Tag Archives: going reviews

Are You Ready to ‘Sleep Smarter’?

02/17/2016 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

I’m a long time subscriber to The Model Health Show podcast created by Shawn Stevenson, a health and wellness professional, author, and awesome dad. His new book, Sleep Smarter, is set to release mid-March and I have the opportunity to help share with you!

For the longest time, I would put sleep way down on the priority list thinking I could get by with 5 or less hours of sleep. After reading and listening to podcasts like The Model Health Show, I learned just how important sleep is for our bodies. Not just for rest, but for happiness, success, and overall well-being.

As part of the Sleep Smarter Launch Team, I will receive a copy of the book before its release for me to review. It’s set to arrive in my mailbox this week and I can’t wait to start reading immediately. Even better, I can read as I settle down for the night and relax on our Naturepedic EOS Series mattress.

Here are the details about the book as listed on the Sleep Smarter book web page:

Sleep Smarter is a fun and entertaining look at how sleep impacts your mind, body, and performance, without skimping on the “how to’s”to get you the sleep you really deserve. Sleep Smarter includes a fresh 14-Day Sleep Makeover Plan to help you optimize your sleep each and every night. This critically acclaimed book is loaded with tips and tricks like.

How to optimize your body temperature to fall asleep faster

How to hack sunlight to regulate your sleep hormones

Which clinically proven sleep nutrients and supplements you need to take and why

Why your mattress may be the cause of more than just sleep problems

The specific time of day to exercise to unlock more rejuvenative sleep

How to properly use therapies like massage and acupressure to quickly eliminate sleep problems

How to instantly reduce stress hormone levels to fall asleep faster and wake up more refreshed
Sleep Smarter is the ultimate guide to sleeping better, feeling refreshed, and living a healthier, happier life.

I know having a quality mattress like what’s provided by Naturepedic is an essential part to a good sleep, but there’s so much to sleep that I never considered before. Sleep Smarter has 21 strategies to attain a healthful, energizing sleep to improve your life. And the stress part? Ohhhh boy, I am ready to learn about that part for sure!

If sleep is something you know you need more of (as most parents do!) or don’t consider that important, I strongly urge you to pre-order the book here. You’ll also receive several amazing bonuses if you pre-order before 3/14/16. I’ll be sharing more about Sleep Smarter and the overall benefits of getting good sleep in future posts, so be sure to check back frequently.

While you’re waiting, pre-order your copy and listen to Shawn on The Model Health Show to learn all about leading a healthy life for you and your family. Speaking of, Shawn is also part of a podcast on fatherhood called The Good Dad Project, another favorite I highly recommend!

Going Reviews

Keep Her Warm and Fashionable with Bootzies: The Original Boot Tights

02/11/2016 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

To avoid any confusion, this is an old post (as you can tell by the pictures of my daughter) that I simply updated. She grew out of the Bootzies, but they were enjoyed while they fit her. Hopefully you’ll give them a try for your little one!

Woot, Summer is gone and Fall/Autumn has arrived! For most of us, this means cooler weather and pumpkin themed everything is starting to appear.

Time to put away your little girls’ t-shirts and short-sleeved onesies and break out the long sleeves, pants, and socks. If your baby is anything like Avery when you try to dress her, the thought of dressing her in more clothes is daunting.

Going Mom and I essentially play a mini version of Twister sans the color dotted mat every time we dress Avery. What’s that? But you love playing Twister? Yeah, so did I, before dressing an unruly baby with crazy-limb flailing about.

A while back, I saw pictures of other babies dressed in boot tights called Bootzies and thought they were (for lack of a better, more manly word) adorable. I wanted these for Avery and knew they’d be perfect for when the Texas heat simmered down.

I reached out to Bootzies asking if they’d be interested in sending some of their Boot Tights in trade for a review, and they graciously agreed!

The creator of Bootzies, Christina, was inspired to create these functionally fashionable boot tights for her infant daughter, Julia. She thought it would be a cute to have cowboy boots for her, but obviously knew the real thing would not be practical. After a little brainstorming, Christina came up with Bootzies. These would allow babies to comfortably scoot, crawl and walk without losing her socks or shoes. Plus, it would always look like her outfit was complete!

Immediately after receiving 3 stylish pairs of Bootzies Boot Tights, I dressed Avery to see how she liked them.

I appreciate how these are pants and socks in one which makes dressing her easier and she doesn’t have socks to pull off right away. I’d say she took to liking them rather fast. Just minutes after having them on, she looked ready to start marching…..and she doesn’t even walk yet!

And with that, I let her march/crawl around the house to get a feel for her new attire. Starting in the kitchen, we crawled around to check things out.

Let me note right now that the Bootzies provide little traction for your crawler when on a wood floor. The carpet is fine, but smooth surfaces provide a challenge when crawling since they slip around. Once they can walk, the grips on the feet will come in handy, but until then have fun watching them scoot around!

Of course, all is well when there’s a walker around to help stabilize in the standing position.

All of the movement must of made her hungry, because before I knew it, she was reaching in the freezer looking for food.

I guess she lost her appetite after only finding frozen broccoli and brussels sprouts since she quickly moved on to see what was happening out of the front window.

I later tried on another pair which I think are my favorite. Dressing her was even easier since I had a better hang of it, and still really love not messing with socks that will ultimately get pulled off within minutes.

This time we started in her room where she had to check out her mini bell wreath on the closet. Then she moved on to her giant farm animal cards and seemed quite interested.

