Friday Things
1. Joseph turned 7 months old this week! Taking his monthly pictures are getting more difficult… he’s always moving and they’re coming out more and more blurry :)  Here are some of my favorite “outtakes”:
2. Poor Einstein is still having some trouble with ear irritation (they get SO red and irritated, but no infection), which the vet thinks is from allergies. A straight-up allergy medicine didn’t do much for him, so now we’re trying a steroid/antihistamine combination with an additional ointment. They’ve definitely improved this week, so hopefully a maintenance dose will work for him until the weather cools off and the allergies die down.
Per usual, he thoroughly enjoyed his trip to the vet…
3. I discovered a new email service for daily news – The Skimm. We have the news on a lot during the day, but much of it is background noise, so I enjoy a condensed little email with some of the biggest news each morning, in an easy-to-read format to keep me caught up.
4. Speaking of news, I recently started downloading some podcasts. Do you have any favorites you’d recommend?
5. I am in love with the idea of 1 Second Everyday stringing together a collection of 1-second videos over the course of a year. I wish I had seen this before Joseph was born!
6. Confession – I had to Google “bae” this week. I keep seeing it all over the Internet (mostly Buzzfeed) and am old and clueless.
7. Since my husband and I went out two weekends in a row (whoa!), I had a chance to try out some new makeup samples that had been burning a hole in my makeup drawer. I am probably way behind the times here (see #6 above), but wanted to pass along these two recommendations since I loved them so much!
The stila Stay All Day waterproof liquid eyeliner is phenomenal! I’m so bad at getting a nice even line, and it looked pretty flawless with this liner.
Benfit Roller Lash mascara – I’ve played around with a lot of different Sephora mascara samples over the last handful of months, and this one, by far, is my favorite. It’s not goopy, the wand isn’t too big or too small, and my eyelashes look totally natural, but amplified.
8. We recently watched the I Am Chris Farley documentary… it was extremely well done and, of course, extremely sad. Loved seeing those old SNL clips again!
9. It’s that time of year… fantasy football! Our league draft is on Wednesday night, and I’m hoping I can get my fantasy mojo back! After multiple years of making the playoffs and a couple Super Bowl runs, I’ve missed the playoffs two years in a row. Womp womp.
10. TGIF! Duke is ready for the weekend!
Hey!
Just a short message to let you know that I used to receive Skimm and Next Draft and in the end I prefer Next Draft.
You might want to try it to…
My Wheaten was allergic to grass and human dander! Imagine that?! I used allergy shot for years but it didn’t help that much. Moved all my dogs to Holistic Pet Select Duck and Oatmeal dried food. It worked out great and no recalls and no ingredients from China!
I also found Wally’s Ear Oil to be helpful. Smells a little like Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus. Wallysnatural.com.
Hope this helps. All your babies are too cute!
Our golden doodle has pretty bad allergies. She chews her paws. We recently did the steroid/allergy treatment. It made her SO hungry! She was seriously eating anything that she found- paper towels, my kids’ dirty clothes with food on them, diapers, stuff off the counter, etc. it was really unlike her. I felt so sorry for her.
Serial is interesting, but my favorite podcast right now is The Mystery Show. Entertaining stories about “mysteries” that can’t be solved on the internet. (Like why does someone have an “I LOVE 9/11” license plate. (My favorite is the belt buckle episode.) First episode is just okay, but second on are GREAT!
Your little munchkin is so precious!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
So I subscribed to Skimm and love it! Thank you for the lead. We don’t have cable and the antenna we have for local TV is horrible so I just don’t turn it on in the morning or evening. I like Skimm because it’s so easy to read! I feel all caught up in the world now. Thanks!
My daughter just made Soft and Chewy M&M cookies all on her own. I LOVE how she goes to your site and finds a recipe. :)
I love all the pictures of your sweet baby boy. I need a baby to hold! My baby is heading off to kindergarten on Monday and my oldest is in 5th grade. Oldest and youngest ruling the school!
