It's hard for me to believe that this time last year, Sean and I were packing up our suburban apartment in preparation for moving into our first house...in Baltimore City. Both of us are suburban born and raised, and had never before entertained the idea of city living (on top of that, I'd been terrified of Baltimore for years, but that's a story for another day).

Just weeks away from closing!

Naturally, changes have come about with the transition, and I'm happy that with change has come personal improvement. For instance:"

1. I walk more. Most work days, I enjoy going outside for a lunchtime walk . There are things within walking distance from home as well, and of course, getting a dog mandates walking, too. Outdoors + exercise? Double positive!
2. I can now parallel park. Our house has a parking pad which became Sean's as he is a lot more confident fitting his small sedan there (vs my small, but bigger than his car, SUV). That means I parallel park. Thanks to interventions our first week in town, I no longer worry about this.
3. I'm better at directions. In the suburbs, nothing irritated me more than turning on my GPS and hearing "head East on ...." What the heck? I don't know where East is! Left or right, lady!? I don't really know what changed, but I'll say it's the typical grid layout of most cities. I pretty much always know which direction is which these days, and I no longer sweat missing a turn or taking a wrong one because I know how simple it is to get to where I'm going.
4. I'm more involved. I never showed up to community events or meetings before. These days, we know when our monthly neighborhood meeting is, we communicate with our neighbors via online networking, and we attend more events in general.
5. I'm no longer a city-phobe. I still don't love noise or crowds, but I remember a time when I would get tense the minute our car entered a city. I remember being nervous walking around to find places. Now, I can relax and enjoy what different cities (Baltimore included) have to offer and explore (responsibly) without getting stressed about my whereabouts  because, well, #3. On my recent New York trip with my mom, I took off to find a place to eat lunch and it was so much more enjoyable not staying on one street out of fear!

In just a few more days, it will officially be summer! That means vacations! Allow me to help you look your best with a grab bag full of beauty essentials worth at least $20! Then, check out the other giveaways below! No limit on how many you can win. Good luck!
Tune of June
Welcome to the Hopping to the Tune of June Giveaway Hop, brought to you by The Hopping Bloggers & Up All Night Blogging! Hosted by Mama Smith’s Review Blog & Women And Their Pretties Co-Hosted by Momma Jez Bargain Bin, Reviews by Clo, I Love Family Travel, Dorky's Deals, Chelsea's Mommy Experiencing New Things Loving Life, The Mixing Bowl, & Joyful Gifts by Julie Each blogger participating in this hop has a giveaway with a prize value of at least $15 – and some are much more than that! Be sure to scroll down the whole list and visit them all – there is no limit to how many prizes you can win! Good Luck and Have Fun!

Part nature film with stunning cinematography of both land and sea, part documentary with footage from environmental protests and conferences, Revolution is Stewart's second environmental film (he also made the film Sharkwater) and offers sobering data far beyond just the decline of ocean life or melting of our glaciers.


In fact, there is a much bigger picture which only makes sense. Our environment is a whole, and if one component suffers,  it is only natural for suffrage in other realms to follow. It is dangerous to observe the extinction of some species and think that as humans we can act and live as we please without being at the same risk. Critical issues including ocean acidification, deforestation, climate change, and overfishing are all exposed for the threats they pose to the earth and life upon it.


Revolution is a stunning view of our world, a devastating wake-up call to the fact that it could be lost, and thankfully, an encouraging call-to-action reminding us that we still have time to act in order to reverse the anticipated bleakness.

Just as Forks Over Knives motivated me to continue my vegetarian diet to improve the health of my body and the environment, Revolution has the capacity to inform viewers on the true state of the environment which is the first step in acting towards necessary change.

Starting is simple; watch the film for yourself here!

 

Paired with all the nightmarish things I've been seeing in the media lately about cops being called and kids being taken away from parents who dared to close their eyes for a minute, I often find myself thinking "I'm so glad I don't have kids."

