Tag Archives: friday

10 Month Photo Session + Friday Foodie Fun Facts: Mushrooms

09/19/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Our past few monthly photo sessions have been quite eventful to say the least, but it seems Avery has calmed down a bit since then. She still fights with her bear, as if it just insulted her crazy, curly hair, but keeping her on the chair wasn’t as difficult this time.

Going Mom had to work later than usual, so I figured I’d try and take a few 10 month pics alone before she arrived home. If I tried this for her 7th, 8th, or 9th session, I would’ve failed miserably….and maybe have an injured baby!

For this reason, I started with her on the floor in fear of what might happen if I set her on the chair and step away.

But, much to my surprise, Avery actually stayed away from the chair’s edge once I gathered the courage to test her. Matter of fact, she didn’t do much at first.

No worries, she quickly warmed up and started flashing some funny/crazy faces as she tosser her bear around. Here are some of my favorites from the solo session before my wife came home to assist.

I'm cute and you know it! — I’m cute and you know it!

There might be poop and there might not....only one way to find out! — There might be poop and there might not….only one way to find out!

What? I can't hear you! — What? I can’t hear you!

Yeah, that's what I thought! — Yeah, that’s what I thought!

Thankfully, Kelley arrived home ready for more picture taking, so we went back to the chair. I suck at getting Avery “dressed up” and choose clothes that make it easier for diaper changes over how she looks. Sorry, Avery, that’s why people always ask “How old is HE?”

Since it was late, Kelley opted just to put a bow on Avery after I talked her out of picking a completely new outfit. I’d say Avery was just happy to have both parents at home and spending time with her.

I'm on to you, bear.... — I’m on to you, bear….

Still cute....check! — Still cute….check!

Our love for Avery is unconditional, and her personality develops more and more each day. Not long ago, we had a baby who would just lie dormant wherever we sat her and she was completely reliant on us to move her. But now, ha, she’s zipping all over the house and makes it apparent she’s ready to walk very soon!

I could go on raving about our sweet girl forever, but now it’s time for Friday Foodie Fun Facts. This month, I have partnered with Life of Dad and The Mushroom Council and recently published a sponsored post for #ShroomTember with a recipe and details on how you can win $500. Today, I’m going to share fun and interesting shroom facts from The Mushroom Council’s website.

Besides being delicious when cooked or raw, mushrooms deliver a host of beneficial nutrients not found in many other foods. Their wide variety and multiple uses make them perfect to always have on hand. Instead of the normal list, here’s a handy infographic to loaded with mushroom info.

The healthy benefits of mushrooms span far and wide, and if you’d like to learn more, visit The Mushroom Council’s page on the nutritional benefits of mushrooms.

Hope you found one or more things you didn’t know about mushrooms and you’re inspired to go out and try some this weekend.

Are you a fan of mushrooms or can’t stand the sight of them?

Any favorite types and/or recipes?

Food, Friday Food Facts, Life, Parenting

Learning to Walk and Butt Spins + Friday Foodie Fun Facts: Pears

09/12/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Only 3 days left until my “bet” that Avery would be walking by 10 months will expire. Of course, technically, this counts as walking, right?

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She’s getting very close, just needs to let go and realize she doesn’t need support to stand on her own. It’s hard, but we are trying not to rush it as that will make the task of keeping up with her all that more difficult! A crawling baby is hard enough as it is!!

Although, she does give us a break every now and then just to spin on her butt….

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This is pretty new and took me a while to actually capture on video, but now she does it multiple times a day. Her Aunt Lindsay, Going Mom’s sister, said she just likes a panoramic view, and I fully agree!

But I don’t think she’ll be “grounded” much longer. I’ve been catching her working on her leg strength with squats to prepare for her momentous first steps.

What do you think? Before 11 months for sure or would say even longer? I feel pretty confident she’ll make those steps before her 11 month mark, but only time will tell for sure.

Maybe she’ll be motivated as we start going to meetups with the Dallas Dads Group another stay-at-home dad, David Kepley, and I just started with a lot of help from some great guys at City Dads Group.

Our first official meeting is tomorrow, at nice park with a miniature train to ride! How do you think an almost 10 month old will handle a train ride? I think she’ll love it.

