J-Mom Archives - Dad of Divas

Product Review – Funky Monkey Snacks

April 23, 2011 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

I was recently asked to review some great new healthy snacks for all members of the family. Well… they really are being touted for kids (at least somewhat), but I have to say that J-Mom and I tried them and they could work for adults as well.

As I mentioned, Funky Monkey snacks are healthy snacks for kids and parents alike – they are gluten-free, sugar-free and preservative free – nothing but three servings of fruit in each bag.

I got to try some great flavors that Funky Monkey has: Applemon, Bananamon, Carnival Mix, & JiveALime. With the fact that the entire package is only 100 calories and that it is all natural, the snacks are perfect for those on the go and are a healthy alternative to chips or candy.

With young children in the house that are always looking for something sweet (or so it seems), I am excited about the possibility of giving my girls something that has some redeeming value to it.

In trying the snacks, all of the family tended to like them. Diva-J did not care for the Applemon, but I can tell you that the rest of us loved it. Also, the rest of the snacks were similarly enjoyed!

If these sounds good to you, you can find them for sale on Amazon. Check out Funky Monkey snacks today, your family will thank you!

The featured product in this post was provided to me free of charge. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Please refer to this site’s Terms of Use for more information.

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Enjoying a Movie Night with Orville Redenbacher’s

December 18, 2010 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Last night we had a fun time watching some fun movies, setting up a fun family movie night. I always love family movie nights as it is a time for all of us to be able to spend time together just sitting around, not stressed, not fighting, but instead having fun!

Prior to our movie night we pulled out a game of Sequence. We had played Sequence for Kids in the past and we own both games, so I made the decision to see how Diva-J, our 6 year old could handle the more adult game. It was not easy for her, but she did fine. I did get a little frustrated in the teaching of the game to her, but had to step back and breathe and just let it happen. We had fun and then jumped into or movie night.

Thanks to Orville Redenbacher’s I was given the chance to make the movie night really come alive with some of their popcorn, candy, a redbox movie and some memories that will definitely last.

The kids loved the special popcorn boxes that we received.

I have to say that I loved how easy it was to get a Redbox Movie. I had done Blockbuster Express in the past and I found Redbox to be just as easy to use! I also was impressed to find the wide array of movies that Redbox had for us to choose from! They had both new releases as well as close to new releases and there were many that I had not seen.

The Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn was awesome and the Butter variety reminded me of being at the movie theatre (we don’s always get to go there often)! Light and tasty, I would definitely go to the store to get some more. What was nice was that in every box, they have coupons for great things like 2 free redbox movies, $1.00 off Poppcock Popcorn and a coupon for free Soda! Talk about a great deal!

So for us, we snuggled up and were able to have a good time in jammies, under a blanket, having a great time together, and most importantly, spending time together!

What would you do if you had a family movie night to make it special?

Happy Birthday to J-Mom (Day 15)

October 11, 2010 by dadofdivas 4 Comments

35 Years to the day the love of my life was born, and coincidentally, SNL premiered the same night!

Book Review – The Birth Partner Handbook

July 28, 2010 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Women frequently report that they could have never gone through labor as confidently without their husband, friend, or other childbirth companion. When certified birth educator Carl Jones asks new mothers what helped most during labor the answer is always “my partner.” His latest guide, The Birth Partner Handbook: Everything You Need to Know for a Healthy, Positive Birth Experience (Sourcebooks; ISBN: 978-1-4022-3779-9; TP $16.99; July 2010) will give you all the tools you need to support a mother.

Today 98% of fathers attend the birth of their child. With an increasing number of family and friends attending births, the need grew for a contemporary step-by-step plan written specifically for birth partners. Carl Jones understands just how important a confident and prepared birthing partner can be. Having a well prepared partner not only comforts and soothes the mother during the painful experience of labor, but also reduces her anxiety, reduces the actual length of labor, minimizes the chance of complications, increases the level of joy and elation for the mother, helps to initiate breastfeeding, and even reduces the chance of postpartum depression.

This book is a concise, contemporary guide for today’s birth partners, showing them exactly what they can do to help create a positive birth experience, whether the mother gives birth naturally or with medication, at home, in a childbearing center, or in a hospital.

