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!

How NOT To Hold A Toddler

There are many ways on how to hold a toddler, and they shouldn’t be that hard. But, as my Uncle Preston will show you, there are ways on how NOT to hold a toddler as well.

Even before I was a walking, talking blabbering, and crazy toddler, my Uncle P just didn’t quite “get it” when it came to holding me as baby.

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Another example…..

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Okay, maybe when sitting down it’s not soooo bad, but still, he’s a little awkward about the whole thing. I’m your niece, your blood relative, just hold me normal! Seriously, as I have aged, I’ve been pushed to hold and chew on things from the stress he gives me when being held.

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Think I like chewing on purple rubber wands that flash lights? Well yes, yes I do, but that’s besides the point!

Recently, when we spent the night at G-Ma’s for the 4th of July (and Mommy and Daddy just wouldn’t go to sleep!), I had the luxury torture of Uncle P’s awkward embrace.

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Please, sense my sarcasm. I tried to hold it in, but my true feelings quickly appeared with my facial expression.

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When holding a baby, maybe you can get away with this arm under butt facing out hold, but not now. Actually, how about never? Capeesh? Mark this down, toddler-holding-newbs, don’t do this!

From there, you might think lifting your curled arm up more into a cradle position is better. Cue the Jeopardy buzzer because YOU’RE WRONG!

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This is partly my fault for being misleading with a slight, albeit forced, smile. But really I just liked grabbing his watch. So, again, put this holding position on your DO NOT DO list. Unless it’s a cat, that would be funny.

And whatever you try, NEVER try holding a toddler like they are a baby that needs to burp.

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At this stage in life, we are perfectly capable of burping for ourselves, and farting too. I tend to enjoy a good fart and laugh at them quite often. As for diapers, please continue changing and cleaning me for now. Thank you.

Lucky for me, Daddy couldn’t stand to watch as Uncle Preston practiced his crappy holding skills on me, so he stepped in for a little toddler-holding tutorial.

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Notice my head staring in fear at Uncle Preston’s hands. If you’re ever wondering if you’re doing it right, look for signs like this to know that you are NOT!

After the instruction, I was passed back to my far from confident Uncle for another try.

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Fail! Obviously, I was ready to get out of his arms as he glanced at Daddy telling him he’s still doing it wrong. He basically just changed arms and used the same position as the first one I showed! I’m smart, nothing gets by me!

The ways not to hold a toddler are numerous, but these are some of the most common ones I’ve had to endure. Hopefully, to those of you reading this How Not To tutorial, you’ll find a better way before picking up a toddler near you.

Oh, and it’s probably best to make sure you actually know the toddler, otherwise, things could be worse than just an annoyed kid in your arms.

Do you have any family members who just can’t quite “grasp” how to hold your baby/toddler/kid/hopefully not teenager?

A Watered-Down Splash Pad Outing

Hot weather and a toddler too energetic to keep indoors gave me the bright idea of bringing Avery to a nearby splash pad yesterday. It was the same one my wife and I brought her to a few months ago, and I was hoping she’d be more into it this time.

That time, I ran and met my favorite ladies there to play together in the assortment of shooting water structures. We took turns swinging her in the air to go in and out of water streams, but ultimately, she seemed unimpressed with the whole ordeal.

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So, what exactly am I supposed to do?

This time, I thought I’d get my workout “fix” in and run the 2+ miles in my Soft Star Shoes again, but also pushing Avery in the stroller. Not surprisingly, the Texas sun and weight of a toddler in a stroller made the run a little more difficult.

By the time we arrived, I was more excited about getting in the water than any of the other kids around. Which, by the way, there were a lot of kids. I saw two daycare vans in the parking lot and would’ve turned right around to go home if I were driving. But, the need to cool down and my determination to see Avery run around having a blast kept me from leaving. I took her out and set her down prepared to watch her run amok.

This place again?
This place again?

This picture look familiar? Pretty much the same spot and stance from her first visit to the pad. My heart started slowly sinking…..or maybe it was just slowing down to normal after running. Either way, her non-action was not the reaction I was hoping for. At least she turned around and smiled for the camera when I asked…

Smiling a splash pad

I tried running through the water obstacles in hopes she would follow suit, but no luck. She did, however, take a few steps and watch the fountains spit shots of water out.

Staring at water

Meanwhile, kids are running all around her screaming and having fun. Except for one boy who ran around and threw water from a bottle on me and then hit another boy in the face with the empty bottle. Yeah, he went to time-out after that.

The first trip with Going Mom was more fun than this. At least I had a beautiful wife to keep me company and help toss Avery around to get her to do something. I lifted her over my head and ran circles and went through a few sprayers which got her to laugh. Then I set her down thinking that might’ve warmed her up and she would be ready to go, but….

And that pretty much sums up our lackluster outing to the splash pad. Guess we’ll stick to bounce houses for a bit longer.

I finally gave up with the splash pad and prepared to run back home. Not surprisingly, Avery never made a fuss about getting back in the stroller and she had a fun time shouting out “car” or “tree” at every car or tree we passed. There were a lot of both.

Feeling unsatisfied with our watered down water fun, I thought it best to stop by our neighborhood pool since we know how much she loves that! I guess no one wanted to come outside at that time, so we had the pool all to ourselves.

We “swam” in the big pool for a bit, and then migrated over to the kiddie pool so she could stand all by herself.

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Kelley and I will ask if she can do high knees in the water and she does it every time. Pretty cute to watch, obviously. I made the mistake of asking if she can do squats in the water, in which she promptly showed she could, but came close to going under. #ParentingFail

After playing around in the kid pool and snapping a selfie with Avery, we were ready to head home. Hey, she smiled!

