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Family Home Reviews

Nate Made Me Breakfast in Bed!

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Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches NY Daddy Blogger Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches NY Lifestyle Blogger Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches NY Lifestyle Blogger NY Lifestyle Blogger NY Lifestyle Blogger NY Lifestyle Blogger NY Lifestyle Blogger NY Lifestyle Blogger NY Lifestyle Blogger Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches

This post has been sponsored by Tyson Foods, Inc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Father’s Day is quickly approaching and it’s one of those holidays that always gets me super sentimental. My father passed away when I was 15, so every year that I get to celebrate with my son means a lot to me – and I’m sure every father feels the same way!

Read on to see how my son surprised me and made me feel so special by serving me Jimmy Dean® Frozen Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches in bed! We’ve been shopping online for groceries more so than ever lately so Nate usually browses the ACME app with us to add anything special he wants for the week, so he made sure to secretly add these sandwiches with mommy without me seeing. Now that we’re using the ACME app to shop and get our groceries delivered, it was a lot easier for them to surprise me without us all being at the grocery store together. We love the “New Deals” section in the app – it’s so easy to see the new items on sale that we may not have necessarily had on our list, but are always willing to purchase at a good deal!


I was having one of those weeks where I felt overwhelmed. I was rushing around finishing work and projects, and I was even feeling busy at home on the weekends. I had said out loud, “I wish I could have one of those days where I don’t even leave the bed, and I can enjoy yummy food and watch movies all day.” Well, my son is very observant and takes in everything he hears. So this year, Nathan wanted to make me breakfast in bed!

It’s well known that I’m the cook in this family, so I think Nate was a little skeptical with the idea, since he knows mommy is not much of a cook LOL (she cleans, I cook) – and it works out just fine! He told me I could get dressed but not to leave the bedroom.

We eat plain croissants a lot in the house, especially in the mornings, and whenever we go out on the weekends, I usually stop for a sausage, egg and cheese at the deli. So when my wife and son saw these Jimmy Dean® Frozen Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches at ACME, they knew they would be perfect for me, and perfect for them because they didn’t require any preparation or cooking! 🙂

I waited patiently upstairs while they prepared, and I could smell the warm croissants heating up—I had no idea what it was, but it smelled so good! Nate was so cute, barely being able to carry the tray with everything on it, but somehow he managed. It was complete with a little plant, pineapple juice (which I love) and salt, pepper, and ketchup; because he knows that’s what I always get on my egg sandwiches at the deli!

Up he came with the Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant sandwiches, and they were so good! I love how crispy the croissants got! Nathan had never actually tried eggs before and never even had an urge to, but I think because these sandwiches looked and smelled so good, he was enticed. Plus, he loves croissants, so that enticed him even more! He really surprised me by asking if he could have one. I was shocked. You know how kids are—if they think they don’t like something, even if they’ve never had it, that’s it, they don’t like it, end of conversation. But he wanted to try these, even though they had egg on them, so I was thrilled! To be honest, I feel like having a sausage, egg and cheese croissant is like a right of passage. I think I may have lived on them all throughout high school LOL. I was seriously so excited he wanted try them! First bite, and his eyes lit up. He loved them, and it made me so happy because now I have someone to enjoy them with! My wife on the other hand, wants nothing to do with eggs, so I never really end up making them as much as I would like to. But now that I know Nate is a fan of these Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant sandwiches, they will be stocked in our freezer at all times!

Thanks for my early Father’s Day surprise bud! Besides being so thoughtful, I’m happy we got to share that moment of you trying a new food for the first time and loving it just as much as I do. Happy early Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

Family Home Reviews

Hey Portal, Call the Grandparents

Portal from Facebook

I love adding new technology into my house. So, when I was gifted the new Portal+ from Facebook, I was super excited! I’ve seen the Portal from Facebook commercials, but never realized how much I would love it until I actually started using it. What’s better than a device that makes it so easy to see loved ones and brings family and friends closer no matter where in the world we are. And that’s exactly what this Portal does!

