An Evening With The Cake Boss!

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Last night I had the pleasure of being invited by Canadian Tire to hang out with the one and only Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro, as he launched his new line of bakeware, which will be exclusively available at Canadian Tire. The new line is designed to give people at home the chance to bake like boss and create their own masterpieces! The night was amazing and I even had the chance to sit down one on one with Buddy to ask him a few questions.

At the event, Buddy teamed up with Ottawa Senators head coach, Paul MacLean and Paul’s daughter, Erin, to show off some basic techniques that can be done by the every day non-baker. It was a light event with a lot of laughs, especially when Buddy offered to hire Paul MacLean if the Sens ever decided to let him go.

cake boss paul maclean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview With The Cake Boss

I was also excited to have the opportunity to sit down with Buddy before the show started, to ask him a few questions. Here is what he had to say.

Q: What advice do you have for kids who dream of someday opening their own bakery?

Buddy: Definitely go work in a bakery first, just to make sure that you love it and get as much experience as you can. If you decide that this is the life for you, go to culinary school and aim for your dreams. The business part of this is covered by working at a bakery. They don’t teach you about the business side in culinary school, what it’s like to live and work in a bakery and really see the ins and outs of the real environment.

Q: Any advice for dads who want to be more hands on in the kitchen, to show their kids that it’s cool to try new things?

Buddy: Part of the reason I decided to do this product line with Canadian Tire is to make it easy for anybody to get in to the kitchen and get baking. It’s actually not that hard to do and I’m hoping to give you things that are achievable. We want people to go cake decorating and feel excited about it. For you, I’ll say that fondant is a lot easier than butter cream, especially when you are starting out, and that’s why we did videos with it.

Q: I saw your hockey cake you made for the draft and wondered what is your favourite/hardest project that you’ve worked on?

Buddy: Yeah, the hockey cake was a cool one and, you know, Canada! But definitely the coolest one I have done is the transformer cake. From a challenge standpoint, out of everything I’ve done, the transformer sets the bar on how far you can take a cake.

Q: You are a part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but you also founded the Momma Mary Foundation and I was wondering if you would talk a bit about what that’s all about?

Buddy: The Momma Mary Foundation is something I started in lieu of my mom having ALS. What we do is we take donations and do fundraisers, to give money for research and to people that can’t afford treatments. We’ve worked with Mass General in Boston, ALS Worldwide and different things. We take the money and give it to organizations that we feel are really trying to make strives in it. It’s especially important to pass that down to my kids and the charity is close to my heart because of my mom having it.

Q: How often does a cake need repairs upon delivery?

Buddy: Oh man, I can remember last year, we got a call that a cake that was sent out to Louisiana had tipped over. We had to spring in to action and get down there to fix it. But, for the most part we only have a few incidents a year and have been pretty lucky in that regard.

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Buddy couldn’t have been any nicer and he even recorded a video greeting for my mom, who is a huge fan of him and his family. His speech about how cake decorating gave him the confidence to go after his dreams really resonated with me as I am currently chasing a dream of my own. He also hopes to open up his own shop in Canada sometime in the next year or so, which is exciting. I had a great time meeting Buddy and want to thank Canadian Tire for the invite and for the very cool samples of some of Buddy’s new products. If you guys don’t a cake post from me in the next 3 months, feel free to call me out as a failure!

Buddy Cake Boss SensCake Boss Canadian Tire

We Day ~ Montreal Recap

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Last week, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend my second WeDay, this time in the amazing city of Montreal. Some might call this greedy but it was a special chance for me to see my friend, Hannah Alper, performing live on stage as WeDay’s newest speaker. Spoiler Alert: She totally crushed it!

The Montreal event was different from the Ottawa experience in that it only had about 2,000 students, which made for a very intimate setting. The crowd was still deafening at times, as they heard from amazing speakers like Martin Luther King III, Chris Tse & the Kielburger brothers, as well as performances by Luca “LazyLegz” Patuelli and Sam Roberts. As you would expect from an event like WeDay, the positive energy flowing around the room was very high and the emotions were even higher.

