Tag Archives: humor

Our Toddler’s Dance Video & A Bottle Trick

03/21/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Avery has been dancing for a couple months now, and I shared a dance video of her getting down with Jay-Z trying to get that “Dirt Off Her Shoulder” in the past.

A video posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Feb 20, 2015 at 9:27am PST

I love watching that over and over, it never gets old, but I’ve been wanting to capture another version of her dancing for a while, and was finally successful. No matter what she’s doing in the house, when the intro music to a podcast I’m listening to comes on, she’ll stop and just bust a move wherever she is.

There have been many failed attempts at getting this on video, but here is my short, but successful video capture of Avery getting down.

I love it! Just another thing that will never get old and I’m happy to be able to share it. Go ahead, watch it again, I bet you’ll laugh harder than the first time. If not, go away, it’s cute and I don’t care what you say!

Today’s post is short and quick since we’re at the DFW Family Expo along with our Dallas Dads Group to be part of a Car Seat Safety Workshop put on by Britax. Going Mom and Avery will have plenty to do and see as I help with our group, but I hope to spend time with my girls too. I’ll fill you in on how it went.

Before I leave, Avery wanted me to show you her new picking up a bottle without hands trick.

First, you have to have it on a flat surface. Or the curved seat of daddy’s indoor rower sitting in the kitchen. Make sure to angle yourself just right before going in for the latch.

Then, with full concentration, latch on to the bottle and bite down hard so it doesn’t drop! Side note: do not do this when actually nursing from your Mommy!

That’s it! Once you’ve accomplished the trick (if you’re good like me), go ahead and reward yourself with a good drink of Mommy’s milk; the best stuff on earth for growing kids!

Annnddd back down to do it all over! One more time after that and it’ll be a successful hat trick!

That’s for the NCAA March Madness followers out there. 😉

Speaking of, I filled out my first bracket ever and had no idea what I was doing. I thought I’d have beginner’s luck, but so far, I suck.

Meh, not a big deal to me.

Are you following March Madness?

How’s your bracket doing?

Any dancing kid videos you’d like to share?

Avery Talk, Life, Parenting

Our Bearaffe Takes on the Snow

02/28/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

There’s a blizzard in Texas! Well, not really, but we got a lot of snow on Friday. And by “a lot” I mean a few inches.

I’m sure anyone in the Boston area would like to punch me in the face for making a big deal about a few inches, huh? I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Plus, I’d at least have enough snow to make a fresh ice pack to put on my face to reduce the swelling. 🙂

This week, we’ve had 2 other mornings that started with snow but quickly melted into mush. Nothing I wanted to let Avery roam around in. But Friday’s snow was an all day event and covered the ground in a beautiful white sea of fluffy snow.

Going Mom was adamant that I take good pictures of Avery in her first snow since you never know how long it will be until it happens again around here. Technically, this wasn’t her first snow, but it was the first time she got to walk around in it and really get the feel of what it’s like.

After she had her breakfast and I had a couple cups of my cold brew coffee, it was time to “bear” the snow. You’ll get the quotes soon.

Our best cold weather outfit for Avery is a pink full-body suit that resembles a bear cub with a hood that has little ears attached. I’ve posted about it several times, and she even had a dark purple one that she outgrew last year.

Wow, time sure does fly! Wouldn’t squeeze her in that suit if we tried now!

Her new suit is a little big on her, but she seems content with wearing it.

Well, sometimes. But since she would be out in the cold walking around in snow, she needed more than the hood that just falls off of her. She need an upgrade to a beanie, a giraffe beanie!

Ummm, look up for the camera, Avery. Please?

Much better. Now the title of the post should make more sense. Bear + Giraffe = Bearaffe and she (it?) is ready to take on the snow!

She started off with confidence despite the snow having her surrounded. After analyzing the situation, she felt it would be best to move around to better assess the situation.

Okay, gaining more confidence. Can’t stop moving, must keep the snow guessing!

