Tag Archives: giveaway

Zevia Tonic Water Review & Giveaway (Now Non-GMO + Color-Free!)

06/29/2015 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

Disclosure: Zevia provided free product for me to review. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.

Zevia is no stranger in our house. I’ve published several posts on this healthy soda explaining why it means so much to me and even held a giveaway before. Oh yeah, and I’ll never forget the first time Avery took her first sips of the Smarter Soda. It take long until she was reaching for more!

Being free of artificial preservatives and sweeteners, naturally sweetened with stevia, and tasting delicious is what made us instant fans years ago. But now Zevia has stepped up their entire line of healthy beverages to be Non-GMO Project Verified and free of any added color. This means no more caramel color in any flavor, so they’ll be clean and clear, just like their list of ingredients.

It takes a lot of work to go through the process of becoming Non-GMO Project Verified, and Zevia did it for us, the health-conscious consumer. Thank you, Zevia!

When I heard of their newest addition, Tonic Water, I had to try it for myself. Lucky for me, they agreed to send some to try and review. Okay, and I’m sure a little cheesy-grinned persuasion from Avery helped too.

Upon its arrival, I was ready for my first taste. After checking out the cool white cans, that is.

Well, then we had to take a picture of her caterpillar next to the can…

Annnnnddd, THEN I opened it up to try. By itself, it tastes slightly bitter with a dry hint of citrus and a clean mouth feeling. Nothing to write home about, but who writes home about soda anyway? Just call to tell them how awesome Zevia is, no time to write!

Since tonic water is not meant to drink alone (it’s a mixer), I used the rest of the open can to make a little mocktail for Avery and myself.

Obviously, Zevia + Zevia = delicious awesomeness, so I made a 50/50 mix of Zevia Strawberry and Tonic Water after a hot walk under the Texas sun. The result did not disappoint, we both loved it and the drink was gone in no time.

After another day in the heat (I think it’ll be like this for a while), I got creative and pureed watermelon and added a little Zevia Tonic Water for a little refreshing fizz.

And we have another winner!

Yes, there were seconds……then thirds. Then I had to change her diaper from all of the liquid intake. Gotta keep’em hydrated in the heat!! But after the diaper change, someone apparently was not done….

Oh yeah, and of course their tonic water is perfect to enjoy our adult beverages without weighing us down from sugary, high calorie mixers. Vodka Tonic, anyone?

These two over ice after getting the kiddo to sleep is a nice way to wind down a crazy day with a toddler, a long day at work, or just to relax.

With plenty of summer left, I plan on finding other fun, refreshing, and most importantly, healthy ways to use Zevia’s Tonic Water as well as all of their now color-free and Non-GMO flavors. Check out the list of recipes for their Tonic Water on Zevia’s site for some creative ideas perfect for both kids and adults.

Oh, and maybe it would help if you were to win a 6 pack of Zevia to get things started, huh? Well, lucky you, I have just the thing; a chance for 3 readers, that’s you, to enter for a chance to win a voucher to pick up a six-pack of any Zevia flavor you want!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest ends Saturday, July 4th at midnight. Good luck and be sure to spread the Zevia Love on Twitter by sharing your photos and including the hashtag #TheNewSweet!

Life, Parenting

Still No Giant Tortoise for Father’s Day

06/22/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Last Father’s Day, the first one I celebrated, I had a tiny idea that my wife and mom teamed up to get me a giant tortoise as a gift. If the title confuses you, last year’s post was No Giant Tortoise for Father’s Day, so adding “Still” to my Father’s Day post this year seemed the only logical thing to do.

Unlike last year, I had no reason to believe I would get a giant tortoise for my 2nd Father’s Day celebration. Honestly, I have no clue what I would do with a giant tortoise in our back yard. I guess I’ll cancel my order for this sign though…*sigh*

Actually, if anything, I’d be happy to have less pets. For whatever reason, our Golden Retriever, Abby, and fat black cat, Lou, get on my nerves and are the main reason I vacuum at least twice a day. But Kelley loves them and as long as they make her happy (for the most part), they stay.

Enough about what I didn’t get for Father’s Day, as it was anything but disappointing. We started with Avery waking up earlier than usual (no surprise) and Going Mom making two big batches of French Press coffee. She could’ve stopped there and I would’ve been set for my gifts. #CoffeeAddict

Even on Father’s Day, I like to keep my kitchen duty, so I had a big bowl of blueberry NuttZo oatmeal made for my girls. As they filled their bellies with goodness, I prepped the slow-cooker with a healthy mix of tomatoes, kidney beans, zucchini from our garden, cubed potatoes, onions, and garlic with wild cod on top.

This lets me make one vegetarian meal with beans only, and then another one with the fish. Love the slow-cooker! As I finished prepping, Avery ran around the home and thought Mommy would like several of her sleep pants brought to her.

So thoughtful.

Afterward, we went to the garage where Kelley cut my hair. It was much needed and I think we both agree was the best job she’s done yet! I never complained about the others though, I’m just happy to have shorter hair. Just like my hair, our lawn needed a cut too, so I took care of that rather quickly thanks to our EGO.

Glad I have Avery to turn on the headlights for me!

Feeling extra itchy from my hair and the grass stuck on me, I ran to our neighborhood pool ahead of Kelley and Avery to swim a few laps until they got there. A “few” turned into 1000 meters until they arrived which was more than I’ve done swimming in a long time. Felt good though.

Then we hung out in the kiddie pool and watched Avery walk around all by herself! She loves having the freedom in the water, but we have to be careful since every now and then she’ll trip up and go under. Hunger set in for all of us, so we took the obligatory pictures of each other holding our kid in the pool and were on our way home.

“Just put me back in the water, Dad!”

“Yeah, Mommy knows how to hold me better!”

Kelley and Avery had their usual weekend lunch of steamed broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower with brown rice and wild salmon as I took forever to make the crazy veggie combo I had for the day. Apparently, waking up early caught up to Avery and she fell asleep right after her last bite of food!

We always give her lunch usually right before naptime, but it’s usually a fight to get her to sleep. Not this time. I was even vacuuming (go figure) and used the extension to tickle her feet and she hardly moved. This, of course, meant I had to post it on Instagram.

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A post shared by RC Liley (@going_dad)

Kelley carried her off to bed where she never woke up, but a carrot did fall from her shirt. At least it wasn’t the salmon like she gets on her most times!

For my gifts this year, besides a loving wife, adorable daughter, the best haircut to date, and no giant tortoise, I got another 3 month subscription to the microbrew beer of the month club. I loved this gift last year for my 30th birthday, and am excited to see what I get this time around.

Going Mom also added to the Dad and Avery photo book she made for me last year which I will always hold dear to my heart. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m a sentimental guy, and these things mean so much to me.

A photo book of daddy and Avery from my loving wife!

She was trying to be secretive about adding to the book and was going to use another room, but I noticed that the book was missing from the bookshelf it usually sits on and told her I already knew what she was doing. So, as I write this, she is putting it together in the same room as me, I just agreed not to look. She seems really busy though, and if it’s anything like her previous work, it will be magnificent!

Overall it was another wonderful and successful Father’s Day. Number 2 is in the books (hey, no dirty minds here!) and can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year to celebrate my third Father’s Day. Maybe a giant tortoise?

And, before I go, here is the winner of the PicturesOnGold.Com Photo Dog Tag Giveaway.