Hey Canada! by Vivien Bowers (Book Review)

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I was happy to help out a Canadian author when I was approached to take a look at a new book called “Hey Canada!”, which is written by Vivien Bowers & illustrated by Milan Pavlovic.

Here’s a brief overview of Hey Canada! from GoodReads:

“Gran has decided that she is taking nine-year-old Alice and eight-year-old Cal on a road trip across Canada “before she’s old and creaky.” With a sparkling combination of poems, silly songs, tweets and blogs, the trio records the trip for readers everywhere to share. Starting in St. John’s Newfoundland, where they have a “find-it” list that includes a moose and an iceberg and going all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the gang in Hey Canada! offers a delightful way to learn about vast, varied, and surprising Canada.

The book combines narrative, poems, photos, comics about historical events such as the battle at Fortress Louisburg, maps (including provincial flags, birds, and flowers), in a lively, easily accessible format. Not only great fun to read, this is a valuable resource for young Canadians and for visitors across the country.”

I didn’t even need to read this book to know that I was going to love it! I am Canadian after all…. The book offers extremely informative descriptions of some of Canada’s greatest places and landmarks. It takes you through Canada, Province by Province and has incredible illustrations by Milan Pavlovic. Seriously, the pictures add so much more to the book than I can describe.

This book is a wonderful addition, not only to a home library, but could be an excellent addition to a classroom as well. There is so much detail and colour that your kids will love reading it, as mine did!

Being from Ottawa, it was a real awakening to see all of the great things that my city has to offer, that all to often get taken for granted. The Museum’s, Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal to name a few, I really have to get my family out there enjoying it.

I actually think one of my favorite part’s of Hey Canada! was the legend in the back….I know, I know, it’s a very nerd thing to say but it’s true. I really enjoy being able to look something up quickly and a legend is like a book’s form of a CTRL-F search, lol.

I really recommend Hey Canada! to help show your kids and yourself, just how much our great country has to offer!

Here’s a little bit about the author of Hey Canada!, Vivien Bowers:

Vivien Bowers was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1951, the second of four children. She received a B.A. in English (honours) from the University of British Columbia followed by a teaching certificate, and was a grade 5 teacher for several years in Nelson, BC. Vivien has been a freelance writer for more than twenty-five years, writing elementary and secondary school materials, as well as non-fiction books and magazine articles for both adults and children. She has been invited to do presentations on her children’s books in hundreds of schools and libraries across the country. Bowers has two sons, now grown up, and lives at the base of the mountains outside of Nelson, BC. She loves to escape into the wilderness to ski, hike or canoe.

Hey Canada!
Author: Vivien Bowers
Illustrations: Milan Pavlovic
Publisher: Tundra Books, a division of Random House
Pages: 72
Format: Hardcover
Ages: Children 7-10 years
Genre: Children’s books/non-fiction/history
ISBN 978-1-77049-255-4
Release date: May 8, 2012

I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review. As always, all opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third party.

Win Tickets To The Amazing Spider-Man: An @IMAX 3D Experience

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If you’ve been following this blog from the beginning, you’ll know how excited I am about the upcoming Spider-Man movie! I was going to do a post about my excitement anyway, so I figured why not try and put together a giveaway as well for all my beautiful and handsome readers! PS – That’s you!

I contacted IMAX and they have agreed to let me give away 1 pair of IMAX movie tickets and a Spider-Man poster. Oh wait…Did I say 1 pair? I meant 2 pairs of tickets and 2 posters!! That’s how much I appreciate all of you! We are going to have two winners on this one so your odds are even better.

I’m pretty sure I don’t need to tell you what Spider-Man is all about, right? If so, here’s a brief description, because you probably aren’t going to see it anyway. Peter Parker gets bit by a walrus at the zoo, then the zoo keeper, played by Ben Stiller, yells at Parker, who falls into a pit filled with spiders and becomes Spider-Man. He makes a super suit and flies around the city, solving crime with Justin Bieber, Ironman, Drake & Julia Roberts. The End!

For those of you who know what Spider-Man is all about, you’ll want to check out this link for all the details!

