Going to School on Spring Break ‘Can’ Be Fun

She’s only a few days short of 16 months old and already going to school. On Spring Break at that!

Well, I only assume it’s spring break here since I’ve seen kids aimlessly wondering the neighborhood during school hours. So it’s that or kids are playing hooky at a very young age now-a-days. I’m thinking it’s the former.

Thursday brought us another nice day with warm temps and only a little clouds here and there. Seemed like a perfect opportunity to make another playground run in my Soft Star Shoes and eat more mulch play with Avery.

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As I said before, can’t wait to get our girl some Soft Star Shoes of her own. I’d say she could use them, huh?

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Don’t worry, I brought a pair of socks to put on her before running around in the mulch. When in her stroller, she’ll take them off while walking or running otherwise. Even when it 40 degrees outside, which I think she regretted doing after the fact.

This time, we didn’t go to the small playground in our neighborhood, but instead went to one a little farther at a nearby elementary school.

So much potential. Just needs to get a little older and coordinated first...
So much potential. Just needs to get a little older and coordinated first…

I had another good run in the Soft Star Shoes and so far have zero drop complaints. See what I did there? Drop, like the zero drop that they are? Too corny/dumb? Sorry, just part of being a dad, right?

Avery took off to explore right after I set her down. This girl wastes NO time!

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First she ran up to a slide with wide eyes.

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Not sure why her eyes were so wide, but I held her and let her go down the slide a few times before she was off to find something else. Monkey bars?

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She thought better of it and wondered off again. And wondered and wondered….

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Not much she can do as far as playing on the equipment goes, so I guess a bigger playground is only cool for me. I played on the monkey bars and parallel bars and worked in a few sets of dips and pull-ups just to make use myself. Meanwhile, Avery was taste testing a rock.

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That’s not a face of something tasting good. I took it away expecting screamfest 2015 to begin, but instead she just…..

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I don’t know what you call it, but it wasn’t crying and that’s good enough for me!

I brought her down a bigger slide a few times and we sat in the big kid swing together before finally getting ready to go back home. But first, I had to try my best at getting a pic of us together. I set the camera timer and hoped for the best.

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Note the rock made a return, but it made for a fairly good picture. By good, I mean Avery actually looked and somewhat smiled at the camera. Not an easy task with a toddler!

Once home, Avery chugged the rest of Mommy’s milk all by herself and then I fed her some organic grass-fed beef with potatoes.

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After a little bit of ball throwing, it was time for a nap.

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As usual, the nap was short and Avery was ready to run rampant once more. Which she did. Luckily, Kelley made it home before the sun set and we had a nice family walk together.

We don’t get to walk together as much as before, so every time we do, we try to make the most of it and just enjoy each other’s company. It’s the little things, they all add up to something big. That’s my deep thoughts for the day.

My other thoughts are on how exciting it will be when Avery can climb playground equipment herself and doesn’t need us to carry her up and down everything. Or maybe it will be scary….ummmm, sad…I’m not sure. Both?

Anyway, happy Friday! Here’s another pun before I go.

When it comes to kissing flowers, tulips are better than one.

Do you bring your toddler who can’t use playground equipment to the playground? Any ideas of what else to do besides follow them around and carry them on the equipment yourself?

The Dad Network

Fun Run in the Sun and a Pun

Yesterday, Tuesday, we hit 70 degrees and the sun finally poked through after its brief hiatus. Texas hardly had it bad when compared to places like Boston this winter, but it’s been crappy enough to warrant a deep desire for Spring’s arrival.

Truthfully, I was ready for spring and summer back in November, I just prefer sweating over shivering any day! With the better weather, I wanted to get Avery outside to run around a little, but first we had to make a trip to two stores. Luckily, she didn’t mind since it means getting to ride in her new Britax Boulevard ClickTight car seat.

Britax, car seat, safety

Seriously love this seat and it was a breeze to install. We’re keeping her rear facing as long as possible since it’s the safest way, and the Britax seat allows us to continue doing so up to 40 pounds! Plus, Avery’s not complaining one bit.

After making it back from the stores, Avery was hungry and needed to eat before anything else happened. Going Mom and I taught her a few sign language essentials with one of them being “more”. Now the girl ALWAYS wants more!

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Yep, that’s her sign. I’m trying to allow her more freedom in feeding herself if it’s finger foods, so I gave her a few pieces of NuttZo Banana Bread to keep her happy. So much for that, she just stuffed her face with all of the pieces while simultaneously signing for “more”.

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Crazy kid. It took her five minutes just finish chewing everything! Needless to say, I think she spent some time reflecting on her actions….

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After eating, I put Avery in our B.O.B. jogging stroller to go for a quick run to a nearby playground. The kind folks, I mean elves, at Soft Star Shoes just sent me a pair of their Moc3 barefoot running shoes to review, so I figured it would be a great time to give them a test run. <—Would you call that a pun or not? I can’t tell.

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Yes, I wore socks, and no, you really don’t have to. I just prefer to use socks until I am sure I really like things enough to go sans sock. Running in these shoes is so liberating with their zero drop Vibram soles and the fact that they weigh less than 5oz. I actually have been spending all day in the shoes and am only getting more attached to them each day.

Check back later for a full review, and then even later for another review of their kids’ shoes for Avery. I can’t wait to get some on our little girl to keep her feet safe while still “grounding” with the earth. Until then, her Bootzies work fine, they just run the risk of getting holes when worn too much outdoors.

