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Going Reviews

Keep Her Warm and Fashionable with Bootzies: The Original Boot Tights

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To avoid any confusion, this is an old post (as you can tell by the pictures of my daughter) that I simply updated. She grew out of the Bootzies, but they were enjoyed while they fit her. Hopefully you’ll give them a try for your little one!

Woot, Summer is gone and Fall/Autumn has arrived! For most of us, this means cooler weather and pumpkin themed everything is starting to appear.

Yep, even wildlife takes part!

Time to put away your little girls’ t-shirts and short-sleeved onesies and break out the long sleeves, pants, and socks. If your baby is anything like Avery when you try to dress her, the thought of dressing her in more clothes is daunting.

Going Mom and I essentially play a mini version of Twister sans the color dotted mat every time we dress Avery. What’s that? But you love playing Twister? Yeah, so did I, before dressing an unruly baby with crazy-limb flailing about.

A while back, I saw pictures of other babies dressed in boot tights called Bootzies and thought they were (for lack of a better, more manly word) adorable. I wanted these for Avery and knew they’d be perfect for when the Texas heat simmered down.

I reached out to Bootzies asking if they’d be interested in sending some of their Boot Tights in trade for a review, and they graciously agreed!

The creator of Bootzies, Christina, was inspired to create these functionally fashionable boot tights for her infant daughter, Julia. She thought it would be a cute to have cowboy boots for her, but obviously knew the real thing would not be practical. After a little brainstorming, Christina came up with Bootzies. These would allow babies to comfortably scoot, crawl and walk without losing her socks or shoes. Plus, it would always look like her outfit was complete!

Immediately after receiving 3 stylish pairs of Bootzies Boot Tights, I dressed Avery to see how she liked them.

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I appreciate how these are pants and socks in one which makes dressing her easier and she doesn’t have socks to pull off right away. I’d say she took to liking them rather fast. Just minutes after having them on, she looked ready to start marching…..and she doesn’t even walk yet!

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And with that, I let her march/crawl around the house to get a feel for her new attire. Starting in the kitchen, we crawled around to check things out.

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Let me note right now that the Bootzies provide little traction for your crawler when on a wood floor. The carpet is fine, but smooth surfaces provide a challenge when crawling since they slip around. Once they can walk, the grips on the feet will come in handy, but until then have fun watching them scoot around!

Of course, all is well when there’s a walker around to help stabilize in the standing position.

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All of the movement must of made her hungry, because before I knew it, she was reaching in the freezer looking for food.

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I guess she lost her appetite after only finding frozen broccoli and brussels sprouts since she quickly moved on to see what was happening out of the front window.

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I later tried on another pair which I think are my favorite. Dressing her was even easier since I had a better hang of it, and still really love not messing with socks that will ultimately get pulled off within minutes.

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This time we started in her room where she had to check out her mini bell wreath on the closet. Then she moved on to her giant farm animal cards and seemed quite interested.

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From there, we migrated into the kitchen where she handled the slippery surface better than before.

Bootzies, baby fashion, apparel, clothes

She even moved some of the rug just to stay on the wood floor. I guess she likes a challenge!

Bootzies, baby fashion, apparel, clothes

I’m very excited and grateful to have these Bootzies to dress Avery in as the temps drop and the seasons change. Not only are these precious, they make the hassle of cold weather dressing much more bearable!

Besides being slippery on hard floors like wood or laminate, my only other minor issue with these is the grippy part of the foot will easily get turned to where it’s on top of her foot. Obviously, that makes it slippery, but I’m hoping that as she grows, this will not be a problem. Either way, these will get a lot of use this season!

Want to pick up some Bootzies for the little fashionista in your life? With sizes ranging from ages 0 all the way to 4 years old, there’s bound to be a style you’ll love for your little one. Check out their online store here and put in your order before the cold sets in.

Be sure to show Bootzies your love on Facebook and Twitter too. Send pictures of your baby in Bootzies to info@bootzies.net for a chance to have them showcased on their Facebook page and added to their online Gallery.

Have you seen Bootzies before?

Do you have a little girl you know that these would be simply precious to wear?

Full disclosure, Bootzies provided me their products free of charge, but all opinions are strictly my own.