This contest is open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec) and the USA. The Amazing Spider-Man opens July 3rd! Good Luck and here’s a little something to look forward to!

RELEASE AND INDEMNIFICATION:

BY ENTERING THE SWEEPSTAKES, ENTRANTS RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS IMAX CORPORATION,
WARNER BROS. PICTURES, AND EACH OF ITS RESPECTIVE PARENTS, DIVISIONS, AFILIATES,
SUBSIDIARIES, AGENTS AND ADVERTISING AGENCIES (COLLECTIVELY, “WBEI”) FROM AND
AGAINST ANY AND ALL LOSSES, DAMAGES, RIGHTS, CLAIMS, AND ACTIONS OF ANY KIND ARISING
IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES OR PARTICIPATION
IN ANY SWEEPSTAKES-RELATED ACTIVITY (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE REMOVAL FROM
THE SITE OF, OR DISCONTINUATION OF ACCESS TO, ANY MATERIALS), OR RESULTING DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY, FROM ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE, OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE AWARDED IN
CONNECTION WITH THE SWEEPSTAKES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION PERSONAL INJURY,
DEATH, AND/OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, AS WELL AS CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS,
DEFAMATION, AND/OR INVASION OF PRIVACY.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:

IN NO EVENT WILL IMAX CORPORATION BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY
KIND, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR
PUNITIVE DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF ANY ACCESS TO AND/OR USE OF THE SWEEPSTAKES SITE,
THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES SITE,
THE REMOVAL FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES SITE OF, OR DISCONTINUATION OF ACCESS TO, ANY
MATERIALS, OR THE ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE, OR MISUSE OF, OR ANY HARM RESULTING
FROM THE ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF, OR PARTICIPATION IN, ANY PRIZE
AWARDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SWEEPSTAKES. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, THE
SWEEPSTAKES, ALL PRIZES, AND ALL MATERIALS PROVIDED ON OR THROUGH THE SITE ARE
PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

My Life In Song – Dad Edition

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I’ve decided to try yet another new feature on the site. The best thing about this being my site, is that I can try as many new things as I want without having to ask permission!

In case you didn’t know already (I guess you probably wouldn’t know unless you knew me personally, because I never really talk about it on the blog…until now) I love music! It makes my world go round in a way that would probably relate to Quentin Tarantino, who has said he picks his music before writing his movies.

If Sidney Deane from “White Men Can’t Jump” is indeed correct, then I feel like one of the few people who can hear Jimi, instead of just listening to him. That’s how much I love music!

Anyway, that’s enough of that. On to the show! This week, with Father’s Day still fresh in everyone’s mind, I am showcasing a couple songs that remind me of my Dad, who passed away in 2007. I don’t necessarily have a reason why certain songs remind me of him but anyone who has lost someone close knows what I’m talking about.

Without further ado, here is my list:

1. My Hero – Foo Fighters – Thought by some to be a tribute to one of Dave Grohl’s best friends, Kurt Cobain, this song is one of my all time favorites. My Dad was my hero and best friend and that’s why this song speaks to me so much.

2. Fix You – Coldplay – This is one of those songs that can relate to a lot of different situations. For me, oddly enough, it was the first song playing in my car after my Dad passed away and that has stuck with me ever since. There’s more to it but I imagine you’ve already gotten the point here. Plus, if I shared all my thoughts, I would have no mystery left to me.

3. Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day – Something funny about my Dad is that he really enjoyed listening to Green Day’s American Idiot album. Even in my late 20’s I didn’t fully understand it. He certainly wasn’t listening to it as a ploy to bond with me because we always had a great relationship. Personally I thought it was pretty cool but never admitted it to him, lol. Dad passed at the end of August, so this particular song is extra sentimental to me but he loved the rock songs on this album.

That’s all for this edition of “My Life In Song”. Unlike some other new features I’ve tried, I really enjoyed putting this one together and think it’s a keeper! I’m always happy to hear your thoughts/suggestions though, so just fire away in the comments section!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!!

