Mommy and I have noticed how exceptional the children’s program is at our church, The Church at Station Hill. As part of your class curriculum each Sunday morning, you all get to walk over to the craft room after the lesson, where I am always impressed by what new craft you make.
I love it that our church has a room set aside just for kids’ crafts; most of which are edible. It’s always interesting to walk by that room and peek in to see what you’ll be making each morning as we take you to your classroom.
This past Sunday as we were walking back to the car after church ended, you showed Mommy and me the newest one.
It was baby Moses floating down the river.
What made this craft a lot of fun, especially on a Sunday morning as I was now buckling you into your car seat, was that baby Moses was actually a Sour Patch Kid, floating on a river of Blue Jell-O.
As I drove home, with you and Mommy in the back seat, I could hear you enjoying eating your Sunday School craft:
“Mmm… baby Moses tastes good, he’s crunchy!”
I’m just glad that it was Moses floating down the river in a basket, and not baby Jesus in the manger. Because that would really seem weird. It would take the concept of Holy Communion to a different level.
An edible gingerbread house is fine, as his baby Moses floating down the river, but I think an edible manger scene might be a little too crafty.
But as for baby Moses, he floated down the river of your digestive track and you were happy I was letting you get away with eating candy so early in the day.
Needless to say, you definitely now know the story of baby Moses floating down the river.
I’ve never been a believer in making New Year’s resolutions for one simple fact: I’ve always believed that if I really felt a need to change something in my life, it would be asinine to wait for an arbitrary, culturally celebrated date on the calendar.
When I really care enough to change something in my life, I have always just changed immediately and never looked back. That’s in my blood.
Looking back on some of the biggest changes in my life in the past decade or so, none of them took place in a January:
In November 2008, I became and have remained kosher. In December 2010, I became and have remained a vegetarian. In April 2012, I became and have remained a vegan. In September 2012, I became and have remained caffeine free.
These “never look back” commitments in my life don’t typically take place in January…
(Except for January 2008, when I proposed to my wife… but I wouldn’t consider that as any sort of New Year’s resolution; that would be quite the understatement!)
But perhaps January 2016 can be the exception to my track record. It truly is a coincidence that I am becoming so mindful of this conscious change I want to make, but by default, it might technically be a New Year’s resolution:
My goal for 2016 is to make major progress in growing my blog; in particular, my YouTube channel. I want to deliberately work towards blogging and YouTubing full time; as a stand-alone career.
I remember back a few years ago in November 2013, when I was invited by General Motors to attend an event in Detroit featuring their Buick brand as well as OnStar. While there, I met a full time travel/food blogger named Stefanie Fauquet of Mommy Musings, who told me, “You know, you could be doing so much more with what you’ve got going on.”
She inspired me that day, but it was like a put I bookmark on that thought for later when I could be ready for it.
I believe the time has now come.
But back then, our family was still working our way out of a lot of debt, our son was still very young, and we still lived in our townhouse. (Not to mention, I didn’t have a smart phone yet!)
We had a lot of other goals we had to focus on first at the time.
Here we are in January 2016, having been debt-free for a couple of years now, having lived in our new house for a year, with a decent amount of savings in the bank, and our son is now 5 years-old. Not to mention, my wife and I are both secure in our positions where we both work. And we have smart phones too!
What that means for me is that I now can focus more directly on “doing so much more” with my blog; in an effort to do this full-time, not just as a hobby with benefits.
It’s a simple case of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I need a new problem to solve. I need a new challenge. I know I’m capable of more.
In other words, I’ve reached the blessing of getting to the point where I am very comfortable in life. However, I’m not wired to be okay with being comfortable.
Being in this position only makes me think, “What else could I be doing right now to improve my life?”
Yes, my wife and I are having another child in April, which will surely bring challenges. However, this is “kid #2”, so I feel we as parents already now the basics of what to expect.
I look at more people whose careers inspire me, as did Stefanie Fauquet. I consider food and travel blogger Bren Carrera of House of Bren, someone else I met on that same event in Detroit back in November 2013.