My golden had terrible ear infections his whole life. For years we treated them like allergies. Then we moved and started with a new vet. He put him on a couple rounds of medication to fight yeast infections (stronger than probiotics though) and he never had issues again. It was amazing and such a relief for everyone. He did an ear scope and the before and after pictures were amazing. Maybe this is a treatment you can explore?
I also had to google Bae. I cannot STAND Mylie Cyrus.
Sephora is my favorite place to go. So fun changing things up each season with eye-shadows and lipsticks. But I have to admit, I still use the classes Maybelline mascara and love it. Also love the $6 price tag.
Happy weekend!
I love The Splendid Table podcasts! And you can go years into their archives to listen to more.
But my FAVORITE food-related podcast is from The Southern Foodways Alliance – Gravy. The SFA studies and documents the diverse southern cultures and how food impacts our history and evolution here in the South. They are about 20-30 minutes each and are always super great!!!
Like others have said, serial is a great podcast! It’s absolutely addicting and makes you so impatient to hear the next episode. My hubby and I drive 8 hours each way a few times a year to see my parents a few states away, and with an 8 mo old, it’s not always the most pleasant experience:) but the most recent car ride, we listened to serial and it made the trip surprisingly fun. Try it out!
Joseph is adorable, as are duke and Einstein as usual!!
Aww…. His personality is show in his monthly photos, how cute! I have a quick question- will the sugar cookie recipe for the football jerseys work with a larger cookie such as a breast cancer ribbon? And use the same flooding technique? I’m baking and donating cookies to be sold at a fundraiser in October & I love your recipes.
Hi Renee, Yes, you can definitely use that same recipe and technique with any size cookie! You may need to adjust baking time depending on the size, but that’s it.
Omg is Joseph handsome!!!!
I love Benefit- I used to work for them back in my early 20s when I didn’t mind working all day (because I’m from Chicago and had to wait tables at night in order to afford my day job, lol) and have always loved their mascaras- they had a dark navy and an eggplant back in the day that killed on brown eyes (which I have as well)- these products may still exist I just haven’t looked for them in a million years.
I still use their hello flawless! foundation which is great coverage without looking cakey, and am nuts about the hoola bronzer in the summer and dandelion powder (and they have a gloss too, so pretty!!!!) pretty much any other time.
Check out my favorite podcast: Stuff You Should Know. Any topic, explained.
Joseph is such a cutie pie!! It makes my Friday when I see his smiling face! Thank you for sharing him with us Michelle!
Ha! I had to look up “fleek” this week:)
I also love this American life & uh yeah dude(love listening to it while folding laundry)
I have no idea what “fleek” is, HA! Off to Google… :)
HA!!! I googled BAE this week too!!!
Our dogs had ear issues until we put them on a grain free dogfood. Costco has a great option.
ARYNBF which stands for “Alison Rosen is your new best friend” is a fun podcast. Alison is a great interviewer. Monday shows are one on one interviews, Thursday is a group that is a lot of fun. For Crying Out Loud is another one of my favorites with Stefanie Wilder Taylor and Lynette Carolla. This week was sad though because the family dog was put to sleep and Lynette tells the story. There is a good thing that comes out of the story that will benefit a lot of people.
I absolutely LOVE the skimm! i’ve been reading it for years now and it’s the only way I know that I’ll be getting the news. Don’t you just love their little snarkiness and sarcasm? Definitely helps me retain things better!
I just have to say that while I think your son is super adorable, I love that you still include pictures and updates about your pups! I don’t have kids, but I do have a dog and that feels relate-able. :) Some blogs, whether it be food, lifestyle, whatever, end up becoming all about kids, which the author has every right to do, but as someone who is unable to have kids and still in the tender stages of accepting it, I tend to stray away from them eventually. I really appreciate you staying true to what your blog has always been about. Food and family, including your pups! So, just wanted to say thanks. :)
I recommend the Atomic Moms podcast. It’s a parenting podcast hosted by 2 first-time moms. I don’t have kids (yet) but I listen every week. They have some interesting topics. They talk about the ups and downs of parenting and maintaining relationships and a bunch of other things. They present things in a non-judgmental way which is very cool.
