Sugar’s Story: Planning a Mom’s Day Brunch
Yesterday, Sugar stumbled on a picture of her and her mom baking when she was a puppy. It fell out of her mom’s pupcake recipe book while she was looking through it. There they were. Sugar, her mom, and her beloved Easy Pupcake Oven.
The picture reminded Sugar how far she’d come. Most importantly, it reminded her of the one who inspired her to dream big in the first place. Her mama.
And this picture gave her another brilliant idea. Since Mom’s Day is right around the corner, why not host a Mom’s Day Brunch at Pupcake Sugar. It’s the perfect way to share a piece of her dream with her family, friends, and, most importantly, her mama.
Navigating the Cost of Dog Food
Sugar’s mom taught her everything she knows about baking. Lesson number one. Baking is an art and so is planning a menu. So, Sugar used that same philosophy to plan her Mom’s Day Brunch Menu.
When I became a dog mom, I had no clue there were so many food options for dogs. The dog food aisle was full of them. Seriously, how many “all-natural,” “premium ingredient,” “number one vet’s choice,” selections are there?
And to add more to the puzzle. My dog is a picky eater. I flushed a lot of money down the drain buying dog food for Sugar that she refused to eat or treats she would just hide behind the couch. After some trial and error, I finally figured out Sugar’s food preference. The following elements helped.
Cost
The price of ingredients should fit comfortably within your long-term budget. Choose dog food that you can consistently afford helps prevent unnecessary spending and frequent changes in your dog’s diet.
Dog’s Dietary Needs
Your dog’s age, health conditions, allergies, and activity level determine what they should eat. Selecting foods that support these needs helps protect their health and avoid unnecessary costs later.
Dog’s Taste Buds
Even nutritious or affordable food becomes a waste if your dog refuses to eat it. Paying attention to what your dog consistently enjoys helps ensure that your dog will eat it.
Storage (Shelf-Life)
Food that spoils before it’s used quickly turns into wasted money. Choosing ingredients that store well helps you keep food fresh and reduce waste.
Portion Efficiency
Understanding how much your dog needs to eat prevents overfeeding and reduces how much food ends up thrown away. Planning meals around proper portions helps stretch ingredients and protect your budget.
I guess the biggest lesson in planning your dog’s meals is to “know your audience.” That takes time to learn, and sometimes you’ll waste a few dollars figuring it out. Especially, as a new dog mom. So, factor trial and error period into your budget.
As Sugar mapped out and finalized her Mom’s Day Brunch Menu, she used her invite list as the basis for the pupcake flavor selection.
Mom’s Day “Love Taps” by Pupcake Sugar
Everyone knows that the menu is important, but with brunch it’s all about the experience. So, Sugar wanted to come up with something special. It’s Mom’s Day. So, she created some custom Mom’s Day inspired Love Taps by Pupcake Sugar to place at each dog’s setting.
Love Taps by Pupcake Sugar were born from being stuck in the house. During the pandemic, I did a lot of writing in my journal. While the world was working on learning TikTok challenges to pass the time, I wrote stories in my journal while Sugar snuggled in my lap.
Those stories turned into affirmations. And those affirmations evolved into Love Taps by Pupcake Sugar.
Love Taps by Pupcake Sugar are interactive greeting cards designed to celebrate dog moms. Each card has a QR code that unlocks a story featuring Sugar’s story as she navigates love, life, and her career. Each card also includes Sugar at least one of her favorite pupcake recipe for you to try at home with the dog you love.
Fun Fact: Sugar’s Recipe Journal
Sugar carries a journal everywhere. She originally used the journal to write down pupcake recipe ideas. You’d be surprised what kind of pupcake flavor comes to your mind while you’re sitting in a 2-hour work meeting that could’ve been an email.
Sugar would also write down dog’s experiences with the pupcakes. What recipes the dogs like. Didn’t like. And wanted more of. She especially loved to hear and write about where the dogs were and what they were doing while they ate their pupcakes. These stories showed her that it was more about the pupcakes. It’s the experience around it.
Those experiences make the pupcakes taste better.
