Ricky Shetty's Blog, page 15
January 6, 2015
Book of the Year
Each year, we pick a Word of the Year which is our overall theme of the year! The last few years, we have used the words “Teamwork”, “Adventure”, “Discovery”, “Marriage” and “Parenting.”
This year, we chose the word “GROWTH.”
However, up until this year, we haven’t had a book of the year yet!
After attending my YVR Masterminds group tonight, I came home, prayed through which book I picked, and made a video sharing my struggle with doubt and belief. Then, I remembered a Podcast I was listening to today on Fuel Radio which talked about “The Power of Positive Thinking.” One of the best things about the author Dr Norman Vincent Peale is that he uses a Biblical foundation in his book and shares the same common Christian faith that hold!
All the signs point to this being my book for 2015!!
I’ll be grabbing a copy at Chapters over the next few days!
The post Book of the Year appeared first on Daddy Blogger.
January 5, 2015
Blueprint for 2015
It’s one thing to set goals, it’s a whole other thing to create a Blueprint of how to achieve those goals.
As part of my YVR Masterminds Group, we each created our blueprint for the year!
Here’s mine!!
Ricky Shetty’s Blueprint for 2015
P1 (FINANCES) I easily make $100,000 in income by Dec 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm ($80,000 active, $20,000 passive)
P2 (FITNESS) I easily weigh 180 lbs and have a waist size of 32 inches by Dec 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm
P3 (FAITH & FAMILY) I invest quality time in relationship building with God, my wife, and kids taking each relationship from 7/10 to 9/10
Secondary Goals
Secondary Goal 1 – Take 4 Family Trips (at least 2 consecutive nights away from Vancouver)
Secondary Goal 2 – Go on 4 Sponsored Trips through my Blog
Secondary Goal 3 – Sponsored Trip to Disneyland and/or Hawaii
Secondary Goal 4 – Take Anne on 12 Date Nights
Secondary Goal 5 – Take Anne on an Overnight Getaway (without the kids)
Secondary Goal 6 – Read 12 books about Theology, Family, Personal Growth, & Business
Secondary Goal 7 – Attend Church every week
Secondary Goal 8 – Donate 10% of income to God/Church/Missions
Secondary Goal 9 – Take kids on a MIssions Trip
Secondary Goal 10 – Complete my second book (Blogging for Business)
Secondary Goal 11 – Organize 12 Bloggers Events, 12 Dads Events, & 4 Blogging Workshops
Secondary Goal 12 – Speak at 4 major Conferences this year
Financial Breakdown of my Road To $100,000
$2500/month Speaking (4 Major Conferences of 200+ people in each one selling a $500+ product at the end of each presentation).
$2500/month Coaching (Online Mastermind Group coaching and Private one-on-coaching at $150/hour)
$2500/month Blogging & Internet Marketing (Sponsorships, Selling Online Products, Monthly Membership Site)
$2500/month Event Production (Spring Influence Conference, Fall Blogging Conference, YVR Media Group Event Series, YVR Bloggers, YVR Dads, YVR Masterminds and Blog Mastery Workshop & Social Media Mastery Workshop)
General description of WHO I NEED TO BECOME TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL
I am first and foremost a passionate man of God seeking God’s will, direction, and guidance through daily prayer, regular Bible study, weekly church attendance, and spiritual discipleship as I make major life decisions.
I am secondly a driven husband to my wife Anne focused on making sure her needs, wants, and dreams are fulfilled
I am thirdly a active and involved father to my kids Rianne and Ryan investing quality time with them daily
I read one new book/month on Theology, Relationships, Personal Growth, Business to improve myself personally
I am a successful community builder adding value to my online and offline groups I have created
New habits, disciplines or behaviours I need to START or EXPAND TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL
I sleep by midnight every day and wake up by 8 am every day. Sleeping 8 hours allows me to rest well enough to be at optimal energy the whole day!