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Yep, like at a playground with mulch and concrete. Probably not the best for cotton, but she didn’t seem too concerned. She was, however, intrigued by the wood pieces scattered everywhere and made sure to inspect them thoroughly.

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Yep, this one’s wood too.

 

Somehow I managed to climb the small play-structure with Avery to take her down a few times. The rest of time I just followed her around as she explored…..and randomly clapped.

Enjoying the #Texas sun with my daughter! #Spring is coming! #Parenting #DaddysGirl #playing

A video posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on

Outside playtime was over when Avery ran back to her stroller, basically letting me know it was over. Fair enough.

I made another fun run round with Avery in the stroller to soak up the warm weather and get a little extra “go” time in the minimal Soft Star Shoes for the last time of the day. Verdict? Still love’em. I could never find a shoe I was comfortable in wearing around the house that I could also make a mad dash outside at any given moment, but these are it! If you haven’t tried them before, give them a go if you get the chance, and make sure to pick some up for your little one too.

Once back home, I turned on Pandora so Avery and I could dance around the house. And by dance, I mean she brings all of her toys from her playroom into the kitchen as I prepare dinner and make a green smoothie for Kelley and I.

This has been a long, hard week for my wife, actually the past several weeks have been trying, and she was stuck at work again last night. In hopes that it would help a little, I made one of her favorite breakfasts ahead of time to be ready in the morning.

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Peanut butter oatmeal with chia seeds, cinnamon, and a big spoonful of NuttZo. I added a lot of blueberries too, but didn’t take a picture. Trust me, the blueberries are not to be taken lightly around here, and Going Mom has a specific measurement I keep messing up. The measurement? A lot!

She’s probably enjoying (I hope) this right now just as this is live. I’ll let you know if I added enough blueberries. Or maybe she will…….

And before I go, I had a pun to share. It’s nothing spectacular, but as a proclaimed lover of puns, I want to start sharing at least one with each post I write. Today, in anticipation of spring coming up, I have a seasonal pun.

After a rough winter, the trees will be relieved when spring comes.

I know, not the best tree pun, but I went out on a limb here. Maybe I’ll branch out for the next one. 🙂

What’s the weather like where you are now?

Do you like puns or despise them?

How to Hide in the Kitchen + WIAW #3

Welcome to my third post of What I Ate Wednesday, and to the mid-week / Hump Day mark! The weekend will be here before we know it, right….RIGHT?!

I certainly hope so, because we still haven’t watched The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1 after I posted this on Instagram…

Yeah, never happened. Going Mom took advantage of Avery accepting sleep and fell asleep with her in the nursery. Just watching a movie is hard when you have a little one, huh? But it’s hard to argue with that, it’s not like we’ll always be able to enjoy those moments with our little ones.

I’m actually envious since nap time has been a struggle lately and Avery never just gives in anymore. Instead, I get what I can only assume are death threats to our mat when I mention the word “sleep”.

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Scary, huh?

When she’s not threatening the ultimate destruction of our kitchen mat, Avery has figured out how to fit herself into a slim cabinet in the kitchen. It’s one where I keep baking sheets and other things “safe” for kids to grab at, and also the only one we don’t have child-proofed.

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I’m sure most of us have one, or at least had if your kid took over too. Avery has been hanging out at “The Cabinet” (sounds cooler when in quotes, huh?) for months now, but only recently started climbing all the way inside. Here, she’d like to run you through a quick demo.

Oh, hi there. Welcome to my cabinet.

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Now you see me….

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….now you don’t. Oops!!!

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Okay, NOW you don’t.

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Boo! And now I’m back!

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Yep, that’s been going on a lot over here lately. She might prove useful when I’m looking for that hard-to-reach pan some day. Until then, if it keeps her entertained, we’re happy! And it’s quite entertaining to watch! Here she is climbing in..

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Then she tries to keep from being seen.

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Rinse and repeat. Fun times as an at-home parent. I actually mean that too.

And now it’s time for another round of WIAW. Thanks to Jenn, for hosting this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

what I ate wednesday, WIAW

We’ve been starting the day out with a new recipe I made using NuttZo. See the recipe here and let me know if you make it.

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That’s my wonderful work of microwaving in a bowl. Beautiful, huh? Oh yeah, and I always have coffee on hand. Today was the extra free refill of black Pike Place I got at Starbucks. Love the gold card!

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My lunch is a combo of all things I cooked recently or have in the fridge that need to be eaten.

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Here I had steamed beets, cauliflower and broccoli, slow-cooker salsa chicken, sweet potato with black garlic, and homemade sauerkraut. Lots of randomness, but also lots of goodness!

For dinner, I made a sweet potato and spinach frittata with NuttZo and it was deeeee-licious!

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Yes, another one of my fabulous ways to make something in the microwave. I tell ya, it’s a useful kitchen tool and I’d be lost without it. The final product…

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We’ll be having this again for sure. Maybe even extra NuttZo next time.  And, as if it’s hard to believe, after dinner snack time was some of my homemade chocolate bread with, yep, NuttZo!

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Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out other tasty eats from foodies that linked up on Jenn’s WIAW party!

Do your kids have a special hiding place in the kitchen? Somewhere else in the house?

Have you tried NuttZo? Seriously, it’s awesome! If you go to their website and enter code liley15, you can save 15% off your order. 😉

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