Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

Leave a comment Posted on Health, parenting, Uncategorized

Review Of Toddler Mum-Mums: Apple, Banana, And Strawberry Rice Biscuits

I love reviewing food products! Today I am featuring Toddler Mum-Mum rice biscuits, by a brand called Hot Kid.

For the review, I was sent 2 boxes of the banana, 2 boxes of the apple, and 2 boxes of the organic strawberry.

Toddler Mum-Mum review

To meet the criteria for my review, the food could not contain artifical food dyes or flavors, or high fructose corn syrup; which in my opinion, is the easiest ways to identify junk food.

With that being said, Toddler Mum-Mum rice biscuits do not contain artifical food dyes or flavors, or high fructose corn syrup; nor do they contain preservatives, gluten, egg, or peanuts.

If you are a strict vegan or vegetarian, please note they contain gelatin, which is an animal by-product also found in pudding and marshmallows.

My niece Calla really loved Mum-Mums… all July 4th weekend. My sister, her mom, said she wouldn’t stop eating them!

Toddler Mum-Mum review

As the name implies, Toddler Mum-Mums are especially intended for toddlers and older. (My niece just turned 3, though.)

While at the grocery store yesterday, I looked at the competition. Turns out, unless you’re at Whole Foods, most grocery stores contain mystery ingredient filled versions of Mum-Mums as the competition.

Toddler Mum-Mum review

In other words, Mum-Mums stand out in the crowd in that their brand cares enough about its consumers to not include a long paragraph of ingredients you have to Google to even find out what they are; only to find out those ingredients shouldn’t even be considered as food to begin with. Mum-Mums only contain about 6 different ingredients.

For more informations, you can check out the Mum-Mums website at mummums.com.

Thanks for visiting Family Friendly Daddy Blog today. I wonder what I’ll review next?

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling

Lost In Translation: “I Want Jesus To Change My Diaper!”

February 18, 2013 at 11:43 pm , by 

2 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

You can speak; and I’m not referring to a selection of the most necessary phrases to get through life as a 2 year-old. I mean that Mommy and I can carry on an actual conversation with you and you understand what we are asking or telling you.

Yes, you can participate in legitimate conversations now. Granted, there are some limitations; some concepts are just too complex for you to make much sense of right now.

I’ve been telling you how, here lately, you’ve been really picky about which roles Mommy and I can do. As I mentioned, I am now your wardrobe assistant/technician, whereas that used to be Mommy’s job.

This past Saturday the three of us were so busy playing in your bedroom, swinging the shaggy bolster pillow at each other and pretending that your Thor play tent was a ship on the stormy sea, that a couple of hours passed before we realized your diaper was pretty wet.

So we asked you, “Jack, who do you want to change your diaper, Mommy or Daddy?”

Your instant response: “Jesus!” The look on your face was completely serious.

It caught me so off guard, I hesitated as I attempted to answer you:

“Well… uh… Jesus can watch… but it needs to be either Mommy or me who changes your diaper today.”

You stood your ground:

“I want Jesus! I want Jesus to change my diaper!”

Thinking back now, I can’t even remember whether it was Mommy or me who actually changed your diaper. I just know it’s a very bizarre thing to think about. I mean, how do I explain to you why Jesus can’t change your diaper?

That’s a tough one for a 2 year-old to process.

I started thinking about how Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine. Then I started seriously thinking about whether any of His unrecorded miracles included changing toddlers’ diapers. You really got me thinking, kid.

This is only the beginning. You are going to be saying some pretty hilarious things without trying, as you’re new to this “real conversation” concept.

I will be here to help you as you get lost in translation. I will try to help you, at least.

 

Love,

Daddy

 

1 Comment Posted on Nostalgia, parenting

Getting Dressed? Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!

February 17, 2013 at 9:54 pm , by 

2 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

I, too, wish that I could leave the house in my pajamas. However, neither of us can have our way.

Granted, if I ever showed up to work in pajamas, I would feel pretty socially awkward, with good reason.

As for you, I’m guessing you wouldn’t feel strange about it at all, but then I’d be the weird dad who lets his son wear pajamas to daycare everyday.

Here lately, getting you dressed every morning has become so much of a struggle that I have to be the one who does it, instead of Mommy.

You only want your clothes to be changed laying down, which puts you in the perfect position to bicycle-kick whoever is trying to get you dressed. It’s better that I am the who takes the collateral damage from you.

So now I am officially your wardrobe assistant/technician.

