Tag Archives: family

Toddler Smiles: Fake vs Real

At two and half years old, our toddler daughter is catching on to what it means when we say “smile.” We’ve only had the camera in her face since day one, so it only makes sense that her smiles are coming around.
toddler, smiling, cute, baby, parenting
Nope, not smiling!! What is this place?!

She’s come a long way in developing her smile since then, and even knows how to fake a smile. Like, for instance…

toddler, smile, smiles, cute, kids, parenting

Still cute, but definitely not a smile. We only hope she faked it on purpose!

Going through the recent pics we’ve taken, I have found several smiles that are fake and some that are genuine. Of course, after scrolling through, “Blog post!” sprung into my head. And now, here we are.

Let’s move on and see the fake vs real smiles from our toddler as of late.

smiles, toddler, cute, family

It’s not a super wide-grinned happiness smile, but this is in fact a genuine smile Going Mom caught on camera. A little unsure? Yeah, but real nonetheless.

 

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Another real one here. Helping Daddy cook in the kitchen is a surefire way to put a smile on her face.

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Fakers!! This is a result of her getting tired of me telling her to sit still and smile. I called her out on the fake smile which resulted in….

toddler, cute, eyes

Here boo-boos on her lip and face are from falling face first while riding her WOOM 1 Balance Bike. She wasn’t even moving, just sitting on it! She’s recovering fast and just has a little scab on her lip left now.

A photo posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on


No question, wearing her new beach robe equals an obvious real, albeit cheesy, grin.

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This is one I’m not sure on. It has both real and fake qualities. Maybe she’s unsure as well?

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Real. Playtime in the backyard with Mommy always yields a happy girl.

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This one seems rather forced, but I’d like to say playtime with Daddy in the backyard also makes her happy. I’m playing the ignorance card if it’s fake and just going for real here.

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Okay, this is forced. Confirmed fake toddler smile here.

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Phew, I think Mommy joined Daddy in the fake smile from our toddler club. Still both beautiful girls though!

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And Mommy wins it back with an excited and real smile! She’s keeping her eyes on a spiderweb on our back porch roof which spooks her out.

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Subtle, but it’s a half real smile from a cute little girl. I don’t think we even asked her to smile for this one. Oh wait, we ALWAYS ask for a smile.

toddler, smile

This is a Happy-to-be-me-and-free genuine smile! Running around like a wild child shouting “We’re having fun!” Love this picture!

A photo posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on

Fake. She was doing it just for the NuttZo. Can’t blame her though!

As you can see, she’s getting it down. Soon she’ll perfect the fake smile and we won’t be able to tell what’s real and what’s not. Then we’re in big trouble. As if her bottom lip weren’t enough!

Luckily, we’re seeing more real than fake smiles from our precious toddler, and hopefully it stays that way. One thing I know is that our whole family smiles when we’re together.

magnesium, deficiency, anxiety, salt bath

Does your kid have a fake quality they know how to use?

Can you spot it or does it fool you sometimes?

To My Mom and Wife: Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to all wonderful mothers out there! I truly respect those of you who work so hard day in and day out and always seem to smile no matter what. The love of a mother is everlasting, and I am lucky enough to have two wonderful ladies in my life as proof.

My mom, Avery’s G-Ma, has always been there for me and now she’s always here for Avery. It’s obvious how much Avery loves G-Ma since every time we see her, mommy and daddy move down on the list of favorites. They even turn their backs on us!

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And if we were to ask Avery for a bite of her snack, there would be no way she’d share, but for G-Ma, well…

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Of course, when with her Mommy, my beautiful wife/Going Mom, I seem to get the cold shoulder too.

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Geez, how do I survive as a stay-at-home dad with this kind of treatment?!

Can’t blame her, they are both beautiful and amazing women that I’m happy just to have in my life. Not just on Mother’s Day, but every day.

Mom and Kelley, I love you so much and can’t thank you enough for everything you do and all the love you give. Hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day and many, many, MANY more to come!

I wish the same to all of you wonderful moms out there as well. Have a great day, I hope you’re celebrating with the ones you love today. I’ll be spending mine with these two girls.

Family Selfie in Playroom

We’ll see G-Ma in another week to celebrate again. Maybe we should consolidate Mother’s and Father’s Day to just one day, Parent’s Day. That sure would make things a little simpler.

What’s that, retail industry? Oh, yes, yes, sorry, I’ll shut my mouth!

Magnesium Salt Baths: Our Family Routine

Almost every day for the past two weeks, Going Mom has been making a magnesium salt bath for us to soak our feet in at night. Our family has been well-informed of the benefits magnesium has to offer for a while, but only recently started the magnesium salt bath.

Most of the general population is deficient in this vital element; yes, that means you probably are lacking! Poor food quality from low-nutrient soil, excess caffeine, chemicals like fluoride and chlorine, and stress all play a role in depleting our magnesium levels. Do you have any of the signs in the graphic below? If so, magnesium might be all you need to relieve your symptoms.

magnesium, deficiency, anxiety, salt bath

Finding a natural source of magnesium is better than resorting to medicine which only masks your symptoms and never cures the problem. My wife and I were taking an oral form of magnesium from Natural Vitality called Natural Calm.

We like the unflavored version, but they have Lemon, Raspberry, Orange, Cherry, and Raspberry Lemon flavors as well. All Non-GMO and free of sugar. Whatever you choose, all you do is add 1 1/2 teaspoons of powder to a small 4 ounce glass of water, let it fizz, then drink. Just be careful, if you up the dose, you’ll have a little….eh hmmm, gastro issues. I speak from experience. 🙂

The thing is, is that magnesium taken orally may not be the best way for our body to absorb the mineral. Poor gut health and the aforementioned stress (I know we all deal with it!) are the major reasons for this malabsorption.

Plus, since our skin is our biggest organ, it has a super ability to absorb nutrients and deliver to the body, and rid the body of toxins from the environment or the vast array of cosmetics that people use. Thus, we’ve created a new nightly routine of magnesium salt baths.

magnesium, deficiency, anxiety, salt bath

Every night, while I prepare dinner, Going Mom, prepares a magnesium salt bath using Epsom Salt (which becomes magnesium in water) or Magnesium Flakes. There’s a long list of benefits, but here are a few of the most important ones.

Magnesium Epsom Salt Bath Benefits

As much as I hate to face the fact, we are all getting older, and kids sure can put a toll on us from playing with and caring after. Giving our body a break with a simple magnesium bath just might be the answer to rejuvenate us and prepare us to face a new day of kids, work, and life in general.

While I don’t have any quantitative measurements to give you, I will say that our family of three have all been sleeping better lately. Yes, even our crazy toddler sleeps fairly soundly all through the night. Soaking our feet for around twenty minutes (unless someone has an unexpected potty break) sets the tone for a peaceful dinner (usually) and an overall calming night (again, usually).

I’m no doctor, so I can’t promise your ailments be relieved when you introduce either oral, topical, or both forms of magnesium, but I am confident you will notice some form of beneficial change. The best thing is that there little to no side effects for at least trying, so give it a shot and see how your life improves. It certainly has made us a happier family!

magnesium, deficiency, anxiety, salt bath