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First Flights
I have been flying quite a bit these days in some airplanes. I went from not flying in them for over twenty years to flying a handful of times in three months. The kids started asking when they could go on an airplane so Crystal and I started thinking about maybe surprising them with one (a flight not an airplane). Crystal flies a ton so I thought she should use her expertise and get her tocompare flights for all of us to go somewhere.
You know when you go to a amusement park or a buffet and you pay a reduced price for a child under a certain age? That does not “fly” with airline companies. I guess that theoretically I am paying for the seat and not the person, but don’t you think that they should have a little section with tiny little seats for tiny little people under 10 years old and with a tiny little price? I better make sure I pack some extra undies for them with that huge double surprise.
Also, you’ve gotta go someplace where everyone will like going to. Sure we could jet off on a European romantic getaway with some cheap flights to Italy or wake up with a view of the eiffel tower from a hotel in Paris…but I don’t think the kids would be too keen on the idea of that. So, we are taking a surprise flight in a week from now to Florida to have a one day DisneyWorld getaway and be back in time for school on Monday morning. I am definitely going to video their responses and I will most certainly be posting those to the site.
Orville Redenbacher’s Flavors Variety Review and Familiy Movie Night Giveaway
Some of my fondest memories growing up was when all of my family got together and just had a movie night. Whether it was rented from the video store, pulled out from our own collection, or watched it over broadcast TV it was an occasion that defined a great day.
One thing that is no doubt a huge part of movie experiences is popcorn. One company that has been getting popcorn right for over 45 years is Orville Redenbacher. Popcorn is good on a normal day, but what if you ramped your popcorn up a little bit with some “extra” flavor. Well, here comes Orville Redenbacher’s Flavors to the rescue! These packs of popcorn perfection are available in White Cheddar, Extra Cheese and Sea Salt & Vinegar. These bad boys allow you sprinkle on your flavor fave to add a little bit of “heaven in a pouch” to your popcorn.
I tried the popcorn out for myself and thought that I really wanted the entire packet throughout the bowl. It had such an intense flavor and the kids just went crazy for it. My wife Crystal doesn’t really care for huge amounts of cheese (I know right! What’s wrong with her?) so popcorn like this may not be for her…but wait…I told her she could control the amount of cheese that the popcorn had on it. Talk about having some some of control over things in this house!
I was also tasked with the job to create a basket that revolved around a family movie night and the best flavor of all….Extra Cheese! Here’s what I thought would be a rocking basket to make sure the night is a hit!
- Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles Extra Cheese – Start the night off with some and fix some more when you start up the movies. You can control the cheesy flavor, but you can’t control your craving for more.
- Popcorn Cups – Well…to put popcorn in.
- Cheddar Fries – Like if there wasn’t already enough cheese…here’s some more.
- Soda – Gotta have some soda. I just couldn’t find any cheese flavored brands.
- Movies:
- Enchanted – Because you know fairy-tales coming to life would seem pretty cheesy.
- Hook – Because it is equally a kid and an adult movie.
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Funny family film that has many opportunities to see really big cheese topped foods.
- A Blanket – Because some people just need to snuggle during a movie. Either that or their iron is low.
- Crunch ‘N Munch and PoppyCock – Because there are both fun to eat and one is really funny to say in a British accent.
- Pizza Hut Gift Card – Cheese makes up 36 percent of pizzas. What else would you eat with so much cheese? A roast?
- Mouse Trap – Fantastic game that revolves around the love of cheese. I really admire those critters.
- Snack Packs and Chocolate – Gotta bring the sweetness in at the end of the night.
- Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate – Because it warms the rest of you up after the heart warming movies. (Brought the “cheesy” comments right there.)
Giveaway
One (1) winners will receive:
- A separate (but similar) Family Movie Night gift basket valued at $150!
- Product samples of the new Orville Redenbacher’s Flavors!
How to Enter
Tell me do you think you’ll snack on Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn more now that it comes in new flavors? Which flavors are you most excited to try?
Extra Entries Available
After you have completed the first entry, you are eligible for additional entries. Make sure you leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Each counts as one extra entry unless noted otherwise.
- Subscribe to Daddy Digest by reader or email.
- Like me on my Facebook Fan Page.
