Tag Archives: fun

Life

Holy Jalapenos, A Local Dad Blogger Gathering!

07/21/2014 R.C. Liley 7 Comments

Have you ever met a person or group of people that you first met through social media?

I know there are a lot of online “predators” that ruin the experience, but there are also many genuine people out there. Social media provides a great way to connect with like-minded individuals that live in your area that you may otherwise never know.

I’ve been part of a dad bloggers group on Facebook for several months now and have come to enjoy the many personalities that are members there. It’s a great outlet for us dad bloggers to go and share stories, ideas, rants, successes, and completely random crap with each other.

The sense of community within the group make me feel comfortable conversing with the guys who are from all over the world. It was in this large group of ~800 members where I met several dad bloggers that live around my home and we decided on a day to meet up.

We planned the day over a month ago, and it finally came this Saturday where one of the dads had the rest of us and our families over to hang out. I won’t mention names here, but Going Mom, Avery, and I met three other dad bloggers and their families that day.

Upon our arrival, we met two of the dad bloggers, one being the host, and the other was on his way with the wife and kids in tow. Everyone was out back lounging under the shade of a large tree as several kids were playing in his pool. Kelley sat with Avery who was determined to get some beer.

While hanging in the back, we engaged in conversation on a multitude of topics and we all had something to share. The mood was light, the kids were loud, and the beer was good.

At one point there was a giant flying insect that resembled a wasp with an abdomen (the butt-end) almost the size of my thumb that the kids were weary of. Being the idiot that I am, I thought I’d pick it up by its wings and toss it away and save the day.

Nope, instead it stung me as I yelled an expletive aloud while shaking my hand. Pain subsided quickly, but embarrassment lingered.

Shortly after my failed attempt at heroism, we huddled inside to escape the rising temps from the sun breaking through the clouds. We aren’t used to having more than one kid, who can’t walk, mind you, in the house, but today there were 4 rambunctious boys of varying ages running around.

I’m not complaining one bit, because that’s what all kids should do, run, move, play, and have fun, but it was a shock to us. We let Avery roam the living room and she immediately took to the basket of toys and made herself at home.

Our host was awesome and didn’t mind her getting into things, but we still kept a close eye on her anyway. Actually, his eldest son, in preparation of his sister’s birth in 3 weeks, took interest in Avery and kept a close eye on her for us.

Avery was well behaved most of the time we were there, and she had a blast trying out all of the cool new toys.

Our host had the grill and smoker going with some marinated meat that looked and smelled delicious, but since I’m overly cautious about anything cooked, marinated, handled, etc. by anyone other than myself, I didn’t partake in the smoked goodness. I did, however, eat plenty of fresh produce picked right from his garden.

With his permission, I actually went home with a giant bag of cucumbers and a lot of jalapenos! He set out a big bowl overflowing with a mix of both and said he wanted it all gone. Several humongous cucumbers and a festive mix of green and red jalapenos all for the taking? Christmas in July for this fresh food foodie became a reality!

Before I greedily took everything he had, I left a few cucumbers and jalapenos since one of the couples wanted at least one cuke, and couldn’t fit anymore into the bag I had. Probably for the best since we already had more than enough!

Most of the red jalapenos were more sweet than hot, so I was snacking on several, seeds and all, while we hung out. My joyful snacking came to a screeching halt after biting into a seemingly harmless red one, my 6th for the day. The first bite gave notice that it was no ordinary red, but I ignorantly tossed the rest in my mouth and felt instant regret.

I have never dripped sweat from eating something spicy, but that day, I dripped a lot! My insides were burning and to make matters worse, a few seeds were stuck in my teeth so that every time I swallowed, the burning flared up from my mouth through my esophagus and into my stomach.

It was almost time for the meat to be done and food to be served when the other dad blogger arrived with his family. Another round of intros ensued and we shared a few words over the energetic kids competing for the loudest scream. I already explained my food ways and how I didn’t need anything to eat, but I had planned on staying longer except that G-Ma let us know she was on her way over and we never pass at the chance to see G-Ma!

So, we said our farewells, but made sure to snap a group photo first. With my insides still on fire, and legs weak from that fiery jalapeno, I put on the best smile I could muster.

Yes, I’m a Texan with a Boston shirt. I ran the marathon in ’09 and I’m damn proud! What I’m not proud of is that Going Mom drove home since I was still recovering from the burning inside of me. It finally subsided when we made it home and I drank a swig of raw apple cider vinegar; it’s a cure-all!!

