Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

Leave a comment Posted on Nostalgia, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Your Self-Assigned Lego Homework Project

4 years, 2 months.

Dear Jack: Your Self-Assigned Lego Homework Project

Dear Jack,

A week from today will be your last day at your preschool, with the big move into our new house being next weekend.

At night during dinner, all this week, you’ve been working on a special Lego plane. You instructed me to build something too, so I did.

Well, this morning you asked me to find a bag to put your plane in: The time had finally come to reveal your new creation to your friends and teachers at school.

So I found a Kroger bag and placed your plane inside it; keeping it up front with me in the car for the drive.

Once we arrived in your class room, you whispered to me, “Daddy, the plane.”

So I pulled the plane out and handed it to you.

Immediately, your friends ran over, crowding around you. They were sincerely and thoroughly impressed with your work.

“Wow, Jack! Is that Michelangelo in there driving it?” your friend Joshua asked.

Keep in mind, just a few weeks ago, you built that Lego hospital at school that all your friends protected.

I struggled to snap a few pictures of the event today, as it was truly a challenge for me to get a shot of you holding the plane without one of your friends blocking my view.

In the midst of all the I wanna see!’s from your friends, I realized that most them are a year older than you. They are 5; you are 4.

Witnessing this today made me sort of feel like the dad of Doogie Howser or something.

Even now, I’m thinking, “Man, my son diligently worked on a Lego plane that impressed his older friends. He must be a Lego prodigy… That’s pretty cool!”

Ultimately, this is one of those “dad moments” for me. I am proud of you, Son.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on new house, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: The Final Walk Through/Punch List On Our New House

4 years, 2 months.

Dear Jack: The Final Walk Through/Punch List On Our New House

Dear Jack,

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t looking forward to today, which was the final walk through of our new home, where Mommy and I went through the “punch list” with the builder and our real estate agent.

Turns out, the builder was really cool, and was very quick to place a piece of blue tape on blemish any of us saw. (We left you at school for this visit of our house.)

I was fearing we’d discover something major today. Something that would delay our closing date next week. Nada.

Dear Jack: The Final Walk Through/Punch List On Our New House

All of the blemishes we found can be easily mended by the builder and his men over the next 7 days, before we officially close on our house.

Which, by the way, think about this: We are scheduled to move in next weekend!

We found the head of a screw sticking out from our marble counter top. The ceiling porch light has a big crack in it. One of the fence posts is broken. The smoke alarm needs new batteries. Two of the bulbs in our kitchen light fixture need to be replaced. Some of the brown paint from our yard fence got on the wooden siding of our house.

Dear Jack: The Final Walk Through/Punch List On Our New House

We also noticed some final finishing touches today that weren’t complete last weekend when we visited. The front door is now painted and the inside appears to have a new coat of pain.

Dear Jack: The Final Walk Through/Punch List On Our New House

Today was also our first opportunity to truly survey our backyard. It’s bigger than Mommy and I realized. The fence being in place shows us we actually will own at least 3 or 4 wider of a plot then we knew about.

Dear Jack: The Final Walk Through/Punch List On Our New House

Oh, and here’s a funny story that happened in the midst of all this today…

"periwinkle"

Our next door neighboor’s house, which is being simultaneously built alongside ours, just got its front door and shutters painted.

The neighbors chose “periwinkle” for their accent color. Mommy arrived a few minutes before I did and warned me about it.

By the end of our walk through, about a 2 hour process, the builder had already received enough complaints from all our surrounding future neighbords about the color choice.

Twilight-Sparkle-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-20571945-570-402

So now the color will have to be changed. All is well… our next door neighbors won’t be keeping purple doors and shutters that look they were designed by Twilight Sparkle from My Litte Ponies: Friendship is Magic.

As the building and buying process wraps up, here’s what lies ahead:

In a week, we’ll visit the house again, to make sure they fixed everything on our “punch list” today. From there, we’ll sign the final paperwork and officially close on the sale of our new house.

All Lord willing, of course.