The Birth Partner Handbook gives birthing partners all the tools they need for experiencing labor alongside the mother, including:

Understanding and preparing for every stage of labor
8-Step method to help make childbirth less stressful
Actively helping the mother through labor
Massage and breathing techniques to manage stress
Supporting with family and friends
Ways to give continued support after the baby is born

About The Author

Carl Jones is a certified childbirth educator who has attended hundreds of births and is a popular speaker who organizes childbirth workshops nationally. In addition to his international bestseller Mind over Labor: A Breakthrough Guide To Giving Birth, he has written dozens childbirth books such as Sharing Birth and From Parent to Child. He lives in Whitefield, New Hampshire.

My Take on theBook

This book is a great resource for any birth partner to a mother to be. Filled with ideas for handling any situation, this is the type of book that any father or any other support person should read through at least once to give you an idea of some of the situations and issues that you may have to deal with in being a support for the mother to be.

As a father of two, I would have loved to have read this book ahead of time to assist J-Mom more along the birthing process (though I do think I helped in my own way). I highly recommend you take a look at this book if you are looking for a great hand on resource for step-by-step guidance on how to be that great partner!

If this book sounds like something that you would like for your own collection you can find it on Amazon!

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At the Gardens!

June 23, 2010 by dadofdivas 2 Comments

Caress NEW Whipped Soufflé Body Washes

June 10, 2010 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Caress recently launched their NEW Whipped Soufflé Body Washes, which let women indulge in supremely soft, silky skin and offer the highest level of moisturization from the Caress collection.

Caress also teamed up with award winning dancer and country singer Julianne Hough, to show women how to flaunt sexy skin on the dance floor, sharing beauty secrets to get gorgeous, as well as dance tips.

Dancing has never been hotter, thanks to beauties like two-time “Dancing with the Stars” champion Julianne Hough, who is known for flaunting sexy skin on the dance floor. Now, women everywhere can see how she gets gorgeous for a “girls’ night out” dancing in a series of web videos for the launch of the new Caress Whipped Soufflé Body Washes. She shares beauty secrets and dance tips for flaunting silky, sexy skin on the dance floor and gives women the chance to win their own girls’ night out in the hottest dance cities.

“When I’m on the dance floor, nothing makes me feel more confident and fabulous than when my skin looks great,” says Hough. Anyone can go out and “flaunt it” on the dance floor – all you need are a few of the right moves and sexy, silky skin that smells amazing to capture the spotlight.”

The videos are available at www.dancewithcaress.com, starring Hough, give an inside look at her getting ready for a girls’ night out and show women everywhere how to get gorgeous skin they’ll want to flaunt — on and off the dance floor. Fans can also see the award winning dancer show off some of her favorite dance moves and enter to win a girls’ night out of their own in the hottest dance cities, courtesy of Caress.

“Julianne is an amazing dancer, singer and actress with gorgeous skin who definitely shows that you can have it all without compromising,” said Rob Candelino, Unilever U.S. Marketing Director, Caress. “Now, with the new Caress Whipped Soufflé Body Washes, every woman can have it all in one body wash – great fragrances and ultra-moisturization – for gorgeous skin they’ll want to flaunt too.”

Available in two great fragrances, Blackberry Cream (whipped with blackberry and vanilla essence) and White Peach Cream (whipped with white peach and a blend of silk blossom), Caress Whipped Soufflé Body Washes offer the ultimate in everyday indulgence. The bottles even feature a new Silky Fragrance Infusion icon that shows women they can get silky, moisturized skin with amazing fragrance – all from one body wash.

Julianne Hough’s Tips for Tantalizing Skin You’ll want to Flaunt:

Step 1:	Buff. To flaunt fab skin in the city, use a pumice stone to treat dry spots, like elbows and heels.
Step 2:	Hydrate. Boost your water intake – it will help you feel refreshed and vibrant all night long.
Step 3:	Indulge. Before you hit the town, maximize your shower and make skin flaunt-worthy with the new Caress Whipped Soufflés. These ultra-light, yet creamy body washes deliver both incredible fragrances and moisturization in one.

See more of Julianne’s beauty tips for flaunt-worthy skin in her new videos at www.dancewithcaress.com.

In the meantime, Caress has launched a new Facebook community page, so you should definitely check out www.facebook.com/caresskin for the exciting things that are happening!

My Take on the Product While I gave this product to J-Mom to try, she mentioned that she loved the scent and how thick the body wash was. She mentioned that she did not feel that she ever had to reapply and that instead a little went a long way. I liked the scent myself, though as a guy I do not think I would specifically use it, it was light and fruity and lingered on J-Mom’s skin after using it, which was a nice treat!

