Since having Shane, things have changed. Bella is too crazy & hyper to take to the park while I have Shane in tow, and since moving the dog park is very far away, so the extent of her exercise is a brisk walk a couple of times a week & a daily run-like-a-maniac session in the backyard. She no longer goes on car trips with me {it makes me nervous when I have Shane in the car as she never sits still} and whenever I pass a doggie bakery, the thought of going in to get something nice for Bella is immediately shot down by my remembering the steps it takes to get into a store with a two year old. But even though Bella isn’t quite as spoiled as she used to be, I do still love her & try to show it as often as I can.

Even though I don’t stop at doggie bakeries for dog treats that cost more than a latte anymore, I do still give Bella a nightly treat. We’ve tried a variety of brands & flavors, but the most recent one we tried was the Cesar Cookie Crunchies- and she’s hooked!

Available in both Rotisserie Chicken & Filet Mignon flavors, the new Cookie Crunchies are baked treats for small dogs & medium sized ones like Bella. &With only 10 calories per piece, it’s a treat that you can feel good about giving to your pup.

While I definitely didn’t try these myself, I know Bella’s a fan. She’s not particularly picky anyway, but with these- she jumped up ONTO THE COUNTER to snag the bag when I wasn’t looking. Luckily I caught her before she managed to work the resealable packaging, but that right there told me they were a hit.

{She’s trying to look innocent- but I’m not buying it.}

Bella may not be my only baby anymore, but she’s still my fur-baby!

{You can learn more about the Cesar Cookie Crunchies on their website!}

How do you spoil your pup?

Susie’s Note: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Cesar and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Depending on your child’s age & level of skill, you can choose to make a specific pattern or design {like polka dots or stripes} or you can do like we did & just let your kid have at it & scribble all over the mug.

I first wrote “Happy Father’s Day!” & then let Shane just go crazy. The Painters Markers are non-toxic but can stain, so I supervised him of course, but I didn’t give him any instruction on how or where to draw. I wanted it to truly be his creation as that makes it so much more meaningful for Dad!

Just add some nice pens or even some wrapped candies & it’ll make the perfect desk decoration and reminder of your child’s love!

{Note: The mug is intended to be used for decoration purposes only. While the Painters Markers are non-toxic, they are still not recommended for use with food or drink.}

The Painters Markers are a great option for use with young kids because they dry almost immediately, meaning no smears or smudges from tiny fingers!

Shane had a blast & loved that he got to use both his favorite color {green} & Daddy’s favorite color {blue}! &You can get whatever colors you want, too- Elmer’s Painters Pens are now available at Walmart in “open stock” style- meaning rather than buying a 5-pack of predetermined colors, you can pick up individual markers in a variety of colors and tip sizes for only $1.97 each! The selection of colors at our store was still small because it’s a new feature of the markers, but I’ve seen other people whose stores have a whole rainbow of colors!

The Markers would be great for lots of other projects, too! They are acid-free, which makes them perfect for scrapbooking & journaling, and they work on all kinds of surfaces, like wood, plastic, clay, glass, metal, foam board, fabric, and terra cota. They come in three different tip sizes as well- Fine Tip, Medium Tip & Chisel Tip, so you can find the perfect sized pen for your craft!

The Elmer’s website has a cool feature that gives craft ideas for whatever occasion you choose, so whether you’re looking for more Father’s Day ideas or a gift idea for something else, they’ve got you covered!

&Be sure to check out Elmer’s on Facebook & Twitter for more inspiration!

Susie’s Note: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric. All experiences are authentic & all opinions are my own.

I’m totally not a fan of sharing this with you but, that’s what I look like during allergy season. Anyway, I am sick of having to feel dreary just because of my allergies, and so I decided it was time to try a new allergy medicine. The one I had been using was completely generic & only had one ingredient of allergy medicines in it, but I had heard from a lot of people that they swear by Allegra. So, I decided to try it out.

I chose a great time to try it, because as soon as I got to the allergy aisle, I saw a coupon for $2 off! The coupon was only good for the 5ct or 15ct, but that was perfect for me since I didn’t want to commit to a 30ct or higher pack since I’ve never used it & had no clue if it would work for me.

If you’re already an Allegra user, you can also save on the 30ct pack this month at CVS when you use your CVS card! It’s marked down to only $17.99- that’s only 60 cents a day to be allergy-free. Not bad at all!

