National Dog Day Guide

There is nothing like coming home after a long day to see a wagging tail! In honor of all the happiness a great dog brings to life, and national dog day on 8/26 I set out on a mission to find the best pet products of 2020. I hope you love the suggestions I make in this list!

Scout is awesome. Not only is he adorable, but he is also well mannered, very intelligent and he is very responsible. He is the best dog, so naturally, he deserves the best of everything!

In honor of the joy he has brought to my life, I set out on a quest to bring the best of the best to his days. I started researching the best pet products and found some you are really going to want to check out for your furry bestie.

Samples were sent of some items included. Affiliate links may be used also.

Scout likes to eat; if he is offered something really tasty, he will straight up beg for it, as you can see in the first photo. When we got to try Jiminy's  insect based dog food,I was skeptical that Scout would like it. Little did I know he would LOVE it. This is a sustainable source of protein for dogs that they find irresistible. Order it online starting at about $22 a bag for good food dogs will beg for.

If you have cats in the house, they need to try Dr. Marty's line of goodies! From supplements to treats like freeze dried salmon, to a freeze dried food that cats will crave, these are some of the finest quality of products for felines. Order online where the food begins at about $35 a bag. Scout highly favors this brand for his carefully curated collection of 3 beautiful cats.

Dr. Marty also has food , supplements and treats for dogs and Scout approves of the line of goodies but he can't wag his tail enough about the freeze dried liver treats. Expect excellent quality and nutrition from this brand. Order Tilly's Treasures Treats at about $17 a bag. Dr. Marty's Nature's Blend food is about $60 a bag. Find it online.

Dog people worry about them sorta like we do our kids. But, the difference is dogs can't talk. So, if there is an emergency, and someone needs to step in and care for your dog, why not leave a guide for them to insure your dogs needs are met? What About the Dog? by Christina Ciana Calabrese is a must have for anyone who shares their life with a pet.

A happy hound, is one who is treated to the flavors he loves. With Farm Hounds and their assorted treats, Scout has been happy hound. The Hog Maul was his absolute favorite and a real hoot to see him enjoy. He also loves their jerky and highly recommends it to other dogs. Order online starting at about $15 a bag.

If you want nothing but the best for your dogs, check out Puppo. They offer personalized nutrition for dogs, delivered to your door. It is really convenient to not have to drag heavy bags of dog food home thanks to this completely customizable dog food service. Get your dog a custom blend of food that even has their name and photo on it starting at about $35 a month for smaller dogs. Learn more and take the quiz to create the perfect blend of food for your best friend at Puppo.com.

The coolest thing about Scout is that being a shelter dog, he loves to take walks. It never fails that when we go on our daily walks, he will turn around and look at me, and the expression on his face is pure joy. That makes me want to walk him a lot. To keep on good terms with my neighbors, Doggy Do Good is my go to pet waste bag. Order them online starting at $10. I love that these are earth friendly, biodegradable bags.

I hope you enjoyed these suggestions for national dog day! 

15+ Fin-tastic Shark Crafts for Adults

Take a bite out of the lost pencil situation and make this Shark Pencil Pouch by The Patchwork Posse. These are so cute that everyone will want one!

Add a lot of personality to your clothespin bag with this Shark Clothes Pin Bag by the Polka Dot Chair. It is sure to make laundry chores feel more like a day at the beach!

Make your own super funky shark jewelry with this tutorial from Morena's Corner. This is an awesome idea for teens and adults!

Shark Mittens are an adorable way to keep the cold from biting little hands! They also double as an awesome tool for puppet play. Check the tutorial out from A Night Owl Blog.

Surfs and sips up with these etched shark wine glasses by Doodle Craft. These are perfect for making your glassware unique!

Patchwork Shark Pillow Cases by Today's Creative Life are perfect for adding a one of a kind touch to your home.

Make a DIY Shark Bag for a special kid and they will be fin flipping happy! Get the tutorial at the Small and Friendly site.

Let a hammerhead guard the fridge with this DIY shark magnet project by Kids Activities Blog.

Add a bite of fun to your next pool party with these cute pool noodle sharks by Views From a Step Stool.