Food, Going Reviews

Naked Nutrition Protein Powders: The Power of Pure

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Disclaimer: Naked Nutrition provided their protein powders sample pack to me free of charge in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

naked nutrition protein powders sample pack, non-gmo, muscle, vegan, vegetarian

I’ve had the opportunity to try several high quality protein powders lately, and they have all ranked high on the approved by Going Dad list so far. Some are higher than others, but I’d feel confident giving any of them to friends and family. Oh, and I care about my friends and family, just to make that clear. 🙂

The one thing that sets Naked Nutrition apart from all of the other protein powders I’ve tried is that they are all unflavored. When you check the ingredient list for any of their powders, you will on find one thing, the protein!

naked nutrition protein powders, whey, natural

See that, right there in bold? Whey Protein Concentrate, that’s it, done, nada, clean and pure. Just my kind of product.

Their whey is sourced from grass-fed cows never treated with growth hormones or antibiotics, is GMO free, has no artificial mumbo jumbo, is cold processed, and full of branched chain amino acids ready to fuel and repair muscles.

Yes, protein powder is still a processed item, but why make it any worse with all of the crap you see in so many powders on the market? Naked Nutrition cuts the crap and gives you the only thing that really matters which earns my full respect. And this is not just their whey protein, but in all of their products!

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy tasty stevia sweetened protein powders, but when I’m having a post workout protein drink, I don’t need something to sip and savor. I simply want a quality protein to get into my system quickly and will just quickly drink it down. To review the Naked Nutrition protein powders I received, this is how I mainly used them.

I sampled these by mixing each one with water in a shaker cup to truly get an accurate taste. Here are my thoughts:

Naked Nutrition Pea Protein

Naked Pea-Protein-Powder

 

 

 

 

I’ve tried other plant-based powders in the past, but never from peas, so this I had to try first. After mixing in the shaker cup, there was still a bit of chalkiness, but it mixed better than expected. The taste was earthy, as I would expect from a plant, but not unpleasant. What I liked most is that this is protein did not give me any stomach distress which has happened with other powders in the past. I can see the pea protein going well in a green smoothie or mixed with your favorite non-dairy milk if you don’t want to simply mix with water.

Naked Nutrition Goat Protein

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Another intriguing, never-tried-before protein I was eager to test. There is a slight scent of goat milk when opening the package which I take as a good sign since it is goat protein. There was only a hint of goat cheese flavor and just in water, the mix turned nice and creamy. We love our goat cheese in this house, so I wouldn’t mind a stronger goat dairy flavor, but even it’s not your favorite, don’t be scared to give this one a try. For smoothies, this would be perfect blended with strawberries to make a creamy strawberry protein shake.

Naked Nutrition Rice Protein

Naked Nutrition Rice Protein Powder

 

 

 

 

Like the pea protein, this one was a bit chalky, and even a little gritty. The earthy flavor is not as noticeable, but there is also no flavor or creaminess after mixing. Of all proteins, this is my least favorite and one I would not buy if I had a choice. That said, if you need a dairy-free protein source, it’s still a great option since you’d be hard-pressed to find a cleaner rice protein than Naked Nutrition’s.

Naked Nutrition Casein Protein

Naked Nutrition Casein Protein

 

 

 

 

Casein, unlike whey, is a slow-digesting protein and therefore best consumed at night to allow it work on repairing muscle as you sleep. For that reason, I drank it at night, but still mixed with just water. I enjoyed the creaminess and imagine it being great to mix with Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree for a healthy, muscle building nighttime treat. There was no strong taste, it was actually pretty bland, so it should take on whatever flavor you add.

Naked Nutrition Whey Protein

Naked Nutrition Grass-Fed-Whey-Protein Powder

 

 

 

 

I saved the most common one for last. As it turned out, it’s also the best in my opinion. Creamy, slightly sweet, and no sign of grittiness. I could easily drink this plain after a workout with no issue. Unlike most whey proteins, there was no associated stomach upset which is HUGE!

Of all of these, the whey was my favorite. It’s easy to mix with anything, provides plenty of quality protein, and even tastes good on its own. For a non-dairy/vegan option, the pea protein is definitely better than the rice. If you want to try them all for yourself, Naked Nutrition offers the sample pack to buy so you can find one that suits your preferences best.naked nutrition protein powder

I know these are all high in price, but also high in quality. The saying “You get what you pay for.” applies here as you are getting protein powders from the best sources and treated with care. I appreciate how much Naked Nutrition cares about their products and how passionate they are, which is something I look for in any business I give my business to. I hope you have the chance to give their products a try for yourself.

naked nutrition protein powders sample pack, non-gmo, muscle vegan, vegetarian

Thank you, Naked Nutrition, for the opportunity to sample your Naked Protein Powders!