Franklin D. Resorts – Underwater Fun for All

June 1, 2010 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

I had the pleasure to be asked to take my family on a vacation to Jamaica to visit the Frankin D. Resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. Over the next few days I will be talking about different aspects of our experience at this resort, today I want to talk about activities for adults on and off the resort.

Prior to going to Jamica I had never had the opportunity to go snorkling. Franklin D Resort staff take guests out two times per day to great snorkling sites around the resort. Yet, in saying this, for me, I found the best sites for snorkling to be about 50 yards out from the resort. I have to say that I was amazed at how bouyant a person is in the waters around Jamaica. I never felt that I needed a fe jacket to stay afloat. Also, I have to say that diving on some of the reefs around the resort allowed me to see both healthy and diseased reefs.

It took me a while to get the pressure equalized in my ears when I did decide to dive down, but I finally did get this concept down and was able to dive further down than I thought I could at first. What I loved about diving down was that you could swim in directky into schools of sh and close to beautiful coral. Some of the best days of snorkling was when I was swiming out from the resort and there were beautiful electric blue fish swimming all around me, and in divind down they simply continued to swim around me as well.

I was particularly impressed at the brain coral that was found on the reefs. Some were small and some were very large. All-in-all I have to say that my underwater adventures were ones that made me want more. I am hooked and I know that the next time I get to a location that provides me the opportunity to snorkle again, I will definitely be taking advantage of it.I was interested to meet some of the local Jamaican divers that went out every day to find conch shells for tourists. Of course their first thing to do when they met me was to try and sell me a shell, but I persisted in asking questions about how they did what they did and how they learned to dive. Most of these divers could free dive over 60 feet which was amazing to me. One may stated that he could get to about 150 feet on a good day. The men were very friendly and of course very willing to sell you a beautiful shell.

If you have never done this and enjoy swimming and seeing amazing things, then you must find a time to snorkle for yourself. You will not be disappointed!

I should also mention that the resort also has certified dive instructors for those that do want to dive to deeper depths and see more things during the week. I chose not to do this at this point, but seeing how much I enjoyed the snorkling, I might enjoy diving as well, you just never know!

Want more information on FDR? Click on the below banner! (aff link)

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Terms of Use for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions. All images were taken with The Olympus Stylus Tough Camera that was provided during the trip. Also our family received sunglasses for the trip from The Sunglass Warehouse.

Franklin D. Resorts – Making Friends!

May 31, 2010 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

One of the great things that I noticed at this resort was the opportunity for kids and adults to meet others like themselves and make friends, even when they were not looking.I know that while we were there Diva-J made a number of friends that were of many different ages.Much of the nature of the resort places you in close proximity with one another. Whether this was in regards to the fact the the reort was small and the rooms were close to one another or the fact that there were so many activities that brought prople together, I am not for certain, but it happened none-the-less.
The kids had so many opportunities to be together they are thrown into opportunities for getting to know each other and I definitely saw this to be the case for Diva-J.

Making friends though was not only for kids. Actually, the adults also had some great opportunities to have fun experiences with other parents.Seeing that all of the parents were in the same boat, we were brought together by common experiences and bonds.

At the time that we were at the resort all of the children staying there were under age ten. This being the case, all of the parents were going through similar issues with thieir children, and we all started having opportunities to talk and get to know each other (sharing experiences and parenting challenges at first).

For J-Mom and I, we really enjoyed our time with the other adults, and we could see ourselves hanging out with these adults again in the future if given the opportunity.

While we were there a group of us even decided to go and climb a waterfall together, we had a blast and were so glad that we took this opportunity!

Want more information on FDR? Click on the below banner! (aff link)

Franklin D. Resorts – The Food

May 24, 2010 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

One of the items that you could always dependi on at the resort was the food. No matter what time of the day you could find you could find great tasting food that were either local to the area (Jamaican fare) or items that you would find at a restaurant here in the U.S. (pancakes, omelets, etc.). The food was never ending and though I did not gain a ton of weight while there, you probably could if you didn’t be careful.

I definitely had some favorites while there, I loved getting the fresh fruit smoothies every morning at breakfast (that was the only time they were available). While the smoothie menu was a bit limited due to the fact that it was off season and they carried no nuts, there were still a ton of great tasting smoothies that were fresh and lifted your morning spirits (well…at least mine).