As soon as I opened the box I couldn’t believe the size of the screen – it was much larger than I expected and I love the way it stands up on it’s own and also allows the screen to swivel from a vertical to horizontal orientation. It has a sleek yet sturdy feeling to it. Portal from Facebook is so easy to use with the large touch screen or you can do things like start or answer a video call with “Hey Portal”! It also comes with Alexa built-in so you can start off your commands with “Alexa…” as well. Obviously, the coolest feature is definitely using Portal to make video calls by utilizing your Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp contacts and allowing you to have instant face to face calls with them, hands-free.

It’s so amazing…you don’t even have to stop doing what you’re doing in the house because you can initiate the calls with voice commands, and then the camera will actually keep you centered in frame as you move around the room. If there’s more than one person in the room, it will widen the lens to include everyone or zoom in and focus on the person speaking. With the size and quality of the screen it really almost makes it seem like the person you’re video calling is actually in the room with you!

Portal From Facebook

Besides the video-calling feature, Nate is also able to watch his favorite Youtube videos on it, we’re able to stream music with different apps, and it also has a digital picture frame feature, which I’ve actually always wanted for our house! You can display photos from your Facebook and Instagram, or upload photos to your Portal devices directly from your smartphone’s camera roll.  We have so many pictures that just sit on our phones, that it’s nice to finally be able to see them featured somewhere in our house. The speaker quality of Portal really surprised us. It’s really clear and goes louder than you would think a device like this would be able to. We love it so much and love having it in our kitchen. We always seem to find ourselves saying “Hey Portal, play some Christmas music” and dancing or spinning around in the kitchen – so it’s perfect.

Portal from Facebook

Portal from Facebook is available in Portal+ (the device we went with!), Portal, Portal Mini, and then Portal TV. Portal offers a 10″ HD display and Portal Mini offers a 8″ HD display video calling experience and both offer the built-in Alexa as well. Portal TV allows video calling on the biggest screen in your home! The smart camera hooks up to your TV and instantly makes it feel like the ones you’re speaking to are right there in your home with you. We felt like our GG’s were with us on the Portal+, so I can’t even imagine what it must feel like if their loving faces were up there on our 60″! Portal TV is a great way for families to stay connected. When speaking with a loved one through the phone, with no visual connection you still feel like you’re miles apart, but as soon as you see those faces come through, the call no longer feels distant and instead it feels like they’re right there with you.

Portal from Facebook

This is such an awesome gift idea for a relative or friend who you don’t get to normally see as much as you’d like. We love being able to video call Nate’s great-grandparents in Arizona and my sister in Maryland. Before Portal from Facebook, I feel like I’d catch myself saying “Wow, I haven’t seen the grandparents in months” Now, even though it may not be in person, I don’t have that same feeling of not seeing them in a while. It’s just a different kind of closer feeling and connection you get when actually seeing the person you’re speaking to, rather than just talking on the phone. The fact that you don’t even need to be near the device or touch it and still be able to make your call and see the person you’re calling, has me already making the switch from my regular smart phone to the Portal from Facebook. This household loves it!

This post is in collaboration with @PortalfromFacebook. #PortalPartner #PortalFromFacebook #FeelThere #Portal

All images were created by, me.

Family Reviews

Nobody Doesn’t Like SaraLee :)

Father and Son Bloggers

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This time of year is really the most magical time of year! Right from Thanksgiving, up until New Year’s it’s filled with so much fun, activities and family time and I absolutely love it! With that said, it’s also the busiest time of year. Between work, shopping, fun time with the family, and all the holiday parties, we’re barely left with any spare time. As much as I enjoy baking, especially with my son Nate because he loves to bake, when it gets this hectic and our time is limited, I just rely on the fan favorite Sara Lee Desserts!

Sara Lee is just that brand that you remember when you were younger. Your grandparents had it, your parents bought it, and now I’m buying it for my family. Besides being so good, it just makes you feel cozy. I love the ease of being able to have a delicious cake or pie anytime I want but without the hassle, time and mess. The best thing about it is that I can grab it from my local grocery store and just keep it frozen until it’s time to enjoy. I myself usually always go for the Dutch Apple Pie or a cheesecake. Nothing’s better than warm apple pie with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream….mmmmm so good! My mother-in-law is the one that actually got me hooked on their cheesecake! The first time we had it together she would always talk about how it reminded her of her childhood and that her mother used to always buy it for them as a kid. Even though it wasn’t my childhood, it felt nostalgic for me too.