I’d like to express many thanks to our host and I’m glad to of met other dad bloggers in the area. Hopefully we’ll all find a time to meet again, and if we do, I’ll go easy on the jalapenos!

Do you ever have meet ups from people you met online?

Any scary stories about a meeting mishap?

Life, Parenting

I Hope She Likes Ninja Turtles and Forts

07/01/2014 R.C. Liley 9 Comments

Did you know the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles originated in a comic book? They were created as a way to parody 4 popular comics of the 1980’s. Just your interesting fact of the day; you’re welcome.

If you’ve been reading my blog or following any of my social media outlets recently, you know Avery has “turned in” her rolling skills in exchange for crawling. Yes, this means more work for Going Mom and me, but it’s also exciting since it means more playtime during the day!!

We still can’t wrestle or run around the house as I chase her down with the “tickle birds”, but her crawling means that time is coming soon!

Turtles are a big thing in our family, hence Avery’s newborn pic in a turtle crochet as my blog header, and our home has several turtle toys, blankets, and stuffed animals spread throughout. If she grows up hating them, I’ll know we went overboard, but hopefully that’s not the case. Hey, her first encounter with our pet box turtle, Tash, went well, so I’d say things are going in the right direction so far.

As a kid growing up in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were (I think they still are) awesome! Somehow, Nickelodeon has managed to take over the TMNT franchise and have butchered the way they look and act which really pisses me off. Despite this, I stand true to being a Ninja Turtle fan, and hope to impart my “turtle love” on to Avery.

Even as Kelley is trying to sound out “momma” and “papa” for Avery’s first words, I’ll throw in “turtle” for an impartial first word. If she says “turtle” first, there’s no animosity for her saying “mom” or “dad” first; win-win!

I don’t even know what to say…..

Man, if only I kept those original Ninja Turtle action figures from my childhood; the ones in stores now just aren’t the same. Please tell me I’m not alone here. Any other original TMNT fans who are disgusted with what they are now?

Sorry, had to rant a little, back being a parent……kinda.

Another thing I’m looking forward to is building forts with Avery. Another childhood (and parenthood!) must is having a fort to let the imagination run free. When you build a fort, it can be King Arthur’s castle or a space station from the future; both cool things, by the way.

Yesterday I figured I’d try and combine my two hopeful desires by quickly making a fort with her new playpen and a big box along with a Ninja Turtle blanket for the door.

I know, this is the Nickelodeon version; I work with what I have!!

Not much to look at, but it’s perfect for her first fort encounter. Or so I thought….

I sat her down, proud of my turtle themed structure, and watched in anticipation for her to crawl into the fort. And then I waited, and waited a little more; nothing.

“Oh, duh.” I thought, “She doesn’t realize she can crawl through the blanket yet, I’ll just put her in there myself.”

She wasn’t impressed.

I helped her out of the enclosure and continued watching her in hopes that she’d come around and heed my efforts, but her fussing simply increased with each passing moment.

#fortfail

It was right around naptime, so I’m telling myself that’s the only reason for Avery not immediately taking a liking to awesomeness that is what I’m deeming the “Cowabunga Fort”. My efforts shall not be thwarted, and you can rest assured I’ll continue trying. Just like our baby-led weaning experience, I’m sure she’ll catch on and “take a bite” after several attempts.

Kelley is not totally signed on to Avery playing with Ninja Turtles, not because they’re labeled as a boy toy, but because she just doesn’t like them herself. Fine with me, now I have two girls to convince Ninja Turtles are totally tubular, dude!

We both believe toys should not be gender specific, and try hard to surround Avery in a variety of things colored more than just the typical pink. If we had a boy, I’d like to think I would be perfectly fine with him playing with a doll. After all, playing with dolls is not about being a girl, it’s about taking care of another person, about developing social skills, learning body parts, and so much more.

Read more about how beneficial it is for both boys and girls to play with dolls here. I found this link in another blog from the guest poster, Torsten Klaus. The blog is FromaDaddy, and I suggest you check it out as he shares great stories about his life with two children and one wife.

What’s your opinion on gender specific toys?

Were you raised to only play with toys geared towards your gender?

How do you feel about the Ninja Turtles operated under Nickelodeon vs. the orginal?

Life, Parenting

My Birthday Weekend and Baby’s First Brewery

06/10/2014 R.C. Liley 8 Comments

Well, it happened, I’m another decade. No more starting with a “2” to enter my age, now it’ll be a big “three-oh.”