I also was one to try the local dishes. With dishes such as Escovetch Fish (Spicy!), Oxtail, and other such local creations, I found muself enjoying them all. This is not to say you couldn’t get something simple such as a pasta dish or chicken or beef, as there usually was all of these options at every dinner.

The resort did have two adult only restaurants that provided both Jamaican and Italian foods. We tried both while there and were impressed with the food. I will however warn you to be wary of their version of the Habenero pepper, WOW, my mouth was on fire for at least 5 minutes!

The resort also takes care of the kids. With a special dinner every night kids can get some of their favorite dishes while in a foreign country. My kids never complained about the food at all, in fact they liked the variety and they tended to try a lot of the different dishes. We tended to find that it was easier to have them eat first and then let them go to the Kids Club to have fun while we ate our 4 course meal (yes you heard it right…every night was a 4 course meal).

The kids also liked the desserts. At times they tended to stick with the old standby ice cream, but the resort did offer many other choices as well.

The resort even went out of their way for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. While we did not have any of these to celebrate while there, we did celebrate a birthday with a few other couples and they made it very classy with a special seating arrangement for all of us as well as a birthday cake made just for the occasion!

Finally, what inclusive resort would not be complete without the drinks. Yes, drinks were available anytime during the day. The staff at the bar and throughout the restaurants were great and always willing to serve. The bar staff was always willing to try different things, and you could always get great, refreshing daiquiris or my favorites mango coolers. One of the other things that I likes was the fact that they had Red Strips (both regular and light) on tap!

The last things I will also mention is that your Nanny will also stock your room with food that you feel that you may need such as Cheerios, crackers and cheese, Red Stripe, Soda, or anything else.

You will not go hungry or thirsty at this resort!

Want more information on FDR? Click on the below banner! (aff link)

Franklin D. Resorts – Activities for Adults

May 17, 2010 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

Yesterday I talked about all of the great kids activities that the resort offers guests. Adults are no different. Every morning the activity staff write out the activities for adults as well. Some of the activities are healthy, such as the aquacise where Donavan kicks your butt in the pool, and I mean kicks your butt! Other activities are fun and have some great local prizes such as Jamaican Coffee or Rum or other fun things! Usually these activities include things like trivia, bingo, couple games, scavenger hunts or other such activities.

Outside of the pool there are water activities such as Kayaking, Snorkeling or going out on the resorts’ Glass Bottom Boat (which is a family activity). I spent a ton of time snorkeling while here. This was my first time snorkeling and I took to it like a fish in water and I found some very cool shells that I was able to bring home as mementos.

I came to find that for me there were a ton of great spots to snorkel even right by the resort (you don’t have to wait for the boat to take either of its’ two trips that it takes per day snorkeling).

Some adults just want to take advantage of the break from their kids and lay back and read or take a nap and you will find wonderful hammocks throughout the beach area as well as in shaded areas by the spa.

I almost forgot to mention that there is a Spa right on site and for a fee you can be transported in a realm of utter tranquility through massages, reflexology and other such niceties.

The resort also takes trips to Ocho Rios for shopping two times per week (this is included) and trips to Dunns River Falls two times per week ($35US per person). We ended up deciding to go with a group of couples to Dunns River Falls while we were there and we were very impressed. When they said that we would be climbing a waterfall, they truly meant that we would be CLIMBING a waterfall. While there were many good climbing points and it is a gradual climb, it still is a climb none-the-less and you will get wet and the water tends to be quite chilly! Overall though it is a trip that we will remember and that we were happy to take. One thing to keep in mind though is that when you leave the waterfall area, to leave the area you are routed through a shopping area. Just remember to stick to your guns and keep walking unless you want to buy something. The people that are selling are very persuasive and do not like to take no for an answer.

The resort also has a large waterslide that can be used by all (called affectionately Big Blue) and both of my daughters were braze enough to go down (even Diva-PJ with her dad of course)

The resort has two adult only restaurants (which I will speak of more on a different day), but know that they are available!

Finally, I would be remiss to mention the opportunity to make new friends while on vacation. We loved the fact that we were at the resort at a slower time of year (May -June) as there were only about 10 families there for most of the week. Prior to leaving (on mothers’ day) the resort got packed with local Jamaicans and other guests, so we were happy to be leaving before the chaos ensued. Needless to say though that we truly got to know a few of the couples quite well and we even shared contact information. It is hard not to get to know couples as you are eating together three times per day and are seeing them all over the resort, but it was a great thing, trust me on this!

Want more information on FDR? Click on the below banner! (aff link)