Monthly Archives: February 2016

Parenting

Do You Have Enough NuttZo for the Super Bowl?

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It’s Super Bowl weekend! Either this means nothing to you and you aren’t watching, or you’re super pumped and ready for the Big Game. If it’s the latter, chances are you have a game day plan for what eat as you watch the Panthers and Broncos duel it out at Levi’s Stadium.

super bowl, nuttzo, snacks, food

While I’m hardly a huge NFL guy, I’m sure we’ll have the game on, and we really don’t have much planned for snacking. But I know we have a few jars of NuttZo which is all you need to have a delicious, healthy snack in no time.

super bowl, nuttzo, snacks, healthy
It’s true, see!

Now, I’m not here to talk crazy Super Bowl commercials or blab your head off about trying to stay active instead of sitting for the whole game (it’s hard not to though!), I just want to share a nice discount for NuttZo.

As a NuttZo Ambassador, I’ve been given the power of sharing good health and deliciousness for 20% off. Just go to NuttZo’s website, choose as many jars as you’d like, and enter code dad-20 at checkout. Yep, it’s that easy.

While you won’t get it in time for the Super Bowl, you can use it as a way to replenish your stock after a big snack attack on Sunday, or just to add to what you have or try it for the first time. Just remember to enter this code….

dad-20

Hope you enjoy your weekend whatever you are doing, and hope you get to enjoy NuttZo for yourself and everyone around you. Just be careful, you never know who might try and steal a bite……

super bowl, nuttzo, food, healthy, snacks
He won’t mind if I sneak a bite of this NuttZo Cinnamon Banana Frittata.
Going Reviews, Naturepedic, Parenting

5 Ways Our Naturepedic Mattress Provides More Than A Good Sleep

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We’ve been sleeping on our Naturepedic organic mattress for about 3 weeks and, simply put, we love it! Not only have we been sleeping better, but it’s become a wonderful gathering place for our small family of three.

My wife and I both agree we made the right choice with our Naturepedic EOS Series mattress, but I know it’s best to give it some time before coming to a solid conclusion. Guess we’ll just have to “sleep on it”. C’mon, you knew it was going to happen at some point. #CornyDadPuns

I can, however, confidently say our comfort is much improved since ditching our “high tech”, “NASA inspired” Temper…..umm, memory foam mattress. Going Mom and I used to wake up way too hot, sometimes covered in sweat, from the lack of circulation in our old mattress. Now, we keep plenty warm, but it’s just right, like baby bear’s porridge. No sweating or tossing from side to side, just a chemical-free organic mattress beckoning us to sleep soundly on it each and every night.

Now, back to the ways our Naturepedic mattress provides more than just a good sleep. In just the 3 weeks we welcomed them into our home, our new mattress has been the main location for….

1. Tickle high fives. Going Mom and Avery have been playing a game (I guess you can call it that) where my wife asks for a high five from Avery, and as she raises her arm to deliver a five, Going Mom delivers a tickle attack instead. This game can happen anywhere at anytime, but Avery always asks demands to “Go to Mommy and Daddy’s bed for tickle five.”

2. Jump-Reading. Jumping on the bed is a given, but what about jumping, doing a butt buster, and going right into a book or two? How’s that for combining exercise and education? Exercation?

3. Nighttime chats. Having a kid can seriously cut into quality time with your significant other. We only have one, but I assume it’s increasingly difficult with multiple little ones demanding your constant attention. Now, we set aside a specific day where we have “us” time after getting our girl to bed. We get comfy on the mattress and play a game of The Walking Dead Yahtzee (I got it for her birthday) or simply talk without having a jealous (but oh so sweet) toddler getting mad for not looking at her. It never seems long enough, but every minute spent together helps grow and keep a strong bond, and I love having this time with my wife.

Naturepedic EOS Campaign_6

We’re just like this, only inside a home in our pajamas with a zombie shaker cup for the dice in our game of The Walking Dead Yahtzee. I’m winning, by the way.

4. Pretending to sleep. Sure, the sleep is awesome, but pretending to sleep is pure bliss! Or Avery seems to think so. Just another fun game where she “sleeps” on Mommy and Daddy’s bed, complete with loud snores, and sometimes asks us to join. She even has the same head-at-the-end position as in her own crib!

Naturepedic, organic, mattress, sleep

It never lasts long though, she’s up and jumping again within seconds.

Naturepedic, organic, mattress, sleep

5. Home base. No home is complete without a home base, and our Naturepedic mattress as become just that. It’s where we seem to gravitate to when we’re all together. As soon as Mommy comes home from work, her and Avery usually end up playing together on our bed. If I’m in another room, I can hear the loud giggles emanating from our bedroom. Nothing warms this dad’s heart like the laughter of his wife and giggles of his sweet daughter. Sounds mushy, but it’s the truth! It’s also perfect for escaping the vacuum.

Naturepedic, organic, mattress, sleep

As you can see, we’ve been spending a lot of time on our new bed, and it’s been a very welcome new addition to our family. No matter how hard we try, we are all exposed to chemicals that are normally foreign to our body, but now we can escape exposure on our organic Naturepedic mattress.

