Pet-ducation

It's been no secret that Mama has been virtually non-existent for the past few months, and delayed further about a month ago, when life threw us a curve ball and left us no option but to smash it out of the park. 

Nick and I jumped into the spa with a couple of drinks to celebrate our first night without a flatmate, as well as begin the ramp up to our trip to Australia three days later. As soon as the smoke came billowing out of our roof on the Sunday night of the fire, we knew we were in for an eventful next few months. 

Come midnight, we jumped into bed at the home of my wonderful in-laws. Minutes later, we thought we could hear the sound of a mouse in the room... boy, did we get that wrong! One tiny puppy on the floor, followed by another as we jumped out of bed and prepared for our very unique version of an "All Nighter". 

Growing up, I always wanted a dog. As life always unfolds, I met Nick, and we made the decision to bring home a friend for our Labrador, Jake. Our intention when we took on a second pup was always let nature take its course, and for Ella and Jake to have a litter after the first few heats. Recently, I began to have second thoughts about our intentions, however not soon enough. 

This is why...

I see my wonderful beautician, Letitia, every month, and she is the definition of a total superwoman, fostering dogs of all shapes, sizes and natures for Second Chance Dog Rescue. Each month, some pups would go, some would stay, some would arrive, but none had been put through what her Koopa had been subject to. Yesterday at 4.30pm, Koopa closed his beautiful eyes for the last time and went to a place where humans could no longer let him down. Koopa was the most beautifully natured dog, and he left us through no fault of his own - his owner abandoned him. He was found in a rubbish heap in which he dug himself a hole to act as a shelter, and fed the odd bread scraps by neighbours. 

Too many people are bringing pups into the world for no reasons other than selfishness, greed, or lack of education. I'm the first to admit that ours was the last of the three. Despite the myth I once believed, my Ella having pups was not going to calm her down any more than if we had her neutered in the first place and let her live life. It may have sped up the process slightly, but I soon learnt through this experience that our wee girl was about to grow up far too quickly than I could ever have imagined as she was forced into motherhood.

Upon selling the litter of nine, I am so thankful to have had the option to be selective over which homes our pups go to, and the ability to make it compulsory for all owners to meet us prior to adoption day. Our sale agreements will strictly outline that all pups must be neutered by "X" date, and that we are to be advised by the vet once this procedure has been carried out. Despite our circumstances, we are fortunate enough to keep the pups until eight weeks, and I thank the universe that we didn't lose any in the already stressful situation. 

Given the nature of the situation our pups arrived in, I had to prepare myself for the worst - that one (or more) pups may not survive. Not only that, but what if something happened to the one (of two) dogs I loved the most? My wee girl Ella that I tell all of my secrets to? Is that something you want to go through? Puppies sure are adorable, but no amount of cuteness would ever make up for the loss of our girl.

To anyone thinking about breeding off their animals, please, think again and fix your fur children. And if you do decide to adopt a puppy privately, get them neutered as soon as possible. It's a difficult, exhausting process for all involved, and I can guarantee it will never happen at the right time. Puppy season is upon us, and unfortunately the harsh reality is that there will be abandoned, mistreated pups taken in by rescues such as Second Chance. Please, contact the rescues first. 

I really hope that this post will speak volumes to someone, hopefully more. If at least one pups life can be saved, and less are bred into this world, I have paid a small debt I owe to Koopa and others like him. RIP gorgeous boy, you will be missed every day xx

On a lighter note, some photos of our (exhausting) journey so far:

Ella, exhausted, about a week prior to birth.

Proud mama, Ella and her babies at two days old.

Puppies at one day old.

Wee Minnie - three weeks. Minnie is the runt of the litter, and I had to feed her two hourly for the first couple of weeks.

First feeding session, it got very messy!

Selfie!

All tuckered out after meeting forever families today.

Just waiting for a mate - he's late.

The Gang at three weeks.

Kai Carrier - Review and GIVEAWAY!

Having products that enable me and my partner to store food in an easy, accessible way is incredibly important when it comes to our lifestyle. It's a very rare sight to see us at home during daylight hours during the week, and over the weekend we are flat-tack between household chores, renovating and living life with our two gorgeous labradors, friends, and family.

I was told about the award winning brand Kai Carrier by a new Mama who was gifted some pouches to store her homemade baby food. As soon as I saw the product, I fell in love!! As a child, my mother would be forever purchasing snap lock bags and hand washing them - but they would only last so long. At last, the problem was solved with these eco-friendly, BPA, PVC and Phthalate free, storage pouches! 

