Tag Archives: going reviews

Help Show the World Why “Sometimes You Need A Jellyfish”

Going Mom and I have been reading more to Avery lately, and although she loses interest rather quickly, it’s apparent that her interest level is increasing. When reading to a baby or any young child, there are a few “must haves” I look for when choosing a book.

The book must have great artwork. Not like “Mona Lisa” art, but big, bold animations with bright colors that seem to jump right out at you. The words need to flow along smoothly and not have you backtracking because a sentence didn’t seem to fit right. This equals instant attention lost from Avery, and I’m sure most other little kids too.

Also, I need something engaging, something I can get into and emphasize words that need to be emphasized by changing the tone and volume of my voice. These key criteria, when combined, make for a wonderful parent-child bonding experience we should enjoy on a daily basis with our children.

Such a book meets and exceeds these “must haves”, and needs your support to help get it published. The book is called Sometimes You Need a Jellyfish, and is written and illustrated by Christopher Routly. Chris is a fellow stay-at-home dad to two boys, ages 6 and 3, and finds inspiration through is daily adventures with them.

Sometimes You Need a Jellyfish begins with two brothers packing to visit their grandparents when the younger brother reveals that he packed a jellyfish.

The story then flows along as the little brother proceeds to give reasons for why you really do need a jellyfish sometimes.

Just reading the story by myself, I found that I was instantly engaged from the beginning and each rhyme-filled sentence flowed wonderfully into the next. I imagined Avery’s eyes filling with excitement as I read through the book, changing the tone of my voice and took pleasure in the thought of her having fun and reading along with me.

With fun characters, excellent illustrations, and a catchy story that rhymes and flows with ease, this is a perfect book your kids (and you) will want to read over and over again. In this book’s case, there are not many more jellyfish in the sea. Pun intended. 😉

Christopher Routly is a fun, loving father and husband who has published several other fun children’s books centered around the alphabet. You can find out more about these books on his blog, The Daddy Doctrines.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1606880501/sometimes-you-need-a-jellyfish-childrens-book/widget/video.html

To find out what inspired Chris to write a book about a jellyfish and to help support his efforts in getting his book, a guaranteed instant family favorite, head on over to his Kickstarter page now. While there, you’ll learn why sometimes you need to help make Sometimes You Need a Jellyfish a reality!

Make sure to stop by the Sometimes You Need a Jellyfish Facebook page to like and share with friends too!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1606880501/sometimes-you-need-a-jellyfish-childrens-book/widget/card.html?v=2

Embassy Suites Downtown Fort Worth Review: I Slept In My Boxers!!

Did you know sleeping naked is actually the best and healthiest way to sleep? I haven’t done it myself, but I used to be a boxers only sleeper before Avery was born. But now that she’s here and could possibly wake at any hour and require either Going Mom or me to tend to her, I have slept fully clothed; socks included.

Only recently have I started to sleep without a shirt again, but shorts and socks remain. I just want to be ready for anything, plus, it would suck if a robber broke into the house and I jumped out of bed fully nude. Talk about being defenseless!

Yesterday, I shared the recap of our 7th wedding anniversary where we stayed the weekend at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Fort Worth. I already shared a lot about our stay in that post, but I’ll summarize again here.

I had originally reached out to Embassy Suites a month prior to our stay asking for a complimentary room in exchange for a review. It was a long shot, but I felt I had something to offer and figured it never hurts to try. Instead, I received a reply from Michelle who, a sales coordinator for Embassy, whom kindly declined a complimentary stay, but offered champagne and fresh berries on the house.

First off, I was just happy to see a reply, and with the offer of champagne, Kelley’s favorite beverage, I was ecstatic! I booked the room and waited for the day to come.

Fast forward to our arrival and we were kindly greeted at the check-in counter which only took 5 minutes. Michelle hadn’t left for the weekend, so I asked to meet her and not long after I was shaking her hand and introducing my bride of 7 years to her. She was full of smiles and offered several suggestions on things to do while we were there.

After a little small talk, Kelley and I eagerly went to our 7th floor room (#712) as if the celebration didn’t start until we walked through the door. Kelley was surprised to see the champagne and berries setup and it didn’t take her long to figure I had something to do with it. She’s a smart one!

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Embassy made sure to treat us right and gave us quality brut champagne, not some cheapo brand we never heard of before. The TV was already on when we walked in, and since we haven’t had the TV on at our house for weeks, we stared in awe for a moment.

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Champagne and TV aside, the room itself didn’t scream “romance!” or really even feel all that clean. The green carpet’s old age was apparent with dark spots in high traffic areas and a dull appearance all over. The chaise and sofa were nice to have, but again, they had seen better days and weren’t as comfortable as I would like.

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One of the benefits of Embassy Suites is, as the name implies, each room is a suite. Each guest has their own fridge and microwave along with another sink area separate from the bathroom. This proved very handy for a breastfeeding mother like Kelley who still needed to pump and store milk. She had plenty of space to clean and dry her essentials.

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After settling in our room, we walked to the Manager’s Reception that Embassy offers its guests every evening from 5:30 to 7:30 with complimentary food and drinks. Most places with free food and drink that I’ve seen only offer low quality junk you couldn’t pay me to consume, but here they had a nice selection of fresh veggies and plenty of alcoholic beverage options.

It was an odd mix, but Kelley and I both had the fresh veggie assortment along with our alcohol; beer on tap for Kelley, and scotch for myself.

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We brought these back to our room to enjoy in peace and even made use of the old couch. Hey, it’s not so bad when we are together and have something good to drink!

