Tag Archives: dad bloggers

Avery’s Dip in the Pool and We’re Running a 5k

06/04/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

This past Sunday, when I finally broke free from trying to make my new laptop work, Going Mom and I brought Avery to the neighborhood pool. Avery has been in the pool at her Nana and Papa’s house, and one other time at the one in our neighborhood, but she cried both times. I would’ve too, the water was cold both times, but it was plenty warm on Sunday.

Kelley had ordered a cute swim diaper from Amazon and we were ready to put it to use for the first time. Of course, we were unsure of how ready Avery was though…

Turns out, she love it! Kelley hesitantly dipped her feet in the water first, and after not hearing her cry, she let her sit and splash away.

There were several other kids and parents at the pool and Avery was intent on watching what every one of them were doing. In between splashing and jumping on daddy’s leg, that is.

Having a canopy over the kid pool was extremely helpful since we try to avoid sunscreen if and when possible. If there’s a way to use clothing instead of sunscreen, we’ll do it! But with the canopy, we had no issues as we leisurely hung around with our daughter; probably as she peed. Yeah, yeah, you know it happens.

Avery must’ve played pretty hard during her first extended pool adventure, because once she was dry and in the stroller, she was out pretty fast! Playing in the pool can be exhausting!

Wow, look at those chunky legs! She’ll be great at squatting later in life, and she’ll need to in order to kick any unruly boys’ in the rear! As much as I’d like to be a menacing father where I instill fear in any ill-meaning boy, something tells me I don’t have that quality. What do you think?

In my defense, the hat is great sun protection and I went from running right to the pool.

Speaking of running, I’ll be in another race this Saturday, June 7th, which is the day before my 30th! This time, I’ll be pushing Avery in the stroller for our first 5k race together! I’m really excited to be able to do this and hope she enjoys the ride. We run together several times a week and she hasn’t fussed at all lately, so I’m hopeful!

As always, I’ll be sure to let you know how it all goes down.

Hey, it’s the middle of the week, so hope you can push through it knowing it’s all down hill from here. ~~Until you have to start again.~~

Run any races lately? Any with your kids?

If not, do you have one planned?

Going Healthy

Going Healthy: Baby Bok Choy Crab Sliders (Easy and Low Calorie)

06/02/2014 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Looking for easy entertaining dishes that are unique, healthy, and delicious? Or maybe you just want something a little out of the ordinary for yourself and your family. Either way, I have a recipe for you and you don’t even have to turn on the stove or oven!

Now that we’re getting into the warmer months, avoiding the stove or oven is always preferred, unless you enjoy higher energy bills. If you know me, you know I’m pretty uptight when it comes to food and healthy, and these little “sliders” make the cut in taste and nutrition!

For anyone watching their diet (or at least needs to), these sliders are an easy substitute. Did you know the average beef slider packs anywhere from 150 to 300+ calories each? And obviously you don’t eat just one slider; amiright?

On the other end of the health spectrum, you can enjoy a generous 2 ounce serving of lump crab for only 40 calories giving you 8 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of fat. Since you can’t fit a full 2 ounces on one rib of bok choy, you’d have to make about 8 or 10 of these to get close to the calorie content of just one slider!

If you’re someone guilty of mindlessly snacking, like me, then these are perfect to snack away! The invigorating crunch of fresh baby bok choy packed with slightly sweet and tender lump crab meat provides instant gratification allowing you to give up high calories but not taste!

Bok choy is loaded with phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants which help protect against many cancers and may reduce bad cholesterol levels. In addition, boy choy provides a healthy dose of A, B-complex, and C vitamins plus multiple minerals. Swapping hamburger buns for a nutritionally rich green like bok choy is a smart way to serve your kids and yourself. So do yourself, friends, and family a “flavor” (Yep, I went there) and make something cool, light, and crisp to beat the heat; like these sliders!