Love NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me…super fun game show :)
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/344098539/wait-wait-don-t-tell-me
I’ve heard good things about the “Serial” podcasts. I like listening to “Stuff you missed in history class”, but those are short podcasts.
Love the pictures of Joseph – he’s such a doll! Einstein looks like he really enjoyed his car trip! Duke looks a little worn our ….lol….clearly he is happy laying around. Thanks for the makeup recommendations – I have a bunch of makeup and need to start using it and grading it too!
I love The Skimm! I hate watching the news…but I love knowing what’s going on in the world. The Skimm gives you just enough information to keep you in the loop. I highly recommend it. I especially like the features they have been doing on the future presidential candidates.
I love your pictures on your “Friday Things” each week! Joseph’s faces this week are priceless. I can’t believe Einstein is sitting so nicely with his gentle leader . . . my Nelli, who is 10 months old, doesn’t like hers too well. Do you ever try to flop Einstein’s ears back and allow them to “air out”? My Ruger began to have ear problems and the vet said Goldens are prone to have issues because of their ear structure. Their floppiness doesn’t allow them the air flow. His ears were beginning to have the same issue as Einstein’s. It’s so exciting that Fantasy Football is here. Our draft isn’t until the end of the month. But with the Pirates doing so well, it’s a little hard to believe football is creeping up on us. Here’s to hoping the Steelers will have the same success as the Buccos are having. I still can’t get it that this year we could potentially be having a 3 sport period of time here in the ‘Burgh. With the Pirates playing well, post season is beginning to look like a reality, Steelers are gearing up, and the Pens will be following come end of Sept/beginning of Oct. Don’t you just love living in Pittsburgh?!? :D
Yes, I absolutely love living in Pittsburgh! :) Love our sports teams, I can’t get enough!
Happy Friday Michelle! Thank you so much for the makeup recommendations! I don’t get out much either, what with a full time job and two toddler grandchildren and my little Cavalier Freckles, did I mention my side business of painting (rooms that is). I’ve been super busy lately so I’m very happy you posted these. Little Joseph is just adorable as are Einstein and Duke! Please continue to keep us informed (like you always do!), I look so forward to your postings each week, it so much fun to read.
Have a great weekend – Lucy
Hi-thought I’d ask a couple of questions/offer suggestions for Einstein’s ears. What food does he eat? I was in a similar situation (chronic ear issues) with a dog and finally found that the issue was due to food. He hasn’t had an ear issue for at least 6 months now, which is a HUGE improvement – we used to be at the vet almost every week! Common ingredients in food to stay away from when allergies are involved: potatoes, corn (canola oil), grains. Try switching proteins too, we used to feed chicken, then turkey and found lamb (non-poultry) to be the winner. It’s hard to find a food that doesn’t have these (chicken fat is very common in most foods), but after much searching, I found Zignature Limited Ingredient Lamb. Best discovery ever – knowing that he’s not having pain anymore :) Hope something helps your guy!
Hi Joline, Thanks so much for the recommendations. Einstein has been eating grain-free food since he was around one, but maybe we need to try different proteins. Thanks again! :)
I love your blog…it’s always the first thing i read when I get up in the morning.
Thank you for sharing pics of Joseph. He’s a gorgeous little boy and is fun to watch his face change from week to week. The link to the outtakes was missing in this week’s post was missing. ?
My favourite podcasts are: This American Life; Serial; Invisibilia; Writers and Company from CBC Radio.
There are podcasts for just about everything though. So many comedians do them so if you’re looking for something search for a few of your favs. I listen to some about books. Many tv shows have recap podcasts. The options are endless so it takes some time to find the ones that appeal to you. Good luck, and happy listening!