- Like Orville Redenbacher on their Facebook Fan Page
- Follow Daddy Digest on Twitter AND Tweet about the giveaway. Leave the URL to the Tweet in your comment. You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet.
This giveaway will end on October 26th at 10:00 PM Central time. Winner will be chosen via a random number generator. Giveaway is open to US entries. The winner must contact me in 24 hours to claim their prize. Good luck to everyone!
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions in any freakin’ way.
Real Dads + Real Steel = Real Deal.
Most of you saw from all of the tweets and Facebook posts that Crystal and I spent a week in Los Angeles. During that time we went and saw Real Steel and I told you all about that. What I didn’t tell you all is that we got to interview some of the cast and crew of the film. What really impressed me about a good bit of people that worked on and starred in Real Steel was that they let their passion as parents show in this movie. From behind the camera to being right there across from eight foot tall robots on-screen, different aspects of these peoples real lives were shared with us and what inspired me the most was the stories of their children in and around the film.
Director of Real Steel Shawn Levy brought his insight to the film and explained that “I don’t even really think of the movie as an action movie. I kind of think of it as a father-son movie more than anything else.” Those words coming from the dad of four girls, may seem a bit funny. Shawn’s passion though was really fueled by the want of a great family film for everyone. “We ended up having this experience where, a family can go to a movie actually together, because as we all know as parents, like, things that are called family films are so often just kind of condescendingly made for the lowest common denominator, and we sit there either asleep, which I’ve done sometimes, or resentful, or what not.” I know I have been there and done that. Fun fact though: Three of his four daughters make an appearance in the film.
Sugar Ray Leonard was the Boxing Consultant on the film and he shared that his entire family (including his movie loving mother-in-law) caught an advanced screening and truly adored it. He shared some of his advice that he gives to his children and I thought that the “boxer-dad” got it so right. He told us “You know just continue to be a fighter outside the ring and continually dream and reach for your goals and don’t ever believe you can’t become something because someone tells you, you can’t. Because that happens all the time. People don’t want you to succeed because they can’t succeed.” Some words that really rang true to me being a father and yet also a son was when he shared “I stress to kids to be a leader not a follower.” Sugar Ray also shared that we need to try to always be their in our kids greatest battles “To let them know that it’s okay to talk to ‘em about whether it any problem.”
Anthony Mackie played “Finn” in the movie and he shared a bit about his relationship with his family and how they interact with his work life. I think it is awesome the way he doesn’t like to bring the family to a set and said “No, I don’t, I don’t like the whole circus of presenting my family.” When asked why he doesn’t really care that much to have them come on set he explained “I don’t like that. You know, it just…it makes me feel weird like they’re on display. Like who’s that? That’s my family. Oh. You know, throw ‘em a cookie or something. It’s just weird.” Very respectful of a very good dad and a very funny man.
Hugh Jackman who plays “Charlie Kenton” in the movie. I knew that he did have kids in real life and I really wanted to ask him a question from one father to another. He blew me away when I asked him the question about his performance onscreen “Is it easy to just let that genuine father emotion come out that you have?” He followed up with “First of all I played a father on screen and I found all the emotions very easy to acts– like real easy.” We also asked what was it like having to be kinda rude to a kid onscreen and really be frustrated with him and what did he tap into to get to that point. e shared with us an answer that had a great peek into some Hugh Jackman parenting. He said “I had to be mean to him and Shawn encouraged me to go for it. They’re like, “Really?” When you have kids, there are times lines come to your head. Like you wanna say something when they frustrate you. And sometimes you do let it slip and you feel bad for like a week. Right? But almost every day there’s something you wanna say that you shove deep down. I’ve walked out of rooms before I’ve been so frustrated. I remember going out and like punching a pillow on my bed, like I’m so frustrated, you know. Like sometimes if you don’t wanna show them. So for three months every day I got to say it!” Sounds like perfect preparation to me Hugh!
I hope you guys checked out the movie Real Steel this weekend and if you haven’t you’d better go and see what you are missing.
Pampers Hello Apps and iTouch Giveaway
Growing up in the digital age is so beneficial for the children of today. Just because we as parents didn’t grow up in this age doesn’t mean we can’t take part in it and enjoy it too. Pampers has come out with two sweet apps that make pre-birth to several years down the road fun for parents who want to stay involved with their children and watch their development.
