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!

Food, WIAW

Changing Amazon Mom to Amazon Family + WIAW #2

03/04/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Have you heard of the program Amazon Mom? If you’re here in celebration of What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW), chances are you’re a foodie. Annnnnd, I suspect that many of you, foodies, parents, or anyone really, frequently order from Amazon. Am I right?

I realize there are a lot of moms out there that order from Amazon, maybe you’re one of them reading this right now, but there are also plenty of guys, dads, that do the same. I’m one of them.

The name Amazon Mom feels like having dirt kicked in my face as a father, and that I’m worthless. I’m not alone in these feelings. In fact, Oren Miller, the man who recently passed away from cancer and I wrote a tribute post about how he will live forever, put a call to action several years ago for this very thing.

Please, if you can, find the time to read his post about Why You Should Sign the Amazon Mom Petition. Just yesterday, our Dad Bloggers community along with many helping hands (yes, moms too) lit up the social media world requesting Amazon to change their program from Amazon Mom to Amazon Family.

We are pushing for the long overdue change in honor of Oren and for all parents who give a damn out there. As Oren mentions in his post, the same program in the UK already goes by the name Amazon Family, so why not here in the U.S.? Sense made = ZERO!

Simply follow the hashtags #Dads4Oren and #LoveWalkForOren and you’ll see how big of an impact he has had and still is having on our community. I never met him in person, but just seeing how caring and supportive he was as a friend, father, husband, and person, I want to help however I can.

Please, click the link below and help out by signing the petition. All parents should support this simple request which would give us all the dignity we deserve.

On behalf of our Dad Bloggers group as well as parents everywhere, we thank you in advance for any support!

Okay, so now it’s time for my second installment of WIAW. Big thanks to Jenn, recent mom to an adorable “chickpea” and fellow foodie who I hope supports the change on Amazon!

I don’t eat much in the morning as I prefer to workout first and then chow down, so I start my day a ~~cup~~ gallon of coffee. Lately, it’s been via my homemade cold brew French Press method which is so simple and very delicious!

But, I do have an adorable growing toddler to feed, and she’s quite demanding of my microwave breads. I use pureed fruits and veggies along with coconut flour, oats, peanut flour, kamut flour, etc to make sure she’s getting plenty of nutritious and delicious food. So far, she still begs for whatever I create that day, and it’s only better when I smear some NuttZo on top.

I don’t have to hold my hand out long before……

….she takes it and runs!

After my workout, lunch is a hodge podge of steamed veggies, homemade beer bread, and slow-cooker salsa chicken with black beans.

On the side I enjoy having steamed broccoli sprinkled with nutritional yeast. Could eat this all day!

Avery keeps it simple and just has the chicken and black bean mix.

For dinner, I load up with more veggies in a salad topped with goat cheese, raw beets, onions, red peppers, and a can of wild salmon.

Afterward I’ll have several slices of homemade peanut butter banana bread along with more NuttZo. Really love the stuff, and if you order on their website and use code liley15, you can get 15% off. If you ask me, that’s an awesome deal! 🙂

And that’s been a typical day for me this week. Hope you’re having a good one so far, and please, help support all parents and push to have Amazon change their program’s name!

How do you feel about so many businesses still using “Mom” or “Mommy” to describe spending time with kids and promote products?

As a father, this definitely gets to me more than it ever has, but I’m curious how mothers feel about it. Wouldn’t you want your husband/boyfriend/partner/baby’s daddy to be included too? At least most of you should, right?

Life, Parenting

How One Dad Will Live Forever – #Dads4Oren

03/02/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Almost a year ago, a man named Oren Miller was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. After an arduous fight composed of painful treatments to remove the cancer, Oren lost the battle this past weekend on Saturday, February 28th. Despite this saddening news, I can still smile because I know, in spirit and our hearts, he will live on forever.

As the creator of a Dad Bloggers Facebook group that is now 1000+ strong, Oren is responsible for providing an outlet/resource for dads all over the world. It is a place for us to vent, share thoughts, help each other out with serious life issues or just to tweet out their latest blog post, and most importantly, grow as better fathers, husbands, and men.

