all reflect the weirdess of pop videos. So funny. There are a bunch more literal videos out there, for popular songs like White Wedding, Take On Me, and Under the Bridge. I know it's not a new thing but each time I see one I have to smile.

Some giveaways for today...

For baby:
For the ladies:
  • Win a $50 gift certificate to Better Mommy Fashions at Momma In Flip Flops2. I'd love to win this one! Ends June 12th.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

I like this

Thursday again :)

I kind of like Thursdays. My hubby usually comes home late from a softball practice after work, meaning I get to take the morning guilt-free off work, and just work for the afternoon until he gets home. It's still a full eight hours but somehow it's easier to work later in the day for me. I am just not a morning person!

Here are some giveaways for today from out there in blog land. Also I finally posted part 2 of my Eden Fantasys review so feel free to scroll a little further down to read that :)

For baby:
  • Two winners each get a sheet of CuteyBaby wall decals at Mommy-Momo. Ends June 18th.
  • Win a huge baby gift basket by Kibbn at My Mom's View. It includes See Kai Run shoes, Baby Legs, and items from a number of other popular baby brands! Ends June 11th.
  • Win an Organically Hatched outfit at Simply Stacie! She's got a boy, girl and unisex set to give away! Ends June 18th.
  • Win a 4-pack of baby cupcakes (layette pieces) by Claudias Bowtique at The Self Family! Ends June 10th.
  • Win a Lucky Baby sling at This Mom Can Shop! Ends June 12th.
  • Win a Fuzzibunz Perfect Size cloth diaper at Mama B! Ends June 16th.
  • Win one of two Happy Heinys One Size diapers (turquoise or pink) at Mommy Goggles! Ends June 15th.
  • Win a $50 Bug & Pickle gift certificate at Nine More Months! This would be a great treat for expecting moms or babies! Ends June 29th.
  • Win an Infinitely Sweet onesie in a zebra or giraffe print at Playground for Parents! Ends June 5th.
For the ladies:
  • Win a $25 Layers gift certificate at Forever and Always. This blog has music - if you want quiet, turn the speakers off! But the songs are romantic and decent, a nice change from some other noisy blogs. The giveaway ends today (June 4th) so hurry up!
  • Win a $20 gift certificate to Bellissima Modesty Boutique at Frugal Girls. It's not really my style personally but you can certainly pick up a top or skirt for under $20 there. Ends June 11th.
  • Win your choice of shirt from Leave Me B at Feisty, Frugal And Fabulous! They have maternity shirts, and mom shirts! Ends June 13th.
  • Win a Bamboosa sleep slip at Jamie's Precious Peas. Ends June 17th.
  • Win a Hip-T at Is it Monday Already? I really want need one of these. Ends June 15th.
For anyone:

Eden Fantasys Review – Part 2

***adult content below!***

Be aware, this is meant for adult eyes and it’s a little, er… racy! I’m just going to go ahead and give an honest and open review of an adult toy so if you aren’t interested in that, time to move on. (My giveaways post will happen today as well, just check back for it.)

As you may recall, recently my husband and I had the opportunity to review a product from Eden Fantasys! After some deliberation, we picked the Tantus C-ring. (You can read more about our first impressions of Eden Fantasys and the product in my Eden Fantasys Review – Part 1). . The Tantus C-ring is a silicone ring with a little pocket for an included battery-operated vibe. The ring itself is fairly thick and has a 2” diameter. The vibe is a small cordless silver bullet with an on/off button on one side.

Here’s where it gets a little graphic (only indirectly!). As you may recall from my previous article, we were surprised to discover the Tantus c-ring is not exactly, exclusively, a c-ring. It’s more a c-&-b-ring; the whole package is meant to go through the ring, one bit at a time. There are illustrated instructions on the back of the packaging, they’re very clear which is great. You use a bit of water-based lube around the inside and (theoretically) just insert one bit at a time, in a certain order. Where we got hung up is that the ring is only 2” in diameter. Yes, the silicone is stretchy – somewhat – and I guess that size and amount of stretch could work for some guys. But my guy, I’m not going to waffle here, is just not going to fit all his bits, no matter what order they’re in, through that size of ring. To his credit, he did make a valiant (and, I understand, somewhat painful - eeks!) effort to make it work.

Eventually we simply gave up on making that happen. We did try out the little cordless vibe on its own, it is definitely powerful, but it was quite loud! I would not use this vibe in any instance where we didn’t have complete privacy!

I think the novelty of it was fun but for us this sex toy simply didn’t work out. It did give us some ideas of what we maybe should have chosen instead so that is definitely a positive aspect. I’m going to reiterate here, we are about as normal, everyday people as you can get. We are pretty straightforward and down-to-earth!

This experience was a fun one for us that took us out of our routine. I would not hesitate to recommend that any couple make the effort to change things up a little and try something new! And for lots of variety, easy, woman-friendly (that’s important!) shopping for adult needs I would certainly recommend Eden Fantasys. They have way more than sex toys – videos and books, lingerie, even candles and massage oils, games - check it out!

