That Time I Realized She’s Growing Up…..Fast!

When did you first realize your kid was growing up? As first time parents, Going Mom and I never knew what to expect when the realization that our little girl was truly growing up hit us. But now, as she approaches her third year of life, it’s hitting us like Joe Frazier’s left hook to Muhammad Ali in “The Fight of the Century”.

She went from a needy blob of cuteness, to fully functional tot in what seems like the blink of an eye. It felt like forever back then, but now here we are, trying to keep up with her full sentences (including plenty of back talk), constant questioning, and inability to sit still for even a second. No kidding, watching her eat at the dinner table has us stressed out and she falls off her chair several times each night.

This sudden “left hook” has made me rethink what I do each day. I always enjoyed blogging, but it was much easier when our little human couldn’t talk or move that much. Now she’s more mobile than most adults and full of requests to play with her.

Always choose play!
Always choose play!

Before, blogging time was easy to find, but now, between cooking every day, cleaning, working out, and playing with her, there’s not a lot of time left to blog.

When I do find time, I notice that I have lost much of the passion I used to have. I feel guilty knowing I could be doing something else for/with the family or simply reading a book. I miss reading books. Our daughter growing up has helped me to come to a simple conclusion, something’s gotta give. Another stay-at-home dad who blogs as the Sunshine Dad speaks a lot on the same thing in his post, I Was Wrong. Five Kids Is Tough. While I would like to correct “Is” to “Are”, sorry Mike :), and I only have one kid, I share his feelings.

Social media has always interested me, and I plan on sharing plenty of our life experiences on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but full on blog posts will be drastically reduced. I’m always up for sharing a healthy recipe or reviewing healthy food/products, but will not seek them out as much as before. Again, look for all of my favorites on my other social media pages.

Yes, I too feel as if I have some growing up to do, and this precious time with my beautiful wife and daughter means way more to me than blogging. I know I’ve spent too long trying to think of that next good topic to write about or how to spin a story, but for what? Nothing is as important as spending time with loved ones, so that’s what I’m doing.

#mysundayphoto, sunday, parenting, toddlers, cute, kids, dad, family

 

 

You might wonder why, then, I took the time to write this post to the few followers I have. Blogging has always helped me express my feelings, and letting it out there helps tremendously. I feel better after just writing the words above and will leave it at that. This is not the end, just a notice that I’m redirecting my focus on other things/people. Any posts will be short and geared more towards sharing things I’ve ready in the health and fitness world or just a funny pun.

As a side note, I’d like to spend more time designing fun shirts with puns and pictures in my store on Skreened; appropriately named Going Dad. And I’ll leave you with a picture of my little girl and her Daddy (that’s me) rocking my first creation I spent a while designing. If you like it, please feel free to order one for yourself and little ones too!

avery-and-daddy-with-see-you-later-excavator-shirts

Green Toys Rescue Boat & Helicopter Review and Giveaway

What comes to mind when you hear a name like Green Toys? When I first heard of the company, I figured the typical eco-friendly manufacturer that only uses a percentage of recycled material to create products. Well, I was wrong…..

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About Us
At its core, Green Toys Inc. has always been an eco-friendly toy company. In fact, we say that to us, “every day is Earth Day.” Our commitment to sustainability and playfulness is part of our DNA and we hope to inspire others to share in this passion.

From our 100% recycled materials to our US-based manufacturing, we’re raising awareness about sustainability while delivering unquestionably safe products. We believe that the best way to encourage environmental change is through goods people buy and use every day—and in our case that’s children’s products.

We care about your kids – how they play, what they play with, and what the future holds. We are constantly exploring and innovating to deliver the best products possible for a playful planet for all.

I love the philosophy that every day is Earth Day, just as it should be. Since I’ve realized just how passionate Green Toys is about their products and who uses them (our kids), we slowly started collecting a few for Avery. With her current love of all things construction, their construction trucks were an obvious choice. Her first pick was the Cement Mixer (his name is Dizzy), who she only got after being on her best behavior.

green toys, cement mixer, recycled toys, eco-friendly

Cement Mixer was a hit, and it wasn’t long before we added Dumper to her Green fleet. Then I reached out to Green Toys about working together in exchange for another one of their products. Not only did they happily agree to send Avery their Scooper (the last one needed complete her Green Toys construction truck set), but also their new Rescue Boat and Helicopter.

green toys, giveaway, rescue boat, helicopter, eco-friendly

Perfect for play on land or in the water, this set offers plenty of imaginative play time. It’s offers a two-in-one combo with a big yellow helicopter that fits perfectly on the back of a red a light gray rescue boat that floats on water. To operate the machines, Captain Duck and Pilot Bear are included.