Hi Jennifer, Thanks for letting me know, I fixed it so the pictures are showing up now! :)
Adorable!
I can’t start my day without Skimm! I often end up explaining to anyone within earshot why I’m laughing out loud to the news.
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I usually lurk here but had to chime in when you said you are looking for podcasts. I have a very long commute to/from work and listen to a TON of podcasts. Here are the best in my opinion:
This American Life
Serial (only one season so far but it was the most downloaded podcast in history? From one of the people who work on This American Life, btw)
99% Invisible – Oh my gosh the stuff you can learn on this…they are really short, like 15-20 minutes but always always fascinating – when my husband is in charge of my iPhone, this is the podcast he always chooses
We’re Alive – OK, this is a story podcast – about zombies – but it went on for four seasons and when you are trapped in a car 3 hours per day, it really helped pass the time…and we had a lot of fun with it.
Snap Judgement – sort of like This American Life but with a different vibe. And I love the host, Glynn Washington. Incredible story teller…just incredible. He had a special about ghosts last Halloween – one of the stories of a real encounter was really creepy!!!
Radiolab
The Horror! – OK, this is all public domain old time radio shows – all “scary” stories. When I am up late at night working in my basement, I turn this on and listen to story after story. The guy who puts this together does a bunch of different themed ones (SciFi, Westerns, etc.)
TED Radio Hour
Dinner Party Download – my husband doesn’t like this one but I think it is fun
Planet Money – I don’t listen to this a lot – not sure why – I always enjoy it. They somehow make the financial markets fun.
Hope you give some of them a try! Enjoy!!! (I know the minute I submit this, I’ll think of another podcast!) (also, always love seeing your baby and dogs. We had Goldens when I was growing up…such great dogs!)
Christine
I agree! Serial and This American Life are awesome!
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE “The Mystery Show”. You have to check out the episode called “Source Code”. It’s about Jake Gyllenhall’s height, is hilarious, and I’ve listened to it twice already!
I’m not sure what type of podcasts you’re looking for, but I’ve heard that the Serial podcasts are really good! And Joseph is adorable!! He’s getting so big!
I highly recommend the TED podcast, and if you never listened to the Serial podcast, it’s riveting.
What I noticed more than anything in this post is that Einstein is wearing a Halti type of lead when you take him to the vet. My Lucy HATED that type of “leash”, control, whatever you want to call it. And when I say hated I mean with a PASSION. We would spend the entire walk with her trying to get it off of her nose. I tried this type for a few weeks once she got big enough to pull me around if she really wanted to do so. I finally gave up YEARS ago and went with a soft plushy harness that goes around her chest and tummy. She’s a completely different dog in that thing than if I try to walk with her and clip the leash directly onto her collar. Plus, like her collar it’s all in pink, like her leash and people STILL say, “how old is HE?”, “what’s HIS name?” Why do all people assume dogs are a male? I still can’t believe she’s actually NINE years old and we’re dealing with a weight problem which most likely explains the arthritis she has now. The vet finally had to put her on a prescription medication and on it she’s a completely different dog, much perkier. Anything to make her more comfortable. It breaks my heart to think of her suffering in any way. Lucy too actually enjoys her trips to the vet, usually. The only time she’s not completely relaxed and happy is when they have to check or do anything about those glands in her behind. BOY she hates that. If the assistant gets back in that area now she becomes very suspicious. However at her appointment on Monday the vet had trouble getting blood drawn for her yearly heartworm check and after a while she got a little upset. The vet and I both said we “look away” when we have bloodwork done and we would say that to Lucy but she didn’t get the idea of course. Isn’t it SO much better when your dog likes the vet? I feel so sorry for people whose animals are terrified of the vet. You give Lucy some attention and a treat and she’s a friend for life. Ahh! Life with a golden. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!!! I bet Einstein and Duke just absolutely ADORE Joseph and probably (hopefully) are very protective of him. Have you seen any episodes where they’ve stood guard over him or went into protect mode around him? The first time I saw Lucy around a little child who had JUST learned to walk and was still pretty wobbly on her feet I couldn’t believe it. She was SO careful and gentle with her. With we adults she’ll bump into us naturally assumes she had the right-away. She made sure even her tail didn’t bump this little child while still trying to get close to her. It was amazing to watch and all of it with no coaching from me. I firmly believe golden are the most amazing dogs out there. Even though Lucy is really a big cuddly sweetheart she certainly can go into fierce mode when she sees a stranger or an unknown dog from a distance and I THINK she would fight to protect me. Personally I hope I never have to find out.