Overall:
the pros:
  • Eden Fantasys was really great to work with. The shipping was discreet, the order process on the website is easy, and there are loads of pictures, reviews and customer ratings to help you make your choices. I wouldn’t hesitate to order from them in the future!
  • The Tantus C-ring is a good-quality silicone toy – meaning sanitary, durable and retains warmth. It’s not scary, creepy or cute looking (the dolphins/bunnies/Hello Kitty(?!) toys just don’t seem like they have their target age group right, if you ask me); it just looks like a straightforward adult toy.
  • The packaging for the toy itself is fairly plain looking – this is a pro to me because it doesn’t have any of the skanky-looking adult ‘stars’ or models on it.
  • The watch battery can be changed out and there is no cord
The cons:
  • The Tantus c-ring is a little pricey at $39.99 USD, but in my experience you get what you pay for in most things.
  • Batteries seem so yesterday – I wish the vibe were rechargeable instead.
  • The vibe is quite loud.
Our main issue was that you really need to think carefully about the sizing. It didn’t work for us but who knows, it may be just the perfect thing for you.
Unscented light-weight silicone lubricant
We also tried the Kama Sutra Pleasure Potion, also in quite classy packaging. This is a silicone-based product, so not for use with toys (though it’s ok with condoms). Again it’s more of a high-end product and priced as such at $18.99. However a little of this liquid goes a long way, and it maintains the ‘slippery’ feel for quite a while. We liked the flip-top and the consistency. It’s unscented and truly has no smell to it at all. I definitely recommend this if you don’t mind the price – you are paying for quality.

Please know, this was not a paid review. Eden Fantasys did send me the product to review but I assure you, my comments and opinions are my own and honest! ☺

I would love to hear anyone else’s experiences with trying new things in the bedroom, or if you found my review interesting, funny, too much information or whatever, let me know!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Not much Wednesday

Wednesday? I thought it was Tuesday. Man. By not much, I mean not much is up here - was sick all night long (ugh) but am feeling better. Still don't want to do nasty things like grocery shopping and calling dishwasher repair man.

Giveaways from the blogosphere...

For baby:
  • Win a Silikids Silibottle and a Silibib at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! What are those? A glass bottle with silicone sleeve, and a dishwasherable (!) silicone bib. Ends June 13th.
  • Win a Baby Breaux baby skin care basket at My Organized Chaos! Tammi describes the Baby Pudding as having a vanilla-coconut scent - sounds divine! Ends June 12th.
  • Win a Childish "My Dad is Cooler Than Your Dad" or "My Dad is My Hero" tee for baby or tot at Momma in Flip Flops2! How cute for Fathers' Day. Ends June 10th.
  • Four winners will get 3 Prince Lionheart silicone bottles each at Shop With Me Mama! Ends June 17th.
  • Win a Fuzzibunz Perfect Size cloth diaper at Spots on My Apples! Ends June 5th.
For baby/mom:
  • Win a $30 gift certificate from Sophie's Chic Boutique at The Shopping Mama. They have some great looking diaper bags for under $30 (!), handbags, lots of baby clothes/accessories. Ends June 17th.
For the ladies:
For anyone:
  • Win delicious-looking Lemon Cream Caramel Popcorn and some lovely Iced Lemon Biscotti Natural Goat's Milk Soap, as well as a jar of Iced Lemon Biscotti Shea & Aloe Sugar Body Polish! Wow. All this at Heathen's Hearth. Ends June 7th.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Wow!

Honestly! I just found out another couple we know is pregnant, due in September. This brings the expecting-friends tally to SEVEN! All due in August or September. So while we were busy renovating our basement, apparently our friends were "busy" too!

Some giveaways for today... sorry I'm slow going today, may not be too many. I am getting stressed about the upcoming Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. So few weeks and I have so much work to do!

For baby:
For the ladies:
For anyone:
  • Win a Breathe Natural Body Wash at My Mom's View! Ends June 11th.
  • Win a Book Bouquet at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls! This looks pretty cool and would make a great Fathers Day gift! Ends June 11th.
  • Win Lush Comforter Bubble Bar or Henna Hair Dye (love Lush!) at The Last Blog on Earth. I know my hubby loves Lush too so this goes under 'anyone' :) Ends June 8th.
that's it for today, more tomorrow!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Golf hurts.

Okay, seriously, golf hurts. I play maybe once or twice a year - that's why! I really stink at it (and don't have much desire to improve), but my husband's kind of into it. So I play along once in a while when we go with another couple who's equally unskilled, or at his annual corporate tournament. But I always forget how sore I am after, in the arms, shoulders, and even my sides where I stretch when I swing! Owie!

Blog love!


I am honoured to have received a blog award from Icefairy over at Icefairy's Treasure Chest! She maintains a favourite blog of mine so it's no wonder she received this award to pass on. For the award I need to make a couple of lists...

7 things I love:
  1. the internet
  2. my husband... who I actually met on the internet!
  3. my great community of friends, both in real life and in the blogosphere
  4. our house, which we moved into about a year and a half ago... it's a work in progress!
  5. great food - cooking it and eating it!
  6. being self-employed
  7. days of small surprises and comforts - like seeing the garden I planted starting to sprout, my morning cup of tea, the sweet phone calls from hubby at work.
7 bloggers I love
  1. A Kindred Spirit's Thoughts
  2. Capital Mom
  3. Momma in Flip Flops2
  4. My Organized Chaos
  5. Tales from a Shopaholic Mommy
  6. Seven Dogs and a Baby
  7. Really, Are You Serious?
Only seven, that was a tough choice. Thank you to all of you - and all the other great blogs I follow - for sharing your stories!