2015 Chevrolet Tahoe Dad Kids

Our 5 Favourite Things About The 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe

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My family was recently invited by Chevrolet Canada to go on a weekend getaway to Severn Lodge in order to try out the all-new 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe. We had an amazing weekend and afterward I asked my wife and children to tell me what their favourite things about the Tahoe were. Here are their answers, along with mine, of our 5 favourite things about the vehicle.

5. Magic Steps! –  Okay, so maybe they aren’t entirely “magic” but to my daughter, the fact that a step drops down when you open the doors was a magical experience. No, seriously, the loudest giggles I have ever heard, every, single, time! On top of her love for the drop down steps, they are actually quite practical for people with small children who don’t want to have to lift them into the vehicle every time you want to leave the house.

4. Back Seat 3-Prong Outlet – Seeing as how we were embarking on a long journey, my son’s favourite feature in the 2015 Chevy Tahoe was the 3-prong outlet in the back seat, because it meant he could plug in his Nintendo DS charger.  This may seem trivial to some but any gamer who has lost a game due to a low battery will tell you how devastating that experience is!

3. Size and Space – This was my wife’s choice, for obvious reasons. The 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe is a 7 passenger vehicle and with a growing family, that has multiple advantages, with more leg room for everyone, the ability to let the kids bring a friend on excursions and extra storage space rating near the top of that list. Unfortunately it also means that my wife and daughter can pack more things, which means that my son and I have to carry more things from the car to our destination…

2. Forward Collision Alert – Driving with kids can be…let’s say, challenging at times. I want to tell you that I have my eyes on the road at all times but the truth is that distractions happen to the best of us. Kids cry, deer run out in the road, things fall on the ground. You never know what is going to happen and I am thankful that Chevrolet has included the forward collision alert feature to give me that extra notice that something’s about to go down.

1. Vibrating Seats! – From the moment my tire hit the yellow lane marker and I felt the seat gently massage my gluteus maximus, I knew that this was going to be my favourite thing about the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe. In all seriousness, the Lane Departure Warning is a very cool feature that sends a small vibration to your seat cushion if you start to veer off the road or into a different lane without signalling. The best part is that it only vibrates on the side of the seat of the lane you are encroaching on.

That’ll do it for our family review of the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe. I was sad to have to give it back but as a family who will soon be in the market for a new vehicle (4 more months, baby!), this one will definitely be at the top of my wish list. To stay connected with everything that is going on with Chevrolet Canada, you can follow them on Twitter and/or Facebook.

Chris #DadFit Run

Project #DadFit – Week 2: Slow and Steady

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Weight Last Week: 207.2 lbs
Weight This Week: 203.4 lbs

I remember when I tried to quit smoking for the first time. I decided that on top of that, I was going to start eating better and exercising at the same time. Anyone who has ever tried to do too much at once will tell you that this was a bad strategy. So when I decided to start this journey to a healthier lifestyle, I told myself I would take it one step at a time. I started with running and have since added in working out at the gym a couple times a week. I’m not going to lie, it has been tough each and every time but I always manage to come out of it feeling good about myself.

I have also slowly started to change my diet but ran into a wall this past week after a particularly tough workout. I was sitting at my work desk, staring down at the bucket of vegetables I had brought for dinner and panicked a bit at the thought of cutting out the foods I had grown to love, such as pizza, wings and ice cream. In true Chris fashion, I decided to take the long weekend off from doing anything healthy and basically pigged out the whole time. A funny thing happened this time though. Before I had the chance to feel sorry for myself for failing, yet again, my brain picked me up, dusted me off and got my butt back in to the gym. It was probably the most gratifying thing that happened yet and showed me that I may have been trying to change too much, too quickly.

There have been other close calls so far and each time I have managed to push through them and carry on. I forgot my running shoes one day, something that would have derailed me in the past, but I decided to wear my flip flops to lift weights that day instead. Sure I looked silly but I got the workout in and felt great afterward. It’s so easy to rationalize reasons to quit and up to this point in my life, I was the king of doing this. Not anymore! Just this past week, I managed to shave 3 minutes off my 5K and am now consistently running it in under 35 minutes. I have never pushed myself harder and even though it really, really, really sucks while it is happening, there is no better feeling than knowing that I succeeded in reaching a new goal.

I have started taking notes about how I feel during the workouts and beyond, with the goal of sharing a very real account of the ups and downs of trying to turn things around. One thing that is clear to me, is that this isn’t going to be easy. No pain, no gain… Right???

You can follow along with all my posts by Clicking Here or on the #DadFit tag in the menu or on Twitter.

Canadian Dad Podcast – Ep. 1 – Olympic Gold Medalist Rosie MacLennan

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In the first episode of the Canadian Dad Podcast, I had the pleasure of talking to Executive Director & CEO of Physical and Health Education Canada, Chris Jones, and Canadian Trampolining Gold Medalist, Rosie MacLennan.

