Tag Archives: Life of Dad

Photo-A-Day, Technology, Video Game, Vlog

I Think I Angered My Beautyrest Sleeptracker Monitor

Super Early Bird Deal at Summer scoops
Photo-A-Day #4400

Recently, I posted about the Beautyrest® Sleeptracker® monitor. It is a product I received to review and promote. I was compensated. I use it every night to monitor my sleep. Today was my first time using it while I slept for the day while I worked overnights. I’m pretty sure that my Sleeptracker is mad at how pitiful my sleep was today. I am not sure exactly when I drifted off to sleep because…

Okay, this was how the day went. I got home form work and stopped at my parent’s house to pick up my Dad’s truck. I was picking up some rain barrels today at 9 am. I watched an episode of Transformers Robots in Disguise (Season 3 just started) and fell asleep while watching. I got up in time to get over to the recycling center to get the rain barrels and was back by 9:15. That should have given me a great day of sleep. The problem is that I didn’t go right to sleep. I read part of the comic book that I got from the Marvel Collector Corps box that I unboxed yesterday. That usually gets me to sleep. It didn’t. Then I reached for my Nintendo Switch. Link and I set off through Hyrule to find shrines and side quests and much more. When I am super tired and I play video games I tend to fall asleep with them on my face or millimeters from it. Not this time. I must have powered through to stay awake and continue playing. I didn’t even look at the time when I finally stopped. Then I rolled over and went to sleep.

I woke up at 3:29 and looked at the results of the Sleeptracker monitor. I had slept for 1 hour. One single hour. I apparently was awake for at least 2 hours before I opened my eyes at 3:29.

I’m completely out of practice for weekend sleeping. No one was home and I didn’t put in my earplugs. I played too long on the video game and I didn’t get to sleep immediately upon returning home. I’m thinking that tomorrow’s sleep tracker screen can’t look any worse.

On the way to work I decided that I wanted to have ice cream for dinner and I stopped in to Summer Scoops. They have some good soft serve ice cream. Well, on Saturdays between 4 and 6 they have a super deal where you get two hot dogs, chips and a drink plus an ice cream. Well, I couldn’t pass that up for under $5. What a deal.

So, I may not have slept much today but some ice cream certainly put me in a better mood.

Travel

Let’s Talk Cars… I Test Drove Kelley Blue Book’s Top 5 Cars of 2016 for Dads!

2 Comments

The KBBDads Test Drove So Many Fun CarsDisclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Life of Dad and Kelley Blue Book. I have received compensation for this post; however, all opinions stated are my own.

A couple weeks back I was cruising down the PCH with my pal Chris Lewis from Dad of Divas. We had the unique opportunity to test drive five of Kelley Blue Book’s 16 top family cars of ‘16. The five that we drove were selected from that group as the top 5 Cars for Dad of 2016. This was the first ever gathering of Kelley Blue Book Dads and we had an exciting task ahead of us. We were to drive each of those five vehicles through various routes and determine which one was our own personal top pick. The cars we drove were the 2016 Subaru Outback, 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2016 Kia Optima, 2016 Toyota Sienna, and the 2016 Honda Civic. With our task laid out before us we got to work. And by work I mean a tremendous amount of fun and driving.

The KBB Dads

The team of intrepid dads consisted of:

Continue reading Let’s Talk Cars… I Test Drove Kelley Blue Book’s Top 5 Cars of 2016 for Dads! →

Food, Friends, Photo-A-Day, Travel, Vlog

#KBBDads Test Rides of the Top 5 Cars for Dads

2 Comments
Catching the Red Sox at Angel Stadium
Photo-A-Day #4124

Today we got up and headed over to Kelley Blue Book so that we could test drive 5 of their top 16 cars for families. The five that we were driving were selected as the top five cars for dads and there was a diverse bunch of cars, almost as diverse as the #KBBDads were. We partnered up after breakfast and headed out on our routes. I was partnered up with Chris Lewis from Dad of Divas. He’s a great friend and a fun ride companion. We started in the Kia Optima. That is the car closest to what I am currently driving. I enjoyed driving that car very much. We drove from the Kelley Blue Book Offices over to Dana Point Harbor. We did some time along the PCH and ended ad a nice beach area.

After the first leg we switched up cars to the Honda Civic. I drove a Honda Civic for 13 years and it was nice to ride in an updated one. Lots over very nice features in it. We drove that to a Gelson’s parking lot where we took a biological break and then switched over to the Toyota Sienna Minivan. That was nice to drive. It really ran smoothly and I enjoyed the infotainment aspect of it. I paired my phone with the car’s bluetooth and played Chris some Rock Sugar.