I workout twice/week with Troy Tyrell ensuring I am at optimal health and fitness and do 3 workouts at home with the kids doing Pushups, Situps, and Lunges)
I listen to 30 mins of Podcasts every day (Entrepreneur on Fire and Chatting with Champions on iTunes)
I meet up with my Futurepreneurs Mentor once/week for the first 6 months of 2015 and continue the relationship for the rest of the year if it is mutually-beneficial
I do 365 days of Daily Video Affirmations from Jan 1, 2015 to Dec 31, 2015 completing my first 365 Video Project
Poor habits or behaviours I need to STOP
I need to stop procrastinating on important tasks (need to do the most difficult taks first so that I’ll be mentally
I need to stop wasting time on Social Media (easy to get stuck on the Facebook Newsfeed and lose my productivity)
I need to stop saying “yes” to doing blog posts for free products and instead charge for what I am worth ($250+ for sponsored posts for corporate work I do)
I need to stop going to networking events that don’t directly bring me income or business opportunities
I need to stop being a people pleaser and stop seeking people’s approval (instead I am fully and totally happy with the person God designed me to be)
WIN LIFE WORK LIST:
5 things I need to do consistently every weekday from January 1 to December 31, 2015 to ensure I achieve my goal of making $100,000
I need to start and end my day in prayer and gratitude to God
I need to invest quality time with my wife and kids
I listen to a 30 minute Podcast each day
I devote at least 4 hours daily building up my business
I do a Daily Video Affirmation putting them on a YouTube Playlist (365 Videos)
5 things I need to do consistently every week from January 1 to December 31, 2015 to ensure I achieve my goal of making $100,000
I write 5 blog posts each week day from Monday to Friday (taking Saturdays and Sundays off)
I prioritize Sunday as my Sabbath attending Church, having a Family Lunch, and doing an activity with my wife and kids in the afternoon
I invest 20+ hours on my business each week (writing my blog posts, organizing my events, maintaining my social media, and coaching clients)
I meet up with my YVR Masterminds Group for 3 hours each week and spend an additional 5 hours in preparation (reading articles, completing and commenting on Tracker, and sharing resources with the group)
I meet up with my Futurepreneur Mentor once/week for the first 6 months (and possibly the whole depending on how well the relationship goes)
5 things I need to do consistently every month from January to December 2015 to ensure I achieve my goal of making $100,000
I read one new book each month and write up a Book Review on my blog of what I personally learned and how I will apply it to my life
I complete a Monthly Written and Video Review on my blog (I will have 12 blog posts and video to look back at on at the end of the year)
I organize one YVR Bloggers and one YVR Dads event each month (I will have organized 12 events by the end of the year)
I take my wife on at least one Date Night every month for 2+ hours (dinner, theatre, movie, or social event)
I save $1000/month towards the down payment for our house so we can upgrade from a condo to a house which will give us more room for our family needs
The post Blueprint for 2015 appeared first on Daddy Blogger.
January 4, 2015
Ricky & Anne’s Bucket List
Every year, we update our Bucket List of things we have completed and things we still want to achieve (both this year and in the years to come)!
