parenting

Leave a comment Posted on August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 Health, parenting, Uncategorized

Baby+Co. 10 FAQs & Walk Through Video (Nashville Location)

It definitely was an honor this week when Baby+Co. invited me to come check out their new facility in Nashville, which just opened a couple of weeks ago.

They sought me out, knowing that based on the content of Family Friendly Daddy Blog, I am passionate about… keeping things real.

When my wife had our son nearly 5 years ago, she went through a midwife at Vanderbilt. Coincidentally, the Clinical Director of the Nashville Baby+Co., Margaret Buxton, who you’ll see in both of my videos below, actually was the one who delivered my son.

Our family visited the new Nashville Baby+Co. facility yesterday in the 2015 Toyota Avalon we are reviewing.

Once we got there, I kept the camera rolling. I wanted to make the most useful videos I could for curious people of YouTube.

As a YouTuber myself, I know the importance of making walk through videos, walk around videos, and unboxing videos.

So I made a walk through video, with Margaret Buxton giving “you” the tour. Here it is:

Being the Millennial (Generation Y, born 1981-1997) I am, I showed up to Baby+Co. without a specific game plan; a life habit that so far, that has seemed to work out for me.

I sat down with Margaret Buxton CNM, DNP to ask 10 frequently asked questions. The goal was to help other people to know whether Baby+Co. is right for them and to help them know what sets Baby+Co. apart from hospitals.

In this FAQs video below, you will see me ask the following 10 questions:

How do I know Baby+Co. is right for me?
Is it safe to have a baby outside of a hospital?
How is a birthing center different from a hospital?
What does a hospital have than Baby+Co. doesn’t?
What is one-to-one care?
How much does this cost?
Where are the prenatal appointments?
What do the classes consist of?
Where are the Baby+Co. locations?
What is the vision of Baby+Co.?

I love it that for our generation, we have other options now; including the way we choose to do childbirth.

By the way, it would be an understatement to say that the facility is like a spa. So elegant.

Below is the link to the website for Nashville’s Baby+Co.

http://nashville.babyandcompany.com/

Our family had so much fun visiting the new place! I hope you enjoy these pictures and my videos… and my little jingle I wrote for Baby+Co. as well.

And thanks for reading!

Leave a comment Posted on August 27, 2015August 27, 2015 parenting, Storytelling

Dear Jack: Your 1st Day of Pre-K at Rainbow Child Care Center

4 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

Last week while our family was on vacation in California, your preschool Rainbow Child Care Center opened its new Pre-K classroom.

So this Tuesday was your first day of Pre-K. I put together this little 90 second video from that morning as I dropped you off.

As you can see from the video, we have a 2015 Toyota Avalon this week which I am reviewing, so I decided to include it in the video. After all, the fancy car ride there was a big part of your 1^st day of Pre-K.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I don’t feel that you’re growing up way too fast. Instead, I feel you’re growing up at the right speed.

It makes sense it my head that you’re nearly 5 years old and are just a year away from staring Kindergarten. And I think you feel the same way. You seem proud to be big boy.

Speaking of your new Pre-K classroom, here’s the video you and I made together a few weeks about it:

When we came back from California this week and checked the mail, you had received your prize money from winning 2^nd place in the Williamson County Fair Lego Competition.

Mommy took you to go spend your $20 earnings. You purchased a $15 toy: the Hot Wheels Snap Rides Truck and Trailer.

It’s something you’ve been talking about for weeks. You love getting to build your own vehicles.

This whole time I thought you would end up spending your prize money on more Legos, but it also makes sense that you’d buy cars you can build as well.

As we get settled back in from vacation this week, I’ll be working on several more videos and pictures from California.

We had a lot of fun! I can’t wait to share!

Love,

Daddy

4 Comments Posted on August 20, 2015 movie reviews, parenting, Uncategorized

Who Is the Real Villain in Disney Pixar’s Inside Out?

Last year, I published, The Real Villain In Disney’s Frozen: The Parents Of Elsa & Anna; where I explained that the villain’s role is to introduce and move along the plot. Had Elsa and Anna’s parents not foolishly kept their daughters from socializing after the incident, basically keeping one daughter locked in her bedroom, things wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand.

The whole Frozen movie could have been much shorter. Seriously, what the parents did in that movie was not normal. In real life, if you knew parents who did what their parents did, you wouldn’t simply pass it off as, “Oh well, no parent is perfect.”

I figured it would be interesting to do my same “who is the real villain?” analysis on Disney Pixar’s Inside Out.

The answer: Riley’s brain; which also serves as the hero.

Notice how in this movie, no other human beings seem to really serve as any kind of of antagonist.

