Are you debating on getting a pet? Whether you’re contemplating a dog, cat or exotic bird, the joys of pet ownership can far outweigh the responsibilities. It’s often a joke that parents of teenagers should have a dog or cat so they receive a greeting when they return home. Bringing a puppy or kitten into the home is a tremendous responsibility. The first few weeks can be consuming. Follow these recommendations from veterinarians and happy pet owner to make sure you get started ono the right foot with your new four legged friend.

The options for bringing home a puppy or dog are nearly unlimited. Whether you’re in the market for a designer breed or intend to rescue a dog from your local animal shelter, it’s important to do thorough research before coming to a decision. Quite frequently dogs rescued from the shelter have been mistreated and will require a whole different level of patience, training and love than a puppy fresh from the litter. If you are intent upon rescuing a dog from the shelter, be sure to get as much information as possible on the animal’s history.  Do not rush the process at the shelter. Spend time with several different dogs before deciding which is right for you. You’ll know when you’ve made that special attachment. Plan to spend as much time with a mature dog from the shelter as with a puppy.

Head to your local pet store for food, crating, leashes and collars.  You can even enlist your new dog into being a fan of your favorite sports team with their very own fan apparel. Check out the awesome deals offered by  Groupon coupons and check out the pet fan gear available from Fanatics.  Make certain your dog has a full check-up at your veterinarian’s … Read more

With the holiday season just round the corner, you must have pulled out all the decorations from storage to check whether they are clean and in a state of good repair. But aside from this, it’s also important to ensure that the rest of your home is equally sparking clean during the holiday season.

After all you don’t want to welcome family and friends into a home that’s messy or not pristine, when they drop in to share some holiday cheer with you. Here are a few home cleaning tips for this holiday season:

1. Start early

With the busy work schedules and personal commitments that people have, it’s easy to defer cleaning the home or hire cleaning services professionals. But this isn’t a good idea because it can become very difficult to clean every single room and feature in your home when you are organizing parties or family dinners around Christmas and the New Year. This is why it makes a lot of sense to start early.

Begin with cleaning the living, dining and kitchen areas and then move to the staircases, hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms and other areas of your house. Create a schedule and stick to it. Clean one room at a time and do that thoroughly paying extra attention to vacuuming the carpets and furnishing, checking for liquid stains, removing cobwebs and dust from the ceiling corners and air-conditioning vents etc.

If you are too pressed for time, consider hiring cleaning services professionals to handle most of the major cleaning tasks and then tackle the other jobs yourself. When a large part of the house is thoroughly clean, you will be more motivated to complete the rest of the cleaning tasks yourself.

2. Clear all the clutter

It’s not difficult for the clutter to build up in a home; … Read more

When it comes to your garden, you want the best, as we all do. You want the most beautiful flowers, or the most delicious fruits and vegetables, depending the type of gardening you’re into. This is perfectly natural, of course, as gardening is a skill you’re honing with practice, and, as such, you strive to be the best you can possibly be. Regardless of your personal taste, any garden worth its salt has a solid decorative element to it to make it stand out like it deserves to. But, how do you decorate your garden? You’ve likely never thought about it. Here are a few suggestions to help your find inspiration for your garden.

First and foremost, you should study other gardens. As simple as it sounds, this method of seeking inspiration is very under rated. Simply looking at other examples of the art form that is garden decoration will do wonders to fuel your own creativity in this department. So, watching documentaries is a good place to start. Or, you could take a tour with City Pass to visit famous and historical gardens in person. The choice is up to you, but I highly recommend this approach to designing your garden.

Another way to find inspiration for your garden is to base it on a favorite work of fiction. And, I don’t mean solely fictional gardens. Even doing an oceanic theme in your garden a la The Little Mermaid (book or movie) would make for an appealing garden. However, there are plenty of fictional gardens that would make for a find basis for your own garden. Using these tips, you’re well on your way to figuring out what kind of garden works for you. That way, you’ll have the dream garden you never knew you wanted.… Read more