This is one of the quotes that most inspires me to complete my bucket list!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” —Mark Twain
Here’s my 100 Items I have already competed
1) Got Married
2) Have Kids
3) Started my Own Business
4) Lived & worked on 4 Continents
5) Traveled to over 40 countries
6) Sky Dive in New Zealand
7) Bungy Jump in New Zealand
8) Zorbing in New Zealand
9) Backpacked around Europe
10) Backpacked around the Middle East
11) Backpacked around Asia
12) Backpacked around Australia and New Zealand
13) Traveled up the West Coast of the US
14) Drove across the Prairies
15) Walked the Great Wall of China
16) Traveled to Tibet
17) Visited Mt Everest Base Camp
18) Visited the Taj Mahal
19) Rode an Elephant in Thailand
20) Visited Ankor Wat in Cambodia
21) Visited the DMZ in North Korea
22) Saw an Orangutan in Borneo
23) Saw Borobodor in Indonesia
24) Visited the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
25) Visited Uluru in Australia
26) Saw scenes from the Lord of the Rings in New Zealand
27) Saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre
28) Went to the top of the Effel Tower in Paris
29) Saw the Rodin Thinker Statue in Paris
30) Visited the Gaudi Architecture in Barcelona
31) Saw the Pope in Rome
32) Explored the Sistene Chapel in Rome
33) Took a cruise of the Greek Islands
34) Visited the Alps in Switzerland
35) Visited a German Castle
36) Saw the Guernica painting by Pablo Picasso at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, Spain
37) Visited the Glastonbury Festival in England
38) Saw the Ganges River in Varanasi, India
39) Became a Big Brother
40) Published an Amazon Best Selling Book
41) Proposed to my wife using a Flash Mob
42) Made it on the front page of The Province
43) Interviewed on Global, CTV, Province, Sun, National Post, Globe & Mail
44) Took a Cruise to Alaska
45) Took my family to the Philippines
46) Won multiple Best Speaker Awards at Toastmasters
47) Keynote Speaker at a major National Conference
48) Visited Las Vegas for New Years Eve
49) Graduated University (Got Bachelor’s Degree)
50) Finished Bible College
51) Saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa
52) Rode a Camel in Egypt
53) Saw the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt
54) Bought my own Condo
55) Bought my own Car
56) Started my own Blog
57) Made money online
58) Traveled First Class
59) Visited Aruba
60) Spoke at an Orphanage
61) Spoke at a Church
62) Spoke at a Bible College
63) Organized my own Mastermind Group
63) Became a Coach and Consultant
63) Created & Sold my own Online Products
64) Organized my own one day Workshop
65) Created my own Membership Site
66) Did a Book Launch Party
67) Did a Book Signing
68) Visited the Rocky Mountains
69) Climbed Mt Fuji
70) Visited Hollywood
71) Visited New York City
72) Visited Disney World in Florida
73) Visited a MegaChurch (Rick Warren Saddleback’s Church)
74) Started my own Backpackers Ministry
75) Visited Petra in Jordan
76) Visited Bethlehem (Jesus’ Birthplace)
77) Visited Turkey, Istanbul
78) Attended Diner en Blanc
79) Attended a WeDay Event
80) Got an All-Expenses Paid Trip by Lexus
81) Rode the Canals in Venice
82) Visited Anne Frank’s House in Amsterdam
83) Saw the New Years Eve Fireworks in Sydney, Australia
84) Had Christmas on the Beach in Australia
85) Saw a show at the Sydney Opera House
86) Slept under the Stars in the Dessert (Wadi Rum, Jordan & Alice Springs, Australia)
87) Saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in London
88) Kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland
89) Took a Cruise down the Nile River
90) Saw the Roman Coliseum
91) Saw a Soccer Game in Italy
92) Visited the Acropolis in Greece
93) Got a Turkish Bath
94) Saw Big Ben in London, England
95) Visited Mother Teresa’s Charity in India
96) Saw the Terracotta Warriors in China
97) Visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar
98) Visited Stone Henge in London, England
99) Took a Bullet Train in Japan
100) Get this completed Bucket List to 1000 Items! (Stay Tuned)
