Daddy Style Diaries

3:08 AM

My Thoughts On Aging | #DadsDisruptAging

This post is sponsored by Disrupt Aging by AARP. These are my own thoughts and reflections on my lifestyle and experiences.

As we count the days of the week towards the weekend in hopes of creating an awesome weekend for the family, we oversee that we are slowly aging day by day and that is okay. My mom taught me early on that age was a blessing and we should take advantage of all the lessons and experiences that shape our outlook in life. I'm a young dad but as I turned 25 this last year, some things have changed, such as plans I had for life, career changes, and beautiful addition to the family, my second daughter, Isabella. These last few months have been a whirlwind for me but I see it as preparation for the next phase in my life. At 25 years old, I physically feel as if I was 23 but in my mind, I am closer to 30. I personally don't think that hitting that 30 mark makes anyone old, but it all comes down to perspective. If you were to ask a younger person, they probably would say 30 is old, but if you ask me, I would say probably somewhere between 50 and 60. One of my goals as a dad is to be there for my kids and family and being able to keep up with them on our adventures. Getting older is inevitable but we can definitely do our part in disrupting aging and making the most out of every year of our lives.

Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to getting older. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not trying to rush into it either. There are lots to learn and experience along the way and some of the best things about getting older is creating new memories with your family and friends. We also get to see our families grow, we become wiser (hopefully haha), and our careers develop. So how exactly do we disrupt aging and what does that mean exactly? In short, changing the perspective most people have of becoming older and embracing our age. There were times I was afraid of getting older, mostly when I thought about being able to take care of my health and staying healthy for my kids. My life is not all about me and I want to be able to give those around my the best of my time. That means being able to play with my kids or grandkids or simply being able to keep up with their endless source of energy!

I have plenty of time to become the best person possible and I've learned a couple of things along the years to help me get there. There are 3 things that have single-handedly changed my life, or at least the way I approach different situations. When doing something, make sure you do it right the first time and with a good attitude, make time for others, and staying healthy for not only myself but also for my family. Try them out and see what they do for you! I feel at a point in my life where there is so much to learn, see, and do. After all, I'm a 25-year-old dad of 2 and I'm sure there won't be a dull moment around here. I'm grateful for the position I find myself in today and am always looking back to see how I can be a better person in the future for my family. It's the experiences through life that help guide you later on and make the best decisions.

As a modern dad and parenting roles shared by both parents at home, I want to inspire my daughters through our actions and our story. Many people told us we were too young to start a family or a business. In our home, we do most things together and share our duties between my wife and I. We want to show that we make things happen when we work together as we age and want to stay actively involved in our children's' lives. There are many things we can do at each of the stages in our lives. Maybe travel and leisure is more your style, or it could be socializing and spending time at events around town. We all have things we would love to do and by thinking of our future today, we can better prepare and disrupt aging over time.

11:59 AM

Tackle Hosting Game Day With My Top 3 Tips

This post is sponsored by Febreze, however, all opinions expressed below are my own honest opinions!

The big game is coming up this weekend, and it’s a big deal for us this year. Not because of any particular team playing but because it will be the first time we host a game at our place. I admit, am a little nervous, especially because the party prep is entirely up to me this time.

There are a couple of things my wife told me to make sure get done in order for things to run smoothly. Things like cleaning and making sure everything is done at least 30 minutes before everyone gets here. She even reminded me to make sure the place doesn’t smell like the food I am going to cook, which honestly I hadn’t even thought about. Hosting is more than just offering food, it’s about offering the best place to enjoy and relax.

Unwanted or unpleasant smells is an easy way to throw off the mood and potentially ruin a party. That is where Febreze comes in handy before, during, and after big days like these. You definitely don’t want any odors sidelining your game day experience.

Here are my 3 top tips for hosting game day:

1. Use serving trays instead of disposables so you can reuse them every game day. This saves money in the long run, and it’s one less thing you have to worry about picking up at the store!

2. Serve foods that won’t taste awful if everyone is slowly munching away. I found that putting out hot queso isn’t the best thing for a long game like this one because of that layer on the top that cools down kind of grosses me out. Instead I generally use sour cream based dips! If you want a good hot queso though, I highly suggest you keep it in a crockpot!

3. Get all the cleaning done ahead of time, and spray an air freshener like Febreze AIR to create an inviting atmosphere for your guests.

Check out what kind of madness can happen if you forget the Febreze, the odor-eliminating MVP of any party:

1:52 PM

Creating The Best Road Trip - Our Most Memorable Yet

The last couple of weeks of 2018 and the first weeks of 2019 have been some of the most memorable of my entire lifetime. The reason for this was that most of the things I love and care about were together in one place. Family, travel, holidays, and nature itself. For the first time in many years, our family planned a road trip, but not just any other trip, we wanted something new, something different. You could probably imagine the stream of ideas from our brainstorming. After days of sharing road trip ideas, we came upon something completely different. Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo, Texas. That was not all, we were going to head down to Fredericksburg, TX and then a final stop in Austin, TX before heading back to Houston. We really wanted to make this happen, so we quickly began to plan.