We talked about their partnership with Active At School and how to make sure that your children get the proper amount of physical activity they need now that school has started.

I also talked to Rosie about her Olympic journey and what it felt like to stand on the podium and hear the Canadian National anthem playing. Rosie also discussed the important role her parents played in getting her to where she is today and touched on being a role model for young girls everywhere. 

Enjoy the show!

Best Buy Preschool Back to School

Celebrate Back To School At Best Buy {And Win A $250 Gift Card!}

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Let’s get this out of the way right away. This post is sponsored by Best Buy but the words come from me, a father who will be watching both of his children attend full time school for the first time this year! Needless to say, I am slightly emotional about seeing them both off on their first days but know that they are going to do great! I am made slightly less stressed out in knowing that we have equipped them with all the gear they are going to need in order to succeed in their new adventure.

When Best Buy contacted me, I actually had no idea that they carried so many back to school supplies for kids from preschool to high school. I am also happy to note that they are fully stocked for all your child’s Frozen needs as well, something that was much appreciated by my daughter… For my son, I managed to get all of his pencils, scissors, glue and even some Home Presence Bento Lunch Boxes for both kids! Oh, and I did all of this online where you can choose to have it shipped or reserve it and then pick it up in store.

On top of all that, the Best Buy Mobile selection is huge and also helped me find some really cool Back to School apps, such as:

Hurray For Pre-K: This a book app that introduces preschoolers to an exciting peek at a Pre-K day and is a great way for parents to help reduce child anxiety about preschool.

Cozi Family Organizer: I’ve actually been using this one for a couple years and love it. Cozi helps to manage the chaos of back-to-school and everyday life with the Cozi scheduling app that allows you to keep track of all family-members’ schedules, share grocery, chore and to-do lists in real time and access, view and update from any mobile device or computer.

myHomework: This will be the first year for homework in our house and myHomework claims to keep your child on track in school by helping to organize classes, assignments, projects, and tests by tracking what’s due and when. A color coding system organizes homework by class. I’m in already!

LunchBag: LunchBag is an app that helps you plan lunches for you and your family, whether at school or at the office. It also has a database of more than 100 lunch items, and you can check each off as they’re made.

With these tools at my disposal, all I have to worry about is my own emotional state as I wave goodbye to my kids this week, and not even Best Buy can fix that! Now that you know where to go for all your Back to School needs, Best Buy wanted to get you started on the right foot by providing you, my loyal readers, with a $250 Best Buy gift card to help with all your mobile needs! To enter, just head to the Rafflecopter form below and complete the appropriate task! Good Luck!

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Running Man #DadFit

Project #DadFit – Week 1: A New Beginning

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Starting Weight – 207.2 lbs

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I was going to make some health changes in my life but wasn’t sure if I would be able to stick to it. Some people have argued for and against the fact that it takes 21 days to form a habit, and seeing as how I have now passed that marker, I’m going to go ahead and believe it for my own motivation’s sake.

I wish I could pinpoint what has changed to keep me motivated this time around after many failed attempts, because it certainly hasn’t been easy. I have started going to the gym 2-3 times a week and even started running 5K with the same frequency and have basically wanted to quit since I began. To keep myself motivated I signed up for the Army Run 5K later this month and have found that it has worked during the times that I have wanted to lie on the couch instead of lacing up my running shoes.

For those of you who are on the fence about making some changes in your life, I can honestly tell you that this has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done. There hasn’t been one moment where it has been easy and I have been in pain more than I have felt gain to this point. The weight room is hard, the running is even harder and cutting down on the junk food is the absolute worst.

I realize that this isn’t the best endorsement for creating a better you so far but I promise you there is hope, and it is this. I have never felt so much pride and confidence in myself. When I push through the pain at the gym and put down that last weight, I realize that the pain was only temporary. When I don’t think I can run another foot but leg out an extra kilometer, I beam with pride at what I have accomplished. When people start to notice the difference in your body and attitude, you soak it in. Finally, when you can play with your children for longer than 5 minutes without getting exhausted, it makes the whole thing worthwhile.

I’m no motivational speaker and there is no guarantee that I will succeed this time around but I can honestly tell you that if you are willing to push through the initial instinct to quit, you will be rewarded in the long run. Because I am new to this and learning as I go, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any beginner questions or need encouragement to keep going!

