the little lioness - It's food, fashion, fun, and it's furry!

Dog-Friendly Travel Tips

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dog swimming in a pool

Traveling with kids can be difficult, but, sometimes taking your furry friend away with you can be even harder. Dogs, much like children like the safety of a routine and find holidays distressing. This can lead to poor behaviour, changes in eating patterns or even illnesses. But, this shouldn’t stop you from going away with your pet and having a brilliant break. Finding ways to holiday with an animal can mean your family gets a lovely, fun vacation without having to leave a vital member behind.

The Journey

The best way to travel with an animal is by car. They’re safe, comfortable and in a familiar environment. But, you still need to be prepared. Take your dog on some long car journey’s beforehand, so it’s not new to them. Try to make their space in the car as comfortable as possible by taking their favourite blankets and toys, perhaps even their bed if it fits to make them feel safe. Then, make sure you take them for a long walk before you start your journey. This way they’ll have had plenty of time to do their business, and you might even tire them out that much that they sleep for most of it.

Accommodation

Where do you plan to stay while you are away? Some campsites and even hotels are pet-friendly, but you’ll need to check. You might want to check out the Best caravan for travelling with kids and pets. A caravan reduces a lot of stress and can be an excellent home away from home. It’s definitely a worthwhile investment if you plan to travel a lot. You wouldn’t want to see the country without your best friend after all.

Go for a Check Up

Head to the vets a few weeks before you are due to travel to make sure your dog is in good shape. Make sure his vaccinations and wormings are up to date and ask for some motion sickness medication while you are there, as some dogs struggle with car travel.

Be Prepared

Dogs all have very different temperaments, and you probably know yours very well. So, think about how changes have affected them in the past and how you could do things differently to avoid the same reactions. You may even find your dog tries to run away when you reach your destination, so keep a firm hold.

Stick to Their Diet

cute puppy chewing

Dogs can find adapting to a new diet difficult, just like some people. So, take enough of their favourite foods with you to avoid any upset stomachs and make sure they are eating enough.

Research Location

dog at the beach wet

Take a good look at your destination and do some research online. Is it known for ticks, fleas or anything else that could harm your pet? Try to pick somewhere safe.

Check Out the Facilities

Make sure there are plenty of dog-friendly facilities nearby. Things to look out for include parks, beaches where they are allowed off their leash and restaurants and cafes that allow animals inside.

Taking your pet on holiday can be fantastically good fun. Just make sure you are prepared and make the change as easy as possible for them.

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Fiona / October 19, 2017 / 0 Comments

Marley Spoon’s Home Delivered Recipe Box

I received a code from a friend to try the Marley Spoon recipe box free for a week

As a semi-retired food blogger, I’m a sucker for trying any new foods, especially for free. So when Lala offered me a code for a free trial meal box from Marley Spoon, duh I said yes.

As you’ve seen before, I’ve had many boxes from Hello Fresh in the past (Get $50 off your first Hello fresh order with the code R3CDUQ), with some great meal ideas filtering through to my general rotations, but loving the convenience of not having to think about what to make a few nights a week. It’s the same deal with Marley Spoon boxes, choose how many people it’s for, how many nights. but you get more choice over which actual meals are included in your box from the cluster of suggestions based off your meal preferences. So I got to choose my three recipes this week from a range of vegetarian, meat, carb heavy or low and so on.

I’ll have to say all three meals were wonderful. Like Hello Fresh, the serving sizes are a little big for us, so the 2-person boxes always work out to three serves, and I’ve now learned to plate accordingly so there’s a third plate ready for someone’s lunch the next day.

I think the Chicken Cous Cous with preserved lemon was the first time I’ve actually USED preserved lemon, and infusing the water with the lemon pulp before soaking the cous cous (yum!) and then using the softened lemon rind in the resulting tasting fluff. This was REALLY tasty the next day with all the flavours developing in the fridge overnight.

Nigh two we made the chilli pork ramen which, despite me deciding to mistakenly put in ALL THE GARLIC CHILLI PASTE, was amazingly tasy. It burned, how it burned my wussy palate, but the flavours, the miso in the broth and the sweet juicy pop of the corn kernels was n amazing combination.

The third meal was where I needed a little more equipment in my kitchen to get it “right”. A mortar and pestle or a stick blender would have made the pest much easier to make, but as you see further up, we persisted with the snippers until the herbs are at a good paste consistency to leave us eating a third, flavourful meal. Very filling yet again, and a great reminder that a few herbs go a long way!

I loved the flexibility of picking the three meals you got from their weekly menu. Apparently they also do a fruit box, have you tried it?

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Fiona / October 17, 2017 / 0 Comments

Road Trip Checklist

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Road trips are incredibly exciting. Is there anything better than packing up your car or caravan and hitting the road to see somewhere new? Now so many of us make regular big trips, flying all over the world whenever we can, the sheer joy that comes with traveling can be easily lost. When it comes to a long road trip, the destination is fantastic, but it’s the journey that makes it special.

While road trips come with a brilliant sense of freedom, there are some essentials that you can’t afford to forget. Here’s a quick road trip checklist to help.

winding mountain highway

Car Checks

The absolute first thing on any road trip checklist should be car safety and caravan repairs if you are taking one. When we’re driving about at home, we assume our car is fine. We take it in for a service and get it seen if we have concerns, but few of us perform regular safety checks. It’s essential that you do so before any long road trip. Some of the things you need to check include:

• Tyre tread and pressure (don’t forget the spare)
• Engine
• Oil levels
• Brake fluid
• Engine coolant
• Screen wash
• Foot and hand brakes

If you are taking a caravan, it’s essential that you also check out quality caravan service and repairs to make sure it’s in good condition before you travel. Repairs on the road could be costly.