I keep thinking I see gray hairs now, but Kelley just laughs telling me I’m crazy/paranoid. Secretly, I think she’s thinking, “Oh crap, those are gray!” Oh well, I’ve come to terms and am learning to embrace the thirties; and hey, at least it’s not the forties!

My birthday weekend was off to a “winning” start when Avery and I placed first overall in a small 5k run.

After the race, we headed to a unique restaurant called Brewed that offers local food, coffee, and beer, and an atmosphere that would fit perfectly in Colorado. To us, that’s a good thing, we love Colorado and it’s health-focused environment!

I’ve mentioned before how I am averse to eating out as I am keen on knowing exactly how my food is prepared and want to keep it healthy, so I didn’t expect to eat there. I did see a tasty egg white omelet option, but I have those every day and don’t need to pay $8 for someone else to make it. I know, I’m a fun guy to go out with, huh? You know who else is? This guy….

Sorry, I crack myself up every time with this one!

So, I just ordered an Americano after the waiter promised to give me free refills of their drip coffee. Kelley ordered the egg white entrée and since it included mushrooms, she just requested those be left on the side and kept raw for me to enjoy. Yes, I love mushrooms!

Since I was the non-eater of the group, I held Avery most of the time so everyone else could eat. She was a little squirmy, nothing new, but we made the most of it.

Since she’s so cute, I couldn’t keep her all to myself and she made her rounds at the table. While G-ma was holding her, Paul took a picture of Kelley and me since we thought the curtains made a great background. What do you think?

Isn’t she beautiful? That guy in the picture…he’s pretty damn lucky!

The ultimate plan for the day was to visit a small, local brewery called Martin House Brewery, but it didn’t open until later in the afternoon so we had time to burn. We were right next to downtown Forth Worth and decided we’d check out the new (to us) area. I think the “new” things have been around for some time now, but since we don’t get out much (by choice), we haven’t seen it before.

We mainly wanted to see the new splash pad in the center of downtown and headed there first. Our initial thought was that we could let Avery get in there a little bit, but we soon realized the shooting water would be too much right now. So we just stood in front of it for a picture.

Not sure what that look on my face is all about; I think I was talking. Meh, oh well. The sun was beaming down on us and with the buildings blocking any breeze, sweat was seeping through our pores like they were tiny faucets. Luckily, we found a nice shaded area to sit down and kill time until we were ready to head off to the brewery. Paul enjoyed a little Avery time as she grabbed at his face in curiosity.

Finally, it was time to head out, so we journeyed back to our parking spots and drove maybe 5 miles to the brewery. They had just opened when we arrived which made for a quick entrance and kept us from standing in the sun. It cost $10 to receive their beer glass and a bracelet allowing 3 drinks.

Kelley was the designated babywearer and driver, so she didn’t have to pay. G-ma, Paul, and I all got our glass and had our first round poured in no time; refreshing!

Of course, since I just ran that morning and only had several cups of coffee, three beers would’ve put me way under, so I shared with Kelley. Besides that, I’m not the drinker I was in college, which saves a lot of money and my health, so it doesn’t take much anyway.

Within a few sips I was already feeling nice and warm…..oh wait, that’s because it’s Texas and almost Summer! But I was feeling good, and I think it shows in this picture with Kelley and Avery.

G-ma let Kelley borrow her glass so she didn’t look out of place in the picture. Ummm, Kelley, I think you were the only one wearing a baby, so too late dear!

The beer was great and I’ll be buying several of their brews soon. As expected, it was loud inside the brewery with live music and groups of people trying to talk over one another, but that didn’t keep Avery from sleeping soundly.

How do they do that?

3 beers and several samples later, and I was feeling good, maybe too good. I was ready to leave as were the rest of us, so we said our goodbyes G-ma and Paul and headed back home.

I fully enjoyed my day with the ones I love and always wish it would last longer. We just need to remember to cherish the “now” and not worry so much about the past and future. I’m the worst about this and need to remind myself every day to calm down.

The day after, Sunday, was my actual birthday and it was spent with Kelley and Avery at home most of the day. I meant to share this day with you, but right now I have a baby calling my name (slash crying) and must tend to her needs. I’ll share the rest of my birthday weekend tomorrow….I think.

Do you celebrate birthdays for more than just one day?

Do you ever get caught up worrying too much about what’s to come or what happened in the past?