What a weekend a.k.a. WE GOT ENGAGED!

What a weekend!

Saturday morning Lauren's mother, Nana, came to get Sierra for an over night sleepover (first time ever!) and Lauren and I were going for a night away alone (first time ever!) to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We wanted to stay nearby so we went an hour or so North of Boston to Hampton, NH. Hampton is a small town with a long boardwalk full of restaurants, bars and arcades running along side a big beautiful beach. We had visited Hampton once before in the winter and have always wanted to see in it's summer season.

Packing

Leaving our lovely city.

We left Boston around noon and headed north for the night. We had a lovely drive listening to and singing along to the cheesiest music possible; Dashboard Confessional was in heavy rotation. Once arriving in New Hampshire we were both famished so we stopped at Good Karma Café, a delicious raw vegan gluten-free place in Exter. If you are heading through NH and have dietary restrictions (or even if you don't) I highly suggest you stop here - the food was wonderful!

Uplifting sign as you enter the restaurant. Thanks Good Karma Café!

After lunch we went to our hotel to drop off our things and take a quick dip in the pool and a nice relaxing lounge in the jacuzzi before heading up to our room to search for fun things to do (on our iPad. Thanks for the present Gramma!). Hampton is full of things to do, including tattoos and mini golf which is of course what we decided to do. We found a place that had great reviews and photos of their work just down the road from the hotel called Jim's Tattoos and decided to check it out. We both got quick little tattoos and love the way they came out! If you're ever in Hampton and in need of a tattoo i suggest Jim's HIGHLY! They do great work, it's affordable, friendly and FAST!

Our New Tattoos.

After that we went and played 16 holes of mini-golf and I kicked Lauren's ass (by two whole strokes). After my PGA quality game we rushed home, changed into fancier clothes and rushed out to dinner.

Dinner was amazing - seriously. Blue Moon Evolution is an awesome vegetarian & vegan friendly restaurant that is in situated in an old restored barn in Exeter, NH. It's dimly lit by candles and string lighting, has a great menu and the service was top notch. If you're vegan and in need of a good date spot in New Hampshire this is it - no contest. For an after dinner drink we went to 10 Water Street down the road on the river and Lauren even let me watch the 3rd period of the Hawks v. Kings game... THAT LATE GOAL RIGHT?! 

Blue Moon Evolution and 11 Water Street - both great spots!!

After our drink we headed to the Boardwalk back in Hampton and went for a lovely walk and even hit up an old school arcade to play skee ball. We grabbed one more drink nearby and headed to the beach to star gaze.

The arcade and our loot.

By this time it was nearing midnight, making it June 9th, officially our anniversary. I'll spare you the mushy details of my proposal but she said YES and thats all that matters!

We had a child first, then we moved in together and now we're getting married. Not the traditional order of events but it's worked for us. I feel incredibly lucky to be engaged to such a gorgeous, smart, caring and supportive woman who I have a beautiful daughter with and I couldn't be happier or be more lucky.

-Craig

Hipster Dad Approved Valentine's Day Cards

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

We made a Pinterest board of "Hipster Dad Approved Valentine's Day Cards". Will add more throughout the day so check back later too :-)

-Craig

Hipster Dad Field Trip: The Boston Ballet's Nutcracker

The Moniz Family's experience at the ballet:

Having not been to the theater in an embarrassingly long time, needless to say, me and my family were very excited to attend The Boston Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. The fact that 2 of the other Hipster Dads and their families were attending with us increased that excitement ten fold! The only thing Adriana and I were a little apprehensive about was Hendrix and the fact that he may not be captured by the performance, boy were we wrong! Upon entering the opera house a certain air of holiday magic, anticipation, and overall glee hung in the air. Everywhere I looked people were smiling, courteous, and welcoming. We made the rookie mistake of directing our gps to the actual Boston Ballet building (my fault!) and ended up getting to the opera house in the nick of time! Parking nearby was cheap and it was a brisk walk to the show. I would recommend the coat-check to anyone attending with kids, it was a piece of cake dropping off and picking up our coats and made navigating the theater much easier.

