A Glimpse Into The World Of Celebrity Fatherhood

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Let’s get this out of the way, I was paid to post the trailer for Hank Azaria’s web series, “Fatherhood“. I’ve always had a fascination with celebrity culture and thought this would be a fun glimpse into what being a celebrity dad was like for Hank. What I wasn’t prepared for was that I would watch one episode and then immediately plow through the whole series in one sitting.

I watched intently as Azaria interviewed other celebrity fathers, such as Mike Myers, Kevin Bacon, Rainn Wilson, Tim Robbins, Jim Gaffigan and many more, and listened as they talked about what fatherhood meant to them and shared the lessons they have learned to date. I don’t know why I was surprised to hear that their version of parenting sounded a lot like mine, I guess the money throws me off, but it was definitely refreshing to hear.

My favourite parts of the series are the interactions with Azaria’a parents, and more specifically when his father talks about the difference in the household priorities from his generation to ours. My takeaway from this web series was less about the lessons and more about the importance of the celebrity dads sharing their experiences and showing others that it is okay to talk about your feelings and experiences as a father.

I was only paid to share the trailer and not to talk about the show, but it struck me as something that a lot of people, especially dads, would enjoy. You can catch all the episodes over at AOL.

The 2014 Ottawa Children’s Gala Is Almost Here!

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When I brought my family to last year’s Ottawa Children’s Gala, I had no idea what to expect, mostly due to the fact that I had never been to a “Gala” before. The fact that it was designed for children to come and have a good time was a major selling point for us and everyone in our family had an amazing time.

From face painting and princesses, to a candy bar and plenty of dancing, our kids spent the entire night with huge smiles on their faces. For my wife and I, it was an excellent opportunity for us to actually dress up and go out for once, which was really nice. The dinner was amazing and although I didn’t win anything in the many auctions, I tried my best and the prizes were very cool. Also, as if put there for me, there was a professional photo booth that was stocked with all sorts of goofy costumes to try on. Yes, I sometimes pretend that I am still a child.

Proceeds from the Ottawa Children’s Gala help support a program called ‘Plan-It Safe’ of CHEO. Corrine Langill and her team are dedicated to eliminating preventable childhood injuries in our city. Their mission is to increase local capacity, strengthen public policy, ensure effective programming and advocate for the creation of safe environments to reduce the toll injuries take on children and youth in our communities.

So with good food, loads of fun for the kids, a great cause and amazing people, I’m not sure what else you need to hear to convince you that this is a great event. This year’s gala, which will be hosted by Lianne Laing and Angie Poirier, starts at 4pm on Saturday March 8th, and will be once again held at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre. You can get your tickets RIGHT HERE and I hope to see you there!

Kids OCGKids OCG Colouring

Disney On Ice Delivers Again!

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Let’s face it, having children can get pretty expensive, which means that we have to choose our activities and events wisely. After attending Disney on Ice’s “100 Years of Magic” event at the Canadian Tire Centre last night, I can say with complete certainty that it is worth the price of admission for my family. It sounds cliche to praise Disney but between the light displays and the non stop action in their stories, they really know how to put on an amazing show that a whole family can enjoy.

From my son screaming, “Stitch, Stitch!!!”, in my ear, to my daughter’s excited squeals at seeing all of her favourite princesses, there was never a dull moment for the entire two hours of the show. Admittedly, I spent more time watching the wonder in my children’s eyes than I did the show, but seeing their joy alone was completely worth it. On the adult front, my wife and I both agreed that the production of Mulan’s story completely stole the show and had me drawn in as if I were watching a Broadway play. It’s really tough to explain how good the quality of the production is without you watching it yourself but I promise you that you will be amazed.

One of the other cool things about these shows is that I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a few of the cast members and have come to find out that they are all fascinating people in their own unique ways. You may remember a few weeks ago, I interviewed cast member, Matthew McLean, and this week I had the chance to chat with Kirstie Nelson, who also taught me how to do the ever popular, “Twizzle”, of Olympic fame. Kirstie’s bio blew me away by how diverse she is and because we had major audio issues with the audio during filming, I just wanted to point out a few of her many talents. She is a surfer, hair stylist, figure skating champion, yoga instructor, who also happened to graduate University with a degree in chemical engineering. Yes, I felt like an incredibly lazy human being after reading all of that. Anyway, I have attached our interview below and even though you may not be able to hear the whole thing, you can always skip to the end to watch my incredible Twizzles!!!

