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!

Going Review and Giveaway: Navitas Naturals Super Food Power Snacks and Chia Seeds

Hey guys! Happy Friday!

Even as a stay-at-home parent I still look forward to Friday since that means I get at least 2 full days with my wife/partner in crime/Going Mom, Kelley!  The rest of the work week can be difficult when it’s just Avery and me hanging around. If you don’t know yet, babies are demanding!

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When the kind Mic from Navitas Naturals agreed to send me a bag of their chia seeds and a bag of their Cacao Goji Super Food Power Snacks, I was happy I’d have a quick, healthy snack for those stressful parts of the day. Avery isn’t a demon child or anything, far from, but as a baby, she has her moments……

Who you calling demon?!
Who you calling demon?!

Of course, I guess we all have our moments, huh?

Anyway, since the time I opened the package, I have been enjoying both products every day. The chia seeds are perfect in oatmeal, even overnight oats, to make the perfect, gooey deliciousness I crave. Add peanut butter and a banana and I’m set!

Speaking of bananas, I recently posted a recipe for Banana Chia Pudding using Navitas Naturals’ Chia Seeds. Have you tried this yet? If not, you’re missing out!

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Here’s what Navitas Naturals lists about their chia seeds’ nutrition:

“Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds are an excellent source of healthy essential fatty acids – containing eight times more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon! Chia seeds are also one of the most digestible plant proteins, an excellent source of dietary fiber, and a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and free-radical fighting antioxidants.”

Another way to harvest the power of the chia is to make a quick chia jam with your favorite fruit. All you do is add chia seeds to your favorite pureed fruit, a little sweetener of choice and give it at least an hour to set. Voila! You have a thick, omega-3 rich jam that’s delicious on anything! Here’s a quick recipe:

Ingredients

•1 cup strawberries

•1 Tablespoon Navitas Naturals chia seeds

•1 Tablespoon water

•stevia, to taste (use honey or maple syrup if desired)

Instructions

1. Mash strawberries with a fork or blend them. I use my Vitamix to blend, but both methods work great. The blended version will be more like jelly and less like jam.

2. Mix in chia seeds, water and stevia. I usually use 2-3 drops of liquid stevia, but I don’t think the powder would be bad either. Be careful when adding, stevia can be very overpowering!

 3. Cover the mixture and place in the fridge to thicken. 30-60 minutes should be all you need.

 

I added some blueberries in this batch.
I added some blueberries in this batch.

 

And for the Organic Raw Cacao Goji Super Food Power Snacks? YUM!  These are loaded with wholesome ingredients and no refined sugars or artificial anything which is exactly what I look for! Apparently, so does Avery.

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These were great to have before and after a run with Avery and while having coffee as I watched her sleep on the monitor.  I still have these at work and use them for my emergency hunger attacks if my lunch was not enough.  Try them, you won’t be sorry.

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Navitas Naturals explains their nutrition best…

“Cacao is one of nature’s most complex superfoods. There are thousands of phytochemicals stored inside each little bean. A rich source of magnesium, cacao is also loaded with antioxidants and theobromine. Goji berries contain some rare compounds like germanium – an important mineral. The red chewy berry also provides protein, fiber, antioxidants and lots of beta carotene.”

So, does all of this sound good to you? Well, how about winning your own 8oz bag of these little power gems? Navitas Naturals has agreed to give away one bag to a lucky reader of Going Dad!

Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter and good luck! A winner will be chosen at the end of the day next Friday, March 21st, and announced soon after.

I could be yours!
I could be yours!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Going Review Update from Avery: The Art of Cure Baltic Amber Teething Necklace

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Hi there, it’s me, Avery! You know, the reason my daddy (Going Dad) stays home all day and does things like make us hunt for breast pads. Yeah, real cool, dad….

Anyway, since I’m the one wearing this Baltic Amber Teething Necklace from The Art of Cure, I wanted to share my thoughts. My dad first talked about it on this post.

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The first day it came in the mail, my dad quickly put the necklace on me and stared as if I was supposed to do tricks. I don’t know any tricks, so I just gave an awkward smile to get him to stop staring.

Okay, you happy?
Okay, you happy?

Then he started trying to put it in my mouth for some reason, but it just fell out. Later that day dad told me he was wrong for doing this and that the necklace is NOT meant for chewing. He then went on to tell me about the proclaimed benefits of Baltic amber for teething babies. Exactly what these “teeth” are, I have no clue.

