Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Living With Two Dogs | Lifestyle Update



It's been about four months now since we've added our second dog, Diesel, to our little growing family. Diesel is my first second dog I've ever owned so life adjustments have had their ups and downs. Our family has had to learn how to adjust to this change over the past several months and address each dogs own individual needs.

Bear is now 18 months old. He is almost finished growing and he has matured into a very large lean boy. If he gets any bigger going forward it will most likely just be filling out and putting on more muscle mass. Bear is a very high energy and sensitive dog, he needs lots of exercise and attention. Bear is a combination of two very smart breeds and can very easily pick up on little things. He can be very sensitive to changes and meeting new people and dogs. Even though we socialized him early on at the dog park he has become very reactive and unpredictable around new dogs. He gets very easily excited when he meets new dogs and tends to have trouble controlling himself.

Our training is now focusing on helping Bear manage his excitement in new environments. The calmer we can keep him the less reactive he is. He's still a very friendly but doesn't tolerate any crap, he's the kind of dog who probably wouldn't back down if faced with a threat. While we've been training him we have been taking him to lots of different places with other dogs and distractions. I do find that if he comes face to face with another dog that barks or growls at him he gets very stressed and feels the need to stand up to another dog and put them in their place....again something we are still training and working on.



Diesel is now 6 months old. She is still very tiny for her age but still has a lot of growing up to do. Diesel is defiantly the more smarted and fearless one of the two dogs. She tends to think before entering a situation and always uses caution. Diesel picks up very quickly on new training, again she comes from two very smart breeds but defiantly has a lot more German Shepherd in her than Bear does. Within a few repetitions she picks up on what you are asking her to do.

As Diesel is still very young she defiantly needs a lot more training and socializing. I find that she gets very jealous when her brother ignores her and plays with other dogs that are around. She doesn't fully have a grasp on how to play without her brother around.

I find that Diesel a good mix of independent and codependent...Bear is defiantly codependent. The two dogs together make a great pair. The two of them will take turns leading and following each other, which is something that I never expected. I thought for sure that Bear would be the main follower and Diesel would be the main leader. It's nice to know that they take turns and switch off in their roles. Diesel really helps her brother through stressful situations such as bath time and going to the vet. She takes charge in those situations and shows her brother that there's nothing to be afraid of - "if I can do it, you can do it"!



Owning two dogs isn't for everyone, but I will say that I really lucked out and got two great dogs that are very compatible and complement each other very well. We still have A LOT of training to do but I wouldn't give either of them up for anything in this world.

For more pictures and to stay more up to date with Bear and Diesel you can follow my Instagram. Share in the comments below how many dogs you have and what breeds? I love to hear about other  furbabies.


Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Pet Hydration



Don't recognize the second pup in my pictures? You must have missed my last blog post, check out Bear's Little Sister update post. These two dogs have been getting along so well. I am so happy that they have taken so well to living together.

Recently we were out on a nature hike with our family. Both Bear & Diesel walked about 5km...that's nothing for Bear but Diesel was VERY thirsty when we got back to the car. Luckily I had brought water with me so I could hydrate both of them. But here's a question, are your animals getting enough water? I was so happy when PetSafe offered to partner with me on their hydration campaign. 

Although I don't do a lot of partnered post I do like to work with companies that I already purchase from. I have several harnesses and even a car ramp that I purchased before even being approached to do this campaign. Their products have always been amazing!

Surprisingly the information that they sent to me really amazed me. Did you know that 66% of Canadian were unaware of their pets dehydration signs?


Some of these signs include sunken eyes, decreased skin elasticity, loss of appetite and depression. 

In order to keep your pet properly hydrated you should monitor the weather and try to exercise your pet during more cooler parts of the day. Maintain a fresh water supply and know your pets signs of dehydration. 






For more information on Pet foundation and hydration click here.

Comment below if you think your pooch is getting enough H2O.

Please share!

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by PetSafe. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the partnership that supports Ms Pam Blam!





Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Bear's Little Sister | Life Update



Life has been crazy busy and we had a very difficult and sad summer between Bear's injury and a loss of a family member. My hectic schedule has prevented me from spending anytime on my blog.

Although it was a difficult summer for my family my husband and I did adopt a new puppy into our family...she is extremely cute and I just couldn't resit.


 Although it wasn't great timing it was just meant to be.....and funny story but this is actually Bear's biological half sister!! Bear's dad had another litter of puppies 50 weeks after Bear's litter. We've decided to name her "Diesel". It's a bit of a tomboys name but she really suits it.

