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BLOGGERS: Signup now to participate in the New iPad Giveaway sponsored by BeeSavy and Hosted by Mom to Bed by 8, the Iowa-Mom! Signups close soon so get hopping!
READERS: Stop back by July 1-15, 2012 for a chance to WIN The New iPad3 16GB (value $499)!
The challenge for Week #2 of K9 Kamp was Play with Your Balls! Daisy has been a fan of playing ball since she was a puppy and discovered her papa’s basketball but despite our best intentions, the heat and tropical rains got the better of us most days this week so we had to get creative with our challenge activities. We didn’t do nearly as much as we would have liked but we did what we could and had a good time!
Tennis Anyone?
We don’t have a yard for off leash play, and the dog park was pretty swampy most of the week except for the day Daisy had a play date with her boyfriend Fin and they both just laid in the shade because it was too hot! So, we decided to sneak in to the tennis court while no one was looking.
Daisy and I took advantage of the space to run around and chase the ball and each other, and I bounced it -sometimes over the net and sometimes just short – so that she was constantly guessing which way to go to try to catch it!
Walking Kick Ball:
We play this game a lot on our regular walks. Daisy will find a coconut or old water bottle or something else that rolls and I kick it along ahead of us while trying to speed walk fast enough to catch up to it before it rolls away. A couple times I almost kicked Daisy in the head so watch out! Usually, Daisy carries the object in her mouth for a bit while we keep walking and then I give the “Drop” command and she does (most of the time). Here’s Daisy with one of her favorite balls during our game.
Indoor Chuckit! Game:
Since we live in Florida and have a LONG rainy season, we invested in the Chuckit! Indoor Play Set and use it frequently! The Chuckit! is a ball launcher handle thing that is designed to grab and fling the ball so it cuts down on bending and touching the slobbery ball and the indoor version is made of soft material so it doesn’t break stuff when you throw it.
We play indoor fetch with this a lot! This is super fun and a great workout for Daisy but not so much for me, so I added a little cardio for myself by running to hide somewhere as soon as Daisy ran to chase the ball. There are only like 3 really good hiding places so she figured it out kind of quickly but it got me up from my desk and moving around a bit more than usual which I need to do more of throughout the day!
So, those are the highlights from our week! How did you do with Week #2 of K9 Kamp Fitness Challenge? Be sure to leave a comment and let us know! Check in on the other featured pet bloggers and add your post to the blog hop, too!
The accomplished pet bloggers over at Go Pet Friendly and Will My Dog Hate Me have teamed up to host the 2nd Annual Pet Blogger Challenge and are inviting all pet bloggers to answer eight questions about their blogs and publish the answers on January 10th. First-Timers like me can get instructions and the full set of questions here.
1. When did you begin your blog?
2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?
3. Is your current purpose the same?
4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?
5. Are you generating income from your blog?
6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)?
7. What do you like least?
8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2012?
As you’ve hopefully noticed, I recently redesigned my blog to give it a groovy new look. While there are many super-talented designers and agencies out there who do blog design makeovers, I just didn’t have the budget for anything other than a DIY project this time around. At first, this seemed like a completely overwhelming project but I tried to approach it as a learning experience and am pretty proud of how it turned out!
After much research and lots of posting my questions to forums and Facebook groups, I decided to go with the Genesis Framework from StudioPress. This is similar to the free themes you get with WordPress but includes so many more features and options that you can add and customize, to really make your blog or site look like it was professionally designed – without paying a fortune for it. When I purchased my theme package (Family Tree) it was $79.95 which is a pretty good deal…but read on because there is a very rare discount available this week only.
When you purchase the Genesis Framework, you also select a “Child Theme”. There are currently 40+ themes to choose from at StudioPress.com, for everything from mommy blogger designs, to very corporate looking layouts. The themes all allow you to change the background, header image, number of columns, etc. to personalize your blog. The way your site looks can be instantly updated using the child theme, while all of the professionally designed features (like Search Engine Optimization) and the core Genesis functionality remain untouched. That means that changing the look of your site is a snap — and you don’t need a designer or developer to do it. You don’t need any special skills, software or hardware, you just download the zip files after completing your purchase, and then use the WordPress dashboard to install them when you are ready for your makeover. StudioPress also offers really good support, and discounts on future theme purchases.
One thing I learned while doing my research was that StudioPress almost NEVER offers promo codes or discounts to NEW customers. The exception to that rule is that this Thanksgiving Weekend, you can get 25% Off and grab a new look for your blog or site.
If you aren’t quite ready to change your blog now, don’t worry. When you purchase a new theme, you receive a download link and can save the zip files to your hard drive until you are ready to install them in WordPress. So all you really need to do is pick out a cool new look, buy it now to lock in this rare discount and then take your time until you are ready to use it. Or you can give a new theme as a gift to a special blogger on your holiday list!
Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that), you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress.
1. Get the Genesis Framework for only $45.
2. Snag most Genesis / design combos for a song and save close to $20.
3. Wipe the entire shop clean and get the StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package. Get Genesis plus every design they’ve made, plus every design they make in the future, and save more than $74 off the regular price and over $875 off the retail price — and that’s just the existing 43 designs!
All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save 25% on anything and everything at StudioPress.com.
This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and claim your new WordPress theme before the code expires!
If you have questions about redesigning your blog or want to know more about my own experience upgrading to StudioPress for WordPress, feel free to Contact Me or leave a comment and I’ll be happy to share more information with you!
Iams Home 4 the Holidays adoption drive is in its 13th year and hopes to find homes for 1.5 million orphaned pets worldwide! In addition, Iams will also donate 5 million meals to animals in need at adoption and rescue centers through its Bags 4 Bowls program. Since we adopted Daisy as an orphaned rescue puppy, this cause is very close to my heart!
There are several ways you can help support this program:
• Visit the Iams Facebook page and click “Like.” For each “Like” comment or photo posted, Iams will donate meals.
• Become a fan of Iams’ Facebook page and create a custom adoption announcement or holiday card to share the news of their new four legged family member or just send a season’s greeting to family and friends. For each card created and shared, Iams will donate meals.
• Purchase specially-marked packages of Iams dog or cat food during the duration of the campaign. For every specially-marked package sold, Iams will donate one bowl of food to a participating Iams Home 4 The Holidays animal organization.
If you have a blog, Join the 2nd Annual Blogging 4 Bowls Blog Hop! For every blogger that joins the hop, Iams will donate 100 Meals towards the 5 Million Meal Goal.
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