Tag Archives: july 4th

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!

Parenting, Photo Journal

Favorite Photos of our Baby in July

07/31/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

Aaaaannnddd there goes another month! Goodbye, July!

The end of July marks my mom’s (G-Ma’s) birthday, and the anniversary of when Going Mom and I first met. We think it was right before G-Ma’s birthday, but can’t remember the exact day.

11 years have passed since we first met, and we’ve been together ever since. Like most couples in love, there have been ups and downs, but obviously wayyyyy more ups than downs! I love my wife, and I’m happy to share this life with her and Avery.

August 17th will mark our wedding anniversary, and we’re celebrating by staying two nights in a hotel while G-Ma holds down the fort/Avery. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t counting down until this day; we could use the time!!

On the topic of time, I can’t believe July has already passed, but I’m excited to see what Avery will surprise us with next. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this past month; hope you enjoy!

First day of July started with a TMNT fort!!

But don't you love me, Daddy? — I’m a little stinker. But seriously, I’m sitting on a big stinker right now….

Starting to hang out with Daddy in the kitchen.

Crawling in G-Ma's kitchen for 4th of July weekend — Crawling in G-Ma’s kitchen for 4th of July weekend

Hanging out at the pool with G-Ma and Paul

Fourth of July 2014 — My favorite ladies all in one shot!

I don't even know what to say.... — I don’t even know what to say….

You have to have a spoon if you're in the kitchen!! — You have to have a spoon if you’re in the kitchen!!

Night out with my love. BYOB paint class.

Not happy, but I know I'm cute.... — Not happy, but I know I’m cute….

8 Month photo session. Hey bear, I got your nose!!

Okay, I'm a little proud. — Okay, I’m a little proud.

No matter what, I'm happiest when working out in my jumper. — No matter what, I’m happiest when working out in my jumper.

At least she won't be scared of a lot of things... — At least she won’t be scared of a lot of things…

I get lost in the ocean of her blue eyes every time.

Excited about going for a run in the stroller!!

Did I post enough? I had to stop myself from adding more, but hopefully you like what I have. We’re looking forward to another exciting month ahead!

How was your July?

Any plans for August?

Do you have kids going to school for the first time or preparing for another year?

Life, Parenting

Weekend at G-Ma’s Part 2: The Best Cat Toy for Dogs and Babies

07/09/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

If you don’t remember or never read Weekend at G-Ma’s Part 1, we started our second day at G-Ma’s with this…

Sharing a room with your baby is rarely, if ever, an enjoyable experience, and Avery made sure to keep reminding us. We try to let her cry at night if we know her needs are met and it doesn’t go on for over 20 minutes, but things sure are different when you’re right there with the cries!

Avery slept surprisingly well through the booming fireworks, but still woke up for a feeding around 4 in the morning. Thankfully, Going Mom was there to save the day as usual. I have a feeling those boobs can be thought of as a blessing and a curse.

Once we were up, my mom/G-Ma made all of us coffee. Even though she has a Keurig brewer, Kelley and I have been working on reducing our use of plastics (k-cups can be hazardous to our health)so she ground coffee beans to make French Press for us. She also has one of those stainless steel reusable coffee pods and used that as well. Phew, I’m a coffee lover, but don’t want to contribute to growing waste from all of those pods!

As we enjoyed our coffee, we sat in the game room to let Avery play while we watched old home videos of me as a baby. My mom had her VHS cassettes transferred to DVD, and she had been waiting to watch them with us. Meanwhile, Avery must of had a rough night because she went for a little foam rolling session.

G-Ma made sure to get a lot of playtime in with Avery now that she moves more, and I think Avery enjoyed having all of the attention. What do you think?

With the home videos still playing, that’s actually all we watched all day, Avery tried to make a move for the open cabinets. She’s a quick and sneaky baby!

But, G-Ma to the rescue! She found Uncle Preston’s recorder from elementary school and attempted to entertain Avery with her beautiful tunes. By beautiful tunes, I mean random noise, but Avery didn’t mind.

Then it was Avery’s turn to make some noise.

But she decided to just eat it instead…

Once the recorder became a bore (see what I did there?), it was story time with G-Ma. The chose book was an old Barney and Friends book from Uncle Preston’s childhood.

One minute later, and I think Avery was happy to be done with it. Phew, I don’t want to get stuck watching that show over and over again. Is it even on anymore?

Our day mostly comprised home videos and G-Ma playing with Avery. I went for a run on Renfro Street, (literally) my old stomping ground, with nothing but coffee as fuel. After the run, I completed 31 burpees, push-ups, and squats like I’ve been doing every day since turning 30 and then ran to jump in Tim and Melissa’s pool. Ahhhh, refreshing!

When we all needed a break from baby, we found a battery operated cat toy to be the perfect solution. Turns out, this toy with a “mouse tail” that randomly revolved around was great entertainment for Avery and Abby as well as us watching.

Luckily, we capture it on video. Here’s my shortened version with the best parts that I uploaded on YouTube.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRcdkowW2N8&w=560&h=315]

Avery actually had a nap late in the day, and she fell asleep with Going Mom rather quickly at night. But, once again, she woke up several times crying. Kelley tried forever to console her with “the boob”, but even that didn’t work.

I fed her the one tiny bottle we brought along and that helped. I think she was finally exhausted enough to give in and sleep. But she still let out her random cries throughout the night. Ahhh, this two night stay has been exhausting for all of us!

We’re convinced it might have something to do with the fact that we weren’t feeding her solids while at G-Ma’s. At home, we’ve been sitting down and feeding her broccoli, carrots, squash, etc. right before bed, and those must work to keep her satisfied over night.

Shame on us, I think we’ll be more consistent with that now! The next day we enjoyed more coffee together and gathered our things to head home.

Ughhh, unpacking is definitely no fun, and we were at it non-stop most of the day upon returning. Such is the life as parents, huh?

Do you have a pet toy meant for a certain animal but another animal (or human) plays with it?

What’s worse, packing or unpacking? Please share!