Sophie's birthday! How we celebrate with a puppy party.

Did you know that this week is National Dog Week? You know what else it is? It's also Sophie's birthday! Sophie is our 5 year old golden retriever that is everyone's favorite furry member of the family. I love that we get to celebrate both this week!

I wanted to share a little bit about Sophie with you.



We love spending time with Sophie and like to include her in everything that we do. The picture above was from a recent beach vacation to the Washington coast. She had her best time running in the sand and chasing seagulls! If there is one thing that Sophie loves, it's being at the beach.  Pretty sure she gets that from me!

We are capping off National Dog week and Sophie's birthday week with a dog food cake. How fun is this?! I made it using a can of wet dog food and sprinkled it with some dry dog food.  The candle is made from a treat and it's resting on a pretty awesome Frisbee she can play with later.



Since mealtime is her favorite time, I think she likes her birthday cake!

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The 5 love languages for dogs

I'm a dog lover. I know there are cat people and dog people in this world. I am a dog person. Our golden retriever Sophie came into our lives almost five years ago. We adopted her as a 12 week old puppy the week after we moved into our new home. Our kids were all switching schools mid year and we all had to make the transition to a new home and to a new town. I had no idea how much it would help to have Sophie as an ice breaker.

We moved less than a mile from the elementary school, so when classes resumed after the Christmas break holiday, the kids and I started walking to school. People stopped to ooh and ahh over how darn cute she was, and we had a chance to meet so many new friends because of her.

Sophie continues to make friends everywhere she goes because of her constant smile and her sweet personality. She is such a treasured loyal companion to all of us which is why we like to do what we can as her dog family to speak her love language.

Back a zillion years ago when my husband and I were first married, we did a book study by Gary Chapman together called The 5 Love Languages.  It was a fantastic book for us as newlyweds.  One I have referenced many times in our nearly two decades of marriage. The author went on to write a book that looked at the 5 love languages as they relate to children. 

We all know how our sweet fur babies become like one of our children {though Sophie keeps me up far less and is the most low maintenance of all the ladies in our home} so I thought I would write a spin off myself and create the 5 love languages for dogs.

Gary Chapman lists the 5 love languages as words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch.  Right away, you can probably think of how each of these love languages could apply to your furry friend.  

My daughter and I immediately go into mommy speak when we see Sophie. You know that high pitched sort of baby talk that you do.  You don't have to speak in that tone to give words of affirmation, but think of when your dog comes barreling up to you after a long day. My guess is you have a string of words and a tone of voice saved up for those reunions.  Sophie has what we call her happy tail. If she is sleeping and hears us talking her tail starts thumping against the floor as it wags. We could be saying that she stinks worse than a boys locker room, but if we say it in that sing songy way, those words of affirmation get her every time.

Sophie loves physical touch. She leans into us and will even nudge us if we are busy doing anything other than petting her. I don't know too many dogs that won't lie still for a good rub down!

As parents we all know how important quality time is to our kids.  It's just as important to our furry children as well. We try to do dog friendly activities so that Sophie can join us.  If we go on a hike, we make sure it's dog friendly.  A day at the beach? Only if it's pet friendly. She loves spending time with us, and we love spending time with her.  If I'm working at home, you can usually find Sophie sitting under my feet. She likes to be right there next to me when she can.

The last two for me tend to go hand in hand when you are talking about dogs {people, not so much}. Acts of service and receiving gifts are the final two love languages.  While Sophie responds to all of the five, she tends to respond most to these two.  We joke that Sophie is the most well trained dog....when there are treats. 

An act of service for a dog usually involves receiving a gift or treat of some kind. She is so highly motivated by food {aren't all dogs?}, that usually a special treat is all it takes to help fill her love tank.

I know Sophie isn't the only dog whose love language is acts of service and receiving gifts.

What is your dogs love language?  I would love to hear about it!

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Improve your child's reading skills and self confidence

I have always loved reading.  One summer as a young teenager, I picked up a hammock at a garage sale for a few dollars, recruited help from one of the toddlers that I babysat and cleared out a spot between two trees in my backyard and spent my summer reading The Babysitters Club book series.