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After finishing our drinks and snacks, we spent the evening walking around downtown and enjoyed a craft beer from a local brewer. By the time we made it back to the room, we were pretty tired and ready for sleep. That night I did something I hadn’t done in a long time; took off my socks to sleep!

Sleeping in bare feet was wonderful, but the A/C that rattled periodically during the night was not, and the king-sized bed was not as comfortable as we had hoped. Kelley seemed so far away from me and I felt as if I could do a full barrel roll to make my way to her.

I should note that we have a very firm Tempurpedic mattress at home, and do not like soft mattresses like what we had in our room. So, if you like them, you probably would enjoy it more than us.

The next day, I visited the complimentary (I love that word) cooked-to-order breakfast offered to all guests and brought back tasty egg white omelettes and coffee before Kelley was awake. We both enjoyed our breakfast and even had seconds!

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I also made use of the in-room coffee maker and coffee to enjoy another cup. I love when the provide green tea and coffee as I have them both every day! The tea and coffee in our room was of good quality and provided the perfect caffeine fix.

The rest of our Saturday was spent kayaking and venturing the streets of downtown, but we made it back to enjoy another round at the Manager’s Reception. I have an obvious addiction to free things as I wound up with several glasses of vodka, scotch, and bourbon, all on the rocks. Those plus my free refills at Starbucks and the champagne easily satisfied my free addiction!

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I hardly drank much of the liquor, but it was just the fact that I could get it that made me order more. Kind of like in Las Vegas, you know? Okay, I admit it, I’m cheap.

That night, we setup my laptop to watch videos on Netflix and then went to bed. This time, I slept in just boxers! Wow, it’s been a long time and I forgot how wonderful and less restricting that can be! The A/C still rattled and the bed was still too soft, but I was happy about my boxer-only sleep.

I took advantage of the cooked-to-order breakfast once more the next morning, and Kelley joined me to go back for seconds. The omelettes were just as good as the day before and wish I could have them every day!

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Check-out was a breeze and was taken care of without the need to visit the front desk. Besides the aging features of our room, we still enjoyed our stay and were sad to have to leave so soon.

I understand the hotel itself is old, so the carpet and sofa were not a big surprise, but it might be time for a refresh soon. One area that Embassy surpassed my expectations is service. Everyone we spoke to had a smile on their face and helped us if we needed it.

Mark, one of the staff tending the Manager’s Reception made a point to remember my name and we had a decent conversation where he actually sounded interested. Even as the day grew more demanding, he’d help me out if he could and I fully appreciated his assistance every time.

Same for the cooks who made our omelettes every morning. Per my request, they left the oil off the pan and cracked fresh eggs to separate the yolk from the white for our platters. They had a container of egg whites from the factory, so this is not a normal thing for them to have to do.

Although it lacked luxury, that wasn’t what we came for, and the Embassy Suites in Downtown Fort Worth was good enough. For a conveniently located place to stay, it was great, and I thank Michelle and everyone else who helped us for the wonderful hospitality.

If you’re ever around the Fort Worth area, check out Embassy Suites for good place to stay. The Manager’s Reception and breakfasts are reason enough, especially if you have kids!

Be sure to like Embassy Suites Downtown Fort Worth on Facebook and stay in the loop with any updates.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review in any way and all opinions are strictly my own.

Have you stayed at an Embassy Suites before? What did you like or dislike?

Going Reviews: Down To Earth Toys – Eco-Friendly Toys for Kids of All Ages

Having a baby certainly opens your eyes to so many things never considered before; at least not for me. Sure, I’ve looked into safe plastics for heating and storing food, but never thought twice about the hidden dangers in plastic toys. And now with Avery’s teething in high gear, she’ll try to chew on ANYTHING!

Even if the toys are touting a “BPA Free” label, chances are they come from China (seems like everything does) and even if they have since stopped using lead paint as was an issue before, I don’t have a lot of trust left. Plus, if Avery is going to chew on something, I’d rather it be something natural and free of chemicals.

Enter Down To Earth Toys; a family-owned and operated business making earth-friendly toys from the USA and Europe. You won’t find chemical-laden toys from this eco-conscious business who strive to be as “Green” as possible by recycling and re-using whenever possible.

Needless to say, I was excited to find Down To Earth Toys in my search for safe, economical and non-plastic toys for Avery. To add to the excitement, I was thrilled when Carrin from Down To Earth Toys agreed to send their wooden Cherry Clutch Rattle with a heart!

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The rattle is as smooth as the finest silk and handmade craftsmanship is of the highest quality.

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Immediately upon receipt, I took the rattle from its thoughtful packaging and handed it to Avery for the official first review.

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Although it’s called a rattle, it doesn’t sound like what you’d hear in a typical plastic rattle with the raspy sound. Since this is wood, it’s more of a very soft clunky noise that won’t annoy you after a minute of shaking. Plus, who has time to shake when your baby fangs need soothing?

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Avery took to her new wooden toy with glee as I took her plastic toys away. She didn’t seem too upset…

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We now play with/chew on the rattle every day and I’m grateful to have something made in the USA from a well-deserving family owned business like Down To Earth Toys.

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Since Avery’s first birthday is fast approaching (so it seems), I think we’ll be perusing other toys they sell soon. They also make great gifts!

Be sure to check out and “Like” Down To Earth Toys on Facebook to keep up to date on new toy arrivals and specials.

Thank you, Carrin, for allowing me the opportunity to review one of your many awesome children’s toys!