Both dogs are exactly the same breed, Black Lab/German Shepherd. Bear's mom was a pure breed black lab and Diesel's mom was a pure breed German Shepherd. The dad is a 50/50 mix of the two breeds.


Bear adores his little sister and these two hate being apart.


Diesel is now 14 weeks and growing like a weed. She is extremely intelligent and is catching on very quickly with her training.



Even though it's been a tough summer for our family Diesel has brought our family a lot of joy. I have always wanted two dogs so this is a dream come true for me. I am so happy that Bear and Diesel get along so well together....the only issue we have is trying to split the two dogs up during nap time.

I can't wait to share our upcoming months as she grows.


Monday, July 17, 2017

Product Empties July 2017


Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil - On the pricy side but worth it. This is a great night oil I use about twice a week-which also helps the product last a long time. I find this is really great at getting rid of any texture I have overnight. I have repurchased this but in the smaller bottle

Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser - Still my favorite hair mask -  I have about 6 jars I bought off Amazon. This just helps my mend my split ends and my hair feels instantly softer after using it. I have three jars left to use. 

Clinique Moisture Surge - I didn't like this face cream so I passed it off to my husband to use. He finished the jar but didn't like it either so I wont be repurchasing it again. I found it to be a wired gel formulation that left my face feeling very sticky and like there was a film residue on my face. I didn't like using it in the morning as I found my foundation would be patchy and awe foul. 

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense - This is by far my favorite face cream. It is so different from just the regular moisture surge. It is an in between cream and gel formulation. It glides over your skin and it leaves your skin feeling velvety smooth. My makeup just glides on effortlessly when I have this face cream on and my skin feels extra hydrated. 

Clinique All About Eyes - It's ok.....that's the best way I can describe this eye cream. It wasn't the worst eye cream I've ever used but it wasn't the best. I don't think I'll be repurchasing this again but I do want to try Clinique rich eye cream to see if that one would be better for my dry under eye area. 

Jergens Moisture for Wet Skin - I love this lotion but I do prefer the Argan Oil over the Green Tea Oil. I have one Argan Oil formulation on the go and I have one backup for when I run out. 

Mac Fix+ - LOVE this face spray. I use this after I powder, I find that even with my dry skin I still need to set my makeup otherwise it wont stay in place....but if I powder my face I look like I have a cake face. This takes that cake face away completely! That means I can powder and lock my makeup in but still look flawless. I have already repurchased two new bottles. 

Josie Maran Whipped Mud Mask - I do love this mask when I feel my skin needs some extra moisture but it is very expensive. I haven't repurchased this mask as I am trying some cheaper options but if they don't work out I would defiantly go back to this mask.

L'Oreal Elnett  Satin Hairspray - Make sure if you ever try this to get the Extra Strong Hold UNFRAGRANCED. I can't stay the fragrance smell of this hair spray but I love the hold that this gives. I was so happy when I found the unfragranced formula and I don't think I would ever try another hairspray ever again. This is a strong hold hair spray that you can brush right out. It gives the perfect amount of hold but still allows your curls to bounce and look natural. Your hair will never look or feel crunch no matter how much product you put in. 

Monday, July 10, 2017

Where Are They Now? July 2015 Favorites

July 2015
July 2017

The month of July is a always a special month for me. It's the month that my husband and I started dating, it's the month we got married and it's my birthday month.


 July 2015 was our 10 year anniversary - we celebrated by getting married! Of course my number one favorite was my wedding dress which I still have.




As July was my wedding month most of my favorites have to do with my wedding....and I still use all but one of the items today.

Zadro Dimmable Florescent Dual-Sided Mirror - I still use this makeup mirror every single day, it still works great! Having a properly light makeup mirror will help your makeup application, this mirror shows what your makeup will really look like. If it looks good in the mirror before I walk out the door I know it's going to look good all day long. I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond - make sure to use a coupon, they are always emailing or mailing them out. I got 20% off of mine.

The lashes I wore on my wedding day were the Ardell 301, they are just accent lashes instead of a full lash. I love these lashes! They make your eyes pop in photos without looking too fake. I still wear these lashes but not everyday. I save them for special occasions when I know I'm going to have my picture taken a lot.

The mascara I used on my wedding day is the Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Waterproof. I know a waterproof mascara isn't something you need everyday but I love how well this holds a curl so I use it almost everyday. It is on the pricey side so I do alternate with a drugstore mascara.

Finally I mentioned the Kat Von D Shade and Light pallet, I was only using 4 of the 6 shades in this pallet but since then I've discovered two products that have replaced it. First is the bareMinerals Concealer in well-rested. I use this to set my under eyes and anywhere else that I've used concealer. Then I use a contour shade from Makeup Geek - "Breakup" which is their cool porcelain shade.

