Children’s Books – New Christmas Classics

XMas Story - Cover

I know it’s nowhere near Christmas just yet, but I wanted to start sharing some of the children’s books that I have illustrated over these last few years. All of the books that I share should be available for purchase from Amazon for the Kindle. You can use an actual Kindle or you can download the Kindle app on your iOS or Android device. Some of the stories are even available for print. So be sure to check out all of your options before purchasing.

Illustrating Christmas books is always a fun time. Santa is such an easy and recognizable character to illustrate you just can’t go wrong with using him as a character in a story. This book was one of the first that I illustrated and it is definitely worth a look. The story is written in the perspective of Timothy Elf and has some odd twists on some new Christmas classics!

Amazon’s Description:
Brand new collection of 21 illustrated short children’s Christmas stories that are destined to become classics. Your kids will love hearing these brand new stories, as much as you’ll enjoy reading them yourself. Your kids will want to hear them over and over. Learn how Santa decided to use reindeer to pull his sleigh! Discover how Santa’s elves began building toys for all boys and girls! Find out how Comet became one of Santa’s reindeer! You’ll laugh out loud when you see what happens when Rudolph’s nose stopped shining.

Does this sound like something you might be interested in? Pick up a copy in the Amazon store today!

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Snarf’s Sandwiches Grand Opening!

IMG_4840editedIf you have ever been to Snarf’s Sandwiches Downtown at the MX, the Delmar Loop, or SLU, there is now a new location on Skinker and McPherson near Forest Park and Washington University! My wife and I were invited to attend the grand opening at the newest location at 360 N. Skinker Blvd. We have never been to a grand opening of a restaurant before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Snarf’s was really easy to find and we noticed a nice patio seating as we parked. The spot where Snarf’s is located is really nice. We don’t live in the area but we visit Forest Park and all that the area offers quite often (zoo, science center, museum, The Muny). So knowing where a great sandwich shop is an important dad thing to know, moms too.

IMG_4822editedBefore I get to the sandwiches I will go ahead  and say that this place is kid friendly. My wife and I didn’t bring the kids with us, but we always scope out to see if where we are at is going to be an alright place to bring our kids, and Snarf’s definitely makes that list. The interior is decked out in a some really cool colors. They have an awesome logo that looks to be straight out of the 90’s and I love it. It has this look that takes me back to my days of watching Rugrats, Doug, and Stick Stickly on Nickelodeon.

The menu is large and in charge right above the ordering spot. It is filled with bright colors and organized for easy reading. The kid menu (Snarflettes) is particularly interesting because it isn’t filled with chicken nuggets and french fries. Awesome stuff like grilled cheese, peanut butter, banana & honey sandwiches. You could even pretend you have a kid and get one for yourself to go. Nobody will know.

We got the run down on how the night was going to play out and were told to grab some drinks. Drinks? Really? That is correct. Snarf’s serves beer and wine. They have some nice specialty and import beers along with my domestic favorites. So I grab a beer and my wife went straight for the milk shake. Yeah they make those too. They have a few different flavors to pick from, and my wife went with the classic chocolate. I ain’t gonna lie, I got a taste of it and it was a pretty freaking good milkshake.

IMG_4827So as we sat and enjoyed our drinks a server came around with a few different types of sandwiches for us to try out. I couldn’t decide between the turkey & swiss cheese or the smoked brisket with BBQ sauce & swiss cheese. So I went with both. Destiny went with the Italian sandwich, which was loaded with salami, pepperoni, capicola, & mortadella with provolone cheese. Toss in some Zapp’s potato chips and we were in business. Admittedly I am not much of a veggie guy. I like some but not all vegetables. It’s a horrible example I’m setting for my kids but I can’t help it. I am getting better though. You can get the sandwiches made to order, so you can forgo the veggies if that’s not your thing. The samples provided were loaded up, but that didn’t stop me from giving them a go. I removed the tomato and onion off of the turkey and I was in business. It was so good. Nice tasty turkey with this nice roasted flavor. But I couldn’t forget about the brisket. I got in a nice big bite and was very impressed with the sweet BBQ sauce on the sandwich. The brisket was on point along with the bread on both sandwiches. I snuck in a bite or two on Destiny’s Italian sandwich and I was equally impressed with that one as well.