Avery and Daddy Pool Selfie

Despite the uneventful splash pad experience, I still think we had a good time. Maybe I’m just trying to be optimistic, okay, I am being optimistic, but these make for good memories nonetheless. Plus, the pool was our savior for a fun day!

At what age would you expect kids to be into the splash pad?

What’s better, swimming at the pool or a splash pad? Or both?

20 Memories From My 20th Month Since Going Dad

Craziness abound! This girl has seriously taken off this month and left us with plenty of memories. Some good , some bad, some extremely frustrating, and some, well, a little gross.

I’ll spare you the small talk since there are 20 memories to go over, so let’s get right to it.

1. Our couch is your new playground and you get very upset when you’re not able to lift yourself up on the cushions. But you’re determination proves that you can get up there and bounce all over as you please. If only we can get you to stop chewing the cushions with your green smoothie mouth.

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2. You had a busy morning and afternoon with Mommy and me one day and ended up falling asleep during lunchtime. It was right before nap time, but you just couldn’t wait for that sleep!

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3. When Mommy or Daddy drops a piece of food or ice cube or, anything really, you act as our personal narrator by saying “Uh-oh”. It’s cute, but honestly, some days it drives me crazy when I’m in a rush. Don’t worry, still love you lots!

4. “Uh-oh” isn’t the only thing you’re saying, you are getting to complete sentences too! It’s not exactly clear, but you love hiding things you have and saying “Where did it go?” Even when you don’t have anything, you use the sentence after we flush your poop down the toilet.

5. On the topic of toilets and talking, “Bye-bye” is yet another thing you’ve started saying…a lot. When you don’t ask “Where did it go?” when your poop gets flushed, you wave and say “Bye-bye”. It’s cute, of course, but sometimes you get a little too close to the toilet.

6. Bananas have been a favorite of yours for a while, especially with NuttZo, but this month you took eating the fruit into your own hands; literally.

7. Like most toddlers and probably kids in general, your willingness to eat changes with each new bite we offer or food we put in front of you. But Mommy and me have found that reading a book out loud opens the gates (i.e. your mouth) each and every time. As a result, we’ve honed our tongue twister skills with Dr. Suess’ “Fox in Socks”.

8. You had popcorn for the first time and instantly loved it. After munching down on the air-popped goodness, you were hooked on the crunch and demanded more. Now if only you can understand it doesn’t all have to go in your mouth at once…..

9. Another “first” for the month was putting your hair in a ponytail. I have yet to try, but Mommy made use of your wacky hair the best she could. I still think you look like a samurai, which isn’t such a bad thing.

Avery's 1st Ponytail

10. What is a bad thing is your new attitude that appears on a daily basis where we are locked in a standoff. We spend a cumulative amount of at least an hour a day with me asking you pick something up and you either just staring at me with a blank face or running away crying. Mommy and me are both stubborn, which means a lot of standing and waiting. It’s exhausting, but you usually come around and clap for yourself. Then we give you a hug afterward.

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11. One day, while working out, Mommy asked you to do high knees with her and you immediately got right to it! Since then, you’ll stop whatever craziness you are up to just for high knees if we ask you to.

12. Before you and Mommy even begin, you have caught on to when she’s getting ready for a workout. She’ll come home from work, change into workout clothes, and as she’s putting on socks, you instinctively know to go get her workout shoes for her. No asking required!

13. Reading books is quickly becoming one of your favorite things to do. With or without Mommy and Daddy, you’ll go through several books while simultaneously testing the limits of gravity on the couch. That’s what I call action reading for sure!

14. This Fourth of July was technically your 2nd, but we don’t count the first since you weren’t too aware of your surroundings yet. Eager to let you witness your official first fireworks, we drove up the road from our neighborhood to let you watch the city’s firework show. They were kind of far, but still very visible. Regardless, you didn’t seem too impressed…

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15. I think to get us back for keeping you up late and then waking you up early for our 4th of July 5k, you decided to make spending the night at G-Ma’s a living hell. Three hours of non-stop screaming and rolling around definitely got us back! Next year, you can call the shots!

16. Despite the torturous night, you woke up at G-Ma’s all chipper and chatty. It took several cups of coffee before we became functional as human-beings, but seeing you have fun with G-Ma made it all worthwhile.

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17.The same can’t be said for Uncle Preston though, he still has some kid holding practice to do. Maybe then you’ll both bond a little better.

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18. I think what would help is if you both farted together. Lately, you will crack up when you hear a fart or if you fart. Sometimes I don’t even hear a toot, but will hear you randomly laugh followed by the resulting smell, and then it all makes sense.

19. To go along with your samurai ponytail, you are working on becoming a true ninja with karate kicks. Right now you need something to hold on to for leverage, but it’s only a matter of time before you’re kicking things off the bookshelf. Wait till I show you the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles now that you understand what you’re seeing!

20. Another short sentence you say multiple times a day is “All done.” You don’t quite understand its meaning since you say it while eating and then proceed to eat more, but in time, you’ll get it. For example, this was my last memory for the month, so now I’m all done!

With all of her stool, chair, cabinet, and couch climbing, I’m sure next month’s memories will have a few bumps and bruises to mention. I’m also sure there’ll be plenty more full sentences and lots of karate kicking action to share too. Oh, and we just encountered the first “No”. Kelley and I tried to play it off like nothing was said, but…..it’s coming!

Do you have any memories of your kids to share at this time? No matter the age, I’d love to see what you’re experiencing right now. Hopefully all good or at least laughable sometime in the future.