Yep, feeling really good at this point. I’m just “walking all over” the snow; literally and figuratively.

Oh, hi there, dad, I thought you told me to be careful. What’s there to be careful about? I’m already a snow pro!

See? Just smilin’ in the snow. I can do anything and go anywhere!

Like all the way in our neighbors’ yard. Look at me just rompin’ and stompin’ like a real bear…

OOoomph! Ummm, just wanted to see what this stuff tastes like, I meant to do that.

I’m good, the snow isn’t, so I won’t do that again. Time for more exploring! So pretty and fun to walk all ov….

Gahhhh, this is annoying…..and cold! Kinda starting to not like this stupid snow.

Okay, I’m up by my face still feels cold. What gives?

Get it off, get it off!

Thanks, Dad. How about next time you NOT take pictures and just help me right away?!

I’m feeling lost. Where am I? Is that silver thing another person?

That’s it, I’m done. I’m going to get up and walk my bear-self back inside. Go ahead, just keep taking pictures and laugh.

My face is so cold, but also burns. What does that mean?

Please, just stop with the pics and take me inside!!

Why did you take me inside? I was just “warming up” out there! Take me ba…

What the crap are you giving me my kettlebell for? This isn’t what I wanted! Just listen to …..oh? Music? I should dance?

Snow, what snow? I love kettlebell dancing!

And that’s pretty much how our snow experience went down on Friday. Avery loves being outdoors, so anytime I take her in, she starts crying, but it didn’t take her long to turn happy and playful again. I’m sure being warm and dry helped!

Do you remember your kids’ first snow or have they not experienced it yet?

If they have, how do they like it? You? I’m not a fan of the cold at all, but if it snows, I enjoy it while it lasts.

Life, Parenting

The First Thing I Do Every Day as a Stay-At-Home Dad

02/07/2015 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

vacuum, cleaning, stay-at-home parent — Use me, don’t abuse me.

Yep, I vacuum, after peeing of course. What, were you expecting some inspirational or motivational task that maybe you could add to your routine?

Sorry if so, but vacuuming should be a part of any household with pets and kids scurrying across the floor. I’ll admit, I was hair-phobic long before we had Avery and would vacuum almost every day already. But now that I’m at home, I feel it my duty to prepare the floors for Avery to ~~crawl~~ run around without collecting gobs of cat or dog hair in the process.

Seeing a cluster of hair whisk across our wood floors sends my already elevated cortisol levels through the roof! To ease everyone’s panic (i.e. just mine) I’m quick to bust out the vacuum for that one cluster and rid the house of its evil.

And then, even if I had just vacuumed, I might as well keep going “just in case” to make sure we’re safe. That is, until the cat comes out for food or our dog wags her tail.

I’m currently averaging a full vacuum twice a day with one first thing in the morning and another mid-afternoon. I don’t “get” to vacuum as much on the weekends because my wife yells at me for being too obsessive. What? Me, OCD? Nahhhhh. Okay, Yahhhhh.

Admittedly, the second one is partly for the crumbs I dropped while cooking meals for all of us and from Avery spitting her food out. Sometimes, pretending she’s a kitty doesn’t even get her to keep the food in her mouth!

No Dad, how about YOU be the kitty this time.

Either way, one of the animals, real or pretend, create a need for me vacuum a second (sometimes even a third or fourth) time for the day. I can’t pinpoint exactly when my aversion to pet hair started since we used to have a husky named Rocky who would sit on the couch with us and I was just fine. Loved that dog……and our cat, Gus.

I think it began around the same time I started getting really into healthy food choices and cooking more instead of going out to eat. Handling food more often means I need to keep my hands clean and free of hair, so it only seems logical. At least to me it does.

Anyway, most mornings I start my day with a nice run of the vacuum to capture loose hair, litter, food, and whatever else lays in the path of the almighty vacuum!

After that, Avery has a wonderfully clean floor (yeah right) to run around on as I go about doing my second (and third and fifth) thing I do every day; cook. The fourth being exercise, duh.