Now, being Friday, that means I have a few fun food facts to share. We’ve been receiving organic, local produce each week from a co-op we just joined, and I’ll start giving facts about one of the items we receive. Today, it’s pears.

I love pears and haven’t had them in a while, so it was a nice treat to see them in our last box. Being organic, I just grabbed one and ate it as is, no need to wash since even organic soil has nutrients. It was delightfully tasty and left me eager to learn more about this sweet treat. Turns out, there’s a lot to know; here’s a few things….

Before tobacco was introduced in Europe, pear leaves were smoked.
Pears are often recommended for weaning babies because they are low in acid and aren’t too harsh on a baby’s digestive system.
Pears have more nutrients per calorie than calories per nutrient which is surprising since they are so sweet. They are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, copper & vitamin K.
Pears don’t float.
Most pears ripen from the inside out, and if left on the tree to ripen, many varieties will turn brown and rot in the middle.
The skin of pears contain at least three to four times as many phytonutrients as the flesh. These phytonutrients include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory flavonoids, and potentially anti-cancer phytonutrients like cinnamic acids. The skin of the pear has also been show to contain about half of the pear’s total dietary fiber.

Wow, I’d say when put against these bell-shaped treats, other fruits just can’t com-pear!

Happy Friday!

Friday Food Facts, Life

A Weekend Away from Baby + Foodie Fun Facts #6: Avocado

08/15/2014 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Yes! Going Mom and I will be free for two whole days to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary this weekend! All the places we can go, sights we can see, things we can do…..FREE! Thanks to G-Ma, my awesome mom, for agreeing to stay at our house and watch Avery! I wonder if this will be the first and last time…hmmmm.

So, where are we going? Just the Embassy Suites in Downtown Fort Worth which is only 20 minutes from our home. Okay, so it’s nothing that exciting, but that’s what we want; low key and relaxing. Plus, we need a room with a fridge since Kelley still needs to pump, and a microwave since we’ll bring most of our own food.

I know, we should be going out and living it up, not cooking food in the microwave from our hotel room, but that suits us just fine. Ideally, we’d have a full season of hit TV show to watch back to back just like we used to, but I’m sure we’ll actually get out too. I’d like to go to the movies at least once as well. I’m all for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie (obviously), but understand if my lovely bride wants to see something else. Any suggestions?

Simply walking over to a nearby coffee shop will be luxury to us, and won’t break the bank. I’ll be sure to fill you in with all of our shenanigans early next week, but I still have some prep-work to tend to, so on to the Friday Foodie Fun Facts!

I dedicate these avocado fun facts to my mom since every time she comes over (usually once a week), she’ll have one or two avocados that are beyond ripe. Seriously, they feel like balloons filled with water since the skin will give so easily. But, I don’t mind as I love have avocado chunks in my giant nightly salad.

Here are 5 things to think of as you enjoy your hard-as-a-rock or soft-as-a-pillow avocado; it seems you never have them just right, huh? I think this picture says it all…

Avocados mature on the tree, but they only ripen once they are picked. Even more amazing is the fact that avocados can stay on a tree for as long as 18 months. It’s as if the tree preserves them until you’re ready to use them.
They are one of the most inexpensive anti-aging tools for your skin! Rough outer covering aside, the inner smoothness and creaminess has what we need for youthful skin. With all of the nutrients, healthy fat and vitamins, an avocado tree could be the next fountain (tree) of youth!
Avocado trees do not self-pollinate; they need another avocado tree close by to bear fruit. The avocado is an Aztec symbol of love and fertility, and they also grow in pairs on trees
Avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable. They have the highest fiber content of any fruit and contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, and folate.
The avocado is also called an Alligator Pear because of its pear-like shape and it’s bumpy green skin.

I’m beginning to like avocados more and more, and even add them to sweet things like dessert dips and smoothies. They add a pleasant creaminess, and being a fruit, I think go perfectly with dessert.

Happy Friday!!

Do you like avocados? If so, do you prefer them alone or mashed into something like guacamole?

Have you ever enjoyed a weekend away from your kid or kids? What did you do?