Dear Jack: The Final Walk Through/Punch List On Our New House

Hopefully sometime soon, we’ll finally receive that reimbursement from the sale of our townhouse which occured a few months ago; which I’m aching to write about but I just don’t have closure with yet because I want to know how much money we made. It’s a form of closure for me.

And next weekend, Nana and Papa are coming up to help us make the big move!

We’ve still got a lot more hard work ahead of us…

Love,

Daddy

 

Leave a comment Posted on Health, Uncategorized, vegan

Recipe For The Vegan Fruitcake Breakfast Smoothie: Williams-Sonoma Smoothie Week

After recently discovering my post, Recipe For Vegan Banana Split Milkshake With No Added Sugar Or Anything Artificial, from last summer, Williams-Sonoma asked me to share a new recipe for Williams-Sonoma Smoothie Week.

Williams-Sonoma Smoothie Week

I am glad to help out with this because, actually, I’ve been meaning to get around to sharing the recipe for my daily morning smoothie.

I call it the “Vegan Fruitcake Breakfast Smoothie.”

It’s full of fruit and nuts, like a fruitcake, but doesn’t contain the typical artifical food dyes and added sugar that fruitcake contains.

Not to mention, I think most people would prefer the taste of my Vegan Fruitcake Smoothie over fruitcake anyway.

I created the Vegan Fruitcake Breakfast Smoothie because I wanted to invent a delicious, easy breakfast starter that was full of good fat, but like all vegan food, contains 0% of your daily cholesterol allowance.

Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 banana

1 tablespoon of chia seeds

1 tablespoon of vegan cocoa powder

1/2 cup of cashews

1/2 cup of berries (your choice of strawberries, blueberries, etc.)

4 cranberries

First, I pour the almond milk into the blender. Next, I place the banana. From there, I toss the rest of the ingredients in. Then I use the pulse button for about 10 seconds to ensure there are no clumps.

From there, I drink it!

Recipe For Vegan Fruitcake Smoothie: Williams-Sonoma Smoothie Week

I seriously make this smoothie everyday in my blender. I’ve been doing it ever since I invented the Vegan Banana Split Milkshake 6 months ago; that smoothie is what inspired this thicker version of it.

Recipe For Vegan Fruitcake Smoothie: Williams-Sonoma Smoothie Week

As we are just one week away from moving into our new house, I am considering getting a newer, bigger, badder food processor; not only for my smoothies, but because as a vegan/vegetarian family, we use blenders and food precessors a lot!

Thanks for learning about my recipe for the Vegan Fruitcake Breakfast Smoothie!

To check out more recipes for Sonoma Smoothie Week, you can visit the Pinterest Page or the Facebook page on Friday, January 23rd where they will be highlighting some of the recipes.

And please let me know if you decide to try the Vegan Fruitcake Breakfast Smoothie!

 

Leave a comment Posted on new house, parenting

Dear Jack: Saying Goodbye To KinderCare, Your Preschool Since July 2011

4 years, 2 months.

Dear Jack: Saying Goodbye To KinderCare, Your Preschool Since July 2011

Dear Jack,

A week from this Friday, Lord willing, we will officially be moving into our new house. And for you, that means you will start going to a just-opened preschool, right around the corner from where we will be living.

Since before Thanksgiving, we have been renting out a bedroom from some friends. It’s a very nice place to stay; but obviously, it’s a bit like living in a “tiny house” since there are three of us living in the same bedroom.

Dear Jack: Saying Goodbye To KinderCare, Your Preschool Since July 2011

Once we move, Mommy will be able to start working from home once a week.

Plus, she will start going in to work early (meaning I’ll be the one who will be getting you ready for school in the morning, which I am very happy about!) and therefore Mommy picking you up earlier than you’re used to.

I am also really excited about the extra quality time you will be able to spend with Mommy.

That’s why we’re moving you to this new school. KinderCare is great; there’s just not one where we’re moving.

Moving you to this new school near our new home is the best decision for our family, to have more quality time together now that’re moving 35 miles away from Nashville, to the “bedroom community” of Spring Hill.

We’ve had you enrolled at KinderCare since July 2011; since you were only 8 months old. As of today, you are 4 years, 2 months old.

