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

Instant Happiness with Pictures of a Smiling Baby

07/20/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Hi there and Happy Sunday!

Hope you’re having a great weekend and the greatness continues for all of today right into next week.

I posted pictures of our smiling Avery back in April of this year to help provide instant stress relief, so I figured it’s time for some updated smiles from our rapidly growing and ever so beautiful daughter.

Instant stress relief and happiness are sure to follow as you scroll down below. Start your day with a smile and enjoy the pics, I know Going Mom and I will be doing the same!

Thanks for stopping by, and if you feel gravity pulling the corners of your mouth southward, come back and…..wait for….yep…..”turn that frown upside-down!”

Avery Talk

In the Mind of a Crawling Baby: The Beginning

07/19/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

So close, if only there was a way to get closer…

Ah Ha, got it!!

Now that I can crawl, they give me this thing? What am I supposed to do with this?

I think I’d rather work on my pull-ups…

Okay, another day of crawling! I can go anywhere!!

Ooooo, a springy thing!

Guess Daddy didn’t want me playing with that. I’ll show him; I’ll climb on this box!! Grrrrr..

Crap, that’s not how I planned it. #babyfail

Oh, I see, now that I move more, they put me in a cage. Didn’t Mommy and Daddy want me to crawl?

Seriously, Dad, you suck the fun out of crawling. I don’t care about your stupid Ninja Turtle fort.

Yes, freedom! Hi dog, you should feel lucky they don’t put you in that fort/cage.

Come to think of it, I’m starting to like this area. And Dad, your TMNT blanket isn’t that bad, sorry for the harsh words.

Plus, in here, I can practice my pull-up and standing skills!

I’m just not getting that full standing position. Today WILL be the day!

Oh look, a hair.

Lucky animals, living cage-free. Come here cat!!

Fine then, don’t listen to me….I’ll pull your hair eventually!

Nice, new territory to explore at G-Ma’s! Hope that photo-bombing dog keeps his distance.

One thing that sucks about visiting other places is I don’t have my crib to sleep in. So, I’ll just do the opposite of sleep….

Back in the cage…..starting to get annoyed with it again.

Phew, guess my whining paid off, I love exploring the kitchen more. Maybe I can climb these…

Oh, hi Dad. Maybe, I can’t climb those?

I’ve been crawling for a while now, but I can’t find that darn spoon. Anyone know where it went?

Ahhhh, found you, spoon!! Come here!

Yay, Mommy’s home! I can count on her to bring me somewhere new. Like the bathroom where my pink ball is hiding!!

MINE!! I love crawling to things!!

Yes, Dad, I see the camera, here’s a pity smile with a squinty eye and my snaggletooth. PS – I’m going to walk soon and drive you even more crazy!

See, what did I tell you? Here I go!!

Crap, never mind. But next time, I’m gone!

It was the bear’s fault, he was talking smack! Listen here bear, I’ll show you!!

Done, he won’t mess with me again. Now, what do we have over here….

C’mon, Dad, you could’ve let me go a little further! Ooooo, a light..

Back in the baby jail again. I gotta find a way outta here. Yes, this is it, this is the time I make my escape!!

Blast! Hand grip has failed me once more!

Maybe I’ll have better grip over here….

Well, it kinda worked, but more because Daddy brought me to the kitchen. Hey, nice shoe, can I eat it?

What? How dare you say no! I’ll show you NO!

See, I’ll move this rug however I want!

Geez, I just got really tired. Must be the rug moving and climbing.

Time for a torpedo-shaped nap…

Wow, now they have a cage for me at dinner time? Ha, I found a way out!

Didn’t get too far. I don’t want to be in this highchair….if you can’t tell.

Ummm, Dad, something’s wrong with your foot.

I’ll just crawl right over that thing and…

…..hey, who straightened the rug?! I’ll fix that. All better!

Last attempt for a while, I.Am.Going.To.Do.This

Noooooooooooooooooooooo

Food, Friday Food Facts

Five Foodie Fun Facts for Friday #2

07/18/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Alright, it’s Friday!! I’m willing to bet the clock is watched more often on Friday than any other day of the week. What do you think?

In an attempt to be consistent with my Friday Fun Facts that I first posted last week, I present to you another installment of 5 foodie fun facts you may or may not know.

Posting these almost every Friday shouldn’t be a problem because I’m learning new things about food as well. And, as many of my friends, family, and readers might know, I’m pretty into food.

Popcorn pops because water is stored in a small circle of soft starch in each kernel. As the kernel is heated, the water heats, the droplet of moisture turns to steam and the steam builds up pressure until the kernel finally explodes to many times its original volume.
The same chemicals that give tart cherries their color may relieve pain better than aspirin and ibuprofen; about 20 tart cherries a day could reduce inflammatory and headache pain.
The banana plant can grow up to 20 feet tall, which is the height of a two-story house. This large tropical plant is really an herb which means it does not have a trunk like a tree. The stalk is composed of leaf sheaths that overlap each other and grow from an underground stem called a rhizome.
Egg shells have as many as 17,000 tiny pores, and can other absorb flavors and odors. Keeping them in their cartons helps to maintain freshness and flavor! Egg yolks are one of the few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D.
One bushel of corn will sweeten more than 400 cans of soda.

I love making air-popped popcorn, and thought it was cool to know exactly how those little guys “come out of their shell” and turn into those fluffy, white puffs that are fun to eat. Much better than using them to make soda…

Tomorrow, Saturday, our little family will be going to visit several other families nearby. I met the dads through a dad blogger’s group on Facebook, and one of them offered to have everyone come over with their wife and kids.

Hopefully Avery is cooperative and has a good nap so we can head over there in the early afternoon.

Who me? Of course I'll be good! — Who me? Of course I’ll be good!

I’ve already explained my peculiar food ways after they generously offered several things to eat, but I think we’re on the same page with having good beer!

We are looking forward to a good time and getting to meet new people. The kids coming over vary in age, and I think the one closest to Avery’s age is 11 months, so maybe they’ll have something to….errr, blabber about….

http://instagram.com/p/qaBHmnDRn-/?modal=true

Any plans for the weekend?

Ever meet up with others that you met online?