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 and handsome little boy, Wes, who joined our family on 11/19/17. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, as of 8/17/07. Sorry ladies... :)
Fitness and nutrition is of the utmost 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!
What I won’t be sticking to is how I’ve been blogging in the past. While I don’t have much to hide, I’ll be sharing less of our day-to-day personal life happenings and focusing more on sharing thoughts on food/products/services/etc. that was use. I know I mentioned most of this before, but wanted to reiterate it here.
From little things like healthy snacks for kids and adults to big items like mattresses (yes, really, stay tuned!), I want to share our thoughts here in hopes that you’ll find them useful. Some reviews will be by my own doing on items we paid for ourselves, and some will be provided to me at a discount or for free. No matter how we received the item, you can trust that I will give you our true thoughts.
Yes, I said our, Avery is picking up her communication skills fast and is improving her ability to actually explain her thoughts to us, so why not have her help with reviews? And since we’re a close, loving family, Going Mom will obviously have her opinion heard on here too. This, along with other health-related topics like quick exercise routines and recipes are all in the Going Dad future.
Don’t worry, if you came here just for the cute pics of Avery, I’ll still have some on the blog, and there’s always plenty on my Facebook and Instagram pages. Okay, here’s one just because. She looks very unsure of the camera here….
Currently her favorite pajamas.
I might as well add that, if you’re in the market, whether a tech newbie or hosting pro, Bluehost has what you need and helps make things easy and affordable. So, if you want to check them out, I would appreciate you clicking the banner below. Whether you sign up or not, it helps me earn a few cents and maybe even dollars, and it’s no difference to you!
Posts will be shorter for small item reviews, but still contain useful information (I hope) to help you decide on if it’s worth it to you or not. I am looking forward to giving this new approach a try, and can’t wait to get started!
Hope you’re having a great start to the New Year! Let me know your thoughts on this new approach and what you’d like to see for reviews, workouts, or recipes and I’ll do my best to provide.
I wrote a review of their changing pad a few months ago and have included it below for all to see again. We are still happy with the changing pad when we’re traveling as it truly does help to avoid…ummm, messy situations. Apparently, as toddlers get older, they get increasingly curious, even about….well, you know where’ I’m going. 🙂
Anyway, why not start the New Year with your little ones on “clean” slate and enter to win a Clean Hands Changing Pad today? The giveaway will end next Wednesday, 01/13/16. I will contact the winner for design choice and mailing info. Good luck!
I’ve come to terms with the fact that our little girl is not quite ready for serious potty training. Any parent, I’m sure, understands the allure of not having to change diapers anymore, but it’s something we all must accept. Thanks to the Clean Hands Changing Pad from SnoofyBee, accepting this fundamental part of parenting is much easier!
SnoofyBee Clean Hands Changing Pad
SnoofyBee recently sent me one of their Clean Hands Changing Pads to use and review, and I must say, diaper changes have become quite pleasant less messy. At first glance, it looked like a modern day sun reflector used to tan your face years ago.
But, this changing pad actually helps parents keep their cool by keeping their kids’ and their own hands free of pee or poo. I don’t know about your kids, but Avery’s curious little grabby hands seem to gravitate directly to the mess before us when changing her diaper. This leads to to us quickly trying to correct her movement only to end up with both of our hands tainted by poo.
Unless you’re one of the lucky ones with a kid that patiently remains idle as you clean and change them, you know what I’m talking about. I was skeptical of the Clean Hands Changing Pad at first, so I just kept it in the car to use when on the go. Well, one day as we were on the go, she went, meaning t it was time to put the SnoofyBee to the test.
The result? Easy-peasy! The velcro attachment for the barrier to keep her hands mess-free was simply to put on and worked like a charm. Plus, the high quality material folds up easily after using and conveniently holds diapers and wipes inside.
Just toss it in a purse or diaper bag and you’re good to go! SnoofyBee’s instructions help ease any reservations you have about how to use their changing pad, and even have a video to watch.
Easy, right? My only issue was the concern that Avery would absolutely hate having a cone around her head, but, with the exception of the first two times, this was not a problem. We even play peek-a-boo during changes where I hide behind the cone which yields sweet giggles every time. Raise your hand if you’d like to hear your adorable child’s giggles instead of whines as you clean their behinds?
I was going for a semi-rhyme there, just work with me. And I hope you raised your hands!
Now I confidently go out to run errands or to a trampoline park with the SnoofyBee in tow for any diaper changes. Before, I used to fear having to use whatever was available to the public for changing her, but now we have a safe, clean, and dependable changing pad. Here are the key features:
Sides attach to create a barrier that keeps your baby’s hands away from diaper mess
Waterproof wipe-clean surface
Portable hassle-free diaper changing anywhere
Folds small for parents on the go
Fits diapers, wipes and a change of clothes inside folded pad
Padding keeps baby comfortable on any surface
Baby’s hands remain free to play
Barrier adjusts to fit growing baby
Certified safe and PVC free
I wish we had the SnoofyBee many months ago when Avery learned to squirm and wriggle about, but even now, at almost 2 years old, it’s an awesome investment in a parent’s mental state and everyone’s hygiene.
At just over 2 years old, we don’t plan on starting our daughter with any kind of homeschooling for a while, but it’s a topic we frequently discuss. Hey, it’s always good to prepare when it comes to education!
Going Mom and I both agree homeschool is the best option for us, but we are unsure of the type or “style to utilize when the time comes. Thankfully, Andrew Burgess, my guest poster today, can help clear up the differences and make choosing your ideal homeschooling method less of a hassle.
I’ll share more of my thoughts on what we’ll do in our home as the time gets closer, but for now, enjoy Andrew’s short but precise post on homeschooling styles. Once finished, be sure to head over to his site, Future School, to learn more and see what home education services would best suit your family. Thank you, Andrew!
When it comes to homeschooling, there is no set-in-stone way to get things done. Granted, there are certain subjects you should be sure to at the very least touch on, there is no specific way in which you are “required” to teach them. All in all, it is whatever works best for your child. You should conform your teaching style to match what methods allow them to learn best. Maybe it is online homeschooling, a less structured curriculum or a more structured curriculum – whatever it may be, if it works, use it!
5 Common Homeschooling Teaching Styles
Here are the 5 most common homeschooling teaching styles.
Classic
The Classic style of homeschooling is based on the idea that you teach your child in three stages: the grammar stage – age 6 to 10, the dialectic stage – age 10 to 12 and the rhetoric stage – age 13 to 18.
Traditional
Traditional homeschooling is very much that of what in-schooling is like. Each subject has independent texts, of which you read and then complete assignments based upon the readings.
Unschooling
“Unschooling” is not the official term for this type of homeschooling, but it is what it is commonly referred to as. With this type of schooling there is no set curriculum. No books designated for particular subjects and no structured syllabus. Instead, you learn about whatever your child is interested in until they are satisfied.
Charlotte Mason
This style of homeschooling involves the natural way in which children learn and tends to focus heavily on subjects such as art, literature, music, reading, etc.
Unit studies
Unit studies involve taking one particular unit of study, say Ancient Egypt, and molding each subject to fit with the unit. So, maybe you make salt dough scarabs, learn about Ancient Egyptian history, architecture, scribe, etc.