Dear Jack: Saying Goodbye To KinderCare, Your Preschool Since July 2011

That makes 3 and a half years of your life, more than 80%, in which your daylight hours of weekdays have been spent at KinderCare. That’s a lot of time!

So it’s a big deal that you will no longer be going to school there. Two weeks from today will be your last day there.

You’ll have to officially say goodbye to all the friends you’ve made over the years, along with your teachers.

It’s even a little bit sad for me as well, because I’ll no longer taking you on the hour and a half or more daily round trip commute to school and work with you.

Dear Jack: Saying Goodbye To KinderCare, Your Preschool Since July 2011

Instead, I’ll drive you about 5 minutes to school each day. Then, Mommy will pick you up (earlier than you’re used to) and drive you back home the other 5 minutes.

Imagine that: Just 10 minutes in the car each day as compared to at least an hour and a half!

That’s good. Despite the quality time I’ll miss with you in the car each day, you won’t have to be in the car as much, plus you’ll be in school less than you’re used to, and you’ll get to spend more quality time with Mommy; which you definitely need more of.

It’s a bittersweet symphony, but I believe it’s definitely for the best. I’m looking forward to our family’s future.

Love,

Daddy

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We’re Going To Ringling Bros. Presents LEGENDS! This Friday Night, Jan. 23rd

This Friday, I am taking my wife and son to the circus here in Nashville.

Facebook/RinglingBros

Somewhat amazingly, I’ve never been to the circus! But Ringling Bros. is going to be at the Bridgestone Arena all this weekend and we are really looking forward to it.

I was able to ask the ringmaster, Johnathan Lee Iverson, a few questions:

What is a typical day in the life of a circus performer?

The unexpected! There are no typical days at The Greatest Show On Earth.

What’s the closest you’ve come to getting hurt while practicing or performing?

Riding my float. The Ringmaster literally has the safest gig in the entire company.

Do you have to abide by a certain diet to maintain your agility on stage?

I’d like to. It would help with this baby gut of mine. However, no dietary restrictions are imposed. Each artist is responsible for the maintenance of their body. 

How do the animals travel from city to city?

Train, truck and trailer.

And… today I’m giving away a set of 4 tickets for the show Friday night, Jan. 23rd at 7 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena.

Update: We have a winner! So the giveaway is now closed:

Did I just win 4 tickets for my family to go see Ringling Bros. Presents LEGENDS! At The Bridgestone Arena for Friday night, Jan. 23rd at 7 p.m.?

Family Friendly Daddy Blog
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Just be the first person to post on the Facebook wall for Family Friendly Daddy Blog (not a private message), asking me, “Did I just win 4 tickets for my family to go see Ringling Bros. Presents LEGENDS! At The Bridgestone Arena for Friday night, Jan. 23rd at 7 p.m.?

If you’re the first person to do so, I will respond by saying yes… After that, I will follow up by getting your family’s name and address to get you all set up with the tickets!

TICKETS TO RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY®

PRESENTS LEGENDS℠ NOW ON SALE

Ringling Bros.® Presents LEGENDS! Comes to Bridgestone Arena – Jan. 23-25

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is proud to present LEGENDS! Drama, surprise and wonder build the excitement so BIG that it could only be The Greatest Show On Earth®. The show runs Jan. 23-25, 2015, at the Bridgestone Arena.

Show Times:

Friday, Jan. 23 – 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 24 – 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 25 – 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

 Tickets start at $15 with limited VIP and Circus Celebrity tickets available while supplies last.

Experience unimaginable family fun, as amazing performers from around the globe perform awe-inspiring feats of daring, spectacles of strength and thrills of wonder to summon the mythical and the mysterious: a Unicorn, a Pegasus and Woolly the Mammoth! Join us for an unforgettable family night of legendary proportions at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents LEGENDS!

An hour before show time and free to all ticketholders, the All-Access Pre-show allows circus fans to learn juggling and balancing skills, meet the performers of The Greatest Show On Earth, get autographs, take photos and enter to win a one-of-a-kind Pachyderm Painting.

For more information, visit www.Ringling.com or Facebook/RinglingBros.