While I was at CVS, I decided to pick up a couple of new beauty items. My mascara was running low so I decided to try a new one- the one I picked up is supposed to help grow your lashes, so we’ll see! &There was a Revlon sale so I got a second item for half off- I chose a cute eye shadow kit. So I spent $26 on a 15 ct Allegra, lash-growing mascara & eye shadow kit: which was a $5.90 savings between the Allegra coupon & the half-priced eye shadow! {Check out the rest of my shopping trip on Google+!}

CVS always has great sales on beauty items, but you can find these this week specifically:

-Revlon Cosmetics or Beauty Tools: Buy One, Get One 50% Off
-All Maybelline Face, Eye or Lip Products: Buy One, Get One 50% Off

Once I got home, I took the Allegra immediately. Within an hour {probably even less, but it’s hard to pinpoint} I started immediately feeling better. My eyes stopped tearing up & I stopped sneezing 10 times a minute. &I decided to put on my eye makeup!

I finally felt like myself- both because I could have a conversation without sneezing & because I looked like myself. I can’t believe it took me this long to try Allegra! &Now that I can safely use eye makeup without it smearing all over, I think I’m going to head back to CVS for a few more Spring-inspired beauty updates!

{Be sure to check out Allegra on Twitter & Facebook to learn more- or play The Allergy Makeover Game!}

What’s your favorite Spring beauty tip?

Susie’s Note: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric All experiences are authentic & all opinions are my own.

The new line is the perfect mixture of a bouquet of flowers, juicy berries & golden amber and is royally fitting for any Mom! {&Since every Mom deserves to be treated like a Princess, it’s only fitting!}

There are several products available in the line so you can find the one that fits like Cinderella’s slipper:

A Princess Wish Eau De Toilette {$24.95}

A Princess Wish Roll-On Eau De Toilette, Body Glitter & Lip Gloss Boxed Set {$19.50}

A Princess Wish Shimmer Body Lotion, Eau De Toilette & Body Wash Boxed Set {$29.50}

A Princess Wish Body Wash {$12.50}

A Princess Wish Body Lotion {$12.50}

A Princess Wish Body Mist {$10.50}

A Princess Wish Roll-On Eau De Toilette {$9.50}

Buy It: The collection is available now at your local Disney Store or online!

Win It: One lucky {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker reader is going to win their very own Eau De Toilette! Just enter using the super simple Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Susie’s Note: The Disney Store will be fulfilling the prize & I will be receiving the same item to thank me for my participation in this campaign. All opinions are my own as always!

Do you have a pet? Whether it’s a dog, a cat, a horse or a monkey, we want to talk about it! Join me on The Motherhood TODAY, May 10th, for a fun half-hour chat all about our furry/feathered/winged/scaled friends!

The details:

What: A live, all-text chat on The Motherhood, to talk about properly caring for the animals we choose as members of our family, and to share all of the fun pet anecdotes and photos we love!

When: Thursday, May 10, at 8 p.m. ET.  We will chat for 30 minutes!

Where: On The Motherhood, right here – http://bit.ly/IOILMF

Who: The all-text chat will be hosted by Amanda Larson of Coping with Frugality: http://copingwithfrugality.com/

Co-hosting are these lovely people:

Alaina, Dinker & Giggles: http://dinkerandgiggles.com/

Alea, Premeditated Leftovers: http://premeditatedleftovers.com/

Courtney, Joy of Momma Joyner: http://www.joyofmommajoyner.com/

Shell, {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker: http://www.notquitesusie.com/ {That’s me, woot!}

Terri, Eco Crazy Mom: http://ecocrazymom.com/

Co-host Twitter IDs:

@DinkerGiggles

@AleasLeftovers

@CourtneyJoyner

@NotQuiteSusie

@EcoCrazyMom

Host Twitter IDs:

@LegalChef18

@theMotherhood

@EmilyMcKhann

@CooperMunroe

@eolson426

During the chat, you’ll be able to share photos & stories of your pets as well as ask any questions you have. See you there!

What’s in it for you? Every single time you vote, you’re entered into a sweepstakes to win one of five great prizes, including:

-Chef Services for a Holiday celebration {$1500 value}

-Consultation with a Professional Organizer & Products to Organize {$1500 value}

-2 House Cleaning Service Visits

-$500 American Express Gift Card

-Flip Video UltraHD Camera

So how do you win? Just go to the So Good, So Sweet page to find all of the stories & vote for your favorites! Each time you vote or Pin your favorite, you receive another entry into the sweepstakes! &You can vote for more than one story every day {and can vote for each story every 24 hours} so vote for as many stories as you want!

Good luck!

So obviously, The Avengers have left quite the impression! But what’s next? If you want more of your favorite superheroes, be sure to check out the sequels coming out soon!

Captain America: The First Avenger will be released April 4, 2014.

A Thor sequel is scheduled for November 15, 2013.

&The third installment of the Iron Man series will hit theaters on May 3, 2013!

Which movie are you the most excited for?

Social Fabric, a social shopper’s insight company {that I love & work with often}, has just launched their own University! The courses offered will vary from session to session but each will be entirely online and best of all- they’re free!