100 Things Still on my Bucket List (I will mark “DONE” when I complete each task)
1) Visit Machu Picchu in Peru
2) Travel from Cairo to Cape Town
3) Take a Cruise to Antartica
4) Move to San Diego, California
5) Buy property in Mexico
6) Backpack through South America
7) Attend the Carnival in Rio
8) Attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans
9) Visit the North Pole in Rovenemi
10) Round the World Trip
11) Round the World Cruise
12) Buy a BMW X5
13) Sponsor a Watoto Child
14) Visit Puerto Vallarta & Cancun in Mexico
15) Travel through Central America
16) Attend a World Cup Game
17) Attend a Summer Olympics Event
18) Interview Barack Obama about Fatherhood
19) Start a Church
20) Establish a Charity & a Non-Profit
21) See Northern Lights in the Yukon
22) See the Polar Bears in Churchill, Manitoba
23) Drive across Canada (every Province and Territory)
24) Drive through all 50 states of the US
25) Complete my Masters in Theology
26) Go to the Burning Man Festival
27) Take a train cross Canada
28) Visit the While House
29) Stay in Bora Bora
30) Visit every Country in the World
31) Swim with Dolphins
32) Take a Spa in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
33) Ride a Hot Air Balloon
34) Ride a Float Plane
35) Fly over the Grand Canyon
37) Fly over Niagara Falls
38) Fly over Victoria Falls
39) Visit the Jesus Statue in Rio di Jinaro
40) Visit Area 51
41) Visit the Pentagon
42) Visit Fort Knox
43) Be listed in the Credits of a Hollywood Movie
44) Experience Zero Gravity
45) Ride a Segway
46) Visit Abj Barj in Dubai, UAE
47) Visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia
48) Take the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing
49) Sleep in a Tree House
50) Go on an African Safari
51) Drive across Route 66 from Chicago to LA
52) Walk through Japan’s Tunnel of Lights
53) Feed a Giraffe
54) Take part in La Tomatina (a festival that is held in the town of Buñol in Valencia, Spain)
55) Take part in Running with the Bulls
56) Walk the Camino de Santiago
57) Hike the Appalachian Trail
58) Become an Early Riser
59) Drink a $1000 Bottle of Champagne
60) Visit Niagara Falls (on both the Canadian and US sides)
61) Launch a 365 Day Project
62) Watch held in Pasadena, California
63) Watch the Canucks win the Stanley Cup at Rogers Arena in person
64) Watch the Super Bowl in person
65) Watch the NBA Finals Championship Game in person
66) See the ball drop in Times Square, NYC on New Years Eve
67) Walk through the Amazon Rainforest
68) Go Paint Balling
69) Do a Caribbean Cruise
70) Do a Cruise to the Bahamas
71) Attend a Hollywood Movie Premier in person
72) Attend the Oscars live in person
73) Attend the Grammy Awards live in person
74) Visit Castle Bran (Count Dracula’s Castle) in Romania
75) Do 100 pushups without stopping
76) Get 1 million views on my YouTube Channel
77) Get 1 million views/month on my Daddy Blogger website
78) Get 1 million fans on my Facebook Page
79) Have $1 million in savings
80) Get invited to visit Necker Island by Richard Branson
81) Drive a Monster Truck
82) Stay in an Ice Hotel in Sweden
83) Visit the Stone House in Guimaraes, Portugal
84) Take a Jeep Tour of the Sand Dunes in the Sahara Desert
85) Attend The St Patrick’s Festival In Ireland
86) Attend The Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
87) Be featured in Forbes
88) Become a NY Times Best Selling Author
89) Get interviewed on Good Morning America and CNN
90) Get interviewed by Oprah and Ellen
91) Visit Edinburgh For The Hogmanay Celebrations (New Years Eve)
92) Open an Overseas Bank Account
93) Buy Gold Bars
94) Open up a School in India & the Philippines
95) Open an Orphanage in India & the Philippines
96) Build a Hospital in India & the Philippines
97) Have a Street named after me
98) Become knighted by the Queen of England
99) Direct my own movie
100) Create a list of 1000 Bucket List Items (stay tuned)!
The post Ricky & Anne’s Bucket List appeared first on Daddy Blogger.
January 3, 2015
Word of the Year 2015
Do you have a word of the year?
Here’s ours…
GROWTH!!