Some mattresses, no matter how expensive and full of high tech materials, overwhelm our body with artificial chemicals we were never meant to be around. Do you want to sleep on a pile of chemicals? What about your precious little ones who spend a good chunk of the day playing or sleeping (or should be) on their mattress? I never thought much of it before, but what we sleep on truly does impact our entire life. Here’s why Naturepedic stands out among the rest and earns a spot in everyone’s home.

We made our choice, and feel better in doing so. To make my point, I’ll end this post with a quick discussion my wife and I had one lazy day on the weekend. Avery was blessing us by sleeping in, which meant we slept in, but even after waking, we still didn’t move.

Me: Why is it soooo hard to get up?

Wife: Because it feels sooooo good to sleep.

Thanks to Naturepedic, I couldn’t argue there!

Disclaimer: I received a heavy discount from Naturepedic to purchase the EOS Series king mattress in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. All opinions are strictly my own.

Going Reviews

Wakacon Kava Waka Review: Relax Naturally

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Have you ever heard of or tried kava? I was on the search for a natural, alcohol-free way to relax for a while when I first found kava. It comes in capsules, paste, instant powder, micronized powder, ground kava root powder, and other forms I’m probably leaving out.

Without getting too detailed here, kava is shown to offer many of the relaxing, sedative effects of alcohol without all of the negative side-effects. It is also a natural muscle relaxer, which is perfect for my constantly tense neck and shoulders.

After reading through kava forums and Googling about the root, I concluded that capsules were basically useless and the powder was the best, most pure way to get the most of the relaxing effects of kava. There are many online kava stores that are highly recommended, but as a kava newbie and Amazon addict, I search there first. Lucky for me, I found Wakacon’s Kava Waka.

wakacon kava waka

Wakacon offers kava in a fine ground root powder at a great value compared to similar brands. The added benefit of Amazon Prime makes it a perfect way to have Wakacon Kava at your door in no time.

Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

I was fortunate enough to have Wakacon provide their Kava Waka and Strainer Bag to me at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

wakacon kava waka

They even have a handy PDF with traditional prep instructions. Here are their simple instructions:

Kava Instructions for beginners: Prepare a large bowl or container with warm water. Water should be warm to the touch but not hot. Deposit desired amount of kava root powder into our durable Wakacon strainer bag. Adjust amounts for desired potency. Immerse the strainer bag containing the kava root powder into the bowl of water. Knead and squeeze the Kava powder vigorously in the water for approximately 10 minutes, 5 if you’re strong. Squeeze as much liquid from the Wakacon strainer bag as possible and discard the used kava powder. A typical serving is 6-8 ounces and is traditionally chugged as opposed to sipped. If this is your first time, we might recommend starting with a small dose for a few days in a row so your body adapts, and eventually increasing the amount of Kava to a few servings in an hour to get the full effect. The effect of Kava is not the same for everyone, so please be patient and talk to a friend or someone who mixes kava regularly. Binge drinking is a terrible idea, so please start out slow. Yes, kava tastes very earthy and may be too strong for a beginner.

Following their prep methods, I made my first batch starting with 2 tablespoons of powder in 2 cups of water using a kava strainer bag. It’s a fine powder just as they claim, and the smell is very earthy.

wakacon kava waka

I drank it at night after dinner and wow, they weren’t kidding, this stuff needs to be chugged! The taste is not pleasant at all, but then again, some forms of alcohol don’t really taste great but we still drink it, right?

Right after drinking, there was a slight numbing sensation on my tongue that lingered for a minute or two. I didn’t mind the numbing, but I made sure to down the liquid as fast as possible the next time. My first try put me in a relaxed mood where I just felt an overall sense of well-being. Nothing much, but it was noticeable. I wanted more!

The next night, I upped the dose to 3 tablespoons. Yeah, that was awesome. My mind was more at ease and my entire body felt relaxed and, just….good. I thought I found the best stuff ever; no alcohol with all of the good feelings plus more from something completely natural! The effect lasted several hours and made going to sleep a non-issue as well.

Being over ambitious, I upped the dose again to 4 tablespoons and even drank the pulp because I didn’t want to waste anything. Bad idea. I eagerly drank it down at night and as time passed, instead of the usual “kava drunk” feeling, I started to get chills with fever, lost all appetite, and developed body aches.

It’s common to not feel much of an effect the first few times, and your body can even experience a reverse tolerance where it really hits you after many uses. Maybe I had a super reverse tolerance, but I’m pretty sure it’s best just to NOT consume the pulp or get too greedy by having so much at once.

Now I’m sticking to just 2 tablespoons and enjoying the calming state it puts me in while helping my muscle tension too. I plan on trying other forms in the future, but for now, I will use the traditional prep method with the powder. I’m good at downing liquids quickly, so the taste is not a huge deal to me, but if you can’t drink fast or have a bad gag reflex, I’d suggest you add something to help better manage the taste. A little cinnamon, add milk of choice, maybe liquid vanilla stevia, or whatever you like.

Parents and, well, everyone really all experience stress each day. I don’t want Avery seeing me reach for alcohol all the time, so I like having kava to offer all of the calming, relaxing sensations I look for without pouring a glass of scotch. Don’t get me wrong, there is still scotch and I still enjoy a glass on occasion.

If you’re interested in giving kava a try, Wakacon Kava Waka is a perfect way to start. If you have any questions or concerns with your order, they also have excellent customer service and will see to it that you are satisfied. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts. Just don’t get too confident, trust me!

wakacon kava waka