Most importantly, dad told me it has to be Baltic amber since it is the only type that contains succinic acid. Succinic acid is said to have a beneficial effect on our bodies by improving immunity, reducing inflammation, and act as a natural analgesic. These qualities make them popular for giant babies like daddy, he calls them adults, and normal babies like me.

Dad let me know that in order for these beneficial qualities to work, the amber needs to remain in contact with my skin. Apparently, it’s the warmth from my body that allows the Baltic amber to release the oils that contain succinic acid.

There are many imitation amber necklaces out there, but The Art of Cure has their Baltic amber certified as being genuine. Definitely good to know since I don’t like fakes! They even provide a certificate of authenticity to back their product 100%!

So, how do I like it after wearing it all the time for over a week now? Well, I still don’t have these teeth dad talks of, but it doesn’t really bother me having it on. Plus, I look pretty cute with it……no, I look pretty cute no matter what! So far, I’ve been like a regular baby with my fussy times and happy times, so I am undecided at this point.

Bath time approved!
Bath time approved!

These necklaces are very affordable and for what they claim, my dad says he’d get another one if mine broke. My mom isn’t too excited about it, and she took it off of me last night because she thinks I get uncomfortable while sleeping. Really, mom?! Maybe if dad didn’t put me in a straight jacket, er, swaddle, I would be more comfortable. I have been waking up earlier than the week before, but hey, I’m a baby, I do unpredictable things!

Yes, I see your hand above the camera.....wow....
Yes, I see your hand above the camera…..wow….

My dad did let me know that The Art of Cure offers bracelets for anyone concerned with wearing a necklace. This sounded good to me as I think it would help complete my wardrobe! Maybe having both would help extra, who knows?

Anyway, the necklace is easy to wear and doesn’t bother me during the day. If it bothers me at night, no one will know since I can’t talk yet. But typing, as you can see, is much easier! Since I am only 4 months old, my dad says these teeth can still be months away, but he’ll be sure to post another update on the necklace once the time comes.

Goodbye and thanks for reading! Now I’m off to go feed the puppies under my crib.

Learning to Count – A Breast Pad Scavenger Hunt

She may not be able to walk, talk, crawl, or write yet, but it’s never too early to start the learning process! Being a stay-at-home parent at this stage, I can only do so much with Avery. We go on walks, runs, I read and show her pictures, but she still needs her motor and speech skills to develop. Despite this minor obstacle, I take every opportunity I can to teach new things to Avery.

While putting inserts in her cloth diapers, I’ll tell her the color of the diaper I’m currently stuffing. If we have more than one of the same color, I’ll tell her it’s 1 of 3 or however many we have. Same for when changing, I tell her the color of her new diaper and try to relate it to a season, holiday, or certain feeling.  For example, bright yellow is reminiscent of Spring, a popular color for Easter, and symbolizes happiness.

Helping daddy put together cloth diapers
Helping daddy put together cloth diapers

If she grabs the hair on my right arm, I let her know that’s my right arm. When she sneezes 3 times in a row, I tell her that was 3 sneezes. If she starts crying, I’ll count the time until she stops. “That’s 2 hours you’ve been crying while I sat here!” Okay, that last one is a joke, I would never do that!

So, after her morning nap the other day, I had a load of laundry to do and started gathering everything to wash. As I scavenged around the house for any last minute items, I kept finding breast pads scattered around, so I figured I could make learning game out of it!

I explained to Avery that we needed to go around the house and count how many of mommy’s breast pads we can find.  She just gave me a “What the crap are you talking about, dad?” pity smile, and we started our breast pad scavenger hunt.

Yessssss, dad.....
Yessssss, dad…..

We began in our bedroom and found 2 there…

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Then we headed to the living room and found 2 more. No, wait, there’s another one stuck in the couch. Good job Avery! That’s 3 in the living room and 5 total so far.

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Maybe the animals know where some are hiding. Hi Abby and Lou, do you know where Kelley left any breast pads lying around?

Abby and Lou_Breast Pad Hunt 

Guess not, on we go. The guest room had plenty of cloth diaper inserts, but no breast pads.

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The last places to look were the kitchen and Avery’s nursery. There was one in the kitchen, and, oh, look, 3 more in the nursery!

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So, today we counted 8 breast pads across our house.

 Sesame Street Count_8 Breast Pads

She may not fully understand, but things like this really do help to build her brain. Sure, it’s funny (to me at least), but I also feel good knowing it’s helping to expand our little girl’s knowledge.

Plus, I think she looks smarter as a result. What do you think?

One sharp baby!
One sharp baby!

Do you have any “fun” games you like to play or did play with your babies?

How do you feel about trying to teach a baby things at an early age? Beneficial or not worth it?