Not bad for this month, typically when I find a product I love I will use it for a very long time. 3 out of 4 products that I used two years ago are still in my routine! I would say discovering new products in July 2015 was a very successful for me.


Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Bear's 1 Year Update | Dealing With Chronic Lameness


Bear is growing up WAY too fast. His last update was 8 months go check it out for more adorable puppy pictures.

At one year Bear is around 73lbs, he's not done growing and since he's 75% Black Lab I'm sure he'll fill out and gain some more weight. His growing has definitely slowed down...although we did have Xrays done in May and his growth plates are not closed quit yet.


Why did Bear go in for Xrays in May? If you saw my last Fitness Update I did touch a little on my "lack of motivation" and the fact that Bear had a hurt leg that was keeping our family very busy with him.  


Bear is a very high energy dog...he LOVES to run and play but has very little control as most puppies do. On May 9th my husband was watering our grass in the yard (we have a quarter acre lot so lots of room for Bear to run around in) Bear was out with him running full out in the yard - but had zero control. He was slipping and sliding because the grass was wet and that only seems to make him run faster and faster.

On one of Bear's turns he missed his footing and his feet came out from under him, he feel and landed on his left shoulder...didn't yelp or cry but he did get up and wouldn't put any weight on his left leg.

We were extremely worried that he broke his leg but he came inside and went to sleep so he didn't seem to be in any pain. We thought we would wait till morning and then asses if he needed to go to the vet.

Bear woke up at 2am crying - Bear has NEVER woken up during the night for anything, even when he was 8 weeks old and slept for the first night in our house. We rushed him to the emergency vet and they took Xrays but said nothing was broken and he would be OK in one week.

We put Bear on "bed rest", he only left the house to go to the bathroom and we would leash him in the yard so he couldn't run and play.

Two weeks later his limp was still there....we ended up taking him back to the same vet that treated him in the first place and they diagnosed him with "chronic lameness" and recommended and surgeon consult.

We agreed and saw a surgeon the next day - he proceed to tell us that he thought Bear had elbow dysplasia. He wanted to run several tests that would have cost us thousands and thousands of dollars - and after all this testing he wanted to operate but the operation would only be good for 2-3 years and then he would have to under more surgery.

I was in absolute disbelieve! Bear took one simple fall and they seemed to want to do all this unnecessary testing and treatment on our poor 10 month old puppy.

After our appointment I contacted our regular vet for a second opinion. She was able to see us right away and said she very much doubted that Bear has elbow dysplasia and said it was more likely that he had soft tissue damage in his elbow. We put him on several supplements and medication plus she said to continue his "bed rest" for at least one month.


It took a long time but Bear is doing so much better! We are absolutely thrilled with his recovery...although it's been very difficult on my husband & I. Of course Bear didn't seem to understand that he was hurt and couldn't do all the things he normal would do. He had so much pent up energy and we couldn't even walk him to get rid of it.


Luckily we made it through a very difficult month and Bear is almost 100%....I would say he's about 85%. He's back to doing most things he was able to do but I do limit his activity.

He is still on joint supplements and herbal mediation plus I do ice is elbow after he's been running a lot or playing with other dogs.

I highly recommend that if your dog has a freak injury like ours did to get a second opinion if you think the treatment or tests recommended seem unreasonable.

Unfortunately even though Bear is on the mend, he developed a fear of people as the emergency vet was quit rough with him. We are now having to do a ton of training to get him to trust humans again and I would say he is doing a lot better than he was in May. He's finally letting people pet him again and he's not so nervous walking into the vets office anymore.

Freak accidents happen but thank goodness for pet insurance...I will say that the Xrays and multiple visits to the vet cost A LOT! If you have a young pup that has high energy I would definitely recommend looking into some pet insurance.


Bear spent the day before his birthday at Pets in The Park. It was a local fund raiser for an animal shelter. He was a bit nervous when we first got there but relaxed after about 20min. He had so much fun visiting with other dogs and walking around the festival. It was great being around other dog owners who understood that Bear was a little shy and it took him some time to warm up to people.

However, near the end he was running right up to people and having a great time....I don't think he really wanted to leave. It was a very well organized event and I can't wait to go again next year.


Bear turned 1 years old on June 26th! I can't wait to see what this next year brings with our little guy.

Lets keep the cuteness going! Check out 7 Most Gorgeous Pug Mixes pictures.

Leave in the comments below what breed of dog you own.


