Life

Less Than a Year to Live: What Would You Do?

06/26/2014 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

It’s a question no one wants to face, let alone answer, but the harsh reality is that many of us do every day. Oren Miller, the founder of a lively Facebook group for dad bloggers, is now faced with answering such a question.

Almost a month ago, Oren went to the hospital when he had severe back pain from what he thought was a muscle spasm. It turned out to be much worse; stage 4 lung cancer that has now spread to his lymph nodes, kidneys, liver, and brain. He wrote about his diagnosis on his blog, A Blogger and a Father, in a post he titled “Cancer”. After reading his touching story, I could hardly swallow from the giant lump in my throat.

I never met Oren, but since becoming part of the Dad Bloggers Facebook group that he founded, I am forever grateful for everything he’s done. There are over 800 members of the group today, and I share thoughts, stories, and rants on a daily basis with all of them. These guys have helped me as a father, husband, and with my small blog by sharing lessons they’ve learned along the way, and I am a better person and blogger/writer as a result.

I haven’t met any of them in person, but I consider these dads my friends as all have something in common and always help each other out. I’ve even connected with a few local dads who I will be meeting soon. All of this, because of one man who is also a loving husband and father to two children.

As I stood looking down at Avery playing with a “new” activity board I just made for her, Oren’s situation was weighing on my mind. What if I were told I had less than a year on this planet?

That giant lump returned as I looked at my precious little girl smiling at the board I made her as I thought the unthinkable. I don’t cry very often, but I felt that the slightest thing could’ve opened my floodgates right then.

Never, ever, would I want anyone to face a situation like this. Being a relative “newb” to the Facebook group, I was moved at how fast all of the dad bloggers were to respond upon hearing Oren’s news. Automatically, my respect for this guy grew like Jack’s beanstalk.

Within days, a fundraising page was created with the goal to raise enough money to send Oren and his family on lovely vacation. The original goal of $5,000 was quickly met and is now nearing $30,000!This truly will be the vacation of a lifetime.

The donations have been overwhelming, and I’m happy to have contributed what little I could, but now I’m asking YOU for help. With cancer treatments and medical expenses quickly adding up, it is evident that additional funds will be needed to help cover these as well. Not to mention help Beth, Oren’s wife, provide for their children.

Seeing how many people have already flooded Oren and his family with support and donations, it’s easy for us to fall into the “Bystander Effect“. This occurs when others do not offer help to someone in need if there are others (bystanders) already around.

We see others around and think “What else can I do besides offer kind words?” Well, each and every one of us can help by making a donation we are comfortable with, be it 5 or 5,000 dollars, and know that together we make something huge!

Please help by going to Oren’s Fundraising Page and giving whatever you can.

I am a firm believer in the power of mind, and would like to think I could remain optimistic like Oren should the news ever befall me. If you believe you will fail at something, you inevitably will fail, but if you tell yourself you WILL succeed, then you can overcome any obstacle.

The more donations and words of encouragement given on his page, the more power we give to Oren and his family to remain optimistic and fight this obstical!

Giveaway, Going Reviews

Zevia Soda Review + Giveway and Why it’s Special to Me

06/25/2014 R.C. Liley 10 Comments

Hey there, happy Hump Day! How’s your week going so far?

Doing good here, and now that it’s summer, the Texas weather is wasting no time on turning up the heat! If you’re looking for a way to cool down with a refreshing drink, look no further than Zevia, the zero calorie soda.

Zevia offers 15 flavors of zero calorie deliciousness and anyone is sure to find a favorite or two…..or more! Not only do I love the company for creating a healthy alternative to those unhealthy sugary sodas or dangerous sugar-free sweeteners, but they are helping to spread the word and fight against childhood obesity.

Here’s a video they have on YouTube that gets the message across pretty well!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_40WYH0kWQ&w=560&h=315]

As a major supporter in the fight against obesity and raising awareness of what we are putting in our bodies and feeding our children, I love to see companies that help spread the word. And, now that I’m a parent to the most precious little girl ever (Biased? Nahhhh), I know it’ll be tough trying to teach her about all of the processed food we don’t eat when so many of her peers and parents will have it daily. It will be a struggle, but something I will never back down from or give up on. Thanks to companies like Zevia, the fight will be easier.

Avery’s not ready to drink anything other than mommy’s milk right now, but you can rest assured I’ll happily share a can of Zevia on a hot summer day when that time comes. Who says being healthy is boring? I say it’s only what you make of it, and it is far from boring!

Zevia sent a 6-pack sampler for me to review which included their Cream Soda (yes!), Ginger Ale (double yes!), Ginger Root Beer, Grapefruit Citrus, Grape, and Cherry Cola flavors. I’ve tried these in the past, but not since they’ve “cracked the code” with their next gen sweetening system, SweetSmart.

I was already more than happy with their flavors before, so I had to find out if they could actually get any better. Turns out, they can! Ha ha, get it? Can? Anyone? *Crickets chirping*

Grape – If you like grape soda, you’ll love this one! It’s crisp, bubbly, and not overwhelming. I’m not a huge fan of grape flavored drinks, but if someone offered this to me, I’d happily accept.

Cream Soda – Loved it before, and now I love it even more! Going Mom and I both rank this as one of our favorites! If you’re trying to get off the sugar-laden cream sodas out there, you’ll be surprised to find you’re not sacrificing anything by switching to Zevia’s Cream Soda.

Ginger Ale – I buy this one often, and enjoy it with a little bourbon every now and then. Alone, it’s not a very strong ginger flavor, but it’s light, refreshing, and subtle. Perfect in the Texas heat!

