Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

3 Comments Posted on reviews, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Sponsored Post- XFINITY X1 DVR: Taking Entertainment on the Go for Road Trips

DISCLOSURE LANGUAGE

XFINITY partnered with bloggers such as me for this program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. XFINITY believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. XFINITY’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

XFINITY is Coming to Nashville Soon: Google to Go for Road Trips

We all know Google Fiber is coming to Nashville soon, so when XFINITY reached out to me to see what features they offer, I did some research to see what they offer versus their competitors!

XFINITY reached out to me, asking for my help in getting the word out on some of the features that they have to offer.

It’s no secret that here on Family Friendly Daddy Blog, we are a family who loves to travel. Every summer, we fly out to California where my wife is from, and spend time with her side of the family.

XFINITY is Coming to Nashville Soon: Google to Go for Road Trips

Plus here recently, we’ve made 4 day weekend trips to Atlanta in Georgia, Pensacola and Destin in Florida, as well as Asheville and Bryson City in North Carolina.

We are a family who road trips together, that’s for sure. Our 5 and a half year-old son does amazingly well on these long drives; but of course, my wife always loads up the Kindle with kid-appropriate shows for him to watch.

That’s one of the ways that XFINITY comes in to play: With X1 DVR, we can watch our recorded shows from anywhere. That’s a feature that Google Fiber doesn’t offer.

XFINITY is Coming to Nashville Soon: Google to Go for Road Trips

Not to mention, this is our son’s first summer off from school; he’s always been in preschool. But with a baby sister due to be born next week (!), he’ll be home with Mommy and the new baby. I have a feeling XFINITY X1 DVR can come in handy on those rainy summer days.

It allows for 500 GB of storage, meaning there is access to plenty of shows and movies after you download them.

I was curious- I went ahead and checked out which of my son’s favorite shows I recognized in the Family & Kids section of XFINITY TV:

From Disney Junior, I spotted Chuggington, The Octonauts, and Special Agent Oso.

From Sprout, I saw Animal Mechanicals, Caillou, and The Berenstain Bears.

From Cartoon Network, I noticed Legends of Chima and Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu.

On Nick, there is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Henry Danger.

And on Nick Jr., there’s Blaze & The Monster Machines as well as Paw Patrol.

XFINITY is Coming to Nashville Soon: Google to Go for Road Trips

These shows I’ve named are only scratching the surface. The ones I’ve named here are simply the ones I recognize that my son likes and already watches. There are dozens more shows, not to mention movies- and even more channels I didn’t mention.

So there’s my overview of some the features that XFINITY offers in Nashville. I have more to say about XFINITY, but I’ll save it for another post in May. Stay tuned…

XFINITY is Coming to Nashville Soon: Google to Go for Road Trips

3 Comments Posted on Health, parenting, Pregnancy, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: Mommy’s Big Bruise a Week before Your Due Date

39 weeks.

Dear Holly: Mommy’s Big Bruise a Week before Your Due Date

Dear Holly,

On Monday morning, Mommy casually bumped her leg on the side of the bathtub. She noticed it left a bruise.

By the time she got home that evening, she pulled up her pants leg to see if that little bruise had gotten any worse.

As you can see from this picture, the bruise got much worse. It looked like she just smeared black ink over her leg.

I’m assuming blood circulation must be worse in her legs right now during the pregnancy, for such a massive bruise to come from just a minor bump.

So when you read this letter, you’ll know that this was what was going on in our lives, exactly one week before your due date: She had a huge bruise on her leg!

Yesterday Mommy went in for what I assume will be her last visit before you will be born. The technician mentioned that there were pockets of fluid that looked a little low, but that a radiologist would review and make the final assessments on the report. The ultrasound showed you as being 7 lbs. 3 oz., though the technician said that is not very accurate and it’s generally about a pound off.

I suppose our family is as ready as we can be for your arrival. We all got haircuts. Our overnight bags are packed in the trunk. Grandma is flying in from California on Monday. And Nonna and Papa are “on call” for the moment we leave for the hospital.

There’s a very real possibility that since your due date is a week from today, the next letter I write to you will be about your birth!

I’ll be telling how hopefully short the labor was… and how hopefully Mommy went into labor in the morning time so we all had a full night of sleep before you arrive.

We’ll see how that works out, though.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

5 years, 4 months.

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

Dear Jack,

This past weekend for our tradition of being dangerous but not getting hurt, we decided to explore the McCutcheon Creek at Jerry Erwin Park.

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

I insisted that you jump across every possible crevice with water flowing under it, as you have quickly proven you have a remarkable ability to hurdle spaces you shouldn’t physically be capable of.