Monday, July 3, 2017

June 2017 Favorites


My summers are all about quick, sweat proof makeup and hair. I like to enjoy as much of my summer outside as possible so I typically will do very minimal makeup in the warmer weather.

Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Stick - I have rediscovered and fallen in love with the Contour & Highlight color from this trio. I find the cream formula to be very natural and easy to blend with a beauty blender. It's very quick to apply and gives you some dimension to your face.

Drybar Triple Sec - Textured quick hair has been my thing for the past month. Triple sec is still my favorite texture spray, I love to spray this in when I have either waves or curls in my hair.

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream - I have heard people rave about this for so long but could never get my hands on it. Finally Ulta is now shipping to Canada so I was able to give this a shot. The color is a little light but this is a great CC Cream, by far my favorite I've tried so far. It is on the expensive side but I love the coverage it gives my skin and it's SPF 50+ which is great in the summer.

L'Oreal Brow Stylist Plumper - This is a similar product to the Benefit Gimmi Brow but a lot of more affordable. I feel like I was constantly running out of my Benefit product and it was costing a lot to do my brows everyday. This is a great drugstore dupe! The color is very similar to my brows and it helps them stay in place all day. Even when I'm doing minimal makeup I always make sure my brows are done....it just helps to frame your face and makes you look a little more put together.

Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo - I've talked about this before and I'm back using it again. This is my favorite dry shampoo by far. It leaves your hair feeling refreshed and clean. I use the light tones and it doesn't leave a white cast in my hair which is always a plus. Best dry shampoo! They also have a darker formula if you have darker hair.

What were your favorite products of June? Leave them in the comments below.


Friday, June 16, 2017

Fitness Update | Major Lack Of Motivation


Count down to worlds.....62 days and counting!

Stress and anxiety are really starting to set in as race season is ramping up and World Champions is now only 62 days away. My training this last month has gone down hill FAST. There has been a serious lack of motivation to do anything in our house recently - mainly due to our 11 month old pup, Bear, getting hurt mid May.

Our poor little guy hurt his leg and has been in a lot of pain since then. He's not sleeping through the night, which means my husband & I are also not sleeping through the night. He's needed a lot of help getting around and it's been a real struggle keeping him on "bed rest" for a month. If you want to hear more about our story check back on Wednesday, I'll be post Bear's 11 month update and I'll share what happen. 

I feel that because of my lack of sleep my whole schedule has been thrown off. I'm tiered all day everyday and the last thing I want to do is train. The few days that I did train I felt very sluggish. Running was near impossible. Every time I put my runners on my legs felt like led. May was probably the toughest month of training to get through. 

Luckily our pup is now on the mend which means we are getting back to our normal day to day schedule. Training is finally starting to pick up but I'm feeling a little out of shape since I missed so much training. This past week I've been working on my tempo runs to bring my legs back. I know it seems like something so small but I find when I've taken a big chuck of time off my endure just fades away - speed I never have any trouble with, I guess that's because I have a background as a sprinter, plus speed training is fun. Endurance I find to be a bit boring and difficult to get through the workouts...especially feeling out of shape. To help me get back on track I've been using a MetroTimer, it's annoying but it helps with how many strides you take per minuet. I find if I focus on something other than my endurance run it helps. I try not think about my pace or how much longer is left, or how far have I gone.....I just run and think about my stride, my running form, the strike of my foot on the pavement, ect. It seems to help take my mind off my endurance run. 

Besides running I have also been using my Beachbody programs as cross training. Right now I've been using 21 Day Fix and focusing on leg fix, upper body fix, cardio fix and Pilates fix. In addition to all that I've finally been able to get my bike back onto the road. I honestly think my biking is going better than my running right now - except my bike computer has decided to stop working. For some reason my cadence on my bike computer decided to crap out so I've been just using my Garmin in the meantime while I shop for a replacement. 

All and all things are going well, you are always going to have set backs in your training because LIFE HAPPENS. There are a lot of things that are outside your control and you just have to juggle those with your training schedule. 

Motivation while training will come and go...it's tough to come back from being unmotivated but sometimes you just have to push through it to get to the other side. 

How motivated have you been this past month?



Monday, May 15, 2017

Where Are They Now? May 2015 Favorites



As much as I love reading other blogs, I also like watching many YouTubers. One of my favorites to watch is MsGoldGirl who I have watched do many videos on "Where are they now?". She goes back to find out what her old favorites use to be and shares if she is still using those favorites today. I always wonder when watching YouTubers post their favorites if they are sharing something that is simply a fling for the month or a holy grail product. 

I looked back on my blog and the oldest post I have way May 2015 . I usually try to limit my favorite posts to about 5 products so here are my top 5 products I was using in May 2015 and here is what I am using now. 