My Highlights

There were a number of highlights from my most recent WeDay experience and I’ve decided to lay them out in point form to the best of my ability.

1. Martin Luther King III

It’s not every day that you get to listen someone as powerful as Martin Luther King III live on stage and I am grateful for the opportunity. While his message was tailored to the children in attendance, I can assure you that it was certainly not lost on me when he urged them to find their calling in life. It’s something that I am still searching for but feel like I am getting closer every day.

2. Chris Tse

I’m not going to lie, going into this day, I had no idea who Chris Tse was. I was invited a couple days before the event and didn’t have a lot of time to read up on all the speakers. It turns out that it was probably a good thing because Chris blew me away with his wit and in the way that he poetically threw out his words as if he were writing a book right in front of us. In describing his upbringing, I loved when he talked about how his parents had set up “Math Mondays”, “World History Wednesdays”, and his least favourite, “Non-Fiction Fridays”. He was incredible and is someone I will be following from now on.

3. Spencer West

This says it all.

4. The Alper’s. All of them…

You know the saying, “It’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know”? That seems infinitely appropriate here, because without Eric, Candace and Hannah Alper, I would not have been able to experience something as amazing as WeDay. From the initial invitation, to having the opportunity to sneak backstage to meet the likes of Marc & Craig Kielburger, Spencer West, Martin Luther King III and Sam Roberts, I am forever indebted to this family. Getting to see Hannah calmly speak in front of all of those kids, gives me further inspiration and nerves to pursue my goals of inspiring through public speaking. And, she was absolutely amazing as she shared Malala’s story, up on the stage. So, thank you Alper’s! You have inspired me in more ways than one and I plan on using that insporation for good.

5. Meeting Molly Burke!

This was the big highlight of the day for me. Thanks again to Candace Alper, I had the special opportunity to meet and hang out backstage with Molly Burke and her guide dog, Gypsy. I was first introduced to Molly and her story at WeDay in Ottawa earlier this year. Her story of bullying is one of the most powerful I have ever heard on the subject and I wanted to meet her so I could let her know that her message reaches more than just the children she speaks to. As expected, she was very cool to hang out with and admitted that she is very superstitious, just as I am. Her new presentation was just as powerful as the one from Ottawa and the world is definitely a better place for having her in it.

If you have school aged children, I highly encourage you to start by showing them the videos on the Free The Children website and encouraging them to get involved in their school or community. The long term effects of this action will benefit their future multiple times over.

We 365 App

Free The Children also unveiled the very cool, We 365 phone app, which is going to revolutionize the way we give back. It’s an app that tracks all the good you do and awards points for each task you complete and hour your volunteer. It has challenges, allows you to create groups and even has prizes. This video explains it better than I can, and for every sign up on We365, Free The Children will immunize a child overseas.

Martin Luther King IIIMolly Burke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah AlperSam Roberts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spencer West

Keep Holding On & Support Women’s Healthcare ~ #WCHFRaiseUrVoice

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Just because Movember is over, doesn’t mean it’s time to pack it in the good deeds for another year. That’s why I am happy to be working with the Women’s College Hospital Foundation in spreading the word about their new initiative!

Women’s College Hospital Foundation has teamed up with Canadian singing sensation, Avril Lavigne, to create a cover of her hit song, “Keep Holding On”, featuring the voices of Canadians from across the country. The remixed song has been released on iTunes, and the proceeds from every download go toward supporting Women’s College Hospital and the future of healthcare for women.

I downloaded the song myself this afternoon and haven’t been able to stop listening to it. It gives me that goose bumpy feeling every time the chorus of voices kicks in, and to know that it is also helping women in need is extra gratifying. The song only costs $1.29 and every single download helps support an amazing cause, so I hope you will head over to iTunes and purchase a copy today!

About Women’s College Hospital Foundation

Women’s College Hospital Foundation is dedicated to supporting Women’s College Hospital as it revolutionizes health care for women. The first stand alone ambulatory care hospital in Canada, Women’s College Hospital is dedicated to advancing the health of women and improving health-care options for all.

