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BREAKING NEWS: I, Nick Shell, Am Making My Television Debut on The Lifetime Network, “This Time Next Year” on February 20th- Finding My Doppelganger from the Campbell’s Go Soup Package

In case you missed my exclusive announcement on my YouTube channel exactly a week ago, it’s time you learned a secret about me…

Mark your calendars for Tuesday night, February 20th, at 10PM Eastern/9PM Central. You will definitely see my television debut in a new series called This Time Next Year on The Lifetime Network. Over the course of an entire year, you watch my journey as I attempt to find my doppelganger, who can easily be seen on the Southwest Style Chicken Campbell’s Go soup package.

I was one of 113 people to begin my journey; as back in November 2016, I told host Cat Deeley what my goal was for the following year; in front of a live audience out in Hollywood. However, only 70 of the 113 of us were able to return a year later with positive results.

Was I one of the 70 who actually met my goal? Was I successful in meeting this guy who everyone immediately assumes is me anyway?

I am not going to tell you the answer. You will just have to watch the show to find out, when my episode premiers on The Lifetime Network on Tuesday night, February 20th.

Either way, you will get to see my progress in the weeks between the beginning and the year of that year, as I shot personal diary videos to document my journey.

Until we wait for my episode to premier in less than a month from now, you can watch other episodes of This Time Next Year in the meantime. The series premiered on January 16th.

So here’s your invitation to join me. Consider this, I myself haven’t even seen my own episode. Though I know how it ends, I haven’t seen the entire story in place.

This is exciting stuff. I thank you in advance for your support.

Here comes my 15 minutes of fame…

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I Sincerely Need Your Help Today as a Stay-at-Home Dad! I Have to Get 1,000 Subscribers on My YouTube Channel by February 20th, 2018. I Currently Have 328. Will You Help Me?

If I don’t get 1,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel for this blog, Family Friendly Daddy Blog, within exactly a month, it will mean I will cease to make money from it. This is a big deal, because as many of you know, I was forced into becoming a stay-at-home dad 3 months ago, when my entire branch was shut down.

Since then, my family has been relying on the supplemental income we get from both of my main YouTube channels. The other is fine, as it currently has 2,888 subscribers. But this one is only a third of the way there. (It had 328 subscribers as of the publishing of this blog post.)

Interestingly, my YouTube channel for this blog, Family Friendly Daddy Blog, has only about 10% of the subscribers of my other channel, yet it brings in nearly half of my YouTube revenue.

YouTubers like me get a cut of the ad revenue from the ads that show before my videos, but that will no longer be the case for this YouTube channel if I don’t get 1,000 subscribers by February 20th, which is exactly a month from today.

So I sincerely ask you: Will you click on my YouTube channel for this blog, and click the “Subscribe” button?

This is sort of like that episode of Saved by the Bell where they had to raise $10,000 in order to save The Max.

But the difference is, I’m not asking for money. I don’t want money.

I want subscribers, so that I can continue to use my creativity to work to earn money, as a stay-at-home dad who works from home as a YouTuber and blogger.

Subscribing to my YouTube channel today is great way to truly and instantly help out another human being.

Thank you for your consideration of helping me as a stay-at-home dad continue in my side hustle.

I am worker. I am a creator. I want to continue making money for my work.

If I don’t have 1,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel by February 20th, which is a month from today, I will stop receiving pay for my work.

Additionally, I need need 4,000 total “watch hours” from my viewers, but I feel that will work itself out in a month if I get the required number of subscribers. I currently have 173,346 minutes; which is 2889 hours of the 4,000 hours requirement.

Will you please help me?

I am Nick Shell and this is a true story.

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Stay-at-Home Dad 101: Tommy John Lounge Jogger Pants are Now My Official “Work Pants” (Includes Jingle I Wrote!)

DISCLOSURE LANGUAGE

Tommy John partnered with bloggers such as myself for this program. I received one free product of my choosing, for my time and creativity. I was not told what to purchase nor what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. Tommy John believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Tommy John’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

Now that we got that fun part out of the way, I get to talk about what I am calling my new official “work pants”, as a stay-at-home dad who works from home.

If you can imagine, since becoming a stay-at-home dad exactly 3 months ago today, I haven’t gotten out of the house much. I’m constantly taking care of my 21 month-old daughter all day, as well as my 7 year-old son, when he’s not at school.

I feel that I really put the “stay-at-home” in stay-at-home dad.

With that being said, it’s still important to me that I don’t look or feel like a slob; even if the only people who see me all day are my wife and kids.

So when Tommy John reached out to me and offered an item from their online catalog, I immediately thought, “I would love some new work pants!”