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

Of course, I made sure you wore your Spiderman rain boots, to be better equipped to walk across the water.

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

While that was a decent amount of fun on Saturday, we decided to venture out again on Sunday for an afternoon of mud.

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

After driving through that big puddle again, we made our way to the field behind Lowe’s, which features the same creek from the park the day before: McCutcheon Creek.

At first, I wasn’t so sure our surroundings would be that unique. That is, until you asked me if you could go down to the water:

You got stuck in the mud on the way there. It was like the mud was pulling you in as you attempted to step out into the nearby water.

I explained to you that’s how quicksand works. As you can see from these pictures, you at some point fell down in it and became what I call a “soggy bottom boy”.

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

It became obvious to me that we will need to be returning this coming weekend to better explore that muddy, swampy part of McCutcheon Creek.

Granted, for all we know, your new baby sister could be born this weekend, which would delay our plans.

But we definitely need to return as soon as possible. That’s because I need to let you get much muddier this next time.

I can help ensure we can be dangerous without getting hurt, but I’m not sure we can get thta muddy without it leaving some stains.

Love,

Daddy

The Quicksand (Mud) at McCutcheon Creek

Leave a comment Posted on Health, Uncategorized, vegan

Our Family was Chosen as Part of The 1,000 Families Project; as The Vegan/Vegetarian Family

1000-families-nick-shell-1

This week our family was chosen to be featured as family #204 for The 1,000 Families Project; which is a celebration of the cultural diversity of literally one thousand different families.

Here’s the link again… 1,000 Families Project Vegetarian Family: Nick, Jill, and Jack

(Click the bold, red letters to see what I mean.)

Without surprise, we, the Shell family serve to represent the 2.5% of the American population who live the plant-based lifestyle: I am a vegan, and my wife, son, and daughter (who is due to be born next week) are vegetarians.

This is clearly not a phase in our lives; we have been this way for several years now. This peculiar yet unpopular lifestyle is undeniably a major part of our identity as a family.

I am very pleased with how the feature on The 1,000 Families Project turned out. One of my main objectives was making it clear that we live this way for health reasons; relating it back to how my health issues (eczema, dsyhidrosis, acne, pet allergies, sinus pressure and infections) all disappeared once I converted.

Looking back, I can remember how I had misguided, preconceived ideas about people who didn’t eat meat (and/or eggs or dairy). I remember assuming vegans and vegetarians must not be getting enough protein or that they must feel weak and low on energy all the time or that they are secretly hungry. For me, it was always a given that vegans and vegetarians must be underweight; being malnourished.

In reality, since becoming a vegan, it’s true I lost a couple dozen pounds, but I have also remained in the perfect weight range for my age and height. To actually live this way has shown me the truth about how this actually works.

It’s important to me that I serve as a rational spokesman for the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. At the same time, I keep a Libertarian approach. Like I mentioned in my recent video, one of the rules of being a cool vegan is to not talk about being a vegan, unless someone asks first.

This blog post is an exception, of course.

Here’s that link, one last time in case you missed it: 1,000 Families Project Vegetarian Family: Nick, Jill, and Jack

4 Comments Posted on marriage, parenting, Pregnancy, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: Mommy is Feeling Miserable Right about Now

38 weeks.

Dear Holly,

Dear Holly: Mommy is Feeling Miserable Right about Now

With your due date being just 2 weeks from today, I get asked by other people on a daily basis how Mommy is feeling.

I always answer honestly and directly:

“She is feeling miserable; as I suspect most women do when they are 8 and a half months pregnant. She can only sleep for a few hours at a time, she’s getting contractions, and she either feels too hungry or too full.”

As much as I hate to see Mommy in discomfort, I have assurance in knowing these are all good signs that you are healthy and growing inside her tummy.

I’ve asked her if she would prefer you be born a few weeks early, but she reminded me that’s not ideal because Grandma (her Mommy) doesn’t fly in from California until the 16th, which is 5 days before your due date in 2 weeks

So if you were to be born early, it would be nice if at least Grandma is here to help. Granted, Nonna and Papa are on call and can be here within about 3 hours too.

I feel that mentally, both Mommy and I are ready for your arrival. I personally am not nervous or anxious about it.

This isn’t our first time to have a baby, so we’re better prepared this time around.

I’m at my worst when I don’t know what I’m doing. But when I am trained on it, no matter how challenging the situation, I can live in confidence knowing I have authority on the subject.

With your arrival, I will not feel like a bumbling idiot trying to figure out what to do. I feel I will be able to appreciate the whole experience that much more.

Obviously, you’re a girl, so there will be new material for me to learn. But as for the basics, I doubt I’ll be in major culture shock.

Love,

Daddy