Once we were in our seats, Hendrix in his booster, we were ready for the show to start. While waiting the three of us just sat there scanning the room, admiring the architecture, it truly is stunning! I dipped out to grab a couple of glasses of champagne and it was time for the show to start! Right from the opening Hendrix was mesmerized. The costumes were classic with a modern edge, as was all of the props and set design. The choreography itself could have carried the entire show. The troop seemed to know exactly when to focus on the story line and artistry of the performance and when to break away and add that air of playfulness that the kids needed. My favorite part of the show was when the children are presented with the harlequin and columbine toys. When the ballerina steps out of that box I looked over and my beautiful wifes face was lit up with pure joy, it honestly made the entire day for me. Hendrix, he was obsessed with the mouse soldiers and the dancing bear! The entire show flew by and we are absolutely making this an annual tradition! The Hipster Dads were treated to a backstage tour after the show (photos to follow) and trust us when we say, putting this production together is no easy feat! We were all completely captivated, impressed, and grateful to have experienced such a show. Thank you to the Boston Ballet for having us! 


-Michael

Adeline Trades Her Nap for Ballet:

When I initially thought of bringing Addy to a 2 hour long ballet, I thought that it was going to be a half hour long ballet cut short by a crying 2 year old. Once we made our approach to the beautiful facade of the Boston Opera House and entered I realized the excitement and beauty was going to accompany our journey to our seats and into a dream world where a nutcracker becomes a prince. It was also a journey where a 2 year old that usually will not sit still for 10 minutes turns into a little princess and sits through an entire ballet without throwing a fit and making me feel like an asshole.

It was pretty clear as I set up her booster in her own "big girl chair" that she was in for the long haul, as was I. From the start of the first act the newly designed sets were awe-inspiring for both Daddy and Daughter. I found myself turning to my wife at each scene change to exchange a statement of amazement with our eyes, we were like kids ourselves. The movements seen on stage made Addy ask for more…"more ballerina Daddy, more bear dance Daddy, more nutcracker".  All of this happening during what would normally be her nap time, which any parent knows is playing with fire.

Bottom Line: The Boston Ballet did an amazing job on this production. The set design was amazing,  choreography was breathtaking and fun and lighthearted when it was called for. I can't think of many things right now that would have the sophistication and beauty to bring awe to parents while at the same time delivering fun that a child demands (especially when you are putting off her nap). 

-Don

6 adults and 3 amazing kids:

Let me start out by saying to anyone who has been on the fence about bringing small children to see The Nutcracker, FEAR NOT! The Boston Ballet is on top of their game with accommodation of children and families with everything from free booster seats to a very knowledgeable staff... oh yeah, and a fully stocked bar.

When the Boston Ballet reached out to us about attending The Nutcracker all 3 families were beyond excited as it would be the first time any of us have brought our children to such an event. I couldn't wait to see how Sierra would react to seeing something entirely new and so visually stimulating. I wasn't too nervous about her behavior in the theatre as she's been to the movies before so I knew she had the ability to sit still in a seat for 2 hours.

From the second you walk through the huge archway into the building the experience just takes you over. From the hustle and bustle of the lobby to the gorgeous architecture, staircases and lights everywhere. The room just feels alive in a way your local movie house doesn't offer or could ever hope to. Once locating our seats and being amazed at how close we were the excitement just grew until the curtains finally opened and the show began. I can't begin to explain how wonderful it was - it's just something you need to go see. Sierra loved every second of it and I can't wait to take her again.

After the show we were treated to a back stage tour where we saw pulleys, rigging systems and tons of amazing props. The detail on the props and sets was breath taking and I can't thank the Boston Ballet for giving us that once in a life time view of the inner workings of such an awesome event. The night was truly magical and it was a wonderful experience I know all of us and our children will hold dearly for a long time.

-Craig

Best Apps for Toddlers & Dads!

I haven't done an app review in a long time so I figured why not tell you Sierra's top 3 apps and my favorite 3 as well. These may not be the best apps out there but they are the top 3 we have been using as of late. Enjoy and feel free to tell us your favorite apps in the comments section below! -Craig

Sierra has recently been playing "Nighty Night" on our pals iPad so I gave in and bought it for the iPhone as well. It's a hybrid between a goodnight book / and an interactive game that allows you to put all the animals at the farm to bed one by one by shutting their lights off. There are a few other fun little interactions that you get to do by tapping the animals; some bark, moo, do a little dance, etc. It's beautifully illustrated and well worth the $1 for the iPhone or $3 on the iPad.