This was going to be a longer trip than the usual so I was hesitating to request a press vehicle ( most press cars have a mileage limit) but also saw a great opportunity to experience and share about a vehicle. I sent in a request over to my friends that work with GM and they were able to allocate a week-long loan for a 2019 GMC Sierra Denali! We were excited to drive the truck, especially after the awesome experience with the new Silverado Trail Boss. I'll be honest, I was never much of a truck guy but these trucks have really started to grow on me.

As soon as the Denali was delivered, we loaded up and took off on our 9-hour trip ahead. This was going to be the longest I've driven in a while. I wondered how the Sierra's 6.2L V8 would be with gas and to my surprise, it was really great. We had two vehicles in our group and we managed to stay together the whole trip. 4 stops and 10 hours later, we arrived in Amarillo at 12:00AM. 2 hour behind schedule but that was alright. It began to snow as soon as we arrived! According to the weather forecast, it wasn't supposed to and now we were going to face 15-degree weather as opposed to the 30-33 degree weather we were expecting. But being from Houston where we rarely get snow, we weren't really complaining. I was drained but somehow still found the energy to walk over next door to the Waffle House. By the time we went off to bed, there were about 3 inches of snow on the ground. Mila, surprisingly, was still awake, rolling in the snow and making snow angels. All of this was already making the trip a special one and one to remember.

The next morning surprised us with lots of more snow thanks to an incoming snowstorm. We were 20 miles away from the canyon and it was going to take us 1 whole hour to get there with the road conditions. I switched to 4 wheel drive and it helped keep us from sliding around on the ice. I had heard PDC was a great place and arguably one of the best state parks of Texas. We arrived and were in awe at the panoramic views of the second largest canyon in the country with snow sprinkled about. Nothing beats experiencing and seeing things in person. Our mission of the day was to hike to the "Lighthouse", the famous rock formation which the park is named after. The hike was 2.7 miles one way. Half of our group stayed behind in the cars but the rest of us were determined to make it out there. There wasn't much wind at the bottom of the canyon but it was still 20 degrees once we took off.

It took us nearly an hour to walk half a mile. We kept stopping for pictures, taking in the scenery, and walked slowly. We didn't realize how much we had left until we asked a couple walking back and they mentioned we still had 2.2 miles left. We picked up the pace and didn't stop until we arrived at the formation. There is a separate trail that takes you to the top, and even though that last 200 meters were harder than the whole trail combined, it was definitely worth it. This was my favorite part of the trip. We made it back to the vehicle just as the sun went down and there wasn't much left for us to do so we left the park to get some dinner and then prepare for the trip to Fredericksburg the next day.

It was a good thing that we left Amarillo when we did because the snow storm was only going to get worse. The following morning was surprisingly sunny and we had planned to make a quick stop at the Cadillac Ranch just outside of town before leaving. We packed up the Sierra once again, which is really easy to do with the new multi-function tailgate, and drove out to the snow-covered field where 10 Cadillacs were dug into the ground vertically. You can take spray paint with you, just be sure to discard of the cans in the trash bins once you leave.

30 minutes later along with many failed attempts to climb on top of the cars, we were en route to Fredericksburg, a 6 hour drive from Amarillo. It was meant to be a quick stopover but we somehow ended up behind schedule and only had time to eat dinner and walk around the town square which was lit with Christmas decorations. It was cold here too but even though it was in the low 30's it felt colder than Amarillo. Must have been the wind chill. Austin was an hour and a half from this German town and our estimated time of arrival was mid night. Again.

We have family and friends in Austin so we were planning to catch up with them the next day and probably do some shopping. We decided to go get some BBQ at the Salt Lick which was 2 blocks away from where we were. We had been craving some throughout the whole trip and finally got our fix. This place is great! After all the holiday shopping we clearly decided to pass up on the shopping and somehow ended up racing 4 wheelers on the family property. Later that evening we got a surprise visit from family we had never met before in our lives. They were visiting the country and we arrived at a great time since they were leaving a few days later. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end our trip.

These are the trips that I would want to replicate and relive. I want to thank GMC for loaning us the awesome new Sierra Denali for this experience. There is so much to this truck that I will share on a video coming up soon! For now, I wish that 2019 become a year full of new experiences and a prosperous one. This year has kicked off to a great start and we are now ready to create content again!