Baby Bok Choy Crab Sliders

Ingredients (Serves 2 to 4)

-Jumbo lump crab meat; I bought it fresh at a reputable seafood counter, but you can get it in 6.5oz cans too

-2 stalks baby bok choy, separated, rinsed, and pat dry

-¼ tsp cayenne

-2 tsp cumin, garlic powder, and celery seed

-1 tbsp dried parsley and dill (If you have the fresh stuff, use it!!)

-2 tbsp condiment, sauce, or spread of choice; I used horseradish mustard, but plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or salsa can and will work perfectly

-Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

-In a small mixing bowl, add about 3/4 cup of fresh lump crab meat or one 6.5oz can, herbs, spices, and about 2 tablespoons condiment/spread/sauce of choice.

-Mix everything until well combined.

-Scoop mixture on the groove of your bok choy and repeat until you’re all out. If you want, save some for a healthy dip or to make a wrap for work

-Fold leafy part over and stick with toothpick to hold in place or eat as is.

Avery is not quite to this level of her baby-led weaning adventure, but soon enough, we’ll have these on her highchair tray ready to ~~savor and enjoy~~ throw across the kitchen.

Hopefully she’ll catch on…..

The versatility of this recipe is perfect for the time-strapped parent as you can easily omit or sub other herbs, spices, and condiments as you need or desire. I think using a tangy barbecue sauce in the mix would fit right in at any outdoor gathering.

Please, give these a try and let me know how you and others enjoyed them. And whenever possible, get your kids in the kitchen to help! For this recipe, have them mix the crab and other ingredients together as you prepare the bok choy.

Hope you enjoy your bok choy. See, again with the corniness!! 🙂

Parenting

Why Avery is the Top Baby Model

04/29/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Does that come off as boisterous? Well, maybe it is…..a little, but if you’re a parent, you already know the answer; because your baby is always the top model!

Furthermore, I’d say us parents think of our offspring as the best for anything! If I’m wrong, I hope your little one gets self confidence somewhere.

This past weekend, Going Mom and I snapped ~~a few~~ ~~a lot~~ hundreds of photos of Avery and they were the best baby pictures we’ve ever seen! I took a few of her sitting in her Mamas & Papas chair as she gave a softer version of the Blue Steel pose from Zoolander. If you haven’t seen the movie, watch it!

Then Kelley shot a few pics while Avery rolled around on our bed. I swear, she furnished smiles that would melt the hearts of even the scroogiest of scrooges. But that’s a daily thing…

She was even good and tilting her head and giving that “I want to play” kind of smile. Maybe not knowingly, but she is the best at everything afterall!

And I mean c’mon, what baby knows to just look straight out the window and be still so mommy can take a picture? What? Oh, that many? Well, I’m pretty positive Avery is a better window looker outer than those other babies.

So maybe I’m biased, but what parent isn’t? I’d feel downright ashamed if I’m like, “Wow, those people have the cutest baby, I wish our baby was that cute.” And I hope Going Mom would slap me across the face if I were to say something like that.

Luckily, I will never say that, so my face can rest assured it won’t be slapped…….at least not for that reason! By now you get my point, most parents think the world of their own baby just like they should, and by giving them this love, I feel it helps build a healthy self-esteem.

Kelley and I tell Avery how much we love her and how beautiful she is multiple times a day, and I hope you do the same for your little one(s). If you haven’t, go right now, and with a smile on your face!

I’m lucky enough to have two beautiful ladies under my roof and I need to make sure I tell them both how wonderful they are and how much I love them.

Admittedly, I did try to submit a few of these pictures to an online photo contest of sorts where agents can see them, but never went through with it. Not because I don’t have confidence in our beautiful baby, not at all, but because the site was trying to charge just to submit photos!

I get they are “helping” Avery be seen by agents and whatnot, but I’m not trying to get her in the modeling business, I just wanted to show my beautiful baby to the world and maybe enter her in a little contest. So, I cancelled the submission once I saw the signs to enter credit card info.

I asked Avery how she would like to have an early career in the modeling industry, but I don’t think she was too interested…