Working together with patients, family members, staff, physicians, volunteers, community members and corporations, we raise, manage and invest funds to support the Hospital’s current and future priority needs. Our donors contribute generously to help build our new hospital of the future, advance research and pioneer state-of-the-art programs that address the unique needs of women and their families.

Disclosure: I was compensated by Entrinsic for my participation in this program, but the song, Avril and the cause are all amazing.

HP Split x2 Hybrid Notebook ~ Review

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Ever since reviewing the HP Envy x2 earlier this year, I have been excited to see what HP was going to come up with next. This past month, I have been testing out the HP Split x2 notebook/tablet hybrid and have included my thoughts below.

The Split x2 is a larger and more powerful version of the Envy x2, that acts more like a standard laptop but also has the functionality of a tablet. My first impression was that, based on the 13.3″ screen, the tablet option was going to be wasted. That was until I removed it for the first time during a presentation I was giving. It was nice to be able to hold the screen up in the board room, knowing that everyone would be able to see the message I was trying to get across. Since that time, I have found the tablet portion excellent for watching movies at home and while travelling, as well as using the touchscreen as a learning tool for the kids, by visiting educational and puzzle websites.

With a dual battery system, HP claims a 10 hour battery life and I was averaging between 8  and 9 hours, which works for me. I’m guessing that battery life is also dependent on frequency of use and being in social media, I am on there almost all day long. The power of the Intel® Core™ processor is also very noticeable over it’s Envy x2 counterpart and with a price point of around $749.99, the Split x2 definitely delivers a lot of bang for your buck.

I have heard mixed reviews on Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system but I have become accustomed to it and couldn’t imagine using anything else at this point. As a Windows phone and XBox360 owner, I like being able to access all of my data from one device. The live tiles are easy to manage and with Beats Audio™ and dual speakers, the sound quality is amazing.

One of the few knocks I had on the Split x2 is that it is a fairly heavy device. As someone who tends to bring my laptop everywhere with me, it took a couple days to get used to, but the functionality it offers for the price makes that flaw easy to overlook. So if you are looking for an affordable alternative to a full sized laptop this holiday season, whether as a gift or for yourself, I would definitely recommend the HP Split x2 as a device that gets the job done.

You can check out more HP devices by visiting Their Online Shop and you can stay up to date by visiting the HP Canada Facebook Page.

Disclosure: I received compensation in exchange for my work on this program.

 

Introducing The Amazing People Gala!

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As this blog continues to grow and find it’s identity, I am learning more and more that I have the ability to make small impacts in people’s lives and it is something that brings me great joy. I recently attended the launch event for something called the Amazing People Gala and now feel the need to share about it.

I had no idea what this gala was all about, but after watching a few of the videos from the previous year’s event, I had a feeling that it was going to have a positive impact on me and I couldn’t have been more right! The Amazing People Gala is pretty much exactly what it sounds like but with a charitable twist. Last year’s gala honoured almost 50 Amazing People and raised enough money to build not only one, but two schools in Nicaragua, through local charity, SchoolBOX.

About SchoolBOX

SchoolBOX is an Ottawa Valley charity, based in Almonte,  that has built 44 classrooms to date in Central America for children in horrific poverty. The power of education is the focus. It started when the founder, Tom Affleck of Almonte, gave a Nicaraguan child a pencil and notebook, the only tools she needed to attend school.

Since 2006, SchoolBOX has accomplished the following (As per October 30, 2013):

  • 49 classrooms built
  • 2 classrooms with major renovations and overhauls
  • 63,249 education packages delivered to students and teachers
  • 349 International Volunteers
  • 15 Mini Libraries created
  • 13 Soccer Dreams Tournaments

About The Gala

The launch from this year’s Amazing People Gala left me speechless, and inspired by all the honourees and volunteers. I love that they are featuring local Amazing People and shining a light on everything that is good in our community. The Gala takes place on February 22, 2014 at the Ottawa Convention Centre and tickets are available by visiting the Amazing People Gala’s Page. Based solely on what I’ve seen so far, I can pretty much guarantee that you will leave this event more inspired than you could ever imagine.

Why Simply Shop When You Could ShopWise?