Make sure to keep up to date on the latest products, specials, and training advice by following Naked Nutrition on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Going Reviews, Naturepedic, Parenting

5 Ways Our Naturepedic Mattress Provides More Than A Good Sleep

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We’ve been sleeping on our Naturepedic organic mattress for about 3 weeks and, simply put, we love it! Not only have we been sleeping better, but it’s become a wonderful gathering place for our small family of three.

My wife and I both agree we made the right choice with our Naturepedic EOS Series mattress, but I know it’s best to give it some time before coming to a solid conclusion. Guess we’ll just have to “sleep on it”. C’mon, you knew it was going to happen at some point. #CornyDadPuns

I can, however, confidently say our comfort is much improved since ditching our “high tech”, “NASA inspired” Temper…..umm, memory foam mattress. Going Mom and I used to wake up way too hot, sometimes covered in sweat, from the lack of circulation in our old mattress. Now, we keep plenty warm, but it’s just right, like baby bear’s porridge. No sweating or tossing from side to side, just a chemical-free organic mattress beckoning us to sleep soundly on it each and every night.

Now, back to the ways our Naturepedic mattress provides more than just a good sleep. In just the 3 weeks we welcomed them into our home, our new mattress has been the main location for….

1. Tickle high fives. Going Mom and Avery have been playing a game (I guess you can call it that) where my wife asks for a high five from Avery, and as she raises her arm to deliver a five, Going Mom delivers a tickle attack instead. This game can happen anywhere at anytime, but Avery always asks demands to “Go to Mommy and Daddy’s bed for tickle five.”

2. Jump-Reading. Jumping on the bed is a given, but what about jumping, doing a butt buster, and going right into a book or two? How’s that for combining exercise and education? Exercation?

3. Nighttime chats. Having a kid can seriously cut into quality time with your significant other. We only have one, but I assume it’s increasingly difficult with multiple little ones demanding your constant attention. Now, we set aside a specific day where we have “us” time after getting our girl to bed. We get comfy on the mattress and play a game of The Walking Dead Yahtzee (I got it for her birthday) or simply talk without having a jealous (but oh so sweet) toddler getting mad for not looking at her. It never seems long enough, but every minute spent together helps grow and keep a strong bond, and I love having this time with my wife.

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We’re just like this, only inside a home in our pajamas with a zombie shaker cup for the dice in our game of The Walking Dead Yahtzee. I’m winning, by the way.

4. Pretending to sleep. Sure, the sleep is awesome, but pretending to sleep is pure bliss! Or Avery seems to think so. Just another fun game where she “sleeps” on Mommy and Daddy’s bed, complete with loud snores, and sometimes asks us to join. She even has the same head-at-the-end position as in her own crib!

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It never lasts long though, she’s up and jumping again within seconds.

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5. Home base. No home is complete without a home base, and our Naturepedic mattress as become just that. It’s where we seem to gravitate to when we’re all together. As soon as Mommy comes home from work, her and Avery usually end up playing together on our bed. If I’m in another room, I can hear the loud giggles emanating from our bedroom. Nothing warms this dad’s heart like the laughter of his wife and giggles of his sweet daughter. Sounds mushy, but it’s the truth! It’s also perfect for escaping the vacuum.

Naturepedic, organic, mattress, sleep

As you can see, we’ve been spending a lot of time on our new bed, and it’s been a very welcome new addition to our family. No matter how hard we try, we are all exposed to chemicals that are normally foreign to our body, but now we can escape exposure on our organic Naturepedic mattress.

Some mattresses, no matter how expensive and full of high tech materials, overwhelm our body with artificial chemicals we were never meant to be around. Do you want to sleep on a pile of chemicals? What about your precious little ones who spend a good chunk of the day playing or sleeping (or should be) on their mattress? I never thought much of it before, but what we sleep on truly does impact our entire life. Here’s why Naturepedic stands out among the rest and earns a spot in everyone’s home.

We made our choice, and feel better in doing so. To make my point, I’ll end this post with a quick discussion my wife and I had one lazy day on the weekend. Avery was blessing us by sleeping in, which meant we slept in, but even after waking, we still didn’t move.

Me: Why is it soooo hard to get up?

Wife: Because it feels sooooo good to sleep.

Thanks to Naturepedic, I couldn’t argue there!

Disclaimer: I received a heavy discount from Naturepedic to purchase the EOS Series king mattress in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. All opinions are strictly my own.