This third leg ended at our lunch at Javier’s Cantina and Grille in the Irvine Spectrum. Very tasty Mexican food.

With some full bellies we took on an additional passenger, Mark with Cox Auto and he rode with us during the last two legs of the trip. For the fourth leg I really wanted to drive the Tahoe but we got the Subaru Outback instead. Not my favorite car of the bunch but I did get to drive through the canyon and that was cool. We stopped at a biker bar called Cook’s and waited for everyone else to arrive. Our last car, the Tahoe had actually sped past the stop point and we had to wait for them to come back. We ended up being the last car to make it to the end point.

After a super quick trip tot he hotel we were off to Angel Stadium to see the Los Angeles Angels play the Boston Red Sox. I was fairly excited for it because it is the hometown team. Unfortunately they lost, but touring the stadium was a lot of fun. Here is my vlog as a recap of the day. Let me know it you like this new format with music and quick clips of stills and videos together.

Food, Friends, Photo-A-Day, Travel, Vlog

#KBBDads Event Day 1 Adventures

1 Comment
Sunset over Newport Beach Harbor
Photo-A-Day #4123

Today was a great day in Irvine California. While I did wake up at 4am and could not go back to sleep I was okay most of the day. The information that I learned at Kelley Blue Book Headquarters was invaluable for my next trip to the dealership to negotiate for a new (either actually new or new to me).We learned all about the Kelley Blue Book approach to evaluating cars during the morning session. We broke for lunch, which were burgers from TK Burgers. They were awesome. So fresh and delicious.

After lunch there was a Facebook Live session with a couple of Kelley Blue Book Executives and Tommy Riles from Life of Dad. You cna see the video at the Life of Dad page or this link – https://www.facebook.com/lifeofdad/videos/10154245776211427/. It was fun to be a part of that Live event.

After the Facebook Live event we took a road test with one of the editorial staff in one of the five top Dad cars that were picked from the top 16 Family cars of 2016. I chose the Honda Civic to ride in and it had come a very long way since my 2002 EX.

Later on we took a bus down to Newport Beach to take rides in some Duffy Boats. The Newport Beach Harbor is incredible. So many boats and so many million dollar houses. Simply too much to take in.

When we were finished with the Duffy boat we then had a great dinner at 3-Thirty-3 Waterfront Restaurant. Dinner was way too much food and great conversation. Try not to drool on today’s vlog.

Photo-A-Day, Travel, Vlog

Travelling to California for #KBBDads

Hanging with Dad of Divas
Photo-A-Day #4122

This morning I headed to California. I flew from Providence to Newark and then met up with my friend Chris from Dad of Divas. We were on the same plane for the second half of the trip. While we tried to sit next to each other or near each other it didn’t end up working out. It was a long flight but we each got some work done.

When we arrived we walked over the the Spectrum Irvine which was a big outdoor mall. We had a fun lunch over at Red Robin. I tried their burger in a lettuce wrap for the first time and it was very good.

Then we got back to the hotel to relax before having a great dinner with a bunch of the other #KBBDads. We went to Del Frisco’s Grille for dinner. It was a great night when we got to meet the Kelley Blue Book team and enjoy some delicious food.

Family

My Journey to Becoming a Dad #ThanksBaby

1 Comment

I have partnered with Life of Dad and Pampers for this promotion.

With my two beautiful children

I have always known that I’ve wanted to be a dad. All my life I’ve been told that I’d make a great dad someday. Usually told to me by girls who just wanted to be friends, but I digress. I found my one and only and we were married and tried to start a family. The first pregnancy came and we were jubilant, who would be this new child in our lives that would make us a mom and a dad. We shared our excitement with friends and family only to have it taken away from us. Our first baby did not come. This hardened my heart.

Over the years life has taught me not to talk about a thing until it is real and physical and actual. I had forgotten that in my excitement over learning that I was going to be a dad for the first time. I let my guard down and allowed myself to be happy before the actual event. I was devastated by the news which was compounded by my being away when it happened. Our sadness was further compounded by having to share in the joy of our good friends bringing their first child into the world on that day. I give my wife and I credit for being strong enough to share in their happiness while we were so shattered. I became guarded and skeptical when Allison became pregnant a second time. I was there at every doctor’s session looking for potential bad news. I would not allow myself to be happy or dream of a child in our lives. I didn’t want to get my hopes up only to have them dashed again.