While the Twitter hashtag #aintnobodygottimeforthat officially peaked last summer, the “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That (Autotune Remix)” on YouTube serves as the mental soundtrack as I get you dressed now.

You and I are both thinking, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” You’re thinking it because you evidently see getting dressed as an unnecessary hassle; or even worse, a form of punishment.

I’m thinking it because I don’t have time to struggle with you over it.

There seems to be no obvious solution to you not wanting to get dressed. I don’t know; maybe it was better in Biblical days when everyone evidently just wore robes all the time.

Actually, I think you could totally pull off rockin’ the Kid Icarus look. So, uh, Jack… what do ya say?

 

Love,

Daddy

 

 

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling

#whateverworks: A Common Catchphrase In Parenting

February 16, 2013 at 8:27 pm , by 

2 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

I recently explained to you how I now have to let Mommy drive while I sit in the backseat with you, to keep you from being anxious and needy, since Mommy is the nurturer and I’m the entertainer.

That’s one of those things I have to file in the “whatever works” category.

Or, to translate that into the language of Twitter:

#whateverworks

It goes without saying that as a parent, “whatever works” is a catchphrase that I seem to mumble on a daily basis.

In addition to having to change the seating arrangements for our family car rides, we have also had to change our morning routine.

Mommy arranged it with her boss to show up 15 minutes early for work and leave 15 minutes early, too.

This way, Mommy leaves the house 15 minutes before we do, because here recently you put up less of a fight if I’m the one who gets you ready.

It may have something to do with what I just mentioned a minute ago; that I am not the nurturer so you have lower expectations with me. So Mommy and I use that to our advantage.

Our new morning routine also allows more quality time with you and Mommy; the two of you share breakfast together while I shower and get ready.

Since making this our new norm, we no longer leave the house stressed or in a hurry. That’s all it took; we just couldn’t all three leave at the same time.

We are so focused on finding ways to improve quality time together as a family. Sometimes, we have recognized that by assigning certain daily activities to one particular parent, it can improve quality time for two of us at a time.

It’s sort of like working the “3rd wheel” concept to our advantage. Our model is this: Two wheels in the back and one in the front.

As a family, we often have to move and work like a tricycle.

Hey, whatever works.

 

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on Nostalgia, parenting, Storytelling

What The Family Name Means To Me

February 15, 2013 at 10:17 pm , by 

2 years, 2 months.

Dear Jack,

I don’t know whether it’s from the Vacation movies with the Griswolds, or maybe just a combination of every 80′s sitcom I grew up watching, but in my mind it’s the dad’s job to emphasize what it means to be a [enter last name here].

To illustrate, I’ll just use Growing Pains as an example here. I can easily imagine Jason Seaver telling Ben, “We Seavers are not quitters!”

Every once in a while you like to play with the seashells we collected from our trip to Naples, FL in December 2011.

You pour them out of the plastic cup we keep them in, then examine them one by one on the carpet.

I always think, “Jack, do you realize you are playing with our last name right now?”

Knowing it would just confuse you at this point to try to explain to you that our last name is Shell and what a last name even is, I just let you enjoy your playtime.

But I have been pondering what it means to be a Shell.

Unless you ever have a baby brother, you are basically the last male Shell in our family to carry on the name, since I was the only one until you got here.

Essentially, I figure so much of what it means to be a Shell has to do with the household culture that Mommy and I are raising you in.

I would definitely say in order to be Shell, you have to be a bit on the quirky side; never apologizing for being different, never being tempted to follow the crowd.

Work ethic is huge to our identity. We like to be known for working hard, being proactive, and thinking creatively.

When it comes to politics, we are conservative, yet open-minded and open-armed to different cultures.

In regards to financial decisions, we are as shrewd as my Italian grandfather who grew up in an orphanage during the 1930′s. (The day we pay for a smart phone or cable TV is the day they give it to us for free!)

We are equally as disciplined when it comes to nutrition, being sticklers for reading ingredients while being liberal on calories.

Shells are deep thinkers, always curious of where stuff comes from and how it got here.

To us, God is not simply the third word of OMG, but the one we try to please everyday in the way we treat others.

You are a Shell. You’re one of us. You are destined to encompass the best and worst of our family’s micro-culture.

However, in regards to the importance that individuality plays in our family, I recognize that despite the way that Mommy and I will inevitably “brainwash” you in our weird ways as we raise you, still you have free will to make your own decisions and form your own opinions; especially the older you get.

So while you are one of us no matter what, you’re still you. And I like the micro-culture you bring to our family. After all, I write a letter to you about it everyday.

 

Love,

Daddy