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 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!

Life, Parenting

Typical Conversations With Our Toddler

09/12/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

At almost 22 months old (seriously, time, just stop for a change), our toddler daughter seems to increase her vocabulary every day. Not that it’s a big surprise with how much time we spend reading to her as well as her reading by herself.

Reading usually occurs sans animals, but Nana’s dog was adamant about sticking around for the ending.

I figured I would share some of the typical conversations we have with Avery at this stage in her toddler career. Obviously, they are less like conversations and more like us asking a lot of different questions with one syllable, hard to distinguish answers. Or just going through asking what noise *insert animal* makes.

When she’s getting fussy and we can’t figure out why or it’s just because she wants us to give her something she can’t have, we’ll bust out with the animal sound questions…

Us: What does the kitty say?
Avery: La (sometimes it’s more of a meow, but not quite yet)
Us: What does the owl say?
Avery: Who-who
Us: Ummm, what does the dog say?
Avery: ruff
Us: How about the pig?
Avery: very soft snorting noise I’m not sure how to spell out
Avery: getting fussy again
Us: Uhhh……what does the bear say?
Avery: rooaarrrr <—-cutest thing ever!

Just recently, when we’re changing her and just took off her pajamas, she gets upset if she’s not wearing a shirt.

Avery: Shit, shit, shit
Us: What?
Avery: *pointing at our shirt* Shit!
Us: Oh, you want a shirt?
Avery: Yesshh
Us: Okay, what color do you want?
Avery: Pink (this was the first color she could say, so it’s always her first color question response)
Us: Would you like this green one with the Ninja Turtles?
Avery: Yesshh
Us: We’ll put it on right after changing your diaper. What color diaper do you want?
Avery: Pink
Us: How about this one, what color is it?
Avery: Pink………bllluuueee
Us: Yes, good job dear! You’re so smart!
Avery: I smaahht

And then, quite often, there are times where it’s just a drawn out guessing game. She’s fussy and only getting worse by the second…

Avery: Uh, ugh, ugh….bla
Us: What do you want sweetie?
Avery: bla baaa, laa
Us: I don’t understand what that is, dear. Do you want another book?
Avery: nnnn, bla bla baaa
Us: Still don’t know, does something hurt?
Avery: *reaching up but not really towards anything* blaaa laaa
Us: *finally realizing…we think* Oh, you want water?
Avery: Yesshhhhh

So apparently “W’s” are hard to pronounce right now. No worries, we have plenty of time to learn. Since a toddler is usually around the ages of one and three, I see follow-up posts in our future, and maybe by then she’ll at least have “water” down.

There are plenty of other “conversations” we have with Avery in a day, but these seem to be the most frequent so far. But with a constantly growing list of words she can say, including high chair, bear, book, swing, slide, mow, squats, shorts, mom, glasses, phone, trash, pig, squash, and most of the primary colors, our talks are sure to get more interesting. Oh yeah, she started saying No, which is already proving to be a problem. Apparently for the both of us….

What are your little ones saying right now or what did they say when they were toddlers?

Any plans for the weekend?

Life, Parenting

Mom vs Dad: The Favorites Phase

09/11/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Is anyone else annoyed with how things that toddlers do are quickly labeled as a phase? Saying “Oh, little Susie took off her diaper and is peeing on the floor? Yeah, that’s a phase, it’ll end soon.” or “Tommy keeps hitting is dad in the privates. It’s just a phase, hopefully he’ll stop.”

Whatever the action, calling it a “phase” just seems like the easy way out. Hey, maybe it is a phase, but c’mon, maybe our kids are acting out for some other reason, maybe we’re not doing something right.

That’s how I feel when Avery acts appalled when I simply acknowledge her presence and ask her a question or just say “Hi”.

WTF?! What do you want, Dad, I’m busy clinging to Mom!

This usually occurs in the morning when Going Mom is home and all Avery cares about is being stuck to her side. I swear, she’s like lint on a fleece blanket right out of the dryer. I may or may not of just finished removing lint from said fleece blanket…..

Kelley reassures me it’s just a phase, as we’ve used to explained many things Avery has done and is doing, but it still hurts regardless. When you crouch down with arms open wide and ask for a hug from your kid and all they do is run the other way crying (seriously), it’s hard not to feel like scum.

It comes and goes in waves, but each time is no less severe than the last, I take it like a hard punch to the gut, only in my heart. I know, I know, not trying to be all “woe is me”, but I don’t get it. I’m on Cloud 9 when we’re playing like the best of buds and she’s giving high-fives like a pro.

Followed by a fun flipping session and you’d think we’re always inseparable.