Nume Signature hair dryer was replaced with the BaByliss Pro Rapido. I found the Nume to be very hot and dried my hair out. It was also very heavy and my hair always takes forever to dry. The BaByliss was made in Italy and was a collaboration with Ferrari. It takes very little time to dry my hair now and I find that this doesn't dry my hair out at all. It is much lighter and easier to work with. The only downside is the price tag. It is pretty expensive but I did find mine through an Air Miles deal....so keep your eyes peeled for deals. 

Diorskin Star Foundation was replaced with Dior Forever. I did love the Star foundation but I found the color didn't match me perfectly and it would slide around on my face if I didn't set it was a lot of powder - which I try to stay away from with my dry skin. I started to explore other foundations by Dior and fell in love with the Forever. I find you don't need to set it as much and the color suits my skin ton almost perfectly. 

Fresh Lotus Face Cream & Freash Seaberry Skin Booster was replaced with Clinique Moisture Surge Intense & The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid. Unlike the Fresh face cream and oil I was mixing together I have been layering the Hyaluronic Acid & Clinique face cream. I find the Fresh products didn't give me enough hydration, I have extremely dry skin. With The Ordinary and Clinique products my skin feels hydrated and velvety smooth. 

21 Day Fix EXTREME - This is the only favorite that I still use today. I jump around between different Beachbody programs but I have a special love in my heart for the 21 Day Fix & 21 Day Fix Extreme programs. Back in 2015 I was using these programs to get in shape for my wedding. I was concerned with my wedding dress that my arms would be showing a lot so I wanted to tone them up. Now I'm using the program as cross training to get ready for worlds - which is in 94 days and counting! I'm not following the training program as usual. Basically on my cross training days I will only use lower fix, upper fix and abs. My aim on cross training days is to strength those areas for training rather than trying to tone or loose weight.

Let me know if you enjoyed hearing about my old favorites in the comments below. Have you tried any of these products?


Monday, May 1, 2017

April 2017 Favorites


The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 - I got my very first Ordinary order in the month of April and so far I have loved every single product I've ordered from them. I've been using the Hyaluronic Acid in the morning before I put on my moisturizer and my dry skin definitely has been feeling more hydrated. 

Tarte Frxxxtion Stick - This I've also been using in the mornings before I was my face. This is a facial cleanings stick that also exfoliates your face. I love the packaging, you rub the stick on your face instead of using your hands which I love. 

Benefit Hello Flawless - I decided to try a new powder this month and I picked this one up by Benefit. It took my three different tries to get my color just right but once I did I fell in love with this powder. It's not too heavy on the skin and has a very natural finish. 

Dior Forever Foundation - I decided to pick this up after hearing Jaclyn Hill rave about this foundation in several videos. I have very similar skin to hers - dry - most of her skincare and foundations recommendations work perfectly for me. I finally used up the last of my Becca foundation and instead of repurchasing it I pick this up instead. It is very natural and has great coverage. A big plus for me is this foundation do not move on my face! I don't typically set my foundations with a lot of powder as I am on the dry side so I need a foundation that doesn't need to be set in order to stay in place. Highly recommend giving this a try for dry skin. 

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG - The Ordinary defiantly has some interesting names for their products but don't let that scare you away from trying any. This is the eye product I've been using day and night. It is defiantly the most affordable eye product I have every used but it has a different formula. This is an oil that comes in a dropper. I use one drop for each eye and honestly my under eye area has never looked better. This has decreased my fine lines and brightened up my under eye. Most eye creams I've purchased in the past have ran be about $65, this one cost me $6.70!

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil - This is a very similar to the Josie Maran Argan Oil. I've tried this out on both my skin and my hair and I love it. It gives me the same restuls as the Josie Maran oil but the price tag is a HUGE difference. 50ml of the Josie Maran will cost $60 compared to 30ml of The Ordinary is $6.80.

The Ordinary defiantly dominated most of my new loves this month....I should also mention that all you have to do is spend over $25 with The Ordinary and your shipping is free! I definitely plan on ordering way more products from this company and doing their own dedicated blog post. If you've tried any products from The Ordinary please feel free to leave your recommendations below. Make sure you are subscribed so you can keep up to date with all my new blog posts. 



Monday, April 24, 2017

Sephora VIB Rouge 2017 Sale

Today is the last day to take advantage of the Sephora VIB sale.

I went a little overboard but here's what I picked up at the sale. I did all my shopping online so I haven't actually received anything yet. Some of these are new products and others are repurchasing products that I love.



Leave in the comments below what you picked up at the VIB sale.