Before the Birth
The Pampers Hello Baby Pregnancy Calendar allows you to explore life-sized images (iPad only; images in iPhone and iTouch are not life-sized) of a baby in the wormb from week 4 up to week 40. Learn about the stages of pregnancy and make small discovers about a baby’s development. Did you know that a baby could respond to sounds by week 28? The “womb translator” feature allows you to record your voice, then play it back or share it with friends in the tone that your baby hears it.
Download Hello Baby for free through the iTunes App Store here. and experience baby development like never before—at simulated life-size, right on your iPad.
After the Birth
The Pampers Hello World Baby Memories lets you take daily photos of your baby and then easily create a time-lapse video so you can watch your baby grow. You can use Growing Baby for anything—a developing pregnancy bump, the growth of little fingers, hands, and feet, or a baby’s facial features. You can record his evolution for days, months or even years and then watch it in seconds.
Download the Hello World for free through the iTunes App Store here and make memories daily with your kiddos.
These are really outstanding tools for parents to use to get closer to their kids before and after the birth. I kind of wish they were around for us to use when my oldest was born. Don’t get any ideas…we are done.
Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive:
- An Apple iTouch
- A pack of Pampers Softcare Baby Fresh Wipes
How to Enter
Your favorite part of pregnancy and baby years!
Extra Entries Available
After you have completed the first entry, you are eligible for additional entries. Make sure you leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Each counts as one extra entry unless noted otherwise.
- Subscribe to Daddy Digest by reader or email.
- Like me on my Facebook Fan Page.
- Follow Daddy Digest on Twitter AND Tweet about the giveaway with the hashtag #PampersHelloApps. Leave the URL to the Tweet in your comment. You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet.
This giveaway will end on October 22nd at 10:00 PM Central time. Winner will be chosen via a random number generator. Giveaway is open to US entries. The winner must contact me in 24 hours to claim their prize. Good luck to everyone!
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
Custom Ringtone Crisis
I quit my iPhone about two months ago and I have been doing really well. I don’t miss it much since I have moved on to my HTC. I got an HTC Surround from BlogHer in August and I opened and set it up as soon as I could. It runs Windows Mobile 7 and when I first got it going I thought it was rad. Super fast, streamlined, and elegant the OS delivers a very powerful phone. It has a great camera in it but I really missed having a photo editor like Instagram to instantly change the photos that I took. I have found something that does the exact same thing as Instagram and also shares through all of my social networks like I need it too. It also has some amazing editing tools built in to it that can crop and adjust to cut unwanted or ugly people in the background of your photos. It’s no Adobe or Paint Shop but it is great for a mobile program.
Crystal also got the same phone that I did and she refused to hook hers up until about two months later when finally she could not take the crawling speed of her old iPhone. The reason she waited so long to switch over was a simple reason…Windows Mobile 7 did not support custom ringtones. I know right?!?! A cell phone that does not integrate custom ringtones in this day and age? I liked the phone well enough that it did matter to me that it did not have that function.
Windows has since released a brand new update for our phones and I updated mine this past week. The update added over 500 new features. Crystal was excited that they finally announced custom ringtones and was now really liking the phone. Like I said though, I updated mine, she did not get the update notification. Windows is slowly rolling out the update to select customers in select markets and I happened to be one and she was not.
She got excited though when news broke about the new iPhone coming in two weeks. She said she was excited that she got to dump the Windows phone in favor of the new iPhone 5. I explained to her that it was not the iPhone 5 but just a hopped up iPhone 4 with a better camera. She was then mad yet again and went back to liking her Windows phone…for now!
Quiznos Black Angus Beef Sub
Since I have been eating better for a good bit now I have come to the realization that I like when I find those foods out there that are full of flavor yet still are not full of fat and calories. Quiznos has a returning favorite and it is the Black Angus Beef Sub. It’s a sandwich that is easy on your wallets and low in the nutrition baddies.
Available for a limited time only, the sandwich lets diners indulge their palates in a smoky, sweet and spicy flavor combination without sacrificing their wallets (at only $5.19) or their waistlines (at 520 calories). The sub boasts thick slices of premium Black Angus beef, mozzarella and aged cheddar melted over sautéed mushrooms and onions, all on toasted Rosemary Parmesan bread. Plus, it’s finished with two sauces – a smooth layer of Honey Bourbon Mustard followed by a light drizzle of zesty Grille Sauce.