Route Check

Think about your navigation options. Do you want to use a satellite navigation system, or stick to a good old-fashioned map? Either way, sit down and look at a map beforehand and plan your route. Check online for any changes to the roads and make sure your satellite navigation system is up to date.

Packing List

When it comes to packing clothes and toiletries, it vastly depends on where you are going and for how long. So, write yourself a personal checklist and remember to include the essentials such as medication, sunscreen, insect repellent and fashion must-haves.

Plan Overnight Stays

If you are going on a long journey, you will need to plan any overnight stops along the way. If you plan on sticking to a firm itinerary and like your comforts and fancy some luxury after a day in the car, book hotels for stops along the way. Alternatively, if it’s freedom and flexibility you are after, pack a tent and camping equipment or look for caravan parks you can pitch up at along your route.

Documentation

Be sure to pack booking documents, ID, insurance documents and passports if you need them. Keep these safely in the front of your car for easy access.

Snacks

One thing all good road trips need is snacks and drinks. Think about everything you need and make sure you get filling and nutritious options as well as sweets.

Games

This is especially essential if you are traveling with children. Think about games you can play along the way and look at travel games online for some ideas.

First Aid

Make sure you’ve got a well-stocked first aid kit for the journey. Include plasters, bandages, anti-histamines and anti-bacterial wipes at the very least.

That’s it; you are good to go! Have a great road trip.

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Fiona / October 16, 2017 / 0 Comments

Going Green: Changes You Can Make At Home To Protect The Planet

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Almost everyone understands the benefits of reducing their energy consumption and becoming eco-friendly at home. There are lots of ways to achieve that goal, but some of the best tips get a mention on this page. You can use this article as your starting point, and then come up with a plan based on this information and other ideas you uncover online. When all’s said and done, the last thing adults want to do is leave a damaged planet for their children. So, everyone has to work hard to ensure they do their bit in limiting their impact on the environment.

Make the switch to solar power

The first and most natural move homeowners need to make relates to moving away from fossil fuels according to articles like Solar Energy in the United States. Solar panels have come down in price significantly during the last few years, and now almost everyone can afford to use them at home. There are even some government-backed schemes that could assist you in getting the devices a little cheaper than you otherwise would have done. It all depends on where you live in the world, and so you just need to conduct some online research. The best things about that idea include:

Using renewable energy

Limiting your impact on the environment
Making a profit for energy you create but don’t use

Improve your approach to energy efficiency

Articles like Energy Efficient Homes Are Easy to Create are excellent places to start when it comes to working out the best ways of becoming more efficient in your home. In most instances, you just need to identify the best ideas and put them into action. Anyone who wants to reduce their consumption or make better use of the power they consume should:

Lower the thermostat
Install low-flow shower heads
Seal all windows
Replace incandescent bulbs
Unplug unused chargers

You get the idea, right? If you’re still clueless about how your family might waste energy, it might make sense to invest in a smart meter.

Broccoli

Start growing vegetables in your garden

Some folks might wonder how growing food in their garden will help to protect the planet. Well, it benefits society in a couple of ways. Firstly, if everyone grows vegetables in their backyards, they will reduce the number of delivery trucks on the road. That means the environment doesn’t get polluted as much as it would have done. Secondly, growing veg for yourself limits the number of processing and packing plants that rarely use green energy. Other benefits you can expect include the fact that your family will no longer consume genetically-modified items that get covered in chemicals and pesticides.

Now you know how to go green without breaking the bank or working too hard, nothing should stand in the way of your progress. Just create your plan now, and put it into action as soon as possible. Don’t make the mistake of trying to install solar panels yourself; there are experts out there who will undertake the task on your behalf for little expense. Just ensure you make the switch as soon as you can. Good luck!

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Fiona / October 12, 2017 / 0 Comments

Where to find THE denim shortalls for summer?

Inspired by Lyst

Okay, confession time. The 90s never ended for me. My high rotation playlist consists of the Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack and the Hottest 100 from 1996.

So to know that overalls are back in the fashion mix (along with flannel and Docs) is great news and I need to get hunting something in a style that fits and suits my no-longer-15-body. Of course I’ll look great, but since Kmart and Katies couldn’t help me on my latest shopping trip despite satisfying my need for blouses to stop my upper arms getting burnt at work- I’m off to the Donkey Sanctuary tomorrow!, I’ll have to go further afield.

Enter Lyst.com.au, a collation of many many online sellers, from Forever 21 to ASOS, to $2000 catholic primary school uniforms from Nordstrom. Just enter your search term, and wow, the options (that ship to Australia!) are all but endless (okay they tell me they list about 11,000 stores and designers… so pretty wide ranging!). And no, none of the cheap Chinese bulk sellers that i normally resort to.

So, I first went looking for overalls and had so many things to click on! These ones above from Forever 21 are cute as, but then I started to realise that that’s not my style. I’m a dresses and skirts ladie. so off to try the term overall dress… and yay! Look what it came up with?!

How cute is this ASOS dress? This one goes up to an 18, but they also have a plus-size version that starts at size 18 at the same price! At $70, this may or may not be bookmarked for next week’s payday ;) (I knew I worked Sundays for a reason!)

How about you? Got any tips for hunting down the items you want and need? Or are you happy just to chill out to #1 Crush like me, no matter what you’re wearing? ;)