Thursday, May 21, 2015

Purina One 28 day Challenge


                                            Purina ONE SmartBlend Dry Dog Food, Small Bites Beef and Rice Formula, 16.5 lb Bag   
I absolutely love my puppies!  I couldn’t imagine our lives with out them!  Our house wasn’t crazy enough when we adopted Daisy (our American Lab)  9 years ago just after I brought our daughter (and 4th child) home from the hospital.  Our second lab, Dixie (English Lab)  adopted us.  Sadly, we think someone dumped her.  People if you are not willing to take the responsibility and expense of having a pet, you shouldn’t start.  Since Dixie had a collar (with out tags) we placed signs up all around looking for her owner.  They obviously didn’t want to be found since they never called to get her back.  She has been ours for seven and half years now! 
 dogs 6    Just like my children I want to make sure that my furry family members are taken care of.  As part of their health routine we use the vet recommended flea and tick treatment as well as food.  When Daisy started showing some signs of upset stomach the vet recommended a sensitive stomach or weight control food.  She doesn’t have a weight issue at only 68 lbs, but she does eat her food really fast so we thought that would help.  The recommended brands were Pedigree or Dog Chow, so those have been our pet foods of choice. 
     I was invited to do this 28 day challenge from Purina One and Smiley360.  What did I receive?  I received a small bag of dog food in the mail with a coupon for another bag  up to 16 lbs free to kick off this challenge.  Since I have two dogs I went ahead and used the dog food on both and new that I would need to purchase of the “test” food because of that.  I was willing to try it.   
Why would I try it?  Here are the claims from Purina’s website as to why this formula is better:
    “Our Purina ONE Large Breed Adult Formula Dog Food is inspired by the science in nature, discovering the power of smart ingredients that work together for your large breed dog's whole body health. Featuring real chicken as the first ingredient, along with other key ingredients and nutrients including rice and glucosamine. Purina ONE knows that feeding a large breed dog is a balancing act. An ideal body condition helps minimize stress on bones and joints. And the right balance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients helps them live large, healthy and strong. This smart food also boasts a dual defense antioxidant blend. One that works inside and out. It's probably not something your dog thinks about, but this SMARTBLEND is working around the clock. It starts with a dual defense antioxidant blend of Vitamins E & A along with minerals zinc and selenium in a 100% complete diet for your adult dog. Together, they make a healthy difference on the inside by supporting your dog's strong immune system and on the outside by supporting healthy skin and a radiant coat.”
dogs 4  
  What did we find after the 28 days?
     I have to say the look of it was different that what we were used to.  The pieces of kibble are not all the same shape and size.  That to me makes it more appealing.  I am not sure if the dogs liked it better or not as they have always scarfed down their 2 cups of food in about 29 seconds!
   As far as the other claims:
Energy: The only difference we saw Dixie had more energy.  This is a great thing!  She is more laid back, calm and collected.  She has always been slower to get outside and didn’t really care about playing, running or jumping around with the kiddos outside.  Two weeks into our challenge I noticed that she was running down the deck and almost teasing Daisy (the older lab) to play with her!  The only difference with her was the food!dogs 2
Shiny coats:  People have always commented on our dogs coats.  They have always been shiny.  During the challenge time I didn’t notice that their coats were any shinier or shed less/more.
Joints:  Once of the claims of this food is to have glucosamine.  We have had to give our puppy glucosamine for the past 2 years or so because Daisy’s hips have been bothering her.  When using this food we didn’t notice any changes in the way she moved (got up or laid down) like we did when we first started using the glucosamine.  We know that that works because of the changes we saw in her in the beginning, we just didn’t notice anything different from this food.

Price:  This food is easy to find stocked in your local box store or pet supply store.  Since we have the 2 dogs we go thru 50-60 lbs of food a month.  Price is something that will affect our choice of dog food.  I found in my area the 31.1 lbs bag was about 30.00, with out any coupons or sales.  Compared to my regular food this is a bit pricier.  I pay about 30.00 a month for the 50 ish or so lbs that I use.  To feed my puppies the Purina One Smart blend dog food it would cost about 60.00.

So do I think that it is worth the price?
     I didn’t see all the benefits that Purina One said I would see from using this food.  I did however see more energy in my calmer dog.  I have to say that I am not sure that this is a product that I will purchase every month.  I will however purchase it as a change for them here and there.

Thank you to Purina ONE and to Smiley360 for the opportunity to participate in this challenge.

http://h5.sml360.com/-/vvkn

Disclaimer:
     I received the above mentioned product to help facilitate the writing of a frank, honest review.  A positive review isn’t guaranteed.  All opinions are my own.  Your opinion and results may vary. 

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Miles From Nowhere~Amy Clipston


9780310736707I received a copy of this book from Z-Squad in exchange for my review.
   Miles From Nowhere, is a story written about a Chelsea, a girl who has it all.  It is the summer after her senior year, she has a supporting family, boyfriend and friends.  She was given an opportunity to work on the community play.  She hopes to get a recommendation from her work with the production.  As Chelsea works on the set costumes, she is faced with the pressures of working her last summer, when she wants to make it count before she heads to college.  She meets this new guy on the set and then is faced with the peer pressures that come with life in general.  Hanging out with the new guy, redefining who she is while isolating herself from her true friends is where Chelsea finds herself trying to fit in.  When an accident wakes her up and reminds her of who she is and what is important she seeks forgiveness for her actions.  What a great story of some of the challenges we may face, of how the truth will set us free when we fail and how forgiveness is a necessary and needed part.
About the author:  Amy Clipston is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Her novels have hit multiple best-seller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at www.amyclipston.com Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks Twitter: @AmyClipston
Thank you to Zondervan and the Z-Squad for this opportunity.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is no guaranteed.  All opinions are my own and may differ from yours.

Friday, May 1, 2015

The Day is Waiting~Don Freeman, Illustrator-Words by Linda Zuckerman


I received a copy of this book from ZonderKids in exchange for a review.
9780310740544
     The Day is Waiting is a wonderful story.  The story is beautifully illustrated and goes on a journey of what is outside of our window.  It looks at our world.. so big with a lot to offer, people, places and things to do.  No matter what you do, where you go or who you see, there is one place that you can always go~ home.  Instilling what hopefully we all want our children to know:  Where ever your life takes you, your family or career, you can always come H.O.M.E.  Beautiful story!

       About Don Freeman:  the creator of Corduroy was one of the most beloved and popular author/illustrator of children’s books. At his death in 1978, he left behind hundreds of delightful sketches, drawings, and paintings, in several different media, non of these had ever been published.       
      Lydia freeman, Don Freeman’s wife, felt that some of these might be used in another book for those children who had long been devoted fans of her husband’s work.
Linda Zuckerman was a close friend and colleague of Don Freeman’s.  She is the author of I Will hold You Til You Sleep, illustrated by Jon J Muth, and a young adult novel A Taste For Rabbit a winner of the Oregon book Award,  She lives in Portland.

You can check out this book and other great books at Zondervan!

         Thank you to ZonderKids for the opportunity to review this book!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the above mentioned product in exchange for a frank and honest review.  A positive review is not guaranteed. Your results and opinions may differ.