This sandwich made me smile! I did not get it on the Rosemary Parm bread though because I am not a huge fan of having bread that tastes like pine trees in it so I subbed the wheat for it and it was still delish as could be. If you are watching your bank account and your waistline then this is the sandwich for you. Get up and head out right now to your local Quiznos and pick one up…or wait till you can WIN ONE!
Giveaway
Two (2) winners will receive:
- A $15 Quiznos Gift Card.
How to Enter
Tell me which one matters more right now…your wallet or your waistline!
Extra Entries Available
After you have completed the first entry, you are eligible for additional entries. Make sure you leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Each counts as one extra entry unless noted otherwise.
- Subscribe to Daddy Digest by reader or email.
- Like me on my Facebook Fan Page.
- Follow Daddy Digest on Twitter AND Tweet about the giveaway. Leave the URL to the Tweet in your comment. You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet.
This giveaway will end on October 10th at 10:00 PM Central time. Winner will be chosen via a random number generator. Giveaway is open to US entries. The winner must contact me in 24 hours to claim their prize. Good luck to everyone!
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions in any freakin’ way.
Real Steel Review
When I was really young my parents split. All I really knew was my mom growing up. My dad was around when the shared custody let him take me every other weekend. I didn’t understand what was really going on and at times I thought my dad just didn’t have time for me or I wasn’t a fit for his life.
I loved a movie growing up that had a great father-son element to it. That movie was Over the Top. This movie featured Sylvester Stallone and his character was trying his best to get acquainted with this boy that he really had never even met. This boy was his son and was now going to spend some time with him since his mother had died. They travel the country and reconnect while Sly’s character competes in arm wrestling competitions. This was an epic movie for me because the movie had a super message about a man who cared very deeply for his son even though he hadn’t ever got to spend a ton of time with him and didn’t always know how to show his feelings when he was finally around him.
Now that I am a father I have been looking for that one gem of a movie that could define that “father-son” feel for the next generation and I think I may have a winner. I recently took a trip out to L.A. to check out a screening of the new movie from DreamWorks Pictures called Real Steel and at first I just thought this movie was going to be a “Rockem’ Sockem’ Robots” ripoff. Boy I was way off! These robots were absolutely stunning in being the next step in the sport of fighting.
See, it is the year 2020 and the game of competitive fighting has changed quite a bit. In the years prior, human fighters could only dish out and take so much physical damage before something in either fighter’s body gave out. This was not a good problem to have when you had audiences that wanted more and more brutal fights and finishes in regular bouts. In 2014 Human fighters were then phased out and replaced by robot fighters that were controlled remotely by human operators. There is a huge market for these robots to fight in from small town sideshows to the big time events in the World Robot Boxing league. In the WRB, robot fighters stand over 8 ft tall, weigh in at a whopping 2,000+ pounds, and fight to the death!
You must be thinking “Ryan…I thought you said that this was a family movie?” Indeed it is. The film revolves around Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), who is a old school human fighter who lost his chance at ever being the champ. Now he spends his days and nights scrounging around and trying to find any pieces that can be assembled to make him a working bot to make a little money, Charlie drives around from one underground boxing venue to the next. When things don’t exactly play out the way Charlie really wants them to, he is abruptly confronted with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) and their story seems to start on rough waters. They find a robot by chance and begin to bond over the sport of fighting and strengthening their relationship through their wonderous journey to the top of the league.
I think that this is an awesome movie. A real action packed film whose characters strive to break records and mend relationships. Real Steel reminds me of many of my favorite movies like Over the Top, Rocky, and sprinkled with a tad bit of Transformers. This movie is rated PG-13 and is suggested to be a family film. I do think that every one of my kids would love this movie and think it is one of the best family action films of all time but there are a few concerns. The violence of fighting robots is okay but the atmosphere of emotions tied directly to the characters (human and robot) that take a beating is quite brutal. There are a few instances of language and I’m not a person who totally blows off a movie for a few curse words but when it has an eleven year old saying them to his father it makes me heed on the heir of caution. I just don’t want my kids thinking it is okay to say them because a child said them to his father in the movie. I don’t have the excuse of telling my kids that those are just “grown up words” when someone so close to their age just rattled them off. The kid says a** two times (one time calling his dad an a**), he also says sh*t once, and there are a few other mild profanities.