Once I had children of my own, that love of reading continued and some of the best memories I have of my three kids are of them on my lap reading book after book after book before naptime.

We have always had a house full of books {thank you local library!} and a never ending supply of reading material. I'm thankful that all of my children love reading and almost always have a good book or two that they are knee deep into.




Several years ago, when we got our first family pet, a golden retriever named Sophie, the younger kids started reading to her. They would curl up on her bed and enjoy being close to her.

Sophie is about 75 pounds heavier and my kids are several years older, but they still enjoy curling up with Sophie to read to her. Like most things in life, the more you do something, the better you get at it. Reading is no different. Not only does reading improve a child's vocabulary, it also increases fluency, improves concentration, opens up a world of imagination and increases academic performance in all areas, not just in reading.

Did you know that the University of California found that reading to dogs can actually increase a child's reading ability? Sometimes a child's best listener is the family pet!

Reading out loud to your pet is a great way for kids to start developing skills that they will need in the classroom.  Children improve their reading skills and their self-confidence so that the next time they are called on to read a paragraph in class, they are prepared to share.


Happy reading!
Rachel and Sophie

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Dressing up on Halloween isn't just for the kids!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm not one to buy clothing for my dog.

She doesn't wear sweaters in the cold or rain gear when it's pouring.

However, Halloween is a different story!

Sophie, our four year old golden retriever got her first Halloween costume this year.

My 12 year old daughter snapped this picture and the look on Sophie's face is priceless.

She tolerates us, bless her heart!

The photo of Sophie lion is too good not to share, so I uploaded it to my instagram account.  It was so easy to add the hashtag #DGPETCOSTUME.

Your pet could be featured on the Nestle® featured special Halloween experience on DG.com.

Simply upload your favorite pet Halloween photo to instagram or twitter and include #DGPETCOSTUME

If you don't have a costume for your pet yet, don't worry.        

 You can find DIY pet costumes at the Nestle® and Purina® pet experience at DG.com

Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go make the 3 for 100 mini pumpkin muffins from the recipe on the site.

Go explore DG.com!

You will never know what you will find, but with trusted names like Nestle® and Purina®, you can't go wrong!

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I and Love and You + a giveaway

Last month I learned about I and Love and You pet care and was impressed with not only their witty marketing {one of their slogans is "pets love us like prince loves velvet."} but with the quality of their food.  

As smart consumers we have all heard the terms non-GMO, and no artificial preservatives.  We seek out free range/cage free/wild caught food.  We send our kids with BPA free water bottles to school and we strive to eat "raw" real foods.

Why should what we feed the furry members of our family be any different?

So we gradually made the switch.

I want to make sure that Sophie is putting food into her body that will help her to live a long and healthy life.

I want to know that when I put her food bowl down in the evening, that she is getting the most high quality food that she can into her body.

It even makes her tail wag!

Sophie the lion {she's ready for Halloween!} is feeling generous and wants to give your pet a chance to try to win $100 worth of I and Love and You pet products.

a Rafflecopter giveawayOne winner will be selected and will be notified by e-mail.Open to US residents only.Giveaway ends on October 22.To find out where you can purchase I and Love and You pet products, click here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for “I and love and you” Total Pet Care.  All opinions are 100% my own.

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I and Love and You

 Our four year old Golden Retriever Sophie is a part of our family.

She's been with us since we adopted her when she was 12 weeks old.

We watch her when she sleeps,

{it's so cute to see her old man eyebrows smoosh together when she has her eyes closed and is resting her head on her paws}

we take her with us when we go places,

{it's the cutest thing watching her swim out in the Puget Sound trying to keep up with the kayak full of her kids}

and we do our best to find the highest quality food and treats for her so that Sophie can stay strong and healthy for as many years as she can be!

Our local Fred Meyer and QFC

{Kroger affiliates}

has started carrying the high quality pet food and treats by I and Love and You.

It's hard to find good quality pet food at your local grocery store, so I am so excited about this new partnership!

Now I can get high quality food for our whole family

including high protein, grain free food and treats for the furry member of our family.

Sophie will do anything for a treat.

It's our job as humans to make sure it's the best most high quality treat for her.

You can download a coupon for I and Love and You products today.

Click here to find the retailer nearest you.