With the click of the order button, my purchase of the Kai Carrier Pouch Pack was complete. An absolute bargain at $39, this combo pack consists of:

• 5x 140ml pouches with choke proof lids
• 5x 300ml pouches
• 5x Kai'cicle (Ice Block Pouches)
• 5x Snack Packs
• 2x 600ml pouches

If you head over to the Kai Carrier website you will find the range of products available singularly, and in combo packs - some even include handy tools to enable super clean pouches. There is a size to fit all purposes, and are tried and tested by Mama to be dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and freezable - here's a few ideas that might work for you:

• Homemade baby food - what can be better for baby!
• Frozen ice cubes - breast milk, oil/herb mixes, stock
• Soups, sauces, smoothies, recipe bases/stock
• Snacks - vege sticks, bliss balls, nuts, seeds
• Toiletries, travel essentials
• Damp cloths for sticky fingers

Did someone say... GIVEAWAY ???

I am so excited to announce that thanks to Kai Carrier, I have one Kai Carrier Pouch Pack to give away to one special follower. That includes 5x 140ml pouches with choke proof lids, 5x 300ml pouches, 5x Kai'cicle (Ice Block Pouches), 5x Snack Packs and 2x 600ml pouches!!

To be in to win, like Kai Carrier and Mama Told Me on Facebook, find and share the post, and tag a special friend that you would love to introduce to these amazing products. Entries will close Thursday 30th July.

And because you all mean so much to us, we have an amazing offer in place - using the code MAMA, you will receive 20% off all Kai Carrier products, valid until August 31st 2015.

Mama is so impressed, and I know you will be too!!

My Food Bag - Review

My personal journey has seen me turn my lifestyle around over the past three years, making me realise the importance of nourishment and providing our bodies with the right fuel to function. Too often I witness people getting caught up in a time warp - which allows bad habits creep in. It's my goal to do the research and seek out time savers and healthy alternatives, and share knowledge to enable you all to make small, yet significant changes for the better you.

It's no secret that the My Food Bag empire is growing rapidly, so I contacted them to see what all the fuss was about. Here's my review - Enjoy!!

There are three subscription options for My Food Bag:

My Gourmet Foodbag $142.00 - 4 recipes/meals weekly for 2 adults
My Family Foodbag $162.50 - 5 recipes/meals weekly for 2 adults and 2 to 3 children
My Classic Foodbag $192.50 - 5 recipes/meals weekly for 4 adults or a family of 5

There are also some great "bolt on" options for children's lunches and fruit.

In my household there are three adults, two males and one female. We all workout to various extents. Given this, I chose the My Family Foodbag. When ordering I had to give two weeks notice prior to delivery which would allow the team time to order my food, prep it ETC. I also got to chose my delivery period on the Sunday evening. Below is what arrived (excuse the photography!).

Each night, I simply took out the recipe from the book I received and got cracking. So simple and easy to follow! The only whoopsie I made was not prepping my ingredients first. 

The moment you've all been waiting for - here's what we ate for dinner each night!!

Monday - Mexican Spiced Fish with Kumara Wedges and Spinach Tomato Salad

Tuesday - Chicken and Vegetable Mee Gorgeng

Wednesday - Riccotta Cheese Dumplings in Tomato and Vegetable Sauce with Crispy Salad

Thursday - Italian Pigs in Blankets with Steamed Broccoli and Honey-Glazed Carrots

Friday - Rosemary Marinated Beef with Wedges, Broccoli-Pea Smash and Aioli

My Thoughts

Was there enough? Yes!! We didn't have leftovers every day, but the meals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday definitely accommodated leftovers and we never went hungry afterwards. 

I love that My Food Bag uses top quality meat, dairy and produce. The only downside is that this doesn't accommodate for allergies. Checking out some of the expiry dates I was really impressed - for example, you would never find an expiry date for pita bread in a supermarket past a couple of weeks. Ours arrived with a months leeway! 

Some days I did mix things up a little and add in some different vegetables and flavours, but in my opinion that just adds to the beauty of this subscription. One awesome thing I have learnt from My Food Bag is portion control - not so much in the sense of how much food goes into my mouth, more so how much food is actually required to feed 2-3 people. I've always found it a struggle being from a family of six!! Each delivery also comes with a grocery list which includes kitchen staples required for the weeks recipes.

My Food Bag introduced us to some new meal ideas that I wouldn't have tried previously. It encourages the use of herbs and spices which have so many health benefits, as well as providing some beautiful flavour combinations. The simplicity of the recipes means that anyone can successfully make these dishes, and you have the cooking methods for life. 

All in all, if you find you are lacking in time, or want some fresh new meal ideas, you should definitely try My Food Bag for a week. By not being locked into lengthly subscriptions, you still have the freedom to work this around your schedule. Should you be away for a week, no worries!! You can do your own thing that week, and order when it's convenient again. Once you've set up your account at the time of your initial order, it's just a few clicks for future purchases - don't you just love the simplicity?!