When I went to pick up my Sara Lee Dutch Apple Pie, I brought Nate with me, and he told me he wanted to try the All Butter Pound Cake this time. Normally his favorite one to grab is always the Chocolate Creme Pie but since we already had some left of this one from our last trip, he decided he wanted to try something new! I was really excited because I feel like the pound cake is one of the most underrated cakes there is. It doesn’t get the street cred it deserves.

Honestly, the fact that it doesn’t have all the frosting and sprinkles is what makes it so good! The flavor just speaks for itself and you can dress it up anyway you like! I couldn’t believe this was the first time both my wife and son were trying pound cake! They both love plain, buttery treats, so I couldn’t believe they had never had it before. This time around we kept it kind of simple with just some whipped cream and I was shocked at how much Nate was loving it.

I mean this kid has around 4 brownie sundaes a week LOL, so he knows his desserts! I wasn’t sure if he was going to tell me it was a little plain but all he kept saying was “can I have another piece?” LOL I always knew I loved their pound cake, so I was happy that Nate and my wife agreed with me. He did say he was curious about what other things we could add to it for next time, but that’s what makes pound cake so good…you can keep it plain or switch it up anyway you want. Even as I’m writing this, it shocks me that this was a cake was ever even frozen! It’s easy to forget because it’s so good.

With the Christmas music playing, tree lights on, Nate running around with his little Elfie in hand, my wife wrapping gifts, and our Sara Lee Desserts about to be served, I just love this time of year so much. It was so great sharing Nate’s first Sara Lee Pound Cake experience with him. Just sitting at the counter together with silly conversations over our Sara Lee pound cake and pie had me feeling the same way my mother-in-law was speaking about her childhood with her parents. We’re continuing the traditions over here with Sara Lee Desserts!

If you’re like us and running around with little time to bake this year, check out the SaraLee Desserts in the frozen foods aisle at your local grocery store. Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like SaraLee! 🙂

Reviews Style

Fall = Comfy…Jeans?

Lee Jeans Outfit

Everybody loves denim and what’s great about denim is that there are so many different styles to choose from, that you can always find a pair that’s perfect for you. The Lee® Extreme Motion Skinny Fit Jeans from JCPenney are the perfect jean to add to your wardrobe. First and foremost…they’re super comfortable, which let’s be honest, is one of the most important things when picking out your wardrobe (in my opinion)! Because of the comfort, they’re the perfect jean for someone who isn’t really comfortable going the skinny jean route, but does want that fitted style. They have a slim fit, and you can even get them a little snugger because of the elastic waist and the stretch fabric. There’s a lot of denim jeans out there that are just so tight and uncomfortable you don’t even want to squeeze into them or if you do, you can’t wait to take them off! With these Lee Skinnies, the denim still feels like denim, but are soft and have a lot of give…which I like!

With my first look, I wore the dark blue wash or “night wander” Lee® skinny jeans and paired them with this Ely Cattleman Western Shirt from JCPenney. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a fan of western style shirts and as soon as I saw the eagle embroidery I was sold on this one…love the embroidery and piping details! Pairing this shirt with the dark denim really helped play up the tough vibes of this western shirt. I took some shots both with my black hat and without because I couldn’t tell if I was diggin’ the extra cowboy kinda vibe 🙂 or if it was a bit much. And in turn, after looking back, I’m all about the full-on western vibes with the hat! Normally when I wear dark denim with an outfit like this I almost always go with a dark denim that has a snugger fit, but with this pair, because of the elastic, I could barely tell how fitted they were. Like I said, I’m all about that comfort!

(scroll past this look for my 2nd look!)