Thanks to Feld Entertainment and Canadian Tire Centre for facilitating the interview and I offer my sincere apologies for the technical issues with our sound. On the bright side, guess who just purchased a bunch of new sound equipment… Also, the Ottawa show runs until Sunday Feb 23rd, so there’s still time to see the show! You can buy tickets RIGHT HERE!

Disney on Ice cast

The Geekiest Art That All Geeks Will Love! Especially Geek Parents!

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I have no idea how I stumbled upon this website or specific artist but it only took me about 30 seconds to have my order placed for the artwork pictured above and it took great restraint to only order one. The artist’s name is Andry “Shango” Rajoelina and his Super Families series takes all of your favourite characters and transforms them into children.

You can choose from a ton of different options, from Batman as the father of Robin and Batgirl, to Nick Fury as father to the Avengers crew. I am normally pretty picky about spending money but for whatever reason, possibly the incredible images of fatherhood, my wallet jumped out of my pocket and onto my keyboard before I could stop myself. The stripped down images of the heroes from my favourite movies brought back a nostalgia and somehow made them seem more real to me than they ever had.

I don’t know Mr. Rajoelina and didn’t get anything for any of this, but I couldn’t resist sharing this awesomeness with all of you. If you are looking to geek up your house a little or even find a cool gift for your kids (I am getting one for my son’s birthday), you should definitely check out the full listing at the Geek Art Store! You can also follow Andry on his Facebook page and see more of his work on Tumblr.

I mean, seriously, the Goonies!

Goonies Art

It Never Truly Goes Away

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No matter how often you open up about something such as mental illness, there is always that voice in your head that screams at you to keep your emotions bottled up inside. Why are you telling these people all of this stuff? They are just going to judge you and think that you are weak! Well, the truth is that I can be weak at times. In fact, I’m willing to bet that we all have weak moments in our lives. I also believe that it’s how we deal with those moments that determines our true strength.

This is especially true when talking about topics like anxiety and depression. Last year, I wrote about my struggle with anxiety and the effects it had on my family life. At the time, things were great and I felt like I had been cured of the disease that had plagued my brain for so long, but I have since come to realize that it never completely goes away.

These past few months, I have found myself growing increasingly restless. No matter how well things are going at my job, with my websites and my family life, I can’t seem to shake the feeling that I am not good enough, and for whatever reason, that makes me want to shut out the things that are most important in my life. That would be the main reason that both my websites went largely ignored throughout the month of December and why one of them continues to collect dust. You would think advocating and reading about kindness would have fixed my brain, but it did not.

It’s a very strange thing for me because I am generally a happy person and when you meet me in the street, at a party or a conference, you are not getting an act. It’s just one of those things that I work through on a daily basis and have to believe that the persistence will eventually pay off. I definitely find that since I have started opening up about it, there is a sense of relief that I don’t have to hide it anymore. Being perceived as weak was a good portion of the stress in the first place, but I’ve realized that I’m far too old and much too dad-ly to worry about that at this point. The important thing is that I continue working on myself and if I can help someone else in the process, it’ll be all the better.

I share these stories because I find it therapeutic and I also think it’s important that we all stop treating these symptoms as weaknesses and start letting others know that it’s okay to open up about it. The best thing I ever did was to seek help for my condition because even without the pills, it gave me a ton of ideas and exercises to try when I start getting those anxious feelings. Don’t wait until you are too far gone; if you are feeling symptoms of depression or anxiety, talk to someone about them. Whether it’s a doctor, a friend or family member, just saying the words for the first time is an empowering experience that can start you down the path to recovery.

18 More Sleeps

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“18 more sleeps until Disney!”, the kids shouted with glee. That’s how early the countdown began. That’s how soon the magic starts to flow through your veins. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling it too, even though I worked hard at containing my excitement. At 35 years old, 18 days of uncontrolled excitement can cause burnout.