Since then, I have been following her on social media. I have watched her progress as she was invited to be a guest on The Today Show, thanks to her cooking abilities, and then to be invited back. I have enjoyed seeing her evolve into the media personality she is today.
A few weeks ago I read where she explained on Facebook she had publishing company keeping their eye on her, who recently offered her a book deal. I love that! I am so happy for her:
“After dreaming for 10 years, I finally got a book deal. This publishing company had been watching my work for some time and decided it was time to reach out.”
I also think of my friend and professional photographer, Joe Hendricks, who I’ve now known for a decade.
Recently, he moved his family out of their house, and into an Airstream. They are able to travel the country as a family, as Joe teaches seminars across America, as well as does photo shoots, while also selling his photography online. How awesome is that?
And then there’s my most recently inspiring blogger friend, Jarrid Wilson. Our families met each other at Whole Foods one fateful Saturday morning… and the following fateful Saturday morning after that.
Both Jarrid as well as his wife, Julie Wilson, are full time bloggers. Jarrid simply reinforced the words of Stefanie Fauquet from back in November 2013: “You could be doing so much more with what you’ve got going on.”
All these people inspire me. They have turned their passions (and by default, their lifestyles and hobbies) into adventurous full-time careers.
My New Year’s Resolution for 2016 is make great strides in growing Family Friendly Daddy Blog into a full time career.
I feel that my newest kids’ show series on YouTube, Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest, has a lot of potential. I designed the outdoors segment of each webisode to be a good mix of action, adventure, and psychology (regarding interacting with others as well as understanding one’s own emotions). However, the first (indoors) part of each webisode is designed to engage the viewer in creative thinking.
Right now I am thinking about Jesus’s Parable of the Talents (found in Matthew 25). I don’t want my talents to be buried in the ground. I want to invest the talents I have now and make more talents because of it.
I feel that I have a lot of talent that needs to be seen by a larger audience. But like Sylvester Stallone said in his cult classic movie, Over the Top, “The world meets nobody halfway.”
And there’s also Sylvester Stallone’s quote in Rocky 3, as well: “Nobody owes nobody nothing! You owe yourself.”
Therefore, it’s up to me to prove to the world that I am truly the innovative writer and entertainer I know I am. I must successfully convince the free market.
It’s important to me that I grow my audience, proving to major publications, studios, and networks that I am worth investing in.
I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, but I do believe in this one.
This is my new prayer of 2016: That God will grant me more responsibilities in my talents.
I’ve got all the ingredients necessary to reach my goal of becoming a full-time blogger. Now I must figure out how to utilize them in a way that allows me to reach that goal.
In my free time this past weekend, I was editing and publishing the newest 5 webisodes of my kids’ show. That wraps up the total of 8 of them that I filmed over Christmas weekend with my dad and brother-in-law.
After watching the finished product with my son this weekend, I am confident that children will really be engaged by Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest. At this point, it’s just a matter of being able to expose kids to my show.
Here’s an overview of what this newest batch of webisodes is about:
Webisode 7: Paulie the Puppy– When Uncle Nick decides to hike a new trail, it leads him to an empty old building and a mysterious barking sound.
Webisode 8: Pokey the Pot-Bellied Pig– Uncle Nick must figure out a way to cross the river to save the little pot-bellied pig who is stuck on the other side.
Webisode 9: Ralph the Red Panda– While hiking later in the evening, Uncle Nick discovers a rare animal as it begins getting dark outside.
Webisode 10: Slither the Snake– Freddie the Fox gets trapped by a hungry snake at the top of a large rock. It’s Uncle Nick to the rescue!
Webisode 11: Barry the Bear– When a scary-looking bear is soon in the Enchanted Forest, Uncle Nick decides to investigate; leading to a lesson about not judging a bear by his cover.
Barry the Bear was first introduced 4 months ago in my other series, Jack-Man:
There are elements in Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest that are unique to the field of children’s entertainment. In the likeness of a real uncle, I begin each show by trying to guess what color the viewer is thinking of, which is by default educational.
