All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13 and handsome little boy, Wes, who joined our family on 11/19/17. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, as of 8/17/07. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the utmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

Giveaway, Promo

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, Vlog

Reading “Hey! Wake Up!” By S. Boynton: Avery & Daddy Vlog Episode 2

06/27/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Almost every day, we begin by reading “Hey! Wake Up!” A cute board book written by Sandra Boynton. This has been the current routine for at least 2 months now, and Avery is finally starting to actually go through the moves as I read.

She still has some work to do with yawning and stretching, but touching her feet/toes and doing the “shimmy, shimmy, shimmy” gets better each day. As any parent knows, routines can and do change quickly, so my wife and I are trying to hold on to this one as long as possible.

Unlike our first Vlog episode where you were graced with staring at me holding Avery as she chewed a piece of food and I desperately tried to get her to do something, anything, she was more lively this time. She actually got upset when I turned the camera off, so maybe there’s hope for more exciting vlogs from Avery and Daddy to come!

I’m trying to avoid editing anything and just posting the raw video we create each time. Obviously, there will be times when I need to shorten parts where everyone is off screen or because of some toddler mishap, but otherwise what you see is what I recorded. Time is precious, and there are flips to do and more books to read off camera!

By the way, our book collection keeps growing around here. Not only for Avery’s sake, but for our sanity as well. Reading the same book about how Hippos Go Berserk! will drive anyone…..errrr, berserk! That said, it is a cute book and Going Mom’s favorite.

Well, I’m typing with a left thumb that’s missing a nice chunk from the tip. This makes it difficult to type, so I’m off to try and regrow some skin and enjoy the weekend with my girls. This weekend is going to be low key since we have a Fourth of July 5k to run next weekend!

What did you think about the second episode?

Any suggestions for what episode 3 should be like?

Earn Income, Promo

Why Puerto Rico Will Have You Saying “It’s Rum Time!”

06/26/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rums of Puerto Rico for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever visited Puerto Rico? I have yet to go, but I do have a really cool uncle from there. That counts for something, right? Until Avery is older, I think we’ll hold off on making that trip. I’ve grown fond of sipping on a quality spirits over the years, and find that rums from Puerto Rico yield that smooth taste I look for in a drink. Probably has something to do with the fact that Puerto Rico has been distilling rum for over 450 years and is the Rum Capital of the world.

If you weren’t aware, 450 years is a long time, and a lot has happened in that time. Thanks to Rums of Puerto Rico and HISTORY.COM partnering to create a new web video series called Rum Times, we can explore world history through the eyes of Puerto Rican rum.

The series plays on the idea that, because Puerto Rico has been distilling this spirit for more than 450 years, Puerto Rican rum has probably been at the celebrations of many historical milestones throughout history. Rum Times imagines behind-the-scenes parties and celebrations of important achievements such as the quest for electric light, the development of motion pictures, and the invention of sports. It’s an exciting way experience Puerto Rico and its unique rum like never before.

There are two episodes available for viewing now, and in the first one, you learn about Thomas Edison’s quest for electric light and what role Nikola Tesla played in helping with this major discovery. I’d bet a good bottle of Puerto Rican rum these two celebrated their findings with a glass of rum from Puerto Rico.

Whether they kept their drinks neat, on the rocks, or made a mojito, I’m not sure, but I know they had a perfect reason to celebrate with this satisfying spirit. I prefer my rum over ice, but if I were to make a cocktail, the mojito would be my first choice. By the way, the mojito was supposedly the drink of choice of Ernest Hemingway, which I’m sure helped with many of his writings.

Did you know that Rum is a by-product of sugar production where sugar cane juice is turned into molasses? Thanks to the sugar cane workers, they realized you can ferment the molasses with water to create this wonderful spirit. Almost two-thirds of the rum in the U.S comes from Puerto Rico which is why it’s known as the Rum Capital of the world. Brands we know and love like Bacardi and Don Q all come from Puerto Rico and are my top choices for rum.

I don’t drink often, so I like to savor quality drinks like Puerto Rican rum when I do. After visiting Rum Times and learning about Puerto Rico’s rich history along with finding cocktail recipes anyone can enjoy, I suggest you head on over yourself and find out why you’ll be saying “It’s Rum Time” in no time! Once you do, please come back and let me know what you think of the site and which Puerto Rican rum you’re going to try first.