Many toys claiming they are great for the water always end up with water stuck inside that never comes out, but not this Rescue Boat & Helicopter. Green Toys designed the boat to open for easy draining and it’s even dishwasher safe. No wonder it won Dr. Toy’s Best Green Toys Award for 2016.

green toys, eco-friendly, made in usa, kids, playing

Made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic with no BPA, phthalates, or PVC, I feel confident in giving my daughter a toy that’s safe and Earth friendly. Even the packaging is made with recycled materials using soy ink for printing.

Avery loved seeing the new boat and helicopter in the box and she started playing with the set right away. She enjoys the helicopter more than the boat right now. But both the Rescue Boat and Helicopter use her trampoline as a giant landing pad shared by her other Green Toys friends. They all get along well together, probably because Avery formally introduced everyone to each other.

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But the helicopter enjoys flying solo every now and then.

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Avery plays with her Green Toys more than anything else right now, and I must admit, I enjoy playing with them too. They are simple without too many moving parts that can break or get lost, and best of all, super fun, safe, and open to using imagination. That said, I don’t enjoy them to the point of hugging…

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How would you like to get your kids’ arms around a Green Toys Rescue Boat & Helicopter of their own? Thanks to Green Toys, they have allowed me to giveaway one set to one of my readers. All you have to do is follow the instructions below to enter. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And maybe, if Avery doesn’t behave, I’ll add in one of her construction trucks to sweeten the deal.

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What?!

Okay, okay, just kidding, I’d never get rid of these toys.

Phew, you're silly, Daddy.
Phew, you’re silly, Daddy.

Green Toys provided their Scooper and Rescue Boat & Helicopter free of charge in exchange for this post. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are 100% my own.

Something Not Mint To Be on Labor Day

We have had a garden full of mint in our backyard for several years. Starting with nothing, it took over everything until all we had was a very fresh garden.

mint, healthy, food, herbs, garden

Avery and I reaped the benefits of mint almost daily by pulling leaves and eating them right on the spot. I’d pick some for her…

mint, healthy, herbs, parenting, real food

…then she’d return the favor. Or should I say flavor?

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Having grown tired of our giant mint garden and wanting more diversity, Going Mom decided having so much of this herb just wasn’t mint to be. With a hoe in both hands and determination annihilate our herbal haven, off she went. But she had to stop for a mo-mint when two big frogs appeared from deep within the bug-rich soil.

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At the announcement of her amphibious discovery, Avery appeared as if out of nowhere to see. She loves finding and catching frogs, lizards, and, much to Mommy’s dismay, snakes. Yes, Daddy loves reptiles and it seems I passed the love down to our daughter. Snakes might be off limits, but Going Mom gets along with frogs, so she caught one for Avery to pet.

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We need to remind her not to pet the eye, but besides that Avery is fairly gentle.

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The frogs felt otherwise, and struggled to escape. Kelley could only hold on for so long, but Avery was adamant about catching them herself.

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She tried, tried some more, and tried again after that, but these big jumpers did not want to play on Labor Day. We tried to explain that the frogs don’t like to be picked up and just want to be left alone, but Avery was like….

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It’s understandable, playing with new creatures is fun and is a wonderful experience, but we must respect them too. My wife worked around the frogs that refused to leave the garden and removed all of the mint just as she said she would. We still have basil in one spot, but for now, no more mint for Avery and I to snack on.

We can get over the lack of mint, but I was concerned the frogs only liked their fresh abode because of the fragrant herb. But, after a short break, we returned to check on the guys and found a new sign posted.

frogs, puns, mint, garden, funny

Guess they still like the spot. Bad news for them since we’ll plant new produce soon. Not sure what, but hopefully it grows as well as their minty predecessor.

Labor Day was fairly low key besides the garden and lots of backyard play. Just how we like it. Now it’s time to find something to plant for the Fall. Any good ideas?