Ahh, yeah that is a gentle leader on Einstein and it’s basically the only way I can keep him from pulling my arm out of its socket if he gets excited and wants to dart! As you can see, he doesn’t mind it at all, ha! We tried the body harnesses, but they didn’t really work for us. Yes, the dogs totally guard Joseph! If he is in his activity bouncer and one of us walks to the other side of the room, Duke will usually go over and stand next to Joseph, like, “it’s okay, I’ll watch him for you” :)
basketpam-
What is the harness you are using called? I’ve had one dog take 2 weeks with the halti and she was cured of pulling, My other dog has been wearing one for 2 years and she still pulls!
I love how Duke isn’t getting the shaft with having a baby. I know how hard it is to balance both! Both are ADORABLE. Will have to try your Sephora picks, I always look like a raccoon with mascara =)
Totally adorable photo of your little one. Makes me want to run to my little grandson and give him a big hug and smooch. Who am I kidding — I always want to do that!! Okay, not fair!! I had never heard of “bae” until you mentioned it. You didn’t give us the definition. I have to Google it :-( Thank you for the heads up for make up. I’m always looking for reliable makeup and I have a drawer full of stuff I don’t like. Have a great weekend.
Regarding Einstein’s ear problems. I don’t understand why a vet would treat allergies with drugs, rather than try a special diet. I would think that treating the cause of the problem, rather than trying to clear up the symtoms with drugs would be a better choice. Also, meaning he would have to be on the drugs forever or the symptoms will re-occur (with what side effects mind you) Anyway, our dog and my mothers dog has been through this but, they both had much worse allergies (infections, itching, hair loss etc.). We have finally found Vet that understands treating food allergies in dogs with diet. And, they are both almost cured now. Good luch with Einstein, but I would get a second opinion. Mary Beth
Mary Beth,
That is assuming that his allergies are food related. I’ve had two dogs with severe allergies. One was food related the other was allergic to pollens of various types. If Einstein’s problem only occur at a certain time of the year than it is probably pollen. One this that will help is wiping him down with a baby wipe (which I am sure you already have in the house) or a wet cloth when he comes in from outside. This will help remove the allergins from hs long and beautiful coat. It certainly would not hurt to try Einstein on a allergy formula diet- we used Salmon and Potato and Venison and Potato for my Golden Retriever mix Caitlin. We tried these and Duck as well with my Great Dane Darcy. Both of my girls had severe allergies and allergy shots were the best treatment we found. Though the diet change for Caitlin helped a great deal- it did nothing for Darcy.
Navar, I was going to say the same thing.
My chocolate lab is allergic to (get this) grass of all things and whenever they come cut it, his ears and eyes swell up so we have to treat the flare up with Benadryl which is our vet’s recommendation.
I firmly recommend the America’s Test Kitchen podcast (http://atkradio.com) and the Burnt Toast podcast from Food52.
that face!!! what an adorable little guy and what a perfect shot.
also, I still watch the “down by the river” chris farley sketch all the time- I’ve been using it in place of my usual ab workouts lately.
thank you for these wonderful Friday posts, they always have me looking forward to the end of the week even more than usual (didn’t think that was possible!)