Lee Jeans Outfit Lee Jeans Outfit  Lee Jeans Outfit Lee Jeans Outfit Lee Jeans Outfit Lee Jeans Outfit Lee Jeans Outfit Lee Jeans Outfit Lee Jeans Outfit Lee Jeans Outfit

With the lighter blue “blue prodigy” Lee® Extreme Motion Skinny Jeans from JCPenney I went with a lighter look overall, and paired them with this sunlight yellow Cubavera Button-Front Shirt, and a pair of white Converse, also both from JCPenney. I’m all about the vacay kinda vibes, so with this look it gives me all the feels without being overly tropical in the wrong setting. 🙂 I really love how all these pieces compliment each other and keep it light and casual, but still feels put-together to go grab a bite and a drink with wifey! Just like the darker wash, these jeans have just the right amount of stretch, the perfect length to fall right above my shoes just like I like them, and they keep the look fitted and clean, without feeling too uncomfortably tight. As a dad, this kinda style is a must because one minute I’ll be shooting for my blog, the next I’ll be grabbing a drink with my boo, and the next I’ll be throwing a ball around and chasing my 7 year old son, Nate! I of course like to look my best, but also like to feel comfortable. Besides the stretch denim fabric I also love the comfort of the elastic band around my waist. As I always say, comfort is the key to confidence when rocking a look!

This post is sponsored by JCPenney and Lee.

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Family Home Reviews

Christmas Cookies With Samsung

NY Daddy Blogger

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Like most families, during the holidays, we tend to spend more time in the kitchen. We really wanted to do something festive on Christmas Eve before heading off to make our family rounds, so we decided to bake some of Aunt Sue Sue’s famous Anisette cookies! And what better way to christen our new Samsung Flex Duo Range!

I love cooking (even though I’m not great at it LOL) and think it’s a great way to spend time with the family where everyone can get involved. We just popped on some Christmas music on our Samsung Family Hub and got right to baking feeling those Christmas vibes! Nate was especially excited to be baking these because he was going to leave some of these cookies for Santa tonight, and thought it was really cool that he actually was making them for him this year!

If you want to try the recipe you can check it out below! They’re a family fave! However, if we try and make these again next year, we will be asking Aunt Sue Sue to come over and help us. Even though the cookies came out ok, we definitely did not make Aunt Sue Sue’s cookies LOL, but we sure did have fun making them! She normally makes a classic ribbon shape, but Nate really wanted to try out different shapes and use his Santa cookie cutter, so that was fine by us. We also went a little more crazy with our sprinkles than Aunt Sue Sue does, so I’m not sure ours came out as picture perfect haha, but again, still a ton of fun!

I haven’t really gotten the chance to use all the features of the range just yet, but I am blown away on how it elevates the look of my kitchen. I love that all the dials and controls are in the front and because of that, it shows more of the backsplash and overall, is just a cleaner look. One of my favorite features is that the stove top hangs over the countertop about a quarter of an inch. This means no food or crumbs can fall in the pesky little cracks…that always drove me crazy! This stove is going to be key for my meal prep for the week or cooking big dinners with the added dual door. By keeping the insert inside the stove I’m able to split the stove and cook with the top and bottom at two different temperatures and times. So awesome!

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season!

Aunt Sue Sue’s Anisette Cookies!

Ingredients
6 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Margarine (softened)
5 Cups Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
6 tsp Anise

Icing Ingredients
1 Cup of confectioners sugar
5 tsp Anisette
1.5 tbsp Water

Baking Steps
1. Blend eggs, margarine, and dry ingredients (except flour)
2. Add Anise
3. Gradually add flour
4. Bake in preheated oven at 400F for 8 minutes
5. Let cool, then dip tops in icing and sprinkle away!

This post was in partnership with Samsung, however all thoughts, opinions and comments are my own. We love this stove!

Family Reviews Style

Nate & I in AG Jeans

NY Daddy Blogger

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It looks like Nate and I have another brand to shop together! I had no clue that AG Jeans made children’s clothes, but boy am I glad I do now. If you’re not already familiar with it, AG Jeans is a premium denim/lifestyle brand that really cares…cares about what? Just about everything. They care about the quality of their denim and that the design of their collection reflects the sensibility of the brand, and they care about being socially responsible for the blueprint they leave behind. They have partnered with Water, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations and have Ozone Technology. And, they also use eco-conscious fibers. I know most people probably don’t consider these things when they’re trying to shop for an outfit, but it’s always great to hear that there are companies that do care about these issues and help out where they can!