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In case you hadn’t noticed, I am a guy, and as such I am held to a certain standard of cluelessness when it comes to holiday shopping. Well it just so happens that I am smarter than the average bear and located the ShopWise app on my iPhone last week. I am always a little skeptical about apps that are supposed to make shopping easier but I knew from the first featured special that we were a match!

ShopWise Chips

For some background, the ShopWise app, which is offered for free by the Yellow Pages Group, was designed as an everyday shopping app to save you time and money. The app is free to download and ShopWise also just launched their new version 2.0 here in Canada. I figured the app would be good for Christmas shopping only but I have been using it all over the place for everything from restaurants to kid’s clothes. My favourite feature has to be the interactive map that shows you all the deals in the area you are actually in at that moment. It’s genius, and also a little dangerous in the sense that there always seems to be a Dairy Queen in there…

ShopWise Map

On to the shopping portion of the app! We had decided to get our son a scooter for Christmas this year but hadn’t found the right deal yet. Low and behold, two days into my new app adventure, I saw this amazing 40% deal on scooters at Toys R Us! I had never felt more like a bargain hunter and it got me itching to see what else I could save on.

ShopWise Scooter

For my next trick, I got a little fancy and decided to search the word, Disney, to see what would happen. I never got past the first featured item because it was an incredible deal on overstock Halloween decorations, and because that holiday happens every year, the decorations are pretty much always good, in my mind at least. Not to mention that smaller things are great stocking stuffers because the kids love everything Disney!

ShopWise Disney

Last but not least, the toughest person to shop for on my Christmas list, my wife. She is not the best at getting me a detailed list, so I am usually in charge of picking out my own gifts for her. With the ShopWise app, I simply went to the Find button, hit Apparel, and voila, I had two options right in front of me. The one I think she needs and the one she probably wants. I’ll let you figure out which is which.

ShopWise Clothes

Did I mention that the ShopWise app is free?? There’s really no reason for you to NOT check this out and I’m telling you that you will find it incredibly useful. The ShopWise app is available in the iTunes store, on Android and also for Blackberry.

If all that wasn’t enough, if you own an iPhone or an iPad, ShopWise is giving away a $100 prepaid shopping card to one of you just before the holidays! Simply download the ShopWise app and fill out the form with your email address in the “Help” section of the app. Then you can enter the giveaway using the form below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This post was
and I received compensation for my opinions on this product.

Silent Screams and a Flash of Light

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We tend to take a lot of things for granted in this life. Even those who preach not taking things for granted still do it on occasion and it’s completely natural. Life is busy. We have bills to pay, deadlines to meet, food to put on the table and children to raise, among many other things and sometimes it’s easy to forget the truly important things.

I was reminded of this fact a few weeks ago while I was out running errands with my children. They have always been fascinated with money and the way the light reflects off the coins when they spin them in different directions. Heads or tails has quickly become one of our favourite games, even though we are still working on the losing gracefully part. I will routinely pass them a nickel each to play with while we are in the car, so they can watch the light dance and dream of what they will do with their new found fortunes.

This particular day, however, my daughter had a different plan for the money. As we exited the vehicle to head into a nearby store she began to vomit on the sidewalk. With her having just gotten over a cold and based on the unhealthy food we had just eaten, I didn’t think much about it and went over to hold her while she finished up. Something was off though. She kept digging her hand in her throat and I also noticed that she had stopped breathing. At that moment, my son dropped his nickel on the pavement, reminding me of the fact that I had just handed them money minutes earlier, and her’s was no longer in her hand.

The next 30 seconds felt like 30 years. I saw my life without her flash through my mind as I began to perform the most delicate Heimlich maneuver imaginable. At one point I glanced over at my son and the pale, ghost-like expression on his face let me know that he knew exactly how severe this situation was and it made me focus even harder on making it right. It broke my heart listening to her gasping for air as I attempted to dislodge the coin from her tiny throat, when suddenly I heard the clank of the nickel on the pavement and collapsed to the ground with her in my arms.