I have the post of him welcoming me along with several other great dads into the group on February 4th, 2014. Since joining, I have posted numerous times seeking guidance for help with my blog as well as with our daughter, Avery. I never had the honor of meeting Oren in person, but it’s not necessary to feel the impact he has on so many.

I realized this when the news of his cancer first came out. Our community of Dads quickly created a charity to raise funds so Oren and his family could go on a wonderful vacation that inevitably would be his last. I gave what I could and helped spread the word on my blog, along with many other dad bloggers.

Though he may be gone, he is certainly not forgotten, and will live on forever in the hearts of many and among our close-knit Dad Blogger community. I could never imagine someone I hardly knew could affect me, as well as so many others who never met him, like he has, but it’s clear he means a lot to all of us.

Many dads have posted tributes to Oren on their blogs, and one even posted a video to You Tube of him singing a Bob Dylan song in his honor. I’ve only started writing for the UK-based blog Love All Dads (LADs, for short), by creating a monthly round up of U.S. dad bloggers. When I asked the creator of LADs, Darren, about sharing a special #Dads4Oren Round Up, he loved the idea.

Below is the post you can also find on LADs by clicking here, but I felt sharing it here as well. After reading a few posts, you’ll realize just how much Oren means to all of us as you can feel the passion emanating from the written, spoken, and yes, even sung words from other dads.

I hope you have a wonderful week, and make sure to tell those around you how much you love them as you hold them close to your heart. Here’s my post:

Hello, fellow dads, both nearby and abroad. It is with a heavy heart and solemn mind I am writing this before it’s even close to the end of March for round 3 of the U.S. Dad Bloggers Round Up, but I feel compelled to honor one of us.

Oren Miller, the man behind the blog A Blogger and a Father, passed away on Saturday, February 28^th, after a long battle with stage 4 lung cancer. You can read what he wrote upon finding out here. Oren was also the creator of the best Dad Bloggers Facebook Group around, and I’m proud to be a part of the 1,000+ dads who are members.

There aren’t enough digital pages to fit all of the wonderful ways Oren has affected us dads and so many people everywhere. A quick glance from members filling our Dad Bloggers Group page with posts of how Oren is near and dear to their hearts, and you realize this man hasn’t passed, he’ll live on forever!

Today, for a special edition of the Dad Bloggers Round Up, I am simply sharing the posts published in honor of Oren by dad bloggers all over. Please be sure to visit as many as you can and share with everyone around you.

His funeral is Monday, March 2^nd, and many of us are banding together by getting outside with our friends and family, snapping a photo, and sharing it on social media with the hashtag #LoveWalkForOren. If you can, please join in by sharing your own photos or following the event online.

These are only a few of the many posts written as a tribute to Oren. Follow #Dads4Oren to find more and share to your heart’s content:

Nick Browne from Papa Brownie wrote The Finality of Life: A Tribute to Oren.

Nick is also part of the Poppin Bottles podcast where him and his friend Ben Mullen from the blog Dad on the Mic, recently talked with painful hearts on the passing of Oren in their latest episode.

Chris Ratcliffe, owner of the blog Dad Goes Round, simply title his post A Tribute.

Ashley Beolens, co-author on When the Dust Settles wrote Passing of a Stranger

Jeff Tepper, a member from the Dallas Dads Group that I’m also a part of which is a branch from the national City Dads Group, shared a heartfelt post on the group page that can be viewed here.

Bill Peebles, from the awesomely named blog ihopeiwinatoaster skipped the writing and felt it best to pay tribute in song. Watch and listen to his rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” on YouTube in Oren’s honor.

Jack Steiner, owner of the blog The JackB, shared his thoughts in People Die & We Move On.

Buzz Bishop, creator of the Canadian dad blog, Dad Camp, recently posted his own collection of Oren blog post tributes as well as his thoughts on These Men Make Me Want to be a Better Dad.