4:11 PM

Texas Bucketlist: State Fair of Texas

There are so many things that we would like to accomplish or experience throughout our lifetimes. Going to the State Fair of Texas was one of those things and we actually made the trip to Dallas from Houston. We all have that one thing we have always wanted to do and when the opportunity to scratch that off of our bucket list ( 68% of people have one) came around, we made it happen. Besides, who wouldn't want to take the new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 Trail Boss for a drive? We were not going to let this all pass us up so a road trip was set in motion!

Our baby girl is now 1 month old ( can you believe that!?), and she did great on the road. We did have to stop a couple of times which was completely fine. 4 hours in a car seat is a little harsh for a newborn so we made sure to stop, take breaks, feed, and change diapers. Thankfully, Ashley has been recovering well from her C-Section and we have been able to do more things outside the home.

Mila was so excited that she didn't even take a nap. That was a first. We told her about the big cowboy, Big Tex, and she couldn't wait to see it. To be honest, we were all excited. Not only was this our first time going to the fair, but it was also the first trip after our baby was born. We're slowly getting back into our rhythm and making adjustments as parents of 2 girls. I may have had another reason to be excited, and that was driving the new Chevrolet Silverado. I have never gotten more attention and compliments before than with this truck. It was interesting watching people stop and check out the truck or getting a thumbs up driving down the road.

The Trail Boss has the same EcoTec3 V8 engine as the previous model year producing 355 Horsepower @5600 RPM and 383 ft. lb. of Torque @4100 RPM. New this year is the Dynamic Fuel Management System which helps fuel mileage. Camila loved the truck and how spacious the cabin was. It's actually 3 inches longer than the previous truck while only adding 1 inch to the overall vehicle length. Getting inside was a little harder for Mila and Ashley since it is lifted 2 additional inches above the Z71 off-road package thanks to the Rancho monotube shocks up front and 2-inch spacers in the rear. The truck looks aggressive but manages to drive smooth as well as deliver power evenly.

We really got comfortable with the truck on our trip and got to see many other Chevrolet vehicle at the Ride and Drive event at the fair. It so happens that Chevy is the official vehicle of the State Fair. I love driving so had to make sure to experience other vehicles that I have not had the chance to drive yet. Soon after that, food was the first order of business. There were so many options. Just being there was awesome. It is somewhat similar to Rodeo Houston but has its own style and vibe but without the rodeo part. Definitely an event every Texan should attend at least once in their lifetime.

We sat down and enjoyed some burgers, sausages, fries, and all the things I have been trying to avoid lately since I started working out at the gym. Not complaining at all though, we really enjoyed the food and at the end of the day what matters most is that we all had a great time. Even had to introduce Mila to the massive turkey legs! They were everywhere. Since nap time was non existent that day, Mila fell asleep shortly after eating and before she could get on any of the rides, or even see Big Tex. We walked around and took a look at some of the displays by Chevrolet around the grounds, and took some pictures with Big Tex. Sometime before heading out, Mila woke up just in time as we were passing up the big cowboy and she was happy. She went back to sleep happy.

The day was beautiful, in fact, the only nice and sunny day out of the whole week. That meant everyone made it out to the fair that day and we somehow barely survived trolling around a wagon and a stroller. You live and learn, and now we know better for next time. Baby carriers and wraps are a must, unless you plan on going on a weekday. We'll be sure to go again next year!

12:52 PM

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month With Canticos On Nick Jr.

This post is in partnership with Nick Jr. These are my own true and honest opinions based on real-life experiences.

Let’s welcome an awesome time of the year for many. It is officially Fall now and we are looking to celebrate the great memories that come along with the upcoming festivities one of them being Hispanic Heritage Month. I’ve partnered with Nick Jr. to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Canticos’ bilingual nursery rhymes on the FREE Nick Jr. App or Nick Jr. on YouTube. We’ve been fans of Canticos for over a year and it’s bilingual content is great for our daughter since we speak both English and Spanish languages. The best part of it all is that parents and their children can put a little song in their hearts by watching Canticos together!

Now, I am not much of a singer, but singing with my daughter is at the very least cute. I want to be as involved in her life as possible and teach her about family tradition and be proud of our Hispanic heritage. Storytelling is a great part of sharing tradition, igniting imagination and creative thinking, and that is what the team behind Canticos is dedicated to. By telling authentic, and relevant stories from their personal experiences with the nursery rhymes and characters while growing up as kids themselves.

I have seen the impact that sharing quality time with my daughter has had in developing her skills as well as encouraging the power of play through learning. The time you share with your kids may be the most valuable in their lives, especially in their early toddler years. With Canticos, kids can learn simple vocabulary words, numbers, days of the week and more, both in English and Spanish. My favorite part of it all is when I hear my daughter singing and following along. This means a lot to me because these nursery rhymes have been around for generations and now are being shared through adorable characters and educational music videos. The classic rhymes are from all over the Spanish-speaking world and I’m excited to be highlighting this for Hispanic Heritage Month.

