Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

2 Comments Posted on fatherhood, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: You are Trying Violin Lessons for the Summer

6 and a half years.

Dear Jack,

A couple of weeks ago as our family was driving down the Interstate, your sister was having a hard time falling asleep that morning. Mommy turned the radio station to 91.1, which is the classical musical station.

You call it “the violins.”

During the time it took to get your sister to sleep, you were staring out the window listening to the music. To my surprise, you sincerely enjoyed what you were hearing.

You expressed this out loud.

Within a few minutes, you proclaimed to Mommy that you would like to learn to play the violin.

Well, it was an easy sell.

It’s the summer. You’re a very intelligent boy. You need something challenging and productive to do to keep your brain engaged in things beyond shark and dragon games on the Kindle.

So this week, I took you to a performance center, just around the corner from our house where they teach violin lessons. How convenient!

We got you fitted for your violin. You’ll be starting your lessons soon!

Granted, Mommy and I are just having you try this out for the summer. We’re not expecting you to become a prodigy at this. You may decide by the end of the summer that this just violin thing just isn’t for you.

We are just so proud of you for wanting to take on this challenge, on your own. You have truly been so excited for the weeks leading up to this.

Who knows? Maybe you will truly end up committing to it. Maybe you’ll continue playing the violin beyond the summer of 2017. Maybe this will even led to you playing other instruments as well.

A 6 and a half year-old boy who is genuinely excited about learning to play the violin. Seriously, how cool.

Love,

Daddy

4 Comments Posted on fatherhood, Health, parenting, Uncategorized, vegan

This is 36: I Hate Onset Diabetes Enough to Prevent It (Inside the Mind of a Crazy Vegan Dad!)

Something peculiar I have learned over the years about my active, plant-based lifestyle is this:

The most outspoken (and predictable) demographic who opposes my lifestyle consists of overweight men who have onset diabetes.

When they learn I don’t eat meat, dairy, eggs, or drink soda, and that I haven’t for over 4 years, they scoff at the concept. They basically mock me for “not getting enough protein.” They insinuate that because my kids are vegetarians, I am depriving them of proper nutrition as well. They have clearly told me on multiple occasions that there is no way I can possibly be healthy, since I am a vegan.

Have you processed the irony yet? These claims about my health are coming from overweight men with onset diabetes.

People who are officially not healthy are confidently telling me how unhealthy I am.  What?!

No other demographic is more openly opposed to how I live my life.

I don’t argue with them, though. I choose to let them continue to believe their version of reality. I am so confident in my beliefs, that I have no desire to try to convince them that my way is superior to theirs.

My motivation is to not become like them, in both their closed-mindedness and in their physically unhealthy state of being.

For me it’s pretty simple. I know that both an increased intake of processed sugar and meat lead not only to onset diabetes, but also prostate cancer.

I refuse to become another stereotype 20 years from now.

Therefore, I eat only plant-based foods, just 6 “food groups”:

Vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds.

I consume zero percent of my daily cholesterol (which is a default of the vegan lifestyle), while still consuming at least my minimum of daily protein and fat intake. My doctor has confirmed I am healthy and getting enough protein; and that I am healthier than most men my age.

Not to mention, I am perfectly in the healthy weight range for my age, height and weight. In other words, I am neither underweight nor overweight.

But what I eat is only 80% of it. The other 20% of what helps me avoid prevent diseases and health issues is the fact that I faithfully exercise and work out.

Being the busy full-time working husband, dad, blogger, and YouTuber that I am, I make my hour long lunch break at work my time to work out.

It’s basically a Triathlon of running 2 miles, along with either mountain biking or skateboarding.

This particularly diet and workout plan is what works for me personally. Before I became the crazy vegan, I was not consistently happy with my health.

I have nothing to prove to overweight men with onset diabetes.

I only have something to prove to myself:

That I indeed have much control over preventable diseases and health problems.

-Nick Shell, vegan, age 36

 

Top photo: Jasmine Moreno

 

If you found this blog post mildly intriguing, then you will definitely enjoy…

Top 10 Reasons My “Diet” is Consistently Successful and I am Still Healthy & Fit at Age 36 (from a Non-Vegan, Non-Vegetarian Perspective)

1 Comment Posted on reviews, Uncategorized

Update: The Winner of the PureClean XL Rolling Steam Cleaner… Plus, the 1st 20 People Will Be Fully Reimbursed for Their Purchase!

And the lucky winner of the PureClean XL Rolling Steam Cleaner is…

But what about the people who didn’t win? Well, you can still kind of get one for free through Pure Enrichment:

Send an email to mat@pureenrichment.com and if you’re one of the first 20 people, you’ll receive a follow-up email with the details.
Pure Enrichment can offer a reimbursement for the FULL amount of the purchase on one of the following sites: Amazon.com,Walmart.com, or Target.com.
You buy the unit, submit your receipt, and they send them a check for the full amount of their purchase.
A big factor is to help generate reviews on websites like Amazon.com,Walmart.com, and Target.com. Although it is not required, is it kindly requested by Pure Enrichment.
The goal would be to encourage you to leave their honest reviews online. Although it isn’t mandatory, they greatly appreciate their support.
But don’t forget to take the first step, and that’s to first email Mat:

mat@pureenrichment.com

Thanks for participating!