She spent the rest of that night in my arms and the next day we had a long family discussion about the dangers of putting coins and other small objects in our mouths. Had it not been for the fact that I keep my first aid training up to date, I don’t know that I could have reacted as quickly as I did and, after many sleepless nights, I don’t care to think anymore about the consequences of that.

Win a $20 Fine Silver Santa Collector Coin From The Royal Canadian Mint

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It will come as no surprise to anyone who has read this blog for any length of time, that I am a complete geek at heart. I love comics and super heroes, but my real love is in collecting. I have had collections of everything from sports cards and stamps to bar coasters and match packs. I also have a love for coins. I mean, we all like money, but I am talking more about the kind of money that you look at as opposed to spend.

I was excited to hear that the Royal Canadian Mint had a new $20 for $20 collection, and even more excited that it included a Santa Claus coin, designed by Canadian artist Jesse Koreck. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce both of my children to one of my passions and it did not disappoint! The minute the kids say the Santa coin, they screamed “Money!!!” and immediately began plotting how they would spend their new fortunes. Okay, so it didn’t go exactly as I planned but they really loved seeing Santa on their money.

I am equally as excited to provide you, my amazing readers, with an opportunity to win one of these limited edition, fine silver, Santa collector coins. All you need to do is enter using the rafflecopter form below! These coins are limited to only three per household and they will sell out fast, so if you want to pick up a couple as gifts, you can do so buy visiting the Royal Canadian Mint’s Website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a Santa coin for my participation in this giveaway.

Win Tickets To See The Leafs & Sens Courtesy The Ottawa Children’s Gala!

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I was fortunate enough to attend the Ottawa Children’s Gala last year and saw, first hand, the amount of good they are doing for our city. That is why I am happy to share their new contest with you, with the Grand Prize being 2 tickets to see the Ottawa Senators host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec 7th at the Canadian Tire Centre!

The Ottawa Children’s Gala is the only one of its kind in Ottawa: a formal gala filled with entertainment for both children and adults all in the beautiful setting of the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre. There will be a red carpet, complete with a professional photographer, a classy meal, exciting entertainment and, of course, a dance. The 2014 Ottawa Children’s Gala is being held in support of a program called ‘Plan-It Safe’ of CHEO.

I am a huge fan of the Gala and everything it stands for and plan on returning for this year’s event on March 8th, 2014! You can purchase tickets Right Here! Be sure to stop by their Facebook and Twitter pages as well.

Now, on to the contest! Entering couldn’t be easier. Simply complete as many of the options on the Rafflecopter form as you would like and we’ll take care of the rest. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Thing About Tires

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I had never really thought about the tires I was putting on my vehicle. I’d go in to the shop, take whatever they recommended and then be on my way. That was until the last set we purchased went completely bonkers on us. Yes, I just used the term “bonkers”. I paid for top of the line and ended up with tires that barely made it through a year and a half without almost completely wearing out.

The other problem I had was that I never felt completely safe on them. Twice I had issues with flats and was told that it was due to the tires and not because of anything puncturing them. That was about the time that I was introduced to Sailun Tires at a blog event. It seemed like perfect timing and it was the first time I had ever really learned about what I was driving my family around on.

After the Sailun Track Event, I decided to give Sailun Tires a shot. Their promise of providing safety and performance for an amazing value seemed to good to be true but I can tell you that, so far, I am loving my new AtrezzoTouring LS All Season tires. They have already been through rain, snow and even some hail, and they have performed perfectly in every situation. The most important thing to me is the safety of my family and now that I quite literally understand what safe tires feel like, I am happy with my decision to go with Sailun.

I am about to take my Sailun’s for the winter but I am going to do a follow up report in the spring to see how they are holding up. Seriously, I was actually a little upset to find that I was paying almost twice the price for inferior tires just based on brand name alone. Then again, I’m pretty sure this happens with a lot of products on a daily basis. I am trusting my family’s safety to Sailun Tires and am comfortable recommending that you do the same. Have a safe and happy winter! You can check out Sailun’s winter tire lineup at SailunTires.Ca.

*Disclosure: I received compensation for my participation in this program, however I am still trusting my family’s safety on Sailun Tires and that is really all you need to know.