Disney Pixar’s Brave Passes The Ultimate Test

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I was fortunate enough to find my way to a screening of Disney/Pixar’s new movie “Brave” in 3D. I had seen about a thousand clips of it with my kids but had no idea what we were in store for as the movie began.

Let’s start with the actual trip to the theater. I went with my 4 year old son, his little girlfriend and her Dad. We got there nice and early, as anyone who has ever been to a screening knows, the lines fill up very early!

We had our dinner’s while standing in line, placed our cell phones in the brown paper bags (because I usually bring my buddy and our kids to the movies with the intention of taping it on my iPhone…) and 3 trips to the bathroom for my little guy….he gets scared in theaters and it makes him have to pee (a Lot).

My son is what you would refer to as a scaredy cat when it comes to watching movies. He hates witches, bad guys & any kind of frightening character, to the point of not wanting to watch anymore. I thought bringing his friend along would be a wise move in attempting to keep him interested.

In case you are one of the few who haven’t seen the clips for this movie yet, here’s a peek!

I’m proud to report that with the exception of a couple of scenes with the ancient bear Mor’du, my son got through the movie relatively unscared! There is a witch in the movie but Disney did a great job of getting away from the traditional scary witch for a sneakier version. Personally, I appreciated that fact as I never understood why they had to make these kids movies so frightening.

The other thing I enjoyed is the relationship the female lead, Merida, has with her father. I thought it was cool that they portrayed them as best friends, which is something as father, I can only hope for with my daughter someday.

I’m not going to ruin any of the story in this review, I just wanted to share my experience from the screening. I have read a lot of reviews from this movie, some good, some bad, some very, very strange, but my personal feeling is that this is an excellent movie for the whole family. The stunning animation alone is worth the price of admission as I feel it’s one of Pixar’s best to date.

Oh Yeah, I almost forgot! In true Pixar form, my son decided that he was going to dress as Finn McMissile for this trip to the movies. One thing I’ve learned is not to bother arguing if he wants to leave the house in costume, lol, Kids Will Be Kids! Plus, he’s just like his Dad!

Brave opened June 22nd and if you haven’t seen it yet, I urge you to check it out as you won’t be disappointed!

Cheers!!

What Exactly Is A “Trophy Husband”?

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It’s no secret that the number of Stay At Home Dads is on the rise. It’s also well documented that the role of the father has evolved dramatically over the last 20 years.

As a shift working Dad who is home with his kids for a good portion of the time, I had never really thought of asking for recognition for the time I spend with them. After all, I’m their Dad and also, I’m far from perfect.

While watching an ABC Nightline story on Stay At Home Dads the other night, they kept referring to the Dads as Trophy Husband’s and it threw me for a bit of a loop. In fact, a few of the points made in the 5 minute piece were slightly off putting.

I feel it’s best that you watch the clip before I continue, so my points will at least have some context.

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

I watched it a couple of times and even took some time to think about how I felt about it. No ones likes people who overreact in a public forum, so I’m going to quietly make my points and move on.

The first thing that happens is predictable video of Mr. Mom with Michael Keaton, followed by a more updated but equally ridiculous video clip from “What To Expect When You Are Expecting”. Not a great start and it got worse when I heard the reporter’s opening quote.

“Today’s stay at home dad is a new breed. They push strollers with swagger, like those dads in What To Expect When You Are Expecting”.

So today’s Dads are the stereotypical movie imbecile’s, who let their babies eat cigarettes, play in the dryer and swim in toilets? Good to know. I’m used to the movie buffoon thing, it’s increasingly more annoying but I get that it’s still a movie and they need to be funny. This was supposed to be a real story about real dads and didn’t need the ridiculous reference in my opinion.

The story goes on to say that Moms on the playground refer to these Dads as “Trophy Husbands”. Which parks are these? Who are these women? I’ve been to the park with my kids a whole bunch of times and I’ve never had anyone refer to me as a Trophy…In fact, I usually end up very much ignored to play with my kids, which is perfectly fine with me.

They quote a study that says more men are staying at home because women are beginning to value high paying jobs more than men do. I don’t doubt the results of the “high paying jobs” portion of the survey but it really shouldn’t be used as an explanation as to why there are more stay at home dads. There are daycare’s after all and I think more men are just realizing how amazing it is to spend more time with their kids.