I am in love with The Axle Shop Jacket. I have been searching for the perfect buffalo plaid jacket and couldn’t be happier with the way this one fits. The length of this jacket falls perfectly and gives it just the right look. The Tellis jean has a stiff look to it, but it actually has some stretch, which means comfort! I love how these pants looks stiff, which is how I like all of my dark denims to appear, but secretly they are super comfortable. Score! I really like the way you can fold these jeans up with an extra large cuff. This style really goes well with the Axle Shop Jacket and gives this look an edgy Williamsburg Brooklyn type of vibe!

When Nate was younger we tried to force him into wearing jeans that weren’t comfortable on him and now whenever he sees jeans he wants to run the other way LOL. So, we either have to get him jeans that have some stretch to them so we can show him that they’ll fit comfortably, or get a colored denim to try and sneak one past him HaHa. Luckily, we didn’t have to do either because Nate was such a fan of the mustard color of the Ryker denim jeans he was excited to wear them. We also gave him the thick cuff to match my look. 🙂 My wife and I get such a kick out of hearing him get excited about wearing clothes…it’s too cute. Usually he’ll just wear what we tell him but when he likes something, he now makes a point to really voice it and he always has such great taste. Honestly, it’s to the point now where if my wife and I are undecided on something, we go to Nate to help make the decision…and he’s usually right! The kid’s got style! We all love denim, so we always make sure to have a denim jacket for Nate. It’s the perfect jacket that goes with any look, and The Drake Jacket also has that bit of stretch to it (that Nate loves for comfort) and has just the right amount of fade to it!

We love our AG looks! Shop them today through 11/26 & get 25% OFF site wide!

Family Home Reviews

Why This Family Loves Our Samsung Family Hub

Samsung Family Hub

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Since I bought my house 6 years ago I have done one to two projects every year around the house and little by little we’re finally making it our own. One of the first things we bought upon moving in were new appliances. The thought of using someone else’s appliances kind of skeeved us out…plus they were pretty beat up. We bought a base model stainless steel refrigerator, stove & dishwasher. The fridge we purchased didn’t have any features except a water/ice maker. Yeah, from the start it was definitely an upgrade from the pre-existing fridge, but I can’t tell you how bummed I am that we wasted our money on this basic unreliable fridge. The ice maker broke in the 3rd year and the drawers started falling apart shortly after. Plus, after we had finally gotten to redoing our kitchen, we wished we had went with a better looking model because our new kitchen looked amazing but the appliances just didn’t have that same wow factor!

So, when I got the opportunity to get my hands on the new Samsung Family Hub Smart Refrigerator I was ecstatic! The first thing you notice when you see this fridge is the 21.5″ touchscreen. It definitely has to be one my (and the rest of my family’s) favorite features…not just because of how cool it looks, but because of all the features it now brings into your home. When I walk into my kitchen, the Family Hub is one of the first things that grabs my attention. To be honest, even though this fridge has more cubic feet than my last fridge, when I first opened it I thought it was going to be too small for me. I think the fact that there is a separate drawer (called the Flex Zone) makes the size seem a little deceptive. However, I was completely wrong about the size. The way the fridge is set up allowing you to be able to customize the shelves and drawers really helps you keep everything inside the fridge organized and creates even more space! Honestly…it’s definitely helped to eliminate those “babe, where’s the mayo” moments LOL. Not only does my Samsung Family Hub have a water and ice dispenser, but it also comes with a built-in water pitcher that you can set to auto refill when you put it back in it’s spot! The pitcher also has a flavor infuser built in, which I love. Give me ice cold cucumber-flavored water any hot summer day!

So this might be a little weird and out of the ordinary, but what I use our Family Hub the most for (besides keeping my food cold & organized) is for my workouts. Yes, my workouts! I usually go to the gym for about a half hour and work on a specific body part while I’m there, but then when I get home, after I play with Nate for a little, I always do an at-home WOD (workout of the day). Using the Family Hub’s wifi enabled touchscreen, I go to the Pinterest app and search for workouts. I then create a to-do list with my workout. This way I’m able to save it for another day and I’m able to cross off the exercises as they’re completed. I used to have a drawer full of papers with all of my workout lists, but it’s safe to say I’ve since thrown those out. This is much more efficient for sure! I then go to one of the many music apps to stream some music to get me pumped, like iHeartRADIO.