Every year, we establish a new word to define our year! We choose one word as our dominant/major theme which helps us keep focused on the bigger picture. We have done it for the last 5 years – here’s a look back at our Words of the Year:
2010 was our year of “Discovery”
2011 was our year of “Marriage”
2012 was our year of “Parenting”
2013 was our year of “Adventure”
2014 was our year of “Teamwork”
2015 is our year of “Growth”
We choose the word “Growth” for 2015 because both Anne and I really feel that we need to grow as individuals (in our relationship with God, in our relationship with ourselves, in our relationship with our health, etc), we need to grow as a couple (in our marriage, in our communication, in our finances, etc), and we need to grow as a family (building up strong children). We look forward to how this growth will look like and we thank you for journeying with us!
The post Word of the Year 2015 appeared first on Daddy Blogger.
January 2, 2015
Daily Video Affirmations
Every year, I look for new and creative ways for me to achieve my goals for the year!
For 2015, I am doing a Daily Video Affirmation which declares my top goals for the year!
Here are my first 4 Video Affirmations – I do them once in the morning and once in the evening.
In my affirmations, I declare out loud and publicly what I will achieve in the New Year!
I include success as defined by me personally which is holistic:
1) Faith – building my personal relationship with God
2) Family – focusing on building a strong family unit (first with my wife Anne and secondly with my kids Rianne and Ryan)
3) Finances – declaring my financial goal for this year (which is 6 figures/$100,000 = $80,000 Active & $20,000 Passive)
4) Fitness – being in the best shape I can be (I weight 180 lbs and have a waist size of 32 inches by Dec 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm)
5) Fun – enjoying my life to the fullest (taking 4 family vacations/year, doing things that bring me joy, personal growth, professional speaking, running events)
6) Focus - as the acronym states “FOCUS” (Follow One Course Until Successful) – being dedicated to my vision and goals no matter what happens
7) Future – leaving a legacy for my kids by helping them discover their unique God-given identities and personalities.
Here’s a picture my wife took while I was doing my Video Affirmation today – it turned out good even thought I wasn’t looking!!
The post Daily Video Affirmations appeared first on Daddy Blogger.
January 1, 2015
Goals for 2015
On Jan 1, 2015 of every year, we write down our goals on our blog!!
We have done it for the past 3 years – here’s a look back at our goals over the last few years:
As we enter 2015, we are excited to see what the New Year has in store for us as individuals, as a couple, and as a family unit!! Anne will be writing her goals on her website and I will list mine here!
Here’s my Top 10 Goals for 2015:
1) Be the best husband to Anne and best dad I can be to Rianne and Ryan
2) Weight 180 lbs and have a waist size of 32 inches by working out twice/week at the gym and 3x/week at home
3) Make $100,000 income through my Blog, Coaching, & Event Production Company ($80,000 active and $20,000 passive)
4) Go on 4 Family Trips/Year and 4 Sponsored Media Trips
5) Help Anne launch her Retail Store in Burnaby Heights
6) Write 365 Blog Posts by Dec 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm
7) Speak at 4 major local, national, and global Conferences (one for each season)
8) Organize my Influence Conference with 200+ people attending on Friday – Sunday, May 22 – 24, 2015
9) Publish my Blogging for Business Book on March 1, 2015 at 12 am
10) Launch by Blog Mastery Membership Site & Podcast by July 1, 2015 at 11:59 pm
Every year, we establish a new word to define our year!
2010 was our year of “Discovery”
2011 was our year of “Marriage”
2012 was our year of “Parenting”
2013 was our year of “Adventure”
2014 was our year of “Teamwork”
2015 is our year of “Growth”
We choose the word “Growth” because both Anne and I really feel that we need to grow as individuals (in our relationship with God, in our relationship with ourselves, in our relationship with our health, etc), we need to grow as a couple (in our marriage, in our communication, in our finances, etc), and we need to grow as a family (building up strong children). We look forward to how this growth will look like and we thank you for journeying with us!
What are some of your goals? Make sure you write them down, make them public, and look at them regularly! 
The post Goals for 2015 appeared first on Daddy Blogger.