I know a few stay at home dads and a lot of dads who work jobs for a living as well. None of them are the bumbling idiots from the movies or the Al Bundy’s from TV. They’re not even the Dad from the Oscar Mayer Commercial, who thinks letting his son play with a chainsaw is a good idea, among other things. Many other things…

Most of the Dads I know are just normal guys who like to spend time with their families. They are not looking for any kind of special credits or awards. Sure, it’s nice to be complimented every now and then but we’re no different than Mom in that regard. We do the things we do for our family because it’s our family, not to become trophies for our wives or kids.

We just want to be parents, not a special exhibit at the zoo. It’s great that the new age of Dads is coming to light in the media, I just wish it didn’t have to always come with the asterisk of a clip or reference to Homer Simpson. After all this writing, I’m not sure I’ve answered the question of what a Trophy Husband is. I guess my hope is that it’s not a thing at all.

Let me leave you with an example of what I’m talking about. Here’s a video that was done right and captures real dads talking about real stuff, without the cliches. It’s really great and I hope it’s the start of a trend in recognizing that we’re not the Dads from the television set.

Cheers!!

An Introduction To Dad-chelor Parties

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What exactly is a Dad-chelor Party? Well, essentially it’s the male equivalent of the Baby Shower. Except that it is nothing like a baby shower! Here’s a brief description:

Dad-chelor Party [dadch•uh•ler par•ty, dadch•ler par•ty]
noun
1. A bachelor party for a dad to be.
2. A man’s baby shower.
3. One last pre-fatherhood bash.

Created by Life of Dad founder, Tom Riles, and featured on ABC’s “Nightline,” the Dad-chelor Party” celebrates the expectant Dad with one last pre-fatherhood bash. “It’s like a baby shower for Dads-to-be,” says Riles. “Everything is going to change so much after having a baby, this is something they really need – hanging out with friends, having a blast, going crazy – before their lives change forever.”

Dad-chelor Parties are growing in popularity and will be coming to a city near you very soon! For more information on the history and future of Dad-chelor Parties, please check out Life of Dad’s Press Release.

You can also head over to http://dad-chelorparty.com for video and tips on how to run your own successful Dad-chelor Party.

Cheers!

The “I Want Candy!!” Giveaway From Big Sky Brands

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I get a lot of email requests asking if I want to do product reviews and giveaways. A LOT!

For the most part (about 98% of the time), I politely decline and move on with my day. Sometimes though, a sales pitch is too powerful for even me to decline. I’m talking about those brilliantly crafted campaigns that leave you stunned and wanting to know more about them! This is a story of one of those times.

The message I received read: “We would like to send you some candy”.

The rest is history! The brilliant company that sent me this glorious pitch was Big Sky Brands and I was happy to be working with them.

For those of you who do not know, Big Sky Brands are the masterminds behind some truly amazing candy, such as:

* Jones Carbonated Candy

* Sunkist Citrus Burst

* Yogen Fruz Smoothies

* Maple Ice Mints

There are so many more but the more I type, the less time I have for eating candy….

I spent a weekend analyzing and tasting the candy that arrived at my doorstep and am ready to give my verdict. They were all amazing! My favorite were the Jones Carbonated Candies, as they seemed to get better as I ate more and more. I also love that all their candy comes in tin casings, which I though was very cool, almost hipster cool but not quite.

Now that I’ve enjoyed the candy for a week, I thought it would be cool to let you enjoy some as well! All you have to do is enter below and all 4 of the candies listed above could be yours! Good Luck!!

And before you ask, I am not advocating feeding your children candy. In fact, just to nail that point home, I did not share any of this candy with them or my wife. Sometimes Daddies need to enjoy the finer things in life too!

Contest is open to Canada Only (Excluding Quebec)

Cheers!!

Happy Father’s Day To All The Proud Papa’s Out There!!

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It’s finally here! The day us Dads wait for all year long! On behalf of all of us here at Canadian Dad (really, it’s just me) I’d like to wish all the wonderful Dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day!

That’s all.