In no time, your dog will be licking their lips as a thank you too!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for “I and love and you” Total Pet Care.  All opinions are 100% my own.  I wouldn't tell you about something that I didn't love.  Promise.

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Dog hair bow tutorial

It's no secret that our dog Sophie is a part of our family.

We couldn't imagine family life without her.

This month, we celebrate her 4th birthday,

and just like one of our kids, 

it's hard to imagine life without her.

Sophie often times gets mistaken for a boy,

mostly because she's such a big girl.

 I don't know why it bothers me, but I like to set the people straight,

just like I did when my bald headed daughter was an infant and was called "him" several times.

I decided just like I used to Velcro hair bows into the fuzz on my little baby girls head so that people wouldn't confuse her for a boy, 

I would to do the same thing and make some hair bows for my pooch.

Here is what you need:

one piece of 5 inch long ribbon

one piece of 4 inch long ribbon

a small rubber band {I got them in a pack of 500 for $1 at the Dollar store}

and a crochet hook or pencil to help you loop the rubber band around

Loop your longer piece of ribbon around and overlap and meet the ends in the middle

Do the same thing with the smaller piece of ribbon and put the loop ends together in the middle facing each other.

Take your crochet hook or pencil and place your rubber band on top.

Twist the rubber band and pull it over the bottom of the crochet hook making an x.

Pull the bottom of the rubber band over the back and to the top.

Then slowly remove your ribbon, holding the back of the loop with your finger.

Twist the loop and bring one end of your ribbon around the rubber band.

Find a sleepy puppy and a small tuft of hair and slip the rubber band on.

Now there is no mistaking that this puppy is a girl.

A tough girl, but a girl.

Red is her color don't you think?

I am participating in the 2014 Dog Fence DIY Hackathon and I created this project as a part of my participation.disclaimer: I did receive compensation for this post.  All opinions and ideas are 100% my own. 

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ALPO® it's tail wagging good

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ALPO® Brand Dog Food for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

By now, all of you know that I have the best dog in the whole world.

Our golden retriever, Sophie joined our family three years ago as a playful 12 week old puppy and over the years, she's turned into a sweet companion.  

If you ask any of my three kids how many people we have in our family, they will respond that there are six of us.  We have a mom and a dad, two girls and two boys.

  One of them just so happens to be furrier than the rest!

As dog owners and puppy parents, we want what is best for our furry kid, just like we want what is best for our not so hairy children!

ALPO® wet dog food brings excitement to mealtime by delivering great taste, nutrition and variety.  

Check out ALPO’s variety dog food and I am sure you will find more than one that you know your dog will love.  ALPO® wet dog food is 100% complete and balanced and has quality ingredients, like healthy protein sources, wholesome grains and accents of vegetables, all coming together to provide a complete meal for your dog at any stage of their life.

Each can of ALPO® chop house 5.5 oz. cans come in small cuts or finely ground perfect for mixing with your dogs favorite dry food.

The ALPO® chop house 5.5 oz offers unique flavors for your dog such as T-bone steak flavored cuts, tender cuts with lamb, filet mignon flavor and rotisserie chicken flavored cuts.

The best part is, your dog will love it just like mine does and you will feel good because not only is it good for them it makes them happy and a happy dog is a healthy dog!

Not only is ALPO® wet dog food good, it's tail wagging good.

See for yourself!

Never miss an update from ALPO®, visit these social media sites for updates

ALPO® on Instagram.

ALPO’s Facebook Page

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dog bowls

Before we even got a puppy, I got the bowls. Maybe it was a little cart before the horse moment, but I saw them at TJ Maxx and just had to be prepared.

There isn't anything special about them. Just plain old bowls.

I thought for sure I could craft a little something up to make them a little less plain jane...so with some big bones from Metal Fetish and my hand stamping supplies, I set to work.

I stamped out the bones

and then got out my super GOOP glue and a clamp and glued the bones on the dish.

I let them dry for about two hours and then put the bowls back down to their normal spot. Of course, Sophie came running! She thought she was getting a little mid morning snack!

She even tried them out!

Bummer! Only water right now. But at least with the new labels we know which dish to put it in.

disclaimer: Nutro sponsored post

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