A bit more about Social Fabric University:

“Social Fabric University is a weekly continuing education resource provided exclusively to Social Fabric members. Currently planned topics include HTML, search engine optimization, design, and photography. We will add additional topics and lessons based on your feedback. This resource exists to help you become better bloggers.”

This session, I was one of the lucky people to get into the Food Photography 101 class and I am thrilled. Learning the basics of food photography was my one & only goal for 2012 & so I’m happy to be able to learn with the help of the class.

So why food photography? Well, as you know, I love posting recipes. &Despite not being a great homemaker, I can cook. But my lack of skill in the food photography area has kept me from publishing many recipes, because I want my dishes to actually LOOK as yummy as they are. I figure that if  I can get my photos to look appetizing, you all might trust me enough to try what I share. Makes sense, right?

So over the next several weeks, I’ll be learning the basics, including propping, styling, & post-production skills, the professional standards for food photography, and how to create cohesive & technically proficient photographs. I can’t wait to share with you what I learn & hopefully wow you with some shots soon!

Have you ever taken a class outside of  “actual” school? What was it & did you like it?

When I use all of these together as a routine, I definitely feel like my mouth is really clean. The toothbrush does a great job of getting hard-to-reach places, the floss really does Glide & makes it easier for me to get into even the tiniest spaces, and the mouth rinse & toothpaste both have a bit of a kick to them that let you know they’re working!

I actually like each product, but my favorite has to be the toothbrush. I had been pretty brand loyal to a different brand of toothbrush & had been using the same style of toothbrush for over two years {obviously, I replaced my brush frequently, but always with the same type}. &Even when I first got the Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Pro-Flex Toothbrush, I looked at it like it was a foreign object. It’s hard to describe but it was just… different. After using it once, though, I was sold. I could tell after one brushing that it was reaching stuff in spots I didn’t realize I was missing before. &It was comfortable to use, which is obviously very important. I am definitely going to be buying only this brush from now on!

Each product in the line is great, but if you use them together, they not only significantly reduce plaque, they also help keep plaque from coming back!

To learn more about the product line, be sure to check out the Crest & Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control website!

Susie’s Note: I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Crest and Oral-B and received product samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a promotional gift to thank me for taking the time to participate.

I despise cooking.  Despite working for a deli meat company, I refuse to make sandwiches because cutting tomatoes is so tedious. In a world of microwaves and iPhones, how can I be expected to find the time to assemble a meal that takes longer than 3 minutes to cook? In the case of a microwave, that is enough time to not only cook a meal but turn anything into a molten weapon, and in the time it takes my oven to preheat I could liberate an entire civilization of Angry Birds. However, when I’m not defending birds against hordes of multicolored pigs, I find great joy in grilling their legs and thighs until their skin becomes the perfect hue of golden brown. (In my defense, I’d just as quickly grill a pork chop wrapped in enough bacon to meet the caloric needs of my entire family.) But to understand how my hatred of cooking can coincide so well with my love of grilling, there a few things you should know.

My fiancée (the author and creator of this very blog) is a crazy person. The food that gets served at my house all has to get filtered through her crazy funnel before it even has a chance of being made. Since she is a pseudo-vegetarian, this immediately disqualifies all beef. (Except Philly Cheese Steak subs because those are delicious… and the occasional steak if it is part of a big family meal.) She also refuses to eat any seafood, yet begs to come with me to ‘All You Can Eat’ sushi for the opportunity to pay 25 dollars for teriyaki chicken wrapped in ten pieces of rice. Pork is out of the question regardless of the fact that bacon can literally make anything taste like magic and rainbows. Which leaves me with only poultry, which she will gladly eat because, and I quote, “Birds are a-holes.” This means that grilling is my chance to succumb to my primal urges and place a slab of marbled steak next to Shell’s “a-hole” chicken and cook it just enough that it develops char marks on the outside and when cut turns mashed potatoes into a red mush of glory.

Grilling for me really is the one activity that I find my entire family can fully appreciate together. The nightly debate on what to eat for dinner is skipped completely since I can prepare steak and chicken together without any extra effort at all. The Misses gets a much deserved break from domestic monotony while I get to collect brownie points for selfishly choosing to grill. My son gets to run around the backyard chasing my dog Bella who barks every time he gets within striking distance of her. On second thought, Bella might not enjoy this as much as I had originally imagined but at least she gets to eat all the gristle she can handle. Take all this, combined with the fact that nothing tastes as good as food cooked on the grill, and my love of grilling is really quite simple. Which is nice, because honestly, nothing else in my house ever is.

Does grilling give you a moment of simplicity in a world of chaos? Or is it something else that prompts you to light up the grill? Besides all of the tasty food, tell me what you love about grilling. One of my lucky readers who answers below will win a $25 Sears Gift Card!

Susie’s Note: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.