Month: March 2015

Leave a comment Posted on March 12, 2015 parenting, People, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Why Your Teacher At Rainbow Child Care Center Is Awesome

4 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

You have been attending your new school, Rainbow Child Care Center, for a month now. I’m assuming it’s been pretty obvious in my recent letters how happy our family is with you attending there.

Today, I want take a moment to “feature your teacher”, Ms. Aimee.

She is truly exceptional. She is the ideal teacher I could hope for, working at the ideal school I could hope for you to attend.

Last week she taught you to use a hammer, a real hammer, to build a tiny house, which is currently being displayed in our wine cabinet.

Consider how atypical it is that a 4 year-old gets to build something out of wood, using a real hammer, at his preschool. That is so cool you get to do that.

And this week, Ms. Aimee started teaching you and your friends how to use a sewing machine. I love the super serious look on your face in this picture as you were working on your patch.

This is a quick note she sent me about it:

Here are photos of Jack using a sewing machine for the first time! He observed a couple friends do it first, then, became very eager to try. After learning some of the rules (ie: always watch your fingers) he was a sewing pro! He picked out his fabric, and slowly guided it through the sewing machine. After he was done, he loved showing his project off!

These examples demonstrate not only how much creative control that Rainbow Child Care Center gives their teachers, which I extremely appreciate, but also how creative and talented your teacher is.

To me, that’s all the “Montessori” revealing itself.

Plus, it’s pretty revolutionary and unique that Rainbow Child Care Centers have a kids gym in them, so you are able to physically play- despite the weather.

I can see that every day at your school, you are being creatively and intellectually challenged.

Ms. Aimee inspires you. Because of her, you are now fascinated with pet reptiles and amphibians, since Ms. Aimee has 4 of them in your classroom. I imagine not many 4 year-old boys get to have 4 pet reptiles and amphibians in their preschool classroom as class pets!

It’s no surprise that we bought tickets for Repticon for the weekend after next. I can’t wait to see how much you’re going to enjoy it.

Mommy and I even bought you a gecko stuffed animal as part of your upcoming Easter basket.

Oh, and your class recently won a pajama party due to good behavior. It was a big deal to you!

I obviously recommend Rainbow Child Care Center to any parent who is considering enrolling their child there.

It is a perfect fit for our family and lifestyle.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on March 12, 2015 Uncategorized

Dear Jack: We’ve Been In Our New House A Month… So Now What?

4 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

The way Mommy and I are wired, we have to always have some big project or plan or scheme we are working towards. It’s always been that way with us.

On the surface, there’s a decent chance our family appears to be pretty laid back. In reality, I think it’s that we’re always busy and moving because we aren’t that good at… whatever the opposite of that is.

So I have to admit, it has felt a little strange this week, not having some certain big challenge ahead of us.

We worked our way out of debt for the first 5 years of our (almost) 7 years of marriage (while Mommy earned her Master’s degree), then saved up for this house, then moved into it, and now here we are…

So now what?

I suppose we should simply enjoy our lives now. It’s just not that easy for us.

No, the answer is not simply having another child. Our current state of restlessness is not based on us wanting to grow our family. It’s an option to consider for the near future, as I can appreciate not having two kids in preschool at the same time; but just not something we’re focused on right now.

I think the reality of it is that we need to learn how to enjoy taking it easy. It’s somewhat unnatural for us, actually.

It’s time to start focusing on spending time with friends, learning new songs on the guitar, and planning some new road trips for our family- hopefully “car reviewing season” will be beginning soon.

This is, in essence, a season of the Sabbath for us. Sometimes you really do have to just slow down and appreciate the good things in life.

I’m in culture shock right now. Here’s to trying to just lay low for a while… until that new project presents itself, which I’m sure it will.

Love,

Daddy

1 Comment Posted on March 8, 2015May 5, 2015 funny, Storytelling

Am I The Guy From The Campbell’s Go Chicken & Quinoa With Poblano Chilies Package?

Last night I noticed my sister had sent me a picture on my phone; a picture of who I naturally assumed was me. I figured she had found a picture of me in college or something and was sending it to me for nostalgic reasons.

But as I looked closer, I realized that actually wasn’t me… it was the guy from the front of the package for Campbell’s Go: Quinoa With Poblano Chilies.

That’s when I read the text she sent with the picture:

“I saw this at Walmart and thought it looked like you… if you liked quinoa a little TOO much!”

So I did what any other Millennial guy would do in this same situation: I posted the picture on Facebook and Twitter saying this:

“Anybody seen my latest modelling gig?”

Some instantly assumed it really was me. Others didn’t know. And a few were pretty sure it was a joke. But no one really knew for sure.

Then I created the best replication I could of the original picture to show the similarities; side by side.

I can appreciate the marketing behind Campbell’s Go line-up. I like that they are using black-and-white close-ups of Millennial (Generation Y) models to advertise a simpler, more organic feeling product.

So at this point, while there is still live activity and conversations going on in my social media circles about the similarities between me and the Campbell’s Go: Quinoa With Poblano Chilies guy, I would like to find the actual Campbell’s Go: Quinoa With Poblano Chilies guy and interview him here on Family Friend Daddy Blog.

I have a few quick and relevant questions for him. Obviously, I would like to know some basic stuff like his name and where he’s from.

From there, I’d like to know more about the photo shoot he did for the packaging. I would like to ask him about his ethnic background, comparing it to my own. And I’m curious how old he was when the picture was taken of him; whereas I am 33.

Obviously, I am Tweeting this story to Campbell’s Go and sending the link to them on Facebook. After all, Campbell’s Go is targeted to Millenials, whose culture is embedded in social media conversations.