NightyNight - $2.99 (iPad) or 99 cents (iPhone) - Download Here

 

Next up is one of Sierra's all-time favorite apps: Tozzle. It's a puzzle game that allows the player to drag the objects from the corner and put them in the corresponding holes where they should go mimicking the wooden shape puzzles that are awesome but not so great when you're on the go. There are fun sound effects and it also reads the names of the letters, fruit and various other objects you create. They add new puzzles all the time and for $2 bucks it's WELL worth it. Tozzle has saved us from meltdowns in many of restaurant. Thanks Tozzle.

Tozzle - $1.99 (and theres also a free version!) - Download Here

 

I personally am not a fan of this game as it's basically the same couple of tasks over and over… and over. Wake the animal up, wash it, feed it - thats it. But the game wasn't made for me, it was made for toddlers - and my toddler LOVES it. It's 99 cents and for that you get 5 or 6 animals. You can pay more and unlock other animals as well. In addition to the wake/wash/feed/repeat portion of the game it also has a couple of other neat features; educational videos of the animals, a sticker book and a few little mini-games. It's pretty neat and Sierra loves it.

Curious George at the Zoo - 99 Cents - Download Here

 

OK so now onto the apps that I love. I'm a big fan of taking panoramic shots because I feel they just capture the moment and location a lot better than just a standard photograph. I used to use "360 panorama" which is good and all but just can't compare to the $2 "DMD Panorama", it works flawlessly and is very easy to use. The images it outputs are amazing and I highly suggest you pick this one up. Check out some of the panoramas here.

DMD Panorama - $1.99 - Download Here

 

I hate to say it because EVERYONE (and their mother) is on Instagram but yes Instagram is an app I have various accounts for and that I use everyday. I won't go into detail about why it's awesome because I assume you're already on it but if you're not what are you waiting for!?! Get on it and then follow us! Our username is: TheHipsterDad :-)

Instagram - FREE - Download Here

 

Last but not least is Cinemagram. Think Instagram but it allows you to animate certain portions of the photo. It's fun, creepy and you can make some AMAZING looking images!

Cinemagram - FREE - Download Here

 

Here are some cool examples of the type of images you can create:

Q & A: Fill in the Blanks Blogger Tag Game

1. We started my blog because... 

The concept for the blog started sort of as a joke in a conversation Michael and I were having once but after the conversation was over we decided why the hell not? Figured we could try to show Dad's in a positive light and show people that some Dads actually are really hands-on, involved and just as into parenting as the mama's out there.

2. One thing I love seeing on other blogs are... 

I really dig when people blog about other stuff than just their children. Don't get me wrong I love posts about kids, parenting etc (I mean it's a Dad blog) but It's cool to get a glimpse at other parts of people's lives whether it's what they do for work, a date night they had with friends, etc.

3. Something I love about blogging... 

My favorite part about blogging is that one day I'll be able to share this with my daughter. She can see photos of things we did and my struggles / thoughts on parenting as a new / young Dad.

4. A favorite blog post of mine is...

• Raising Your Kid as an Artist
• Family Comes First A.K.A. The Challenges of Being a Working Dad
• Soccer & Family
• Happy Birthday: A Letter to my Daughter

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I've never before mentioned on my blog... 

Hmm thats a tough one. I don't think I've ever written about how badly I want to move. I love Boston but I don't want this to be the only thing I've ever / will ever know. Vacationing is great but I truly want to experience what it's like to live somewhere else even if it is only for 1 year. This needs to happen!

6. My new favorite blogs to read are...

I don't really ready any "new blogs" I guess? But my favorite parenting blogs to read are: Before I Was A Mom, Just By Living, Adeline's Daddy, DadAnd, Smonk You & How To Be A Dad.

7. Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are...

Posting "photo dumps" too often. AKA those posts where it's just 40 photos that people most likely don't care about.

We tag Don Naylor.