One of my other favorite features is the Shopping List app. This is an all-around family favorite! I hate going to the supermarket and hate wasting an hour or two with the whole process in general, so anything that can help speed it up is a win. Once you download the hub’s shopping list app on your phone, it all gets synced up. This allows you to create a shopping list which will then show up on the hub, my phone, and my wife’s phone. When anyone edits the list it will update across all devices! Now when you’re doing your shopping, as you grab what you need, you can cross it off the list and it will cross off on everyone’s list. It’s amazing! This way we can split up the shopping and really cut our time in half. No more screaming across the store, “babe, grab bananas”, or “did you get the milk?!” LOL. If I’m at the supermarket alone, while my wife’s at home, she just adds new grocery items she remembers to the hub app and it will pop up on my phone. We really love it!

The app will also take things like strawberries and let you know that in 2 days they are going to go bad. These little reminders are super cool because in the past we’ve definitely wasted way too much fruit in this house, but since the hub have become a lot more aware of our fridge items. Did I mention I can also see inside my fridge from the outside? If I’m at the store and can’t remember if I’m low on mike, I can just view the inside of my fridge on my phone and check. My family hub has 3 interior cameras that takes a photo every-time I close the door and keeps me up to date!

There are seriously so many cool features to my Samsung Family Hub, that I could go on and on, but another one of my faves is the Memos app. I hate waking up so early to go to work and leaving my family without getting a chance to talk or say goodbye in the morning before I leave. So I love that I can quickly type them a cute note that will show right on the fridge’s screen. It might just say “I love you” or “Sorry, I’m busy, but I’ll call you later” or silly things, but just knowing I was able to drop them a line for them to know I’m thinking about them makes me feel better and they love getting my surprise notes throughout the day!

We seriously love our Samsung Family Hub and little by little are incorporating more and more features into our everyday routines. Besides keeping us all connected and making some of our tasks a lot easier, overall we just feel more organized. And in this house with all the running around we do, between work, blog projects, events, everyday commitments & activities and just life in general, feeling more organized and connected definitely helps keep you feeling on task and able to get things done a lot quicker!

 

Family Reviews Style

Fall Twinning in Old Navy

NY Daddy Blogger

NY Daddy Blogger NY Daddy Blogger Father and Son Old Navy Outfits NY Daddy Blogger Father and Son Old Navy Outfits Father and Son Old Navy Outfits NY Daddy Blogger NY Daddy Blogger NY Daddy Blogger NY Daddy Blogger Men's Fall Outfit NY Daddy Blogger NY Daddy BloggerBack to school season is here and it’s just as exciting as when Nate started kindergarten last year. He’s moved onto the first grade and is officially a pro at the back-to-school routine. It’s so crazy how fast time is flying! Summer coming to an end is always bitter-sweet. We’re all going to miss those long, hot days, but there is also so much to look forward to in the upcoming months. I’ve been trying to remind Nate that as he’s overcoming his first week back blues. He likes school, but everyone dreads the rigid routine!

One thing that always gets me excited is shopping for the new seasons. We partnered up with Old Navy to show you some cool fall colors and alternate denim options. We went all in for fall and opted for colors that remind us of the changing of the leaves. That is one of the prettiest things about fall! Our last coordinating outfit from Old Navy was somewhat collegiate and sporty, so we decided to switch things up a bit and go for a little grunge. Nate and I are all about that street style!

I really love how I was able to find almost the exact mini-me look for Nate, to coordinate with my outfit. I can’t express enough how cool I feel when we’re walking down the street and we hear the people complimenting us both on how cute we look together. No matter how good I think I look when I’m walking solo, I can’t buy a compliment LOL, but when we’re in our matching Old Navy outfits, they are just thrown our way. Haha.