December 31, 2014
Year in Review 2014
One of our annual traditions at Daddy Blogger is to do a Year in Review post where we share some of the highlights from the past year as well as our annual Year in Review Highlights Video! It’s been an amazing year of growth for our family of four! We have each grown as individuals, as a couple, and a family unit. We have built up some strong communities in Vancouver and ran several successful events and workshops this year!
We started the year with a Vision Boarding Party on Jan 1, 2014 setting up our goals and desires for the New Year!
From that Vision Boarding Party (Jan 1, 2014) to today (Dec 31, 2014), here’s how the year unfolded:
JANUARY – Anne’s 29th Birthday, Watoto Children’s Choir, Will Stroet Concert, Shrek the Musical
FEBRUARY – Ricky’s 37th Birthday, Renewed our Wedding Vows on Valentine’s Day
MARCH – Launched YVR Foodies, Spoke at Modern Family Expo, Spoke at BIL Conference
APRIL – Family Trip to San Francisco, Social Media Camp in Victoria
MAY – Rianne’s 2nd Birthday, Ryan’s Baby Dedication
JUNE – Launched YVR Masterminds, Blog Mastery Workshop, & Anne’s Blog, Spoke at Internet Masterminds & Vancouver Business Network, 10 Days of Daddyhood Contest for Father’s Day
JULY – 3rd Wedding Anniversary, River Rafting Trip, Dinotown, Whistler Children’s Festival
AUGUST – Lexus Trip to Nashville, Splashdown, Bard on the Beach, CTV Morning Live Interview, ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Diner en Blanc, Wild Play
SEPTEMBER – Launched YVR Photographers & Vancouver Entrepreneurs Group, Spoke at Connect Now Network
OCTOBER – YVR Bloggers 1st Anniversary Party
NOVEMBER – Ryan’s 1st Birthday, final Blog Mastery Workshop of the year
DECEMBER – 1st Year Anniversary of our Condo, Vancouver Christmas Market, North Pole BC, Sesame Street Live,
Top 5 Highlights:
1) Rianne’s 2nd Birthday Party
2) Ryan’s 1st Birthday Party
3) Renewing our Wedding Vows on Valentine’s Day
4) Family Trip to San Francisco
5) Sponsored Trips to Nashville, Toronto, & Whistler
Check out our Year in Review 2014 Video:
Here’s our Year in Review 2013 Video:
Here’s a look back at our previous year in reviews:
The post Year in Review 2014 appeared first on Daddy Blogger.
December 30, 2014
Teaching our Kids to Pay It Forward
This is a guest blog post about teaching our kids about paying it forward. Michael Tudorie is a passionate Realtor, husband, and father to an active four-year-old boy. Michael feels deeply rooted in his community. He is involved with the local Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he coaches soccer, mentors at the local school, and is a volunteer Big Brother. In this article, Michael shares some tips for teaching your kids to pay it forward and give back to their community!
To talk about my role as a dad and more particular about how do I pay it forward, I have had the pleasure to present to a group of dads based in Vancouver, Canada called #YVRDads, which I never thought I would be attending but, I was pleasantly surprised. Nothing is what it seems to be. The world we perceive through our sub-conscious mind is not the physical reality. We as adults need to realize that and through our actions we inspire our children and hopefully others. Sometime I associate my business life as a Realtor with being a dad with a roller coaster.
I have come up with 5 similarities:
1. Both have ups and downs.
2. Both require participation – watching just isn’t the same.
3. Both can be fun one minute and terrifying the next.
4. Both are more fun when shared with others.
5. Both go very fast and don’t last long enough
Children are born with no pre-conceptions about humanity, nature or anything else in this world. As parents, we have the power to set a foundation that will stay with them forever. I never picked up or read a book on parenting yet because I think that I am unique in way own ways and I want to raise my children the way I see fit and not the way others tell me. To me, action speaks volume so I like to teach my child to help others therefore pay it forward.
One of the precious things we have in life is our time.