All-in-all this was a knockout of a movie that will leave you wanting to continue on the adventure. I look forward to sharing this movie with my children in a couple of years with me beeping out the bad words or just skipping through those scenes. I hope that they see it not only for a movie about a fighting robot and his rise to the top, but the fight of the heart between father and son.
To see more and support the movie go and “Like” REAL STEEL on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/
Winnah!
The Olive Garden Endless Pasta $25 gift card giveaway has ended and your winner is…….
#80 EMMA L HORTON!
Even though she likes salad and not soup like me I guess I’ll let it slide.
My First Day in LA
We arrived in LA on Saturday and I could not believe that sunny California was so cloudy when we landed! After awhile it seemed that the city’s little joke that it was playing on was over and the clouds blew away. This city is big and it is a great deal different than back home in Houston. I really like it so far and am really anxious to go and do all of the things that Disney/Dreamworks has in store for us.
On Saturday night we saw a screening of Real Steel and (I know it sounds redundant but I can’t say anything else about the movie until it’s release) I thought it was a solid movie.
Today we get to meet Hugh Jackman (“Charlie Kenton”), Sugar Ray Leonard (“Boxing Consultant”), Shawn Levy (“Director”), Anthony Mackie (“Finn”), Erik Nash (Visual Effects Supervisor), Noisy Boy & Atom Robots & Puppeteer. It is going to be a super packed day and I hope to get some audio of today’s meeting to share with all of you out there. Also, I really want to try Carl’s Jr and In and Out while I’m here since I never have.
Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Bowl Giveaway
Anyone that really knows me knows that I really love to eat. I have changed my eating habits a great deal over the last year to get in better shape and to improve my way of life. I do however still have the occasions to where I eat whatever I want and how much I want. What a coincidence that Olive Garden has their Never Ending Pasta Bowl going on now until October 9 and it’s only $8.95!
I took a little trip on over to my local Olive Garden with my wife attached to my arm and a growling in my belly. We sat down and immediately wanted to get our order on. We took a pass on the wine and got our usual Diet Cokes and then sat there in front of the menu and pondered on what we were going to scarf down. It took me about 1.7 seconds to figure out what pasta and sauce combination I wanted to start out with first. I ordered the Never Ending Pasta Bowl with my selection being the Orecchiette with Five Cheese Marinara. I always get the Zuppa Toscana soup instead of the salad and managed to only eat one bowl of soup in anticipation of the pasta goodness coming my way. Crystal set her sights on some seafood pasta dish and had the same soup.
You can also add unlimited servings of either meatballs, Italian sausage, or grilled chicken breast to any of your pasta dishes for an additional $2.95 and I added the meatballs to my first bowl. The second bowl that I created was the Orecchiette with the new Pizzaiola Meat Sauce that is a pizza-inspired red sauce with Italian meats (pan seared beef, Italian sausage,and pepperoni!), mozzarella and fontina cheese. I topped it off once again with magnificent meatballs. On my third bowl I knew that I was already down for the count and asked just for a bowl of meatballs swimming in the Five Cheese Marinara sauce.
Never Ending Pasta Details.
- Enjoy unlimited servings of pasta with your choice of unlimited soup or salad and their signature breadsticks
- Choose from 42 pasta-sauce combinations including two new sauces, Pizzaiola Meat Sauce and Roasted Mushroom Parmesan with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Their annual much-anticipated offer kicked off Monday, August 15 and runs through October 9
- Build your pasta and sauce combination at www.NeverEndingPastaBowl.com.
Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive:
- A $25 Olive Garden Gift Card.
How to Enter
Tell me whether you prefer soup or salad!
Extra Entries Available
After you have completed the first entry, you are eligible for additional entries. Make sure you leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Each counts as one extra entry unless noted otherwise.
- Subscribe to Daddy Digest by reader or email.
- Like me on my Facebook Fan Page.
- Follow Daddy Digest on Twitter AND Tweet about the giveaway. Leave the URL to the Tweet in your comment. You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet.
This giveaway will end on September 29th at 10:00 PM Central time. Winner will be chosen via a random number generator. Giveaway is open to US entries. The winner must contact me in 24 hours to claim their prize. Good luck to everyone!
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions in any freakin’ way.
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