If any of you have called us and had the pleasure of hearing our office mascot barking in the background, I'm sure you were a bit confused!  So the cat's out of the bag, or actually the dog is (and he's in our bean bag).  We have a rescue pup that comes with me to work everyday because AHH Products is a animal friendly workplace.  In fact, as long as they are potty-trained and cute as a button, our employees are allowed to bring their pets to work!

I have always been a huge animal lover.  So, when I started this company, it was a no-brainer that pets would be allowed to remain with their parents during the day.  And you know what? Employee morale is super high.  You just cannot beat a workday talking to nice folks about fun bean bag chairs, with your pooch curled under your desk!

Also as owner, I have the luxury of deciding that AHH Products will never, ever offer real animal skins.  Leather may be profitable, and we do admit to wearing it on our feet, but at least we can leave it out of the bean bag chair equation.  Fur is a definite no-no.  Instead, we offer fabulous Faux Suedes and Upholstery Velvets that are just as soft and beautiful.  Our Fake Furs are all the rage.  Bonus is: our faux offerings are all machine-washable!

AHH Products also just "adopted" an elderly chimpanzee named Gromek who was saved from a lab, but maybe we're a bit over-the-top about animals! (intrigued? www.savethechimps.org)

Do any of your pets go with you to work? That should be new legislation - afterall, the President's dog "Bo" gets to hang out with him right?

REMINDER: June 25, 2010 is Take Your Dog to Work Day!  Woo hoo!

Love is always in the air at my house.  That's because I have 3 cuddly dogs.  Add in a few well-placed bean bags, and you've got a full-blown love affair.  I probably don't have to tell you if you own a bean bag chair and have a pet that there's no keeping them apart.  Your kitty nests in it, your pup circles and does his digging thing in it.  Heck, your ferret won't keep his teeny little paws off of it! 

Animals have a natural instinct to nest.  They need to create a sleeping area that feels safe and comfortable.  My friend had a pregnant dog who wouldn't stop stealing sweaters, socks, and whatever knit thing she could get her mouth around to make a nest.  I gave her a bean bag chair and problem solved!  That mama dog was in love.

My theory is that bean bags are easy to "dig" in to some extent, since the filling inside can be moved around.  This gives your pet the sensation of moving sticks and leaves around like his ancestors once did.  I also think that my dogs like to be elevated too, since it's either the bean bags or my sofa or my bed.  And, when the perfect depression is made in the bean bag chair center, the animal is perfectly cuddled and warm. 

One of my dogs does something super cute - after he's done creating his nest, he sometimes gets out of it, does a complete circle around the bean bag as if to inspect his work, climbs back in and lays down belly up.  He absolutely adores his bean bag!

Do you have any animals that do funny things with your bean bag chairs?

Ok, so H1N1 swine flu has been THE hot topic lately now that it's getting colder.  Yes, we're all kind of getting sick of it, pun intended, but it's important.  This doesn't have anything to do with bean bags, but this short guide has great tips on ways to battle cold and flu bugs. You'll read things you didn't know!

1. Sleep - Since chronic sleep loss is shown to hurt the immune system, getting enough sleep is invaluable. Longer, better sleep can in fact boost your defenses.  Tests show that less than 7 hours a night triples the chance of catching a bug!  Folks who toss and turn for more than 8% of the time are 5 times more likely!
2. Act Now - As soon as you get symptoms, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, etc. - start an "older-class" antihistamine every 12 hours, or what your doctor recommends (i.e. chlorpheniramine like Dayquil or Sudafed) so you'll sneeze and blow your nose less. Too much nose-blowing can lead to ear infections. Symptoms get stronger in the first 48 hours, so that's when you need to attack them.
3. Wash - Handwashing is still the best way to reduce spreading and getting bugs. Plain soap is great to simply wash the germs away.  In fact, antibacterial soaps have antibiotics, which don't kill cold or flu viruses, but they can make antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Eeks! Antiseptic soap does kill bacteria and viruses, and hand sanitizer gel is good too.
4. Keep Noses Clear - Use a saline nasal wash to flush out viruses and bacteria and to remove mucus.  It's just safe salt water if used correctly!  Some commercial decongestants can be bad on blood pressure for some people, so saline is natural relief.
5. Be Active - Regular exercise increases macrophage cells, which kill bugs!  Activity also makes immunity cells more reactive to bugs as soon as they try to get you.  But do NOT overdo it, since over 90 minutes of high-intensity workouts can make you more prone to catching something.  If you're already sick, just rest and exercise later.

Did you know: Flu season runs from November to April, so get vaccinated even if you think it's too late.  H1N1 occurs throughout the year!  You need 2 weeks for vaccines to kick in.  You need a separate H1N1 vaccine and seasonal flu vaccine, and can get them at the same time.

You are contagious 1 day before and 7 days after you have symptoms.  Kids can be contagious longer.  Stay home, kick back in your bean bag chair, and avoid people if you have the flu, especially H1N1.

Don't know if it's a cold or the flu?

Symptoms	Cold	Flu (including H1N1)
Sore Throat	Usually	Sometimes
Runny, stuffy nose	Usually	Sometimes
Cough	Sometimes	Often, can worsen
Fever, Chills	Rarely, or low-grade 102F or less	Usually, and over 102F *H1N1 can be very high.
Headache	Rarely	Usually
Muscle aches	Rarely	Usually, and often severe
Fatigue, weakness	Uncommon	Usually, persists 2-3 weeks
Nausea	No, loss of appetite possible	Usually, *H1N1 can have diarrhea

Disease severity: how serious can it get?

Milder, few complications, includes sinus or ear infection

Higher risk of severe complications (pneumonia, hospitalization, high fever, death). Children, elderly, people with ear infections or chronic conditions at high risk.

*courtesy of the Costco Connection

Although H1N1 has been reported in all U.S. states, it isn't always a disaster.  My friend's 4 year old daughter got it, but very mildly, and recovered within a week.  BUT...don't take chances and do what you can.  Stay healthy!

Yours Truly, Jade  

As promised, I took my bean bag chair to my local park and it was a blast!

This park is super colorful with rainbow-inspired play areas and fabulous running tracks.  I made it better with bean bags:
  

There's a great playhouse, but I made it better with bean bag chairs:

Twisty slides, bumpy slides, torpedo tube slides galore, I made them better with bean bags:
     

Kids love the child-friendly "zip line", but I made it better with a bean bag chair:
   

And no more panic attacks watching my child traverse the monkey bars:
 

Climbing this rainbow was a whole lot safer and fun thanks to the bean bag:
   

The bean bag was an all-around great landing pad:

And let's not forget the swings:
   

Thanks to the bean bag chair, my kid had lots of fun and made new friends today!  Which seat would your child pick at the park..no contest!

My park, Clemyjontri in McLean, Virginia, is number 3 on a Best Playgrounds list, but I bet a million dollars if it was furnished with bean bags it would be numero UNO!  This may sound crazy, but the kids had so much fun with the bean bag chair that I'm going to bring it everytime we go!

Yours Truly, Jade