We started our looks with matching black denim jackets. I wore the Built-In Flex Black Denim Jacket which has just the right amount of give in the denim, and Nate wore the 2-in-1 Hooded 24/7 Black Denim jacket. For me, I actually don’t like wearing denim jackets with built-in hoodies, but for Nathan I think they’re perfect! They give that little bit of grunge vibes that we like, but don’t add that bulkiness that will make him uncomfortable. I really like how Old Navy uses the exact color tones in both the Men’s and Boy’s collections. If you look at our outfits you would think that we’re wearing the exact same pieces, but really it’s just the exact same colors!

I love the tobacco leaf color of this Pullover Hoodie and Nate’s matching Color-Blocked Thermal-Knit Raglan Tee. The colors are described differently…Nate’s is Golden Brown, but they literally match to a Tee! Get it? LOL (corny dad joke alert) The one thing I love about Old Navy is that I always feel super comfortable in their clothes. You know when you have to go out, but are in no mood to get dressed up and just feel like wearing sweats? In these cases I always end up throwing on an Old Navy look instead. I get that same kind of comfort, without the sloppiness of sweats! I’m pretty sure it’s because a lot of their pieces have the built-in flex. Nate loves it and I can definitely see why. The Relaxed Slim Khakis are just what I’m talking about and with the Warm Bread color, this look can’t get any more fall! Now every time I see this color I think of warm banana bread, which is my favorite, and it always has me craving a piece LOL. Nate wore the Karate Built-In Flex Slim Jeans, that he calls his “comfy pants”. We have yet to tell him that they are actually brown jeans! haha We always have a hard time getting him to wear jeans because he associates denim as a stiff & uncomfortable material, so we’ll just stick with also calling these his “comfy pants”. I mean I love all kinds of denim, but I totally understand how an active little boy might hate wearing traditional denim, that’s why the built-in flex is perfect for him!

What do you think of our twinning Old Navy looks? Comment on our post if you’re a dad that likes matching your little man!

Family Reviews Style Travel

Our Mini Getaway with Oyster Bay

Oyster Bay

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Father’s Day is a special day for me. Having lost my father at a young age, it means a lot to be able to do the things I wish I could do with my father, with my son. Not to mention, what’s better than getting to spend the full day with my family, and getting to do whatever I choose for us to do. As Nate would say, “It’s your day, Daddy!”. I love hearing him call me daddy. Even though he’s almost 6 already, hearing his little voice say “daddy” will never get old, and still touches me the way it did when he said it for the very first time. I’m a mush for this kid!

Honestly, for me, what I love doing most is pretty simple – it’s really just being able to have a day, with no distractions, and getting to enjoy my little family. We decided to do a little local getaway, to make it feel like we were on a true vacation, and to get us away from the house distractions. Instead of heading to the city like we normally do, my wife booked us a room at The Time Hotel in Nyack, NY. Nyack is a cute little town right by the Hudson River, and has this really cool modern-style hotel (The Time) just blocks from the town. As soon as we got there, I had already forgotten we were just 45 minutes from home and immediately felt like we were miles away from reality.

I started my day by getting an awesome snuggle sesh with Nate in the morning and wifey started me off right and quickly got me a glass of Merlot from Oyster Bay. Despite wanting to keep it simple for Father’s Day, it’s still always nice to kick it up a notch, by adding in a nice bottle of wine to elevate the occasion just a tad bit more! Now don’t judge me, but when I’m on a vacation, whether it be for a day, weekend, or week, I usually enjoy a drink or two throughout the day. I mean who doesn’t? Now I’m not talking about spring break style drinking LOL, but just a few glasses throughout my day to keep me relaxed and as a constant reminder that it’s a special day!

After my snuggle sesh, we went straight to the pool! While loungin’ we ordered some pool-side snacks to go with our Oyster Bay. The Merlot paired so nicely with our maple honey smoked bacon slabs (drizzled with a balsamic glaze) and our honey drizzled goat cheese crostinis. Nate loved the bacon (but I guess who doesn’t love bacon) and I’m always a sucker for some crostini. Just having these sides paired with our glasses of merlot, in such a chic pool setting, really just made our pool time feel that much more special. I got to play with Nate in the pool and he got to show off by showing us how far he can swim. It’s so cute, because he’s becoming such a little fish when it comes to the water and is always pushing himself to see if he can swim from one end of the pool to the other. He impresses me every day! Shockingly he also actually let me and Sarina just lay and relax for a little…and that never happens! LOL Thanks Nate!