Beaded Shark Necklaces are a great way to DIY your own accessories! Get the instructions from Buggy and Buddy.

Don't lose your place in your book. These shark bookmarks from Red Ted Art are a colorful way to leave a shark in charge of your reading materials.

Make a DIY Shark Tooth Necklace with this tutorial by Happy Go Lucky.

Make your own wrap around shark shirt with this free file from Where the Smiles Have Been.

Add a touch of eerily elegant to your wardrobe with this gold foil shark shirt by Doodle Craft.

Make a flip flop wreath to warn visitors of Shark Infested Waters with this tutorial from Dollar STore Crafts

Shark Teeth Snacks

I was browsing on pinterest for some fun and easy shark week themed snacks for the family and I ran across an idea to make shark teeth. It seemed so cute and easy that I had to try it.  Everyone liked them and declared them to have the right balance between sweet and salty.

These are easy to make. You only need two ingredients and some wax paper. 

Ingredients:

White chocolate. Use a good quality.

Buggles

Melt white chocolate in the microwave,stirring every 15-20 seconds, until smooth.

Immediately dip the buggles into the melted white chocolate.

Lay them on wax paper, with a little space in between the teeth.

Allow the "shark teeth" to dry.  This shouldn't take long. You can pop them in the freezer for about 15 minutes to speed things along.

Pop them off the wax paper and into a bowl. Serve immediately or cover and seal for a few hours before serving.

They are not fancy, or time consuming, but they will bring a smile to a child's face. They pair well with shark week activities, or anytime that you might want a little sweet and a little salty.

If you liked this recipe you can find all my other easy recipes here.

Feeding Sharks Sensory Bag

This shark feeding sensory bag is tons of fun  for little hands! Made with super simple supplies, this sensory bag is perfect for shark week, or anytime your kids need some fin flipping fun!

I have quite a collection of blue, gray and blue gray paint samples in my kitchen junk drawer.  I love to paint. Walls, cabinets, boards, trim. Anything that requires no real thought nor detail is my jam so I am always grabbing samples of my preferred colors in hopes of finding a new project.

I finally found good use of some of the paint samples with this feeding sharks sensory bag. It wasn't too complicated to put together and my kids thought it was awesome. I hope your kids do too!

This post contains affiliate links.

Supplies:

Hair gel

Glitter

Scissors

Paint samples

A zipper seal sandwich bag

Water Beads

Directions:

Cut a shark from a grayish blue paint sample. Make sure the shark has an open mouth!

Cut a few assorted sized fish from any other color paint samples.

Fill a zipper seal sandwich bag with hair gel.

Add a generous amount of glitter to the bag.

Add a few water beads to the bag. 

Add the shark to the bag, and the fish too.

Close the bag and offer it to your child. Encourage the child to feed the shark the fish.

This is a fun quiet time activity for toddlers and preschoolers. If your kids don't have "nice hands" you can reinforce the edges with duct tape to prevent any accidental bag busting that could occur.

You can find more of my sensory bag ideas here

Reader favorites include:

Bedtime Sensory Bags

Squishy Eye Sensory Bag

Play Doh Fine Motor Rainbows

Play Doh and buttons are the perfect combination to make a fun fine motor rainbow! This is a great activity for indoor play days and is so easy to set up!

We are crazy for both play doh and rainbows so this activity was a huge hit with my daughter Harper. It was easy to set up, and gave her a chance to explore textures, express creativity, and work on her pattern making skills, with a dose of fine motor too!

Supplies:

Play Doh

Buttons in assorted colors and sizes

If you can't find white play doh, like we used, no worries, use any color your kids like!

If you don't have a jar of buttons at home, we bought this little jar of multi color buttons at Dollar Tree.

Directions:

Roll out a can of play doh.

Offer your child a pile of buttons.

Encourage your child to make a rainbow by lining up the correct color of buttons in the pattern of a rainbow.

As buttons can be a choking danger to small children, be sure to closely supervise this activity with little ones.

This was a lot of fun for Harper. We will certainly be pulling this activity out again in the coming months as an easy yet engaging boredom buster!

You can find more fun ideas for kids here

Button Tower Stem Activity

Glow in the Dark Galaxy Slime