Next, I engage their curiosity by introducing them to a different, old trinket of mine. In other words, each webisode is infused with a touch of ongoing mystery.
Before heading outside for the adventure segment, I sing a few catchy (original) jingles to get the viewers excited about going outside in the cold.
Thanks for supporting Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest. My plan is to film at least 11 more webisodes; some of which will feature both the back story of Barry the Bear, as well as his adaptation as a newcomer to the forest.
Hello and welcome to my healthy lifestyle blog! A blog dedicated to posting information and recipes on nutrition and health, for individuals and families alike. I have a keen interest in nutrition for myself and my family. What to cook or bake, that makes me feel good about what I’m serving, is one of my biggest challenges and concerns. I’ve taken some favorite recipes, whether they are for vegan, meat, poultry, fish or baking, and added other nutritious ingredients, without compromising the flavor. Along with cooking more nutritious meals, my family and I try to make physical fitness a part of our life, everyday.
Vegan Broth Recipe
I created this vegan recipe from only vegetables and fruit. I freeze off any of the broth leftovers, and use it at a time when I need a quick and nutritious meal. It acts as a good base. For the meat lovers in my life, I add beef, ham, chicken, pork or fish, which all work well in this vegan broth because of its subtle flavour. Barley or beans, which are both high in fibre, also do well in this broth. Leftovers are brought back to life when added to this broth. I use organic ingredients whenever I can. I sprinkle with Nutritional Yeast before serving (available at most health or bulk food stores). Nutritional Yeast is high in folic acid and tastes just like cheese.
Vegan Broth Recipe – Ingredients:
1-2 medium or large peeled and chopped yams This simple recipe makes a hearty and nutritious vegan soup that can be enjoyed in the winter as well as the summer.
1 large peeled and chopped onion
4-5 peeled and chopped carrots
4 celery stalks, chopped
1-2 peeled and chopped garlic cloves
Handful of chopped herbs – basil, rosemary, oregano (optional – you can add one, all or your own preference)
Few stalks of chopped celery
1 -2 Large peeled and chopped apple, pear or both
Filtered Water
Vegan Broth Recipe – Instructions:
In a large stock pot, I throw in all the ingredients. I fill the pot almost to the top and bring to boil and let simmer for a few hours. I then remove from it from the heat and using a hand blender, blend all ingredients until uniform. I only take out the amount I need, add whatever other ingredients I might like to add, and season to taste. The longer the soup is left to stew, the better the flavour. I add seasonings after all other ingredients are in the broth, especially leftovers, to avoid over seasoning.
I came across this handy infographic this morning and I liked it so much that I decided to do a quick blog post on it; for selfish reasons more than anything else.
The next time I need to get new frames, I’m going to pull up this blog post with this infographic on it, at the bottom. Then I’ll show it to the optometrist to help me pick the best frames for my face shape.
It can be difficult to self-diagnosis yourself on something like this, but I believe I have a heart-shaped face.
(I could be wrong, though!)
When I snapped this Instagram today to use as a reference, as well as going back and watching my newest webisodes of my new web series, Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest, I see a guy with a prominent forehead, high cheekbones, and a pointed chin.
While I’m not fully confident my current frames are the best for my face shape, I do know they’re my most favorite ever: I’ve had them for 2 years now and I have zero interest in getting new ones.
Granted, I only need my prescription eyeglasses to (legally) drive and whenever I’m in front of a computer screen. But considering I’m a commuter (nearly 2 hours round trip, daily) who is front of a computer all day long; plus, I am a blogger with my own YouTube channel, that means my glasses on my face most of my waking hours.
Hopefully, by me (selfishly) posting this infographic today, my readers and subscribers can personally benefit from it as well.
This, to me, is the perfect kind of infographic I can appreciate. It covers the kind of obscure yet relevant material that I don’t consciously spend time thinking about, but once I see it, makes me think, “Oh yeah! I’ve always wondered about that!”