After getting dressed up and ready to head out for dinner, we got to enjoy a pre-dinner glass of wine while we checked out some of the cool art in the lobby and caught up on some sports on the T.V. in the lounge. This hotel had some really cool artwork and a lot of different design elements that made it fun to explore around. We just kind of kept a slow pace, taking in the hotel decor, strolling through the lobby, and sipping our Oyster Bay.

After dinner we head back to our room, and you guessed it, more snuggling was had, and Nate and I had our usual jumping on the bed session. I don’t know how all this sounds to an outsider, but to me, it really is all about the little things, and it was the perfect weekend. Playing in the pool with my boy, relaxing with a glass of Oyster Bay with my wife, exploring a new place or town with the family, catching a glimpse of sports on the T.V. together, and overall just taking it slow and enjoying each other….it’s these little things, with no work or home distractions, that really makes it feel special for me. I truly enjoy relaxing days like this that make me appreciate life. Thanks for my little Father’s Day getaway fam!

Family Reviews Style

Finding Inspiration in Beacon

Father and Son Style

Sponsored by LifeWTR
All thoughts and opinions are my own. LIFEWTR Blog Father and Son Blog LIFEWTR Father and Son Style Exploring Beacon, NY LIFEWTR

After recently taking Nate to a painting class and then introducing him to the LIFEWTR artist profiles of students who created the cool labels on the LIFEWTR bottles, Nate has been a little more in tune with his creative side. Whenever we’re exploring a new town or city, I’m always drawn to check out artwork and murals, so I think my interest in street art has gotten Nate a little intrigued in the arts as well. We love exploring Beacon, NY. It’s an eclectic little up and coming city that is known for their arts community. We’re lucky enough to only be 20 minutes from Beacon, the home of a contemporary art museum which houses a collection of art from the 1960’s to the present. When we told Nate where we were going, I was actually a little shocked that he was so excited to check it out again! He’s been there before and really likes the crushed car exhibit. It was so cool to see how into it he was and how many questions he had. To be honest, I didn’t get most of the art myself, but I can still appreciate it. I thought if I tried to explain it to him from the descriptions they had at each exhibit, it would lose him, because to be honest, I couldn’t really understand it myself LOL. Most of the time I answered his questions and told him something that I thought would just let his imagination run!

Before heading off to our next spot, we picked up some LIFEWTR at our nearby 7-Eleven…my son loves the bottles with the sports caps so he can squirt it right into his mouth, or mine. He also thought it was a good idea to bring these because they’re “artsy” and we were going somewhere “artsy”, so it just made sense. He’s too cute.

Beacon is a great town to visit. Besides the museum, they have a lot of great places to eat, cute little stores, and a killer donut shop where you can customize your own donuts. Now that’s my kind of art! (LOL) It was such a nice day, we finished our donuts and at Nate’s request, decided to walk around. Down the street from the donut shop they have a really cool mural of a faceless man on a brick wall. As I mentioned, I love street art, and it was cool to show and remind Nate that not all art is displayed at a gallery or museum. He was impressed and loved the massive display!

The sun that day just kept us wanting to stroll around, so we did. We took a walk along the abandoned train tracks which actually brought us to a cool little brewery. I was driving so I didn’t partake in any of the beer and just stuck with my LIFEWTR!

It was a fun little day to just finally be outside, walking around. Normally I feel like we’re always on the go, rushing to our next commitment, but that day was an amazingly slower than normal pace and we all enjoyed it. We also got to show Nate some artwork that normally you might just walk by everyday and not really take it in, but someone did use their creativity to create it, and some of it is really impressive. We ended our trip by a little waterfall, which we told Nate was nature’s version of art! It was so peaceful to just sit there, sun beaming down, listening and mesmerized at the falling, glistening water.

After my 2 recent projects with LIFEWTR it definitely helped me realize to not just assume I know all of my son’s interests. We tried a painting class together for the first time, then had a painting session of our own at home, and then brought him back to a museum we originally thought he had no interest in, but surprisingly was super excited to go back. I love being able to expose Nate to new things, especially when he’s secretly learning while having fun!