Even when that might seem the case, it’s actually just Riley (and her brain) that makes things worse.

The emotion of Sadness serves as a sort of false antagonist, but it becomes clear that even she is truly part of the hero team inside Riley’s head.

In fact, the plot line of Inside Out is actually pretty simple: An 11 year-old old encounters minor psychological and emotion challenges as she moves with her family from Minnesota to California. That’s it- that’s all that really happens.

She misses home.

They aren’t any bullies at her new school. Her parents are completely supportive and loving.

In fact, Inside Out is one of the few Disney movies (ever!) in which both parents are alive and well the entire movie!

I was completely satisfied with Inside Out. The movie really impressed me. I recommend it to anyone.

Inside Out does a perfect job of bringing an interesting adult concept (psychology) and turning it into a warm, smart family movie.

And when you see it, keep in mind what I said: The only villain in this movie is the hero as well: Riley’s brain.

Leave a comment Posted on August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: You’re Starting Pre-K Next Week

4 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

Our family recently attended the Rainbow Summer Social at Rainbow Child Care Center. They had a fire truck for us to tour; as well as a photo booth and carnival games.

You were very happy that you basically had unlimited access to just keep playing the same games and to have the ability to keep winning prizes.

A collection of sticky rubber frogs made their way back to our house.

Next week you officially begin Pre-K. You and I, along with your current teacher Ms. Aimee, recently made a Jack-Man episode to promote the brand-new Pre-K classroom.

(Click the image below to watch our video.)

You’ve expressed to me that you’re particularly excited about your new classroom because, “it has really cool dinosaurs.”

Jack, this is your last year of preschool before I begin taking you to Kindergarten! A year from now, I’m sure I’ll be posting my (obligatory) “1^st Day of Kindergarten” picture on Facebook.

Mommy and I keep saying how you really are a boy now.

As your parents, we’ve grown accustomed to living with a boy version of a toddler. Now, with you nearly 5 years old, we’re living with a boy; not simply just a boy version of something.

These are the days of you getting to pick out which underwear to wear each day. You get to decide whether it’s going to be a Transformers or a Ninja Turtles kind of day.

I look at your genetically unlikely blonde highlights as well as your genetically unlikely blue eyes and think, “This kid used to be my baby. But now, this is my boy.”

Though I might be saying this too much here lately, I’m just so proud that you are my son.

The future is unclear whether or not Mommy and I will ever have another child.

You may be it. Either way, you are one special kid.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on August 13, 2015August 13, 2015 parenting, Uncategorized, vegan

Dear Jack: You Won 2nd Place in the Williamson County Lego Competition!

4 years, 8 months.

Mommy and I are so proud of you! You had been confidently telling us, “Mommy… Daddy… I’m going to win.”

You were right.

This past weekend as soon as we got in the doors of the Williamson County Fair, we headed straight over to the Lego tables to see how your entry did in the competition.

Right away, I blurted out to you and Mommy, “Jack, you won 2^nd place!”

That means out of all the 4 to 8 year-olds in Williamson County who entered the competition, the judges thought your entry was the 2^nd best. Seriously, that’s a huge deal!

I love the fact that you competed with kids who were nearly twice your age and still won.

One of the main things the judges were looking for was originality. I can solemnly testify the 3 “space vehicles” you created were completely your own.

Mommy and I had no part in helping you at all.

Building Legos is what you do. You’re constantly building new creations every day; only to tear them apart and come up with new ones by the end of the week.

I’ve actually seen you make more complicated Lego inventions than the ones you entered. The winning entry just happened to be the collection of the ones you made that particular week.

Mommy and I have been saying it for a while now… and your teacher Ms. Aimee has been saying it too…

“We have a future engineer on our hands. What else would Jack possibly be?”

You love to make your own Lego inventions- and they always have to be symmetrical. No one taught you that stipulation, but it’s an unbreakable law in your code to building Legos.

With all that being said, you’re just as talented at building actual Lego sets with instructions. You recently spent some of your own money on a new set that was targeted for ages 8 to 14.

I barely helped you at all. Actually, I was relieved you pretty much took care of building it because I might have gotten too frustrated to finish it.

You and I made an unboxing video for the set: Legend of Chima: Eris’ Fire Eagle Flyer.

Your 2^nd place Lego award is your first ever real award! Mommy and I just couldn’t be prouder of you!

Oh yeah, and while we were at the fair, you also won your very first game prize. You popped balloons with darts and got to pick out an animal: You named her Libby the Lizard.

You’re a natural!

We also had a lot of fun this week because we celebrated Mommy’s 34th birthday at Whole Foods, with vegan pizza and cake!

And you even drew these really cool pictures for her!

Love,

Daddy

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