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!

#MySundayPhoto, Parenting

Tear for Mommy: #MySundayPhoto – 06.28.15

06/28/2015 R.C. Liley 12 Comments

Just this past week, Avery seems to have taken on the “terrible twos” duty 5 months too early. She is climbing, crying, and clinging more than ever before which means my wife and I need hurry and adapt to the increased energy very soon!

In the mornings, as Going Mom is getting ready for work, Avery hardly cares what I’m doing and wants to spend all of her time “helping” Mommy as she tries to get ready. Sometimes Nuttzo and banana helps deter her, but when the hair dryer comes on, she’s gone.

I feel bad when the only thing to do is just shut the doors to keep Avery from going in to throw everything out and tug at my wife as she tries to get ready, and I know it hurts Kelley too. Even though I know it’s all phase (isn’t everything, really?), it hurts me too when she could care less about Dad when Mom is around.

This really only happens in the morning, but still, no parent would like the feeling I’m sure. I could babble on, but today’s picture was captured just after Kelley left for work and Avery was crying for attention. She doesn’t cry when my wife leaves, just while she’s there.

She gets over things quickly and we usually have a fairly good day, minus the crazy toddler part, but seeing the tear just makes things so dramatic. Besides the drama, I love the photo, and of course her beautiful blue eyes.

Does your kid go through phases of liking one parent over the other?

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?