But then there are times when I can’t even walk up to her without her building up to let out a scream of objection from me getting too close.

Thankfully, it’s not an all day phase. Usually in the mornings and early evenings, when Mommy’s home, is when she’s in her Daddy Dislike mode. The rest of the time things are cool, with or without my dear wife there. Really, who can blame her? I love being around my wife too, maybe she just has a gift I lack. Besides the obvious boobs, people!

It could be that she lets Avery play with her phone, and, if you look to the top left, you’ll see she comes “bearing” gifts.

Now I’m just trying to rationalize. Phase or no phase, I just want our sweet girl to remain sweet to the both of us and not be repulsed at one of us at a given time. Usually that’s me, very rarely is it Mommy.

Anyone else deal with or dealt with this from their kids? If so, do you have any advice or just want to tell me to shut it and deal with it because it really is just a phase and everything will be fine? Was that a semi-loaded question? Okay, I’m done………for now.

Have a great Friday and weekend! We’re just hoping to stay away from staph and hospitals!

Going Reviews, Parenting, Promo

Pictli: Gift Your Memories With This Photo App + Discount Code

09/10/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

How many pictures do you have posted on Facebook and/or Instagram that you wish you could print and frame to place in your home or give as a gift? If you’re like me, the parent taking pictures of every little move your kid makes, then most likely the answer is “A lot.”

Well, lucky for you (and me), there’s an app for that! Did you see it coming? 🙂

Pictli is a photo printing/framing app for the iPhone or service for Android/PC users (such as myself) that allows you to easily upload a picture from Facebook, Instagram, or your computer, select one of many beautiful frame options they have, and have your framed photo sent to you or someone else as a gift.

Thanks to Frank, founder / Chief Memory Maker of Pictli, I was given the opportunity to try their service myself. I was hesitant at first because I’ve messed with other online photo printing services that work okay, but end up taking longer than I’d like. Plus, the frame choices were never that impressive to me.

Because of this, I started the process not expecting much, but just five minutes later and I was searching for more pictures to print and frame! Guys, forget flowers for the lady in your life, Pictli delivers something they’ll cherish for years (it won’t die the next day) and is easily the same price as the basic flower arrangement. And jewlery? Most (yes, some simply just want the bling) ladies would absolutely love a moment captured and framed over something flashy that can seriously lighten the load on your wallet.

The fact that you can do it all from your phone (if you download on iTunes) or computer and choose from all of your amazing photos on Facebook, Instagram, or saved on your computer makes it even better. The process is quick, simple, and even a little fun.

Once you pic from the thousands of photos we all have (I’m not the only one, right?) selecting a frame to compliment your memory and design taste is made easy as you scroll through seeing what your pic will look like in each frame. You can even adjust the size, rotate, and zoom in/out to your liking.

Not my picture…or phone, but this is the app on an iPhone

Before I began, I knew the picture I wanted to frame. It’s my background on Facebook, and one I recently shared on a #MySundayPhoto post. Picking a frame took the longest, but mainly because I just liked looking at each one and messing with the settings. Then I selected the recipient which was just me because I’m selfish I guess, and presto, my framed memory was on its way!

And talk about customer service, Pictli is outstanding with their friendly responses and order update to let you know when to expect your treasured gift. It quickly arrived securely packed in bubble wrap, safe from any delivery drivers’ lack of handling care.

I loved the neatly tied string with personalized note you can add.

Since it was just for our home, I only put the date the picture was taken. Avery’s growing so fast, I figured having a date will prove quite handy years down the road. And the finished product was an absolute masterpiece!

I went with The Rawls wood frame and think it matches the picture wonderfully. I never told my wife, Kelley, about the service or the picture until it arrived, and she was in love with the quality and detail. We now have the frame setup above the kitchen sink, where I spend a lot of time, so we can see our beautiful girl staring back at us with that cute smirk that never grows old.

I have zero complaints about the whole process and am scrolling through my pictures to find what I’ll frame next. Anyone looking for a great gift or just a simple way to frame a cherished memory, Pictli has what you’re looking for. Download their app on iTunes or access their site on your Android/computer to get started now!

But wait! Before you check out, you can save 20% off their already super awesome prices by using discount code RC1509. The code is good through the end of September and can be used for as many framed memories as you’d like.

So skip the flowers next time you need to get a gift, and give something with true, lasting meaning, a framed memory you can have on its way in 5 minutes by just using your phone. Remember, tell them R.C. sent you, but in the form of a 20% off discount code RC1509, they probably won’t care about the former. 😉

Disclosure: I received a gift code to purchase a Pictli print. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.