I decided to give my time to various charities because so many people graciously helped along the way to be where I am today. I like to do something that is not so directly self-promoting and more community orientated. I support various community groups where I live like Kit House, Pumpkin Patch at my son school, Beauty Night Society, Big Brother and Canucks Place. I am also part of a Toastmasters club and coach my son’s soccer team. Every time I return from volunteering I talk with my son what happened and how grateful he should be to have all the privileges he has now because of his predecessors. I tell him the time I spend with my small brother to be a role model because his dad decided he did not to be part of his life anymore. I created a special bond with my small brother Ben which I share with my son.
Same when I come from Canucks Place where I spend time with terminally ill kids and their siblings. I tell him how some kids are happy to be alive and happy when they could do the things my son takes for granted like going to Science World or the Aquarium or playing in the park. I teach my son to donate money to the homeless from his piggy bank and to share cloths and toys with other kids who need it more than he does. I teach my son to save bottles and recycle them and donate the money he collects to the homeless or save it towards a toy he really wants to get.
Hopefully he will learn to pay it forward as I do and his grandfather did.
“Lest we forget; it is easy to be human, very hard to be humane.”
(Mirza Khan Ghalib)
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December 19, 2014
Book-O-Beards – A Wearable Book
Have you heard of a wearable book?
We certainly hadn’t…until we got a copy of Book-O-Beards for us to review on Daddy Blogger!
This such a creative way to read a book! Basically, there are 5-6 characters all with different beards and a short phrase for you to read to your kids! We had so much fun reading the phrase and passing the book around from Rianne to Ryan and then back to me! They have 4 books in the set (one about masks, one about teeth, one about hats, and this one about beards)! I really like these kinds of books because they incorporate humour, reading, creativity, play-time, and more all-in-one!
Here’s our video review of me reading the book to Rianne and Ryan!
The post Book-O-Beards – A Wearable Book appeared first on Daddy Blogger.
December 18, 2014
God and Grandpa
We love receiving books in the mail for us to review! This particular book stood out from the rest in many ways! I already knew the author Justin Farrell as we had a Skype dialogue last year about a Father-Daughter Conference he was organizing and looking to bring to different cities across North American. Justin and I have several things in common: we are both in our 30s, we are both happily married, we both have 2 kids (an older daughter and a younger son), we both are dad bloggers based out of Vancouver (my Vancouver in Canada and his Vancouver in the United States), we have both been to Alaska (us on our Honeymoon Cruise and him by car and plane), and finally we are both passionate about our personal faith in God!
So, what are some of the things about the book that stuck out?
First was the title, “God and Grandpa”- I loved the alliteration and I knew this book would be first and foremost about relationships!
Secondly was the picture on the front cover – a beautiful turquoise lake straddled by a gorgeous mountain-drop and a winding road inviting the reader and journey ahead!
Thirdly was the size (short and sweet) – I actually ended up reading the entire book in a 2 hour sitting (it was a nice, light, captivating read)!
Fourthly was the theme – I have been to over 40 countries and I am passionate about travel, adventure, and exploring this beautiful world we live in!
In the book “God and Grandpa”, Justin shares the life-changing road trip he took 2 years ago from Vancouver, Washington through British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska! It was an intense 11 day journey to celebrate his grandpa’s 80th birthday and his own 30th birthday. The 50 year age gap was quickly brought close by the few feet of space that separated grandpa and grandson in the car and the thousands of miles of driving that brought them closer together both in physical proximity and emotional connection. I like how Justin included several pictures of the journey interspersed with the writing so the reader can picture himself or herself doing the same journey! It certainly made me want to jump in the car and drive up North until I hit the beautiful state of Alaska!
This week, I had the opportunity to interview the author Justin Farrell about what wisdom he has learned from being a dad, the psychology of fatherhood, his blog called “Courageous Vancouver Dad”, the journey to Alaska, and finally the process of publishing the book!
Here’s a link to get a copy of the book!
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