As parents, sharing with our kids these classic nursery rhymes is part of our heritage too. I remember these songs as a child and loved them. They helped with basic learning skills and playing with other kids. It’s part of my childhood and now that my daughter is learning them, it’s like sharing a part of my childhood with her. Parenting can be tough, but fun educational activities makes it fun. Go celebrate and learn some classic nursery rhymes with Canticos!

2:17 PM

Sneaker Pickup: Adidas EQT Support 93/18 Mid Primeknit | WSS Houston

A few weeks back Houston's new sneaker store, WSS , held an event giving back to the community. Partnered with Adidas Originals, they were giving out free food, Adidas goodie bags, and fresh hair cuts for the kids. There was also a DJ on site playing the latest hits while everyone shopped and waited in line for their turn.

Since the stores grand opening a couple of months ago, it has been a greatly received. The WSS stores are originally from Los Angeles and have always been deeply rooted in the community. This is why I am excited to be partnered with them, not only for their great selection of trendy sneakers and shoes for the entire family, but how open and willing to give back they are.

Our family stopped by to check out the event as well as check out the latest Adidas Originals sneakers that had just arrived. We've all enjoyed the shoes that have been put out by the brand with 3 stripes these last couple of month and are our current go to shoes for comfort. With my wife being a few weeks away from labor to our second baby, comfort is highly prioritized, and the Iniki sneakers were her choice. I picked out something a little different for myself and went with the new EQT 93/18 ADV Mid's with the Primeknit upper. These are a great lifestyle shoe as well as my current go to for the gym. Lots of support for my high arches which I really enjoy.

The sole is a bit chunky but not heavy. The Primeknit feels great and provides plenty of ventilation. Style is not quite subtle but not flashy either, even with the yellow stripes. I'll be wearing these quite often. Comfort and style is hard to come by sometimes and this is what I needed.

There will be lots more events throughout the year as well as more store openings in the near future. Be sure to stay tuned to WSS's social channels for upcoming events and sneaker releases!

What Is Your Favorite Shoe From Adidas Originals?

3:53 PM

A Sporty Hybrid For The Family | 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE

By now, most parents and their kids have gotten used to the back to school schedule, but one thing is certain; we could all save some time, as well as fuel, from the long drop off and pick up lines. You could easily wait more than 30 minutes in line and if you leave your car on, that engine idling is wasting lots of fuel. However, that wasn't an issue with the 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE, plus it had great looks and a sporty drive. It was exciting for it being a hybrid.

For the third year in a row, we have partnered up with Toyota USA for their annual Back To School Campaign and the new Camry Hybrid SE is a fun and stylish hybrid sedan perfect for small families. We've previously driven the RAV4 Limited as well as the roomy Highlander XLE. This year was different and a lot more special than others. It was our daughters first year of school (headstart actually) and we were excited about this new stage in life for our little girl. In the previous years, we've driven our cousins and sisters-in-law to school.

So what makes the Camry such a great car to drive?

I believe there are a couple of things that make a vehicle great, and even better for parents; Reliability, Fuel Mileage, and Safety. Looks and driving feel are a plus in this Camry SE model, similar to the Camry XSE. You get renowned Toyota reliability, fuel consumption equal or close to the 44 MPG (combined) on the EPA rating, and standard on the Camry, Toyota's Safety Sense Package (TSSP). Safety is a great deal no matter the distance you are driving and with 10 airbags, this mid-size sedan made us feel safe on every drive. Our daughter loved the car because of the Supersonic Red color and how easy it was for her to get in the rear seats. The small details mean a lot to us. Safe to say we are all fans of this car.

The driving experience was a pleasant one with a little excitement here and there. That's thanks to the mode selections available. The Camry has 4 different personalities. An Eco mode (not electric), normal, sport, and EV mode. Each of these modes varied and that makes for a great drive in different situations. I constantly switched between the sport mode and the EV mode. Lately, my daughter has been fascinated with driving "fast". By that, passing a car equals going fast, even if that is in the middle of a traffic jam on the highway. It's cute, but when traffic clears up, I switch to sport mode and speed away, up to the speed limit of course. The 4 cylinder engine paired with the electric motor are a great combination and the suspension is a bit stiffer for the sporty drive and feedback.

I'll go ahead and say it. The 2018 Camry Hybrid SE may be the perfect mid-size sedan for small families or younger individuals looking for great value in a sporty yet environmentally conscious vehicle. This car deserves a test drive!

Take A Look At The Car Review!