The trip didn’t get off to the magical start we had anticipated but a stranger on a plane helped restore our faith that all would be fine. Upon landing in Disney, because explaining the difference between Disney and Florida to a three year old is almost impossible, the kids loaded up on pixie dust while the grown ups focused on grown up things. Magical bags needed to be collected from the magical conveyor belt and children needed to be reigned in so they wouldn’t fly away in the busy airport.

The planning for this trip had been meticulously drawn out by the missus, down to the very last ride. Rain, however, was not on the agenda. In any other place on earth, rain would be a deal breaker. But not at Disney World. Not on this trip. Our smiles were as bright as ever as we crossed through the gates and into paradise, ponchos and all. The kids gripped their autograph books tight as the first character, Jake the Pirate, approached our breakfast table. Overwhelmed with excitement, my normally reserved young boy leaped from his seat and hugged Jake as tightly as he had ever hugged one of us. That was the magic of Disney.

There were many more hugs and smiles throughout the weekend. Some for us, but the most enthusiastic ones reserved for the characters they have grown up watching, which was more than fine by me. The magic was there for me too, just in a different place. Instead of the exhilaration of meeting the characters, my joy came in the form of watching the excitement on my children’s faces as they discovered a world they had only dreamed about. They were my Disney and I cherished every excited squeal they belted out.

There were more magical moments than I could count, from tears during Fantasmic to our emotional meeting with Mickey Mouse. The one that stands out to me, though, is when my three year old daughter snuggled up to me on our last day and said, “I love you more than Disney”. Impossible, but I’ll take it.

Buzz Woody

To The Woman In Seat 19D

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I’m not sure you realize the magnitude of your actions. You see, we were all very excited for our first real family vacation. We were off to Disney World, every child (and parent’s) dream trip. Things didn’t go exactly as planned. In fact, things went the exact opposite of anything I could have ever planned. 

Our first flight was cancelled at 9pm on the eve of the trip, long after the kids had gone to bed with dreams of mouse ears in their heads. My wife and I struggled with the notion of how to tell them the trip would have to wait another day. Luckily, we managed to get another flight out of town very early in the morning.

The kids woke this morning with an excitement I have never seen and may never see again. “DISNEY, DISNEY!!” they shouted as they doled out thousands of pirouetting hugs. This, is the reason we get into this game called parenting. Those smiles, that love of the magical unknown. 

It only took five minutes after we arrived at the airport to be told that our flights were overbooked and we were getting bumped. I pointed to the kids and muttered, “but, Disney”, to the woman, who shrugged and apologized. We avoided disappointment the first time but it seemed inevitable at this point. Then out of nowhere, another agent called us over with good news. A NEW flight for us to try our luck with. Relief. 

We got on the plane and hit our connecting city. Success! One flight to go until the magic begins and nothing could go wrong. I excitedly printed the boarding passes to our final destination and noticed that we were all spread out in different seats. No problem, the airline will help us out, right? Wrong. The airline said that I would have to figure it out on my own which meant that I had to grovel with passengers, who were probably as exhausted as I was, to see if they would switch with me. It was more uncomfortable than anything I have ever done in my life. 

That’s where you come in. I had a 1 in 4 shot at finding a match and I was 0 for 3. I’m not going to lie, even though I understand that nobody owed me anything, I was baffled at how the others could stare at my crying child, who was petrified to sit alone, and not bat an eye as they rejected my offer. But not you. I could tell that you booked your aisle seat on purpose and I know that you really didn’t want to move but you did it anyway, without hesitation. I just hope you can understand how agonizing it was for me to have to ask you to take my middle seat and also how deeply I appreciate your act of kindness. 

I have nothing to offer you except words and a wish for all the best things that life can throw your way. You made a disastrous day a million times better and I will never forget that for as long as I live. You are an amazing human being and my whole family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts. If you read this and want some Mickey Mouse ears, please email me, as it’s the least I can do!

Alternate Uses For Royale Toilet Paper; Plus, Win Stuff!

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Toilet paper sometimes gets a bad rap as a “one trick pony” but I can think of hundreds of different uses for it. For one, 90% of all school projects wouldn’t even get off the ground without toilet paper rolls. That’s why I am celebrating Royale’s 50th birthday by trying to come up with a list of all the things you can do with toilet paper, other than, you know…

To celebrate even more, I am giving away a cool Royale prize pack as well! Here’s what is up for grabs:

  • A white ROYALE bathrobe (Lounge around like a BOSS!)
  • A plush ROYALE kitten (Because Cats Rule!)
  • The ROYALE 50 years of kitten-y softness commemorative book – a priceless addition as it isn’t available for purchase (Hear that? PRICELESS!)

