All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, for 7 years as of 8/17/14. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the upmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

Life, Parenting

Is it wrong to Take Toys from the Birthday Girl?

08/04/2014 R.C. Liley 7 Comments

Hey, remember when it was July? What happened?!

I remember as a kid I’d try to squeeze in the last days of freedom before the looming school year began, but now everything just runs together. #lifeasaparent

On the topic of kids, we brought Avery to her first party this past Saturday for our neighbor’s little girl who turned 1. They have an older girl who just turned 4 and were celebrating that day too. For the older kids (and adults), an awesome bounce house was setup and getting a lot of use.

I can’t wait to get in a bounce house with Avery, but we decided to give the swing set a try. This was Avery’s first time in a swing, and as you can see in this video, I’d say she enjoyed!

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The one year old party scene was not as “bounce-housey” with only Avery and another baby from the neighborhood who will be 1 next weekend, but they were all adorable and fun to watch nonetheless. I can see these three getting into trouble years from now.

Avery’s attempt to keep cool in front of the older babies was thwarted when the sight of a camera got her excited. The birthday girl is in the middle, and the soon-to-be birthday girl is on the right.

We are grateful to have such good neighbors around us, and everyone had a great time at the party. Since the birthday girl is walking on her own now, there were a couple “walker” toys that have become obsolete in their house. Avery, on the other hand, took to liking one the sit-to-stand one, so our gracious neighbors sent us home with that and another walker!

Not too bad. Go to a party for someone, and leave with their stuff; that’s a win in my book! The rest of the weekend was spent with Avery effortlessly pulling herself up on everything and enjoying the new toys. I’ve thanked the already, but I want to thank our neighbors again for being so kind and letting us use these while Avery learns to walk.

I could go on, but I’ll let the pictures of Avery playing on her “new” walkers do the talking.

And here’s a video of her smiling proudly as she stands “on her own”.

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How was your weekend?

Have you ever attended someones birthday party and left with awesome gifts for yourself….or kid?

Have a great week!

Food, Parenting

The Best Way to Never Worry About Calories Again

08/03/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

Basically, eat whole foods and don’t eat packaged food. Cutting out packaged food and making your own snacks and meals from fresh, wholesome ingredients is the key to better health. Convenient foods sealed in a pretty package or perfectly shaped box present a problem for many people; they’re convenient!

What happens when you pour a bowl of cereal, finish the puffs/flakes/crisps (I’ll save these processed things for a later post) and still have milk leftover? Instead of simply just drinking it or finding use for it in a recipe, many people will just pour more cereal in the bowl.

I’m guilty of doing this in the past, and sometimes still do, but I rarely buy boxed cereal for this reason. I make my own “cereal” with plain rolled oats and add various ingredients like pureed pumpkin, carrots, eggplant, yogurt, protein powder, peanut flour, chia seeds, mashed banana, nut butter, and more.

I’ll add stevia to make it sweeter if necessary, and always avoid adding non-nutritive sugar. Using a banana has the benefit of providing natural sweetness and comfort.

When you choose to eat whole foods that aren’t sitting on a shelf in a package, you naturally feel full and know when to stop most of the time. With plenty of fiber, water, and essential nutrients in whole veggies, you can eat plenty and still have a low calorie meal.

I want so bad to explain this to the uninformed, but so many think of this as “too hard” or “there’s just not enough time.” Nonsense! I say. If you say you really want to be healthier and change your lifestyle, then it CAN be done!

Give it a chance; if you’re going to buy something packaged, make it baby carrots or a veggie mix that’s pre-cut. These are great for snacking alone or dipping in no or low calorie dips like mustard or plain non-fat yogurt mixed with herbs and spices.

It’s funny how you could give an unhealthy person a few simple ways to be healthier, but they will quickly ignore the suggestions while buying into the advertising on a box of “all natural” or “high fiber” snacks.

It should be a red flag when you see a product trying to pass itself off as being healthy by just saying it is low cal or making some other claim on the front of the box. Then you read the ingredients and see 50+ items you can’t pronounce. Really? Is that healthy? NO!

Sorry for all of the jumping around, my head spins when I get caught up thinking of the vast information out there and how people listen to the wrong things. Usually it ties into what’s easier.

As a parent, I’m even more uptight about food and where it comes from. Avery is only eating solids at night with the rest of her calories still coming from breast milk, but she’s enjoying her fresh veggies. Why would I want to feed a cutie like this something manufactured in a plant and rolled off an assembly line?

When she’s older, I hope to have her in the kitchen helping me prepare the food that we eat and learning along the way. Nothing but the best for our growing girl, and I know she’ll be healthier as a result!

The takeaway?

Don’t follow some diet, especially ones that will benefit financially from you.

Don’t listen to claims on labels or even purchase packaged food.

Do choose whole food like fresh produce, lean cuts of meat (if applicable), and plain legumes.

Here are a few posts from my old food blog, Just Add Cayenne, for some great ideas to get started:

Healthy Food Swaps

15 Healthy Cooking and Eating Tips

Diet Fads and How to Avoid Them

Why Diets Don’t Work

Simple and Healthy Snack Ideas

Hope these help!

Are you stuck in a convenient food rut? Were you in the past? If so, how have you prevailed to overcome the “easy route” and choose fresh food instead?

Do you agree with my assessment? Whole foods = natural calorie regulation, no counting needed! The stripped down boxed stuff will leave you constantly craving more and more and may not ever keep you satisfied.

Going Reviews

Going Reviews: Down To Earth Toys – Eco-Friendly Toys for Kids of All Ages

08/02/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Having a baby certainly opens your eyes to so many things never considered before; at least not for me. Sure, I’ve looked into safe plastics for heating and storing food, but never thought twice about the hidden dangers in plastic toys. And now with Avery’s teething in high gear, she’ll try to chew on ANYTHING!

Even if the toys are touting a “BPA Free” label, chances are they come from China (seems like everything does) and even if they have since stopped using lead paint as was an issue before, I don’t have a lot of trust left. Plus, if Avery is going to chew on something, I’d rather it be something natural and free of chemicals.

Enter Down To Earth Toys; a family-owned and operated business making earth-friendly toys from the USA and Europe. You won’t find chemical-laden toys from this eco-conscious business who strive to be as “Green” as possible by recycling and re-using whenever possible.

Needless to say, I was excited to find Down To Earth Toys in my search for safe, economical and non-plastic toys for Avery. To add to the excitement, I was thrilled when Carrin from Down To Earth Toys agreed to send their wooden Cherry Clutch Rattle with a heart!

The rattle is as smooth as the finest silk and handmade craftsmanship is of the highest quality.

Immediately upon receipt, I took the rattle from its thoughtful packaging and handed it to Avery for the official first review.

Although it’s called a rattle, it doesn’t sound like what you’d hear in a typical plastic rattle with the raspy sound. Since this is wood, it’s more of a very soft clunky noise that won’t annoy you after a minute of shaking. Plus, who has time to shake when your baby fangs need soothing?

Avery took to her new wooden toy with glee as I took her plastic toys away. She didn’t seem too upset…

We now play with/chew on the rattle every day and I’m grateful to have something made in the USA from a well-deserving family owned business like Down To Earth Toys.