So I would have to assume someone from their marketing will be eager to reach out to me in a few days. Let’s see if my plan works…

1 Comment Posted on March 5, 2015 new house, Nostalgia, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: The 1st Month Of Living In Our New House

4 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

It was January 29^th, more than 5 weeks ago, that we closed on our new house and began moving our stuff in. The next day, we slept in our new house for the first time.

I didn’t plan to start chronicling each week in our new house the way I’ve done with my letters to you for the past (nearly) 5 years, but it’s just turned out that way (since these posts about our new house have proven to remain very popular among readers).

At this point, we’re obviously settled in our new life, in our new house. Other than finishing up hanging some wall decorations, and waiting on our new sofa to arrive next Saturday, we’re pretty much past the moving in stage.

This past Saturday, it was finally warm enough outside for you and me to go out and play together for the first time in our cul-de-sac. For the past couple of weeks since the big freeze, you had been asking to go play where the neighbors’ remaining snowman is on the sidewalk.

You have collected a decent number of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars that served as great snowplows. In fact, one of them even buried St. Peter in the snow! Fortunately, a dinosaur helped save him, as the shark from Finding Nemo watched from above.

From there, we finally got to walk along the sidewalk trail along the woods, which circles around to our cul-de-sac.

We were able to walk along a treacherous board where the sidewalk ended…

Sit on a broken tree, throw huge rocks…

And even go “fishing”…

Before we headed back to our house, you made a “Mintacinno” out of some things you found on the ground as we walked together.

It’s still currently melting on our front porch right now.

I should also point out this was the week in history in which you obtained “Blueberry”, a new stuffed animal that Mommy and I let you get after your marble set we got you for Christmas got broken in the move.

Blueberry means a lot to you; it’s quite evident. I was surprised you actually let me name your new bear.

It’s funny because actually Blueberry it’s one of those “My First Bears,” designed for newborns.

You don’t see it that way.

As for your new school, Rainbow Child Care Center, things couldn’t be better. Here’s a note I got from your teacher this week:

Hi Nick!

Here are some photos of Jack working on his wood working! He was so proud of himself being able to use a real hammer and nails. He was very adamant about building a house. Even though he hit his finger with the hammer, he was brave and kept going (with a little help from myself). He used paint to decorate his building.He also made an “octopus monster” with Styrofoam.

-Ms. Aimee

It’s been a great first month! This move has been a great thing for us. New house, new school, and a new version of life.

And, thanks to your teacher Ms. Aimee letting us know about it, we ended up buying tickets for the Repticon (reptile exhibition) in Franklin, TN next weekend!

Oh yes, pictures will follow…

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on March 5, 2015March 6, 2015 Health, Uncategorized, vegan

What I’ve Learned From Being A Vegan For The Past 2 Years

It was March 6, 2013 that I accidently decided to become a vegan. Wow, that was a quick 2 years!

In hindsight, I definitely went through a self-imposed, self-advertised, and awkward public transition during the first couple of months that followed. You could say I may have been a little too zealous about my lifestyle change at first; on Facebook, in particular.

Since then, I have grown up; not only in how much more reserved I’ve become on Facebook in general, but also how I communicate regarding stories about my vegan lifestyle.

Over the past 2 years, I’ve learned to become more inviting (and less bold) when it comes to sharing about it all.

It doesn’t help, as I’ve recently learned, that I have a “D” personality; according to the DISC personality test. In other words, I have the most aggressive personality, so I am learning to control how my passion comes across to others.

At first, I was so eager to prove the vegan lifestyle to the entire world.

These days, I simply want to be known as the token go-to vegan in everyone’s social circle. I’m not eager to convert anyone. I’m just simply here to offer information to anyone suffering from chronic sinusitis and/or dyshidrosis (eczema); both of which I am cured of now that I discovered this lifestyle.

For example, being a vegan for 2 years has taught me a simple concept: Mucus in, mucus out.

No one wants to think about this, but ultimately, both milk and eggs contain a certain amount of mucus, from a foreign species.

When a human ingests that mucus (which is a product of the endocrine system, which truly is disgusting when you consider what else the endocrine system is responsible for), it can definitely have negative effects; as mucus itself is a defense mechanism the body to uses to fight off foreign substances.

Therefore, roughly 20% of the American population has chronic sinus and allergy issues (like I did for 22 years). According to my theory here, it’s because they are ingesting the foreign-fighting mucus of a foreign species.

This is not the sort of thing I openly talk about on Facebook, like I did at first. Instead, I reserve it for open-minded/curious people who care enough to actually read an entire post like this.

In addition to learning to be more reserved in my communication about it, another thing I’ve learned is how my psychology has evolved.

I see now that my relationship with food has transitioned from an emotional relationship to a functional relationship.

Well, obviously I’ve survived the past 2 years without eating any animal products (eggs, dairy, meat, etc.). Granted, I had already been a vegetarian for more than a year before my vegan conversion, and had been kosher (no pork or shellfish, etc.) for several years before that.

While some people have assumed it must take extra discipline to live my life this way, I actually believe the indirect opposite is true:

I don’t have the discipline it takes to only say “yes” in moderation to certain foods. But if the rule is consistent, that I can never have certain things (anything that registers 1% of my daily cholesterol or greater), then it actually takes the temptation away.

In the past 2 years, by default, I’ve learned the importance of getting all my necessary nutrition from 6 things: vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.

I’m happy. I’m never hungry. I eat all the time. It works for me.

If you have any questions, I am happy to answer. I want to be known has the friendliest, least annoying, most helpful vegan you know.