IMG_4828editAfter stuffing our faces with our variety of sammies we enjoyed a great chat with Jen from AndHattieMakesThree.com. We also had a great chance to talk with the restaurants owners when they came out and greeted us. It was a great opportunity to learn a little bit about the history of Snarf’s and how they put together a great sandwich. Snarf’s history goes back 20 years this year with the first Snarf’s opening in Boulder, Colorado. Now with nearly 20 restaurants in Colorado, Chicago, St. Louis and Austin, Texas, Snarf’s is definitely placing it’s mark on the map.

We learned that all of the produce is from local farmer’s markets and from my understanding that awesome bread is made locally on the hill with Snarf’s own recipe. Supporting local businesses is important to them which is just another great reason to grab a sandwich from this shop. Can’t stop by? They deliver and cater. Can’t make it to lunch or dinner, then how about breakfast. The breakfast menu looks just as tasty as anything else on the menu. Call ahead and grab some sammies for a picnic in the park, breakfast or lunch between classes, or dinner after a busy day at the zoo. There are plenty of reasons to check out Snarf’s newest location or any of their locations for that matter. Snarf’s definitely has St. Louis Dad’s thumbs up.

eatsnarfsSt. Louis Dad was invited to the grand opening of Snarf’s Sandwiches on N. Skinker and was provided sandwiches and drinks in exchange for an honest review and social media posts. Check out EatSnarfs.com for more information about locations and a look at their menu. You can also follow Snarf’s on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Snarf Happens!

I’m Bringing Quiet Back with CozyPhones

IMG_4772 Thanks to tablets and apps like YouTube Kids I have a nice opportunity to get some things done around the house that I might not be able to get accomplished if they were running around like the wild animals that they are. However there is a potential side effect with allowing kids to watch these YouTube shows, the noise. At first I got used to it and accepted it so I could get my things done. After time however, listening to other peoples kids and other adults act like kids on full volume can pierce your eardrums. I would actually say this could be a form of torture for us adults. All the while these YouTubers are gaining more revenue while my kid watches your train video for the billionth time.

Abby has her own pair of headphones. They aren’t Beats or anything fancy. They have Queen Elsa on them and they are made of plastic and bulky. She likes to wear them but they typically fall off pretty easy and she ends up taking them out after a few minutes of using them. Alex is still little to sit with headphones on but I think we have finally solved that problem along with Abby’s as well. Enter the CozyPhones.

IMG_4768I got a great email the other day asking if I would like to review some CozyPhones. I took a look at the website and thought the product looked like something that is definitely worth checking out and giving it a go. So I agreed and within a few days this cute green headband looking item was in my mailbox. It has a cute frog looking design and definitely looks cozy. I checked out the product and how it all went together. The instructions say that it can be washed, but you should remove the speakers first. I was curious how this was accomplished. It’s actually really simple.

IMG_4769The CozyPhone cord is wrapped in some nylon type material and is attached to two speakers. The speakers slide into the headband from the inner backside and can be moved to adjust for the position of your child’s ears. We had to move it just a little for Abby but once we got it she was loving it.

IMG_4765Abby tried out the CozyPhones with her iPad and also my iPhone. She really liked how soft they were. She also liked that she could basically dance all around without having to worry about the headphones falling off her head. She was running and jumping around to some of her favorite songs once she was done answering my questions.

The CozyPhone product isn’t just for kids. They have several styles available on their website and on Amazon. They are a small Veteran Owned family U.S. based business. I think the CozyPhones are great for many things and for kids I think they work out perfectly. Alex even likes wearing the CozyPhone. Check out CozyPhone on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest to see what all they have to offer.

Trying out the #CozyPhones with Abby! Read the review at StLouisDad.com #headphones #kids #music #review

A video posted by St. Louis Dad (@dadstl) on

CozyPhone.com provided St. Louis Dad with this product as compensation in exchange for an honest review. Please visit CozyPhone.com for more awesome headphones!