From there, we migrated into the kitchen where she handled the slippery surface better than before.

She even moved some of the rug just to stay on the wood floor. I guess she likes a challenge!

I’m very excited and grateful to have these Bootzies to dress Avery in as the temps drop and the seasons change. Not only are these precious, they make the hassle of cold weather dressing much more bearable!

Besides being slippery on hard floors like wood or laminate, my only other minor issue with these is the grippy part of the foot will easily get turned to where it’s on top of her foot. Obviously, that makes it slippery, but I’m hoping that as she grows, this will not be a problem. Either way, these will get a lot of use this season!

Want to pick up some Bootzies for the little fashionista in your life? With sizes ranging from ages 0 all the way to 4 years old, there’s bound to be a style you’ll love for your little one. Check out their online store here and put in your order before the cold sets in.

Be sure to show Bootzies your love on Facebook and Twitter too. Send pictures of your baby in Bootzies to info@bootzies.net for a chance to have them showcased on their Facebook page and added to their online Gallery.

Have you seen Bootzies before?

Do you have a little girl you know that these would be simply precious to wear?

Full disclosure, Bootzies provided me their products free of charge, but all opinions are strictly my own.

Food, Going Reviews

Naked Nutrition Protein Powders: The Power of Pure

02/09/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Disclaimer: Naked Nutrition provided their protein powders sample pack to me free of charge in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

I’ve had the opportunity to try several high quality protein powders lately, and they have all ranked high on the approved by Going Dad list so far. Some are higher than others, but I’d feel confident giving any of them to friends and family. Oh, and I care about my friends and family, just to make that clear. 🙂

The one thing that sets Naked Nutrition apart from all of the other protein powders I’ve tried is that they are all unflavored. When you check the ingredient list for any of their powders, you will on find one thing, the protein!

See that, right there in bold? Whey Protein Concentrate, that’s it, done, nada, clean and pure. Just my kind of product.

Their whey is sourced from grass-fed cows never treated with growth hormones or antibiotics, is GMO free, has no artificial mumbo jumbo, is cold processed, and full of branched chain amino acids ready to fuel and repair muscles.

Yes, protein powder is still a processed item, but why make it any worse with all of the crap you see in so many powders on the market? Naked Nutrition cuts the crap and gives you the only thing that really matters which earns my full respect. And this is not just their whey protein, but in all of their products!

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy tasty stevia sweetened protein powders, but when I’m having a post workout protein drink, I don’t need something to sip and savor. I simply want a quality protein to get into my system quickly and will just quickly drink it down. To review the Naked Nutrition protein powders I received, this is how I mainly used them.

I sampled these by mixing each one with water in a shaker cup to truly get an accurate taste. Here are my thoughts:

Naked Nutrition Pea Protein

I’ve tried other plant-based powders in the past, but never from peas, so this I had to try first. After mixing in the shaker cup, there was still a bit of chalkiness, but it mixed better than expected. The taste was earthy, as I would expect from a plant, but not unpleasant. What I liked most is that this is protein did not give me any stomach distress which has happened with other powders in the past. I can see the pea protein going well in a green smoothie or mixed with your favorite non-dairy milk if you don’t want to simply mix with water.

Naked Nutrition Goat Protein

Another intriguing, never-tried-before protein I was eager to test. There is a slight scent of goat milk when opening the package which I take as a good sign since it is goat protein. There was only a hint of goat cheese flavor and just in water, the mix turned nice and creamy. We love our goat cheese in this house, so I wouldn’t mind a stronger goat dairy flavor, but even it’s not your favorite, don’t be scared to give this one a try. For smoothies, this would be perfect blended with strawberries to make a creamy strawberry protein shake.

Naked Nutrition Rice Protein

Like the pea protein, this one was a bit chalky, and even a little gritty. The earthy flavor is not as noticeable, but there is also no flavor or creaminess after mixing. Of all proteins, this is my least favorite and one I would not buy if I had a choice. That said, if you need a dairy-free protein source, it’s still a great option since you’d be hard-pressed to find a cleaner rice protein than Naked Nutrition’s.

Naked Nutrition Casein Protein

Casein, unlike whey, is a slow-digesting protein and therefore best consumed at night to allow it work on repairing muscle as you sleep. For that reason, I drank it at night, but still mixed with just water. I enjoyed the creaminess and imagine it being great to mix with Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree for a healthy, muscle building nighttime treat. There was no strong taste, it was actually pretty bland, so it should take on whatever flavor you add.

Naked Nutrition Whey Protein

I saved the most common one for last. As it turned out, it’s also the best in my opinion. Creamy, slightly sweet, and no sign of grittiness. I could easily drink this plain after a workout with no issue. Unlike most whey proteins, there was no associated stomach upset which is HUGE!

Of all of these, the whey was my favorite. It’s easy to mix with anything, provides plenty of quality protein, and even tastes good on its own. For a non-dairy/vegan option, the pea protein is definitely better than the rice. If you want to try them all for yourself, Naked Nutrition offers the sample pack to buy so you can find one that suits your preferences best. naked nutrition protein powder

I know these are all high in price, but also high in quality. The saying “You get what you pay for.” applies here as you are getting protein powders from the best sources and treated with care. I appreciate how much Naked Nutrition cares about their products and how passionate they are, which is something I look for in any business I give my business to. I hope you have the chance to give their products a try for yourself.

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