**One more I meant to include but forgot until writing my blog post is from Creed Anthony, blogger on Tales from the Poop Deck. Creed’s words hold true for how a lot of us felt and still feel, and his post is rightfully titled, My Friend Oren.

Lastly, here’s a link to a local online news publication in his area, Baltimore, MD, announcing the loss of a great father, blogger, and all around friend.

Life happens too fast, I know I’m guilty of not just living in the moment, and we need to slow it down when possible. Make sure to pause, take in the world around you, and hold your loved ones close every day. Tell them that you love them and hold them tight.

Avery Talk, Life, Parenting

Our Bearaffe Takes on the Snow

02/28/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

There’s a blizzard in Texas! Well, not really, but we got a lot of snow on Friday. And by “a lot” I mean a few inches.

I’m sure anyone in the Boston area would like to punch me in the face for making a big deal about a few inches, huh? I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Plus, I’d at least have enough snow to make a fresh ice pack to put on my face to reduce the swelling. 🙂

This week, we’ve had 2 other mornings that started with snow but quickly melted into mush. Nothing I wanted to let Avery roam around in. But Friday’s snow was an all day event and covered the ground in a beautiful white sea of fluffy snow.

Going Mom was adamant that I take good pictures of Avery in her first snow since you never know how long it will be until it happens again around here. Technically, this wasn’t her first snow, but it was the first time she got to walk around in it and really get the feel of what it’s like.

After she had her breakfast and I had a couple cups of my cold brew coffee, it was time to “bear” the snow. You’ll get the quotes soon.

Our best cold weather outfit for Avery is a pink full-body suit that resembles a bear cub with a hood that has little ears attached. I’ve posted about it several times, and she even had a dark purple one that she outgrew last year.

Wow, time sure does fly! Wouldn’t squeeze her in that suit if we tried now!

Her new suit is a little big on her, but she seems content with wearing it.

Well, sometimes. But since she would be out in the cold walking around in snow, she needed more than the hood that just falls off of her. She need an upgrade to a beanie, a giraffe beanie!

Ummm, look up for the camera, Avery. Please?

Much better. Now the title of the post should make more sense. Bear + Giraffe = Bearaffe and she (it?) is ready to take on the snow!

She started off with confidence despite the snow having her surrounded. After analyzing the situation, she felt it would be best to move around to better assess the situation.

Okay, gaining more confidence. Can’t stop moving, must keep the snow guessing!

Yep, feeling really good at this point. I’m just “walking all over” the snow; literally and figuratively.

Oh, hi there, dad, I thought you told me to be careful. What’s there to be careful about? I’m already a snow pro!

See? Just smilin’ in the snow. I can do anything and go anywhere!

Like all the way in our neighbors’ yard. Look at me just rompin’ and stompin’ like a real bear…

OOoomph! Ummm, just wanted to see what this stuff tastes like, I meant to do that.

I’m good, the snow isn’t, so I won’t do that again. Time for more exploring! So pretty and fun to walk all ov….

Gahhhh, this is annoying…..and cold! Kinda starting to not like this stupid snow.

Okay, I’m up by my face still feels cold. What gives?

Get it off, get it off!

Thanks, Dad. How about next time you NOT take pictures and just help me right away?!

I’m feeling lost. Where am I? Is that silver thing another person?

That’s it, I’m done. I’m going to get up and walk my bear-self back inside. Go ahead, just keep taking pictures and laugh.

My face is so cold, but also burns. What does that mean?

Please, just stop with the pics and take me inside!!

Why did you take me inside? I was just “warming up” out there! Take me ba…

What the crap are you giving me my kettlebell for? This isn’t what I wanted! Just listen to …..oh? Music? I should dance?

Snow, what snow? I love kettlebell dancing!

And that’s pretty much how our snow experience went down on Friday. Avery loves being outdoors, so anytime I take her in, she starts crying, but it didn’t take her long to turn happy and playful again. I’m sure being warm and dry helped!