Category Archives: Parenting

Perfect View With Daddy: #MySundayPhoto – 04.26.15

04/25/2015 R.C. Liley 28 Comments

It was storming all day and finally let up before the sun was completely set. My wife, Avery, and I walked out front of our house to soak in the beautiful sunset as the clouds finally broke.

Again, big thanks to my lovely wife for capturing these lovely pictures of daddy and daughter watching the sun make way for the moon.

She wasn’t happy with the port-a-potty in the background, but I think the beauty of everything else far outweighs the portable toilet. But, as I’ve been doing, I must share one more pic, and it does not have the blue plastic john in it’s range. Again, thank my wife for keeping it out of this one.

How have storms been in your area?

Don’t you just love the after-storm calmness?

Life, NuttZo, Parenting

Assassins in Our Back Yard!!!

04/25/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

That’s right, our yard is overrun with assassins. No, not with copies of the Assassin’s Creed video game, but assassin bugs. Or, Reduviidae, if you will.

Going Mom first discovered our little assassins last weekend and quickly posted this picture on Facebook asking for any help to figure out what they were.

They look like some sort of creepy ass spider (or is that all spiders?), but we were then educated with the fact that these little guys are not spiders, but just very creepy ass bugs. The biggest giveaway is that they have 6 legs as opposed to their eight-legged look-a-likes.

Apparently, there are over 135 recognized species in North America alone, and many more all over the world. So, you just might want to check your yard for the predatory bugs. Especially since their bites are said to be quite painful they use long their long mouth parts to repeatedly stab victims.

That said, their victims are usually annoying pests that will eat up any fruits and veggies you have planted. So, barring that you don’t poke at them and get bit, they’re rather beneficial to have around your garden.

Pest killers and garden defenders aside, my wife is still utterly freaked out by the petite predators, so I did what any loving husband would do. I posted a picture on Facebook and tagged her with this message…..

I know, I deserve a husband of the year award, right? My post received many responses from creeped out friends, and I Kelley even went so far as to say “I hate you.” I guess I deserved that. I just find it funny, and she agrees, that she can watch the gore on The Walking Dead with no problem, but these little bugs spike a fear in her I don’t see often.

Here’s a closer pic of what I posted, because I know you wanted to see it better.

Awesome, there’s a nest which means more to come!!!

So anyway, we have assassins in our back yard just hanging out on one of our trees. I’m not sure how long they’ll be there, but if they are going to kill the things that kill our plants, they’re welcome to stay as long as we don’t become victims to their repeated stabbing assassin ways!

Plus, we have other things to worry about inside the house right now. Possibly another type of assassin? An ewok?

Nope, just Avery draped in Mommy’s robe. But, if she were holding a mini scythe, she’d closely resemble Death.

Well, I’m hosting a NuttZo tasting party for our neighbors today, so better get ready. It’s nothing extravagant with a lot of recipes, just tasting different varieties of NuttZo. Which, I think is the best way to really get a taste of something, right?

I’ll let you know how it goes soon! Have a great weekend!

Do you have any assassin bugs in your yard?

Have you seen them before, or worse, been bit/stabbed?

Life, Parenting, Throwback Thursday

This Is Dangerous To Do With Her Now #TBT

04/23/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Throwback Thursdays (aka #TBT) typically create many feelings all at once that go full circle. Sadness from realizing how fast time goes, humor from how funny you or someone you know might’ve looked, happiness from seeing how much your little one has grown, and right back to sadness because….your little one has grown.

Exactly one year ago today, I published a post titled Baby Steps to Baby’s First Steps where we were holding Avery as she did “the cat walk” across our kitchen island. Guess it wasn’t the safest thing then either.

So she wasn’t exactly taking steps, or walking………..oooorr even crawling at that point, but it made her happy and that’s what mattered most. Plus, we had fun with this nightly routine.

But now, if we were to try and hold her across the island as she walked on her OWN, the results could be detrimental! We sometimes hold her just sitting on the island and she quickly shows us how unsafe it is when she grabs at everything around her, including what’s in our hands!

Like most toddlers, she’ll grab at whatever’s in sight.

And, like most toddlers, she gets extremely pissy when we won’t let her have whatever object she is going for. Lately, that object is Going Mom’s phone.