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below sharing an alternate use for toilet paper. That’s it. Seriously, you know you want that bathrobe. Giveaway is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec and closes on Friday, Feb 14th at 5pm.

In the meantime, check out this video I made, which demonstrates how I use Royale toilet paper to parent my children! Good Luck!

 

Win 4 Tickets To See Disney On Ice In Ottawa!

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Hi! You might remember me from such events as, last year’s Disney on Ice extravaganza!! The folks at Disney and the Canadian Tire Centre were kind enough to let me skate with the cast of Disney on Ice last year and I have been in love with the tour ever since. That, and the fact that my kids still haven’t stopped asking to watch clips on YouTube.

I’m excited to announce that Disney on Ice is bringing its 100 Years of Magic tour back to Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre from Feb 19th to the 23rd. Here is a quick synopsis of the show:

More than 60 of Disney’s captivating characters and their unforgettable stories come to life in this commemorative celebration, produced by Feld Entertainment. In this lavish ice show, everyone’s favorite sweethearts, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, take audiences on a fun-filled adventure, sharing memories with Disney friends including Goofy, Donald Duck, the beloved Disney Princesses, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio, Mulan, Timon, Pumbaa, Stitch, Nemo and The Incredibles.

I had the chance to have a chat with cast member Matthew McLean about his time on tour. We talked about his past as a Blackjack dealer, his favourite figure skating movie, some cool ways the cast give back and I also tested his knowledge of all things Disney with some rapid fire trivia. The interview is below.

Oh yeah, the giveaway I promised. Tell you what, I’ll make it easy on you. All you have to do to enter to win 4 100 Level Tickets to Opening Night (Feb 19th at 7pm), is tell me what your favourite Disney film of all time is in the comments below. I’ll choose a winner at random on Feb 11th at noon and the winner can pick up the tickets at will call on the night of the show. Good Luck!

Congrats to our winner, Natasha Amo!

The Measure of a Man

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We have a lot of definitions and ideas about manliness and what it means to be a “real” man, but the truth is that there is no one characteristic that defines “manliness”. Some think you need tattoos and a pickup truck to be a true man, while others prefer courage or humour as shining examples. We all look at life through a different lens and none of us are right or wrong in our feelings about it.

This past weekend, at the Dad 2.0 Summit in New Orleans, I had the incredible fortune of meeting over 200 other fathers who are each doing their part to redefine what it means to be a dad and also proving that every man is different but also equal. This conference is a place where egos are checked at the door and real emotion is not only allowed to be shared but very much encouraged.

Up until my father passed away a few years ago, I didn’t deal with my emotions very well. Even after his passing, I had trouble showing my emotions visibly and a lot of that had to do with the perception of weakness and the threat of being labeled as someone who was less of a man for it. Those days have since passed and the Dad 2.0 Summit has been a major influence on my ability to express myself without the fear of judgement. Last year, in Houston, I read one of my stories about the anxiety I went through after my father passed away. I can remember all the emotion that was rushing through my veins as I stood up in front of the 250 attendees and poured my soul out onto the stage for everyone to see. They were incredibly supportive and that single event has helped my confidence level more than I can describe.

This year, I was privileged to be in the audience when spotlight reader and brilliant writer, Lorne Jaffe, took to the stage to read his post, “Do I Really Like What I Like?“. While watching Lorne deliver his emotional story about his struggles with mental illness, I witnessed exactly what it means to be a man. Public speaking is uncomfortable enough and when you add in the topic he was discussing, I have never been more proud or inspired by someone that I had just met hours before. I’ve watched it back a few times now and well up each and every time. Lorne, if you are reading this, every single one of those people who stood for you after your reading were mesmerized by what you did and I hope someday you will be able to take pride in that personal achievement.

I have included the video of Lorne’s presentation below. From now on, any time I feel guilty for having emotions or like I can’t do something, I will look at this video and remember that sometimes the best things in life come from stepping outside of my comfort zone.