Grapefruit Citrus – Probably my least favorite of the sampler pack, but by no means bad. I actually like the real grapefruit and its slight bitterness, but the slight bitterness in this drink just didn’t do it for me. Like the grape, I’d happily accept if offered to me, but wouldn’t buy this one for myself.

Ginger Root Beer – Ginger + Root Beer = two things I love! Another favorite of ours, and one that I also use with bourbon or a little vodka. This has more of a root beer flavor than anything, but that’s okay with me.

Decisions, decisions.... — Decisions, decisions….

Cherry Cola – Another winner for me! I used to love Cherry Coke back in my “heavy boy” days and was excited when Zevia first released this flavor. It tastes just like a cherry cola should, and is a perfect replacement for the high calorie, liquid sugar alternative.

Something I found a few years ago was a recipe to make cake with Zevia. The instructions were simple; just use a boxed cake mix and follow the instructions using a can of Zevia for the liquid. If it was yellow cake, Cream Soda was the preferred choice, and if it was chocolate cake, Dr. Zevia (like Dr. Pepper) was suggested.

Well, I’m not a fan of using boxed anything, so I skipped that and tried my own recipe with Cherry Cola. The result was a big hit and Zevia even has it on their website now. Check out my Zevia Cherry Cola Protein Bread recipe here and look around at other creative ways to cook with Zevia.

Kelley and I have been enjoying Zevia for several years now, and have enjoyed watching the health-minded company expand as more people caught on to their guilt-free sodas. Zevia is the only soda we’ve had in our home for a long time, and it was always a treat for us to share a can during lunch when we both worked together.

When Kelley was pregnant with Avery, we anxiously counted each passing week of her pregnancy, and it became a weekly tradition to have a celebratory Zevia to cheers with. Every Wednesday, the completion of another week pregnant, I would pack either a can of Cream Soda or Ginger Root Beer Zevia for us to share. For the major milestones, I’d pack 2 full cans for us each to enjoy!

We loved the fact that Zevia was an extremely delicious safe drink to enjoy while Kelley was pregnant, and it will always have a place in our heart when thinking back to those 9 months leading up when we first met Avery.

Now that I’m a stay-at-home parent, we aren’t able to share a Zevia at lunch, but every now and then, I still pack a can for Kelley to enjoy on Wednesday. It makes me happy just picturing the smile on her face as she opens her lunch bag to see a Zevia waiting for her to enjoy.

Another reason to love Zevia is that they have agreed to give 5 lucky readers a 6-pack of their wonderfully refreshing and guilt-free soda. Winners can select the flavor of their choice. All you have to do to enter is complete the Rafflecopter entries below.

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Make sure to check out Zevia on the following social media sites and look for great deals and coupons that they’re always sharing! Or go to their site and print off a coupon now!

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Good luck and happy drinking!

Life, Parenting

The Morning Phases of Our Baby: Wake Up, Smile, Fart, Crawl, Cry, Happy

06/24/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

As all parents know, babies are not predictable as they are constantly changing physically and mentally. But, there’s usually some sort of routine you have established which helps ease the mind at least a little.

Right now, at 7 months, we are usually greeted with a smile upon entering Avery’s room first thing in the morning. Even if she is already awake and crying, she’ll stop and flash her pearly whites rosy gums at us. The smiles may quickly turn to screams and cries as we try to feed her or set her down after changing her diaper, but those smiles are priceless.

Yesterday morning I captured what a typical morning for Avery and me is like during the workweek, when Going Mom is at work.

Starting with smiles upon seeing one of her parents, I then try to feed her a bottle, which 9 times out of 10 proves unsuccessful. Then I’ll change her into a new cloth diaper, set her down on a blanket to put the dirty diaper away and wash my hands, listen to her cry as I leave the room, and then stop and act like all is well once I re-enter.

She’s become very clingy and will let the whole neighborhood know she’s not getting enough attention; it’s fun! After she’s changed, we will play on the floor for a while to release some energy and work on crawling. Eventually, I’ll bring her to the kitchen and set her in her jumper while I clean whatever dishes are in the sink. I am OCD about dishes in the sink and feel that I must clean them immediately!

Once that’s done, we go into the garage and I’ll workout while she’s next to me in her jumper. Not sure why, but for whatever reason, Avery is usually happier in her jumper when it’s in the garage as opposed to in the kitchen area. It’s great since trying to focus on lifting heavy is difficult when you have a screaming baby to contend with, but I wish she’d be good inside too! After working out, we’ll go back inside where I clean myself and try to stop sweating so much before feeding Avery.

She’s better about taking the bottle at this point, and sometimes even falls asleep while eating. If she does, we’ll go to the nursery to change her and lay her down to sleep. If she’s still awake, we’ll either play a little more or she will watch me make something in the kitchen. Not much longer and she’ll be yawning, rubbing her face, and most likely getting fussy; all signs it’s time for a nap!

I don’t eat my first meal of the day until after she’s asleep, which is typically around 1 or 2 pm after factoring in the time it takes to cook my meal. It works thus far, and I usually have 1.5 – 2.5 hours before she wakes. But this post is about the morning, so I’ll stop there.

To help you better visualize Avery’s morning phases, I will share the video with you here:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cc65AAukQw&w=560&h=315]

Our daughter’s morning phases at 7 months. She’s learning to crawl and even lets out a nice fart. She’s going to resent me in a few years…

Does your baby have any particular morning “phases”?

Have you established a daily routine with your kid(s) or at least tried?