Eva home from the Hospital

On October 10, 2007 I finally became a dad. Our beautiful baby girl, Eva was born in a real hurry. We arrived at the hospital at 10am and she arrived in the world at 12:10pm. While that may seem like a short time, especially to moms with over 36 hour labors, it felt like an eternity for me. All the visits said that our baby was doing okay (I did not want to know the gender of our baby, another possibility to get my hopes up that I did not want) but I wanted certainty and would not get that until I held our baby in my arms. Eva rocketed into the world full of life and a knotted umbilical cord. She had been in distress but we were lucky that she was born so fast that the knot left no lasting issues.

I watched my baby girl like a hawk. She did not leave my sight or my side while she was in the hospital. When the nurses came to take her to measure and check her out I went with them. I changed her first diaper and so many more after that. Allison can brag that she did not have to change a diaper for the first two weeks following Eva’s birth. I would gladly do the job. Eva’s birth allowed that hard heart of mine to crack and realize that yes, this baby girl of ours was here, was healthy and was the reason I could now be called a Dad.

Eva on blanket

Continue reading My Journey to Becoming a Dad #ThanksBaby →

Blogging, Contest

This #KingofRest Faces Many Sleep Challenges

12 Comments

Disclosure: I have partnered with Life of Dad and Restonic Mattress for this promotion.

Post Workout Nap
Exercise helps me get ready for rest.

I consider myself many things. A good Father and Husband. A fan of the 80’s and so many toys. I also consider myself the King of Rest. There are many who are vying for this title but they do not face the challenges that I do each week in getting proper rest. Sure, these other dads have to take care of their homes and their families which can be exhausting. Sure, some of them have jobs that they do on top of their familial duties. I am not these other dads. I am unique in my week and my quest for rest. I’m also writing this at 3:30am. Find out why in the rest of this post.

My work week actually begins on Friday. After a full day with my son that usually begins around a 6am wake up call I head in to work for a 12 hour overnight shift. Fridays are usually spent in search of an hour or two of shuteye. The only way to achieve this is to also get Andrew to have an hour or two of shuteye. This, more often than not, does not happen. So I am awake for a 24 hour period each week. I want to have more sleep, it makes me a nicer person and way less irritable. Lack of sleep makes for a scream-y daddy.

Why Wont he let me sleep
Why Won’t He Let Me Sleep?

Being awake for a 24 hour period each week makes me appreciate sleep so much. I often make up those lost hours by taking catnaps anywhere and everywhere. However, my strange sleeping habits and schedule do not end there. I still have two more nights of work ahead of me. Also in that time I get to the gym and also church with the family. I’ve been in this position for five years now and have become an expert at sleeping during the day and at night all week long. This means that I can flip from weekend mode to weekday mode without any major problems like sleepless nights or sleepless days. None of the other so called Kings of Rest can claim this ability.

Continue reading This #KingofRest Faces Many Sleep Challenges →

Blogging, Conferences, Family

Make the Call to Start a “Heart 2 Heart” Conversation With Your Dad

1 Comment

Disclosure: I have partnered with Life of Dad and Meta Wellness for this promotion.

Answer that Call for a Heart 2 Heart

When I went to Dad 2.0 Summit I heard so many great stories about being a dad. I was also privileged to see Michael Strahan speak. Part of his message was about the “Heart 2 Heart” campaign from Meta Wellness which encourages men to have important health conversations with their loved ones. It was for Heart Health month, which was February, but the importance of men talking about health. Especially men talking with their fathers about health. I knew that I would be a part of this campaign and would be talking with my own dad about health and wellness. Except I was a bit nervous about it because, while we do talk on a regular basis, talking about health can be a challenge especially with someone who has taught me so much. I may be in my forties, yikes, but it is hard not to feel like a little kid around your own parents.

Despite my nerves about having a conversation on this subject with my dad I did have some tips from Michael Strahan on having a “Heart 2 Heart” conversation with my dad like he did with his dad.

Dads with Michael Strahan

As a catalyst for conversation, the “Heart 2 Heart” campaign is providing a first-hand look at how easy it is to have a heart health talk with your loved one through a new video showcasing Michael Strahan’s intimate conversation with his father, Gene – and tips on how to help your loved one jumpstart their heart-healthy routine with Meta. You can see that conversation in this video spr.ly/H2HLOD.

Continue reading Make the Call to Start a “Heart 2 Heart” Conversation With Your Dad →