By browsing their Loungewear section, I ended up choosing their Lounge Jogger pants.

Once I received them in the mail this week, my preconceived ideas about these pants were true:

They are perfect for me as a stay-at-home dad!

The immediate thing I noticed is how comfortable they are. I feel like I’m really getting away with something, somehow. It’s I’m like wearing pants but I don’t feel like I’m actually wearing them.

I have to question, “Am I pulling a Donald Duck right now? Did I remember to put on a shirt only to  neglect actually put on pants today?”

Then I look down and see that no, I am indeed wearing pants: Tommy John Lounge Jogger pants, to be exact.

The next thing I really like about these pants is how they are just tight enough around the ankles, so that the bottom of my pants don’t drag on the floor.

And the pockets- ah, the pockets… perfectly in place where I need them.

I never know when I’m going to need to pick up a Cheerio my daughter dropped or her Peppa the Pig doll when she needs me to hold it for her.

After experiencing the Tommy John Lounge Pants, I just can’t imagine how any man would not love them.

But for me specifically as a stay-at-home dad, I am now spoiled, and don’t want to wear anything else for pants. I guess that would be my only complaint!

I have enjoyed my new work pants so much that I took it upon myself to write a jingle for Tommy John lounge pants and shoot my own commercial.  That way, when potential consumers search “Tommy John Lounge Pants“, they get to see me perform my awesome song! (Featured at the top of this post.)

Along the way, my kids apparently enjoyed hearing me write and practice the jingle, so we ended up even shooting a “kids’ version” of the song as well. My 21 month-old daughter is responsible for most of the dance moves for the jingle. (Featured below.)

It is plain to see, these Tommy John Lounge Pants have really enhanced my week!

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Dear Holly: Your Front Row Seat for the Snow

1 year, 8 months.

Dear Holly,

As the snow began falling down Tuesday morning, you took it up yourself to go grab your director’s chair, and move it to the kitchen. You wanted a front row seat for the snow.

While it has definitely snowed in your lifetime, I can tell that this time around, you really seemed intrigued by the concept of white powder falling from the sky, and seeing your brother and your Daddy being able to sled in it; as you looked out the window with Mommy.

Accordingly, this has been your first real experience being snowed in. Your brother has been doing his best to help you navigate it.

He has been generous to hold you up higher to get a better view of the snow outside.

He has been kind to let you casually hang out next to him as he catches up on his favorite shows on Netflix.

And he has been helpful in letting me know when you need a refill on Cheerios, in your “baby buffet” of snacks that I lay out across the kitchen table for you.

I wonder if when you’re older, you’ll be as eager to get out there in the snow as your brother is. My hesitation is knowing how much Mommy doesn’t like being outside in extreme temperatures. It can’t be too cold or too hot, for her to be able to enjoy it.

As for your brother and me, we love being outside that we don’t care what it’s like out there.

We just need the adventure and the fresh air.

So I do wonder, will you end up joining us once you get older?

There’s a lot to explore outside with us. We always find adventures.

For now though, you’re better off indoors with your director’s chair and your Cheerios.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: We’ve Been Snowed in for a Week Now, Technically

7 years, 2 months.

Dear Jack,

It’s now been a week since you’ve been to school. This is like Christmas vacation again, but with snow… and without all the presents.

A week ago we were informed that your school was going to be closed due to the chance of a blizzard the next day on Friday. Knowing you were also going to be off from school the following Monday for Martin Luther King Day, I mentioned to Mommy at dinner:

“Let me throw a crazy idea at you…”

She stopped me, as she had instantly read my mind:

I took you and your sister to Alabama so we could stay at Nonna and Papa’s house for a 4 day weekend, while Mommy stayed back in Tennessee to get caught up on work.

You and your sister got plenty of quality time with your grandparents; meanwhile, I got a little bit more caught up on one of my most coveted commodities: Sleep!

It was so rewarding to just head upstairs and sleep for 2 or 3 hours, knowing you and your sister were being taken care of.

And it turns out, it didn’t actually snow while we were gone.

But sure enough, on Tuesday, when you were supposed to go back to school, that’s when the mini blizzard actually arrived.

Our family has been snowed since then.

Hopefully, the roads will be cleared up enough for you to return to school tomorrow, which is Friday. At that point, it will have been a solid week without you going to school. Even then, you will just be there for one day and then it’s the weekend again.

You and I did get a couple chances to enjoy the snow outside, while Mommy stayed inside with your sister. But even then, the temperature has remained around 9 degrees most of this week, so we couldn’t stay outside all that long.

What an interesting week.

Love,

Daddy