What? You didn’t think I was gonna write some long winded post on Father’s Day, did you?? Instead, here’s a bunch of pictures of me with my kids! In case your Sherlock Holmes senses aren’t flowing, the above photo is of me and my Dad. He was accepting the award for lifetime achievement in volunteerism. Not a bad role model to have.

Enjoy your day Dads, you have earned it!

Phineas & Ferb: The Perry Files

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Last week I was able to bring you a great giveaway of a copy of the new Phineas & Ferb DVD “The Perry Files”. Now that I’ve had a chance to watch it, I thought I’d share my thoughts about it.

In short, the whole family loved it!

I spent 5 days telling my son we would watch it, as he impatiently waited for the day to arrive….When the whole family got sick last week, we popped in the DVD and pretty much watched it the whole way through in one sitting!

That’s how good this show is. Fun for the kids and even for us as parents. The main thing I was worried about was whether it would be suitable viewing for my kids. The last thing I want is for my kids to hear the word “stupid” or “idiot” repeatedly and then have them saying it all the time. After watching the DVD all the way through, I’m happy to report that it was family friendly and we will be watching again…and again….and again…well, you get it!

I think my favorite character is Perry. I love how they treat him like a toy but then he transforms into a secret agent to fight the notorious Dr. Doofenshmirtz!!

Don’t forget to check out the amazing bonus features as well! They include:

· Nerves of Teal: Do you have nerves of teal? Then OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) wants you! See if you have what it takes to become like Agent P in this spy recruiting video.

· Platypus Tour: Take a look inside the Platybus, the traveling Phineas and Ferb exhibit that toured North America.

In the end, my recommendation is to go pick up this DVD for your kids, especially if they are already into Phineas & Ferb! The Perry Files definitely helped us laugh our way through another bout of the flu and that’s enough for me to give a nod of approval! Go pick up your copy today!

Thanks to Walt Disney Motion Pictures Canada for allowing me to review this very cool DVD!

Cheers!

The Pez Potty Training Method

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No. I didn’t start a job with Pez. I can’t imagine a world where I would be lucky enough to work in a Pez Factory.

My daughter has recently begun Potty Training and as most parents will attest, the best way to keep them interested in this monumental event, is with incentives.

My son, who was brilliant beyond his years, held out for Diecast Cars from the Cars the Movie. That meant we were paying a whopping $5.99 per poop! If this were possible in the real world, we would all be billionaires!

Eventually, the balance of power shifted back to us, after we convinced him that stickers were just as cool as cars….

Now it’s my daughter’s turn to lower our diaper bills and we made sure to be prepared this time! We knew she loved two things, stickers and candy. After all, what little kid doesn’t love those things?

The stickers were first and failed miserably. They’d fall in the potty, end up on my socks & we never seemed to have the one sticker she really wanted!

That’s when we introduced her to her first Pez dispenser. It was Belle from Beauty & the Beast, a character she was very familiar with, even as a 2 year old. Little Girls and princesses, you know!

In a move much like her brother had pulled, she quickly conned us into giving her waaaaaay more candy than a 2 year princess should ever eat! We had been giving her a candy every time she said she had to go to the potty. You can probably guess what happened next…..

Every 30 minutes she would scream “Pee Pee Potty!!!”, “Pee Pee Potty!!!” and we’d trip over each other like the ice cream man was outside, to get her on the potty! Only to find out that she was using us for the candy. At one point, she even stopped taking the candy out of the dispenser herself, instead opting for the “Daddy Do It!” approach, which I totally fell for.

We eventually caught on to her little game and adjusted the rules for dispensing candy. She would receive 1 candy for what we deemed to be “legitimate” attempts and she would get 1 more candy upon completion of the transaction.

We are proud to report that it has now been 2 full weeks with only one or two accidents and we couldn’t be prouder of our little monkey! We have saved a ton in diapers and wipes, with our only major expenses being Pull Ups and Pez Refills!!

Way to go Girlie!! We’re so proud of you!

And Thank You Pez!

Did you use incentives to help your kids Potty Train? I’d love to hear what worked/didn’t work for you!

Cheers!