Don't get me wrong. Kids are fun and they are a blessing. If one comes along, I'd be thrilled. But in the meantime, I'll watch Odd Mom Out and appreciate the fact that my level of stress is nowhere near that of the moms on this show (and all moms).

Seriously, have you seen the show yet (you can view an Odd Mom Out trailer here)? I'd been hearing tons of buzz and didn't think I'd relate to the show...then I watched the first two episodes online and couldn't stop snickering at it's satirical approach to so much more than parenting!

As part of Bravo's V.I.M.s Perks Program (Very Important Moms), we will be encouraging readers to Download Bravo’s mobile app – The Daily Dish – available for Android and iPhone via your mobile store.

Through the Daily Dish app, not only can you catch up on your fave Bravo-lebs, but you’ll also be eligible for exclusive VIM discounts from partners.

The best thing about the Odd Mom Out premiere? Viewers have an opportunity to win $20,000 in each of the first 4 weeks of premiere episodes (starting 6/8 – 6/29) through the Tune-In to Win  Sweepstakes. Just  tune in live at 10/9c on Mondays (6/8-6/29) for the secret hashtag and tweet it out to @BravoTV each week for your chance to win!

I may have gotten in over my head this year. Starting from scratch took a lot of time and effort. We're finally done (except for my poor homeless tomato seedlings that likely won't make it this year)!

Out front: Zucchini and Cucumbers (and jasmine)



Out back: Sean's labor of love, a DIY vertical pallet garden that was a lot more time and labor intensive than we would have guessed.  3 rows of peppers, radishes, lettuce, onion, and carrots.


Now to hope they live and are fruitful! (vege-ful?)

"Why is she limping?" Sean asked me on a Sunday night.

"I don't know. I didn't see her do anything today or hear any yelping. Let's just keep an eye on her."

By the next morning, the limping was worse and there was visible swelling in her rear leg. We knew Anise hadn't broken anything, but we also knew she was in pain. Sean left work early to take her to the vet who prescribed painkillers and recommended we start giving her a joint supplement.



Wow! I knew that I'd have to start her early on glucosamine as a large breed, but I wasn't expecting to start as early as 1 and a half!

I grabbed a bag of hip and joint treats to buy me some time to research what supplement I wanted to use...guys, there are so many!



Thankfully, the folks at Liquid Health let me try their K9 glucosamine risk-free to see for myself how Anise would respond to it.

(For those who don't know, Nearly 25% of all dogs will develop joint mobility issues of some kind. For younger dogs, glucosamine and chondroitin are an easily absorbed and may stimulate the production of proteoglycans, which help maintain the health and resiliency of joints and connective tissues. MSM promotes general good health. Supplements in a liquid form are shown to absorb more quickly & efficiently than tablets, offering faster results.)

I drizzled the glucosamine as recommended (dosage is right on the bottle!) over Anise's food...and she ate it right up! I'm happy to know she enjoys the taste and it won't be a battle getting her daily dosage to her.



For customers wanting to give this product a try, you can use the promotional code “NSN20” to purchase Liquid Health’s K9 Glucosamine online at Next Step Nutrition.

For resellers seeking dog glucosamine manufacturers you might want to try Matsun Nutrition.

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On Sunday I swept loads of helicopter seeds from my front stoop. I then pulled weed after weed from the cracks...from where I'd hoped my crack garden would emerge.

It was tempting to give a side-eye to Ms. Vicki's lovely crack garden, but since the flowers are as effortlessly lovely as she is, it's hard to be mad. Plus, I promised I'd show you guys what a proper crack garden looks like. So, while I have no results of my work to show you, I can show you hers:

You didn't think I was done with graduations, did you?

circa 2005. I was 19 here when I started dating Sean; she was only 6!

Nope. This Friday, Sean and I will celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary...by sitting in an arena, watching his baby sister graduate high school. (fun fact: her graduation is at the same facility where Borat sang the national anthem)

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We of course bought her a"fun" graduation gift, but she is off to college somewhere, which calls for some level of practicality. I knew exactly what to get her on that level: a gift card to campusbookrentals.com