Original blog post:

After having been in our “new” house for 2 and a half years now, we still love our home very much. But naturally, some of the shine is going to wear off in that amount of time.

For example, just a few weeks ago when we got home from the pool, my wife looked at the carpet in our living room and stated, “Seriously, we need to get this cleaned professionally or something. Our carpet is only a couple of years old but it looks a lot older than that.”

She’s right. We opted for the “2nd from the lowest grade” carpet when we were having the house built. I didn’t see the point in purchasing a higher grade carpet, only to have to roll that into our mortgage and pay interest on it, when carpet isn’t meant to hold up for the duration of us paying off our mortgage.

Then, amazingly, just a few days later, I was contacted by the folks at PureClean XL Rolling Steam Cleaner.

They asked me if I’d be interested in receiving their product and conducting a giveaway for one lucky reader out there. That’s some perfect timing…

Obviously, my wife is very happy about our new PureClean XL Rolling Steam Cleaner. I have no reservation in admitting I am Chandler Bing, and I married Monica Geller.

If you asked her if she loves cleaning, I bet she would deny it. But after being married to my wife for 9 years (as of next month), I believe she secretly loves cleaning.

Don’t tell her I said that, though.

Product Features

  • 18-PIECE HEAVY-DUTY SET: Includes all the essentials needed to effectively steam clean your home both indoors and outdoors
  • ALL-NATURAL STEAM CLEANING: 1.5-liter water boiler produces up to 45 minutes of continuous hot pressurized steam to naturally eliminate grease, grime, mold, stains, and bed bugs without harsh chemicals
  • SAFE TO USE A VARIETY OF SURFACES: Feel confident cleaning a wide range of surfaces including ceramic tile, granite, waterproof wood flooring, laminate tiles, most cotton and wool carpets, and washable wallpaper
  • EXTRA-LONG POWER CORD: Extended 16-foot power cord makes it easier to steam clean throughout your home and includes a cord wrap for compact storing
  • 5 YEAR WARRANTY: Your satisfaction is guaranteed with Pure Enrichment’s industry-leading warranty program
Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, People, Uncategorized

7 Intriguing Science Experiments for Your Kids (By Guest Blogger, Sandra Cobain, of Best for the Kids)

As we all know, getting our kids to take an interest in school and lessons and homework and all the rest is a complete nightmare. Going through my kid’s textbooks, dated from at least five years ago, all I could see was boring diagrams, tedious equations and faded pictures. It’s no wonder that kid’s these days play up in school because they find it so hard to engage in lessons.
One of biggest subjects my kids find it hard to get into is science. Whether it’s biology, physics or chemistry, the long words, meanings and just the overall concepts can be extremely difficult to explain, especially to a child. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be the case.

By putting the infographic below from BestForTheKids.com to good use, you will be able to stimulate your children’s minds, showing them how fun and exciting science can be with these seven simple experiments:

 

• The Fire-Proof Balloon
• The Straw Through the Potato Experiment
• The Water Defying Gravity Experiment
• The Egg & Toothpaste Experiment
• The Tea Bag Rocket Experiment
• The Turning Pennies Green Experiment
• The Making Fake Snow Experiment
These are all incredibly easy experiments that you can conduct in the comfort of your own home and they’re sure to leave your kids stunned and excited. Who knew science could be so fun? All these experiments are incredibly fun and will help you introduce your child to the wonderful world of science!
 

Infographic by BestForTheKids.com

1 Comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack:  Our Break from the Real World (Ride the Lightning 2017 Toyota Prius Road Trip)

6 and a half years.

Dear Jack,

After nearly a week of adventures in Florida, our vacation was coming to an end. The treasure hunt. The go-karts. Watching UFC and the ongoing Harry Potter movie series before bedtime at the condo.

Undeniably, our family’s “Ride the Lightning” tour of Destin would not have been the same without Uncle Joe and Aunt Rebecca there with us; as they drove over from Pensacola to join us. I’m so glad you got to spend quality time with them, as they stayed at the condo with us for the last part of our trip.

At Miramar Beach, you got to attack Uncle Joe at the beach with goopy wet sand. He just went along with it.

Back at the condo, you were able to introduce him and Aunt Rebecca to the Jack version of the rules of Monopoly…

It had more to do with “unlocking” the animals from the kennels after making enough money to buy them.

Even your sister played. She was eager to get her hands on that money…

While it might sound crazy to say that we took you and your 1 year-old sister on a 7 hour trip to Florida, and back, I’m just grateful we were all able to get away with it.

We needed a break from the real world. We got it.

And our successful trip proves that we can, and will, do it again.

I loved how on the last day together, as we had lunch at Whole Foods, Aunt Rebecca asked you, “Jack, I’m going to miss you. Are you going to miss me?”

Very emotionless, very monotone, and without any thought, you instantly mumbled back:

“I dunno.”

You may not have the capacity to truly express missing someone yet, but I can answer for you:

Yes. Yes, you will.

Love, Daddy