*Note: You may have noticed the #DadFit hashtag. I don’t own it but noticed that it wasn’t being used so I’m borrowing it to chronicle my attempt at living a healthier life. If you feel like joining in and using it, please do. The more, the merrier!*

Nerd Block

Win a Nerd Block Classic Mystery Box! {CAN/US}

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If you were here yesterday you would have seen the video of me and the kids unboxing our very first Nerd Block Mystery Box. All those geeky goodies were so cool that I have teamed up with Nerd Block* and am giving away one of their Classic Mystery Boxes! This is the ultimate “try before you buy” and I know that you will be hooked once you crack that box open.

All you have to do to enter is follow the Rafflecopter instructions below and I’ll select a winner on September 10th. Good Luck and in the meantime have a look around the Nerd Block Website* to get your nerd juices flowing!

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Kid Reviews Nerd Block

Kid Reviews – Episode 1: Nerd Block

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Welcome to Kid Reviews! After a long negotiation with my kids, we have agreed on a contract that works for both sides in order to facilitate this new feature. Basically, they get the toys, I get the video… Anyway, our first episode of Kid Reviews features a mystery box from Nerd Block*! I came into contact with Nerd Block when they agreed to provide some prizes for my twitter party for #UnicornChat and they also offered to send me a mystery box.

Nerd Block is a subscription service that delivers a mystery box full of nerd themed gear to your door every month. They have packages for adults, horror fans and also children that start from $13.95/month. Check out the video to see how we enjoyed opening up our mystery box together as a family!

Go to NerdBlock.com* for more info and to order your mystery block today!

Disclosure: I received this mystery box free of charge from Nerd Block. We truly did love the box and can’t wait to see what September brings!

*Denotes Affiliate Link

The Leap of Faith

Sometimes You Just Have To Leap

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“Go ahead, jump! I promise I will catch you”.

She heard the words she wanted to hear and took the four foot leap off the water trampoline and into my arms like the brave kid I know her to be. All she needed was to hear me promise her that nothing would go wrong and she threw caution to the wind and leaped. I caught her, this time. As parents, we make these promises to our children all the time, even though we have no idea what the end result will be. It’s a part of growing up and learning that the biggest rewards come to those who take the leaps of faith.

Somewhere along the way a lot of us, myself included, lose the trust in ourselves and the instinct to leap, instead opting for the safer path. I don’t really have an answer for why that is, in my case at least, but I guess it’s a combination of a bunch of different things such as fear of failure, complacency and laziness. There are a lot of things I want to do with my life but I am so afraid to attempt them that I hold myself back at every turn.

A four year old jumping off a water trampoline may not seem like a big deal to an adult, but to her it was the equivalent of me bungee jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Watching her pride as she emerged from the water, shouting “AGAIN!, AGAIN!”, reminded me of how good it feels to accomplish something scary and new. Just that one leap of her’s has inspired me so much that I have already tackled two of them items on my long list of goals, by starting my YouTube adventure and also starting a strict exercise plan. I have to tell you, leaping it isn’t easy but the rewards far outweigh the effort.

So I ask you, what are the things you’ve been wanting to do but have been too afraid to leap for? Now is as good a time as any!

Disclosure: The water trampoline mentioned above was located at Severn Lodge in Muskoka. We were fortunate enough to visit here thanks to Chevrolet Canada, who put us up for the weekend and outfitted us with the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, which I will be talking about soon!

View From Run

206. The Story Of My Potentially Broken Scale

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206. I looked down in disbelief at what I was seeing. 206. It sounds more like someone’s apartment number than what my weight should be. 206! This scale must be broken… After all, I have already written a number of times about how I was finally committing to creating a better, healthier life for myself, and saying it makes it so, right? Apparently it takes more than words to make something so, which means I am back to the drawing board.

I make these commitments often enough that you’d think I’d have figured out how to work around my own mind at this point, but I haven’t. It took me 5 years to finally quit smoking, and if I’m being honest I still haven’t gotten the little voice out of my head. Exercise and healthy eating is proving to be an ever bigger obstacle for me, mostly because two of my favourite things are eating and sitting/lying down. I’ve also learned that trying to change too many things all at once is definitely detrimental to my end goal, so I am taking things slow.

That said, I have started alternating running and weight training 5-6 days a week and have lasted a month and a half so far, which is good for me. I even signed up for the 5K race in the Canada Army Run to keep myself motivated and I’m finding that I am actually excited about the upcoming adventure. I think the difference this time around is that I am truly unhappy with the way I look and feel most of the time. I’m achy, tired, my clothes don’t fit and there aren’t a lot of clothing places that cater to short dudes with round bellies. If I don’t do something now, I’m scared that I never will.

Most importantly, however, I have been having trouble keeping up with my growing children and that makes me sadder than all of the above reasons combined. I don’t want to be the dad that can’t play road hockey with his son because he needs to take a break every 2 minutes, or the guy who can’t practice a dance routine with his daughter because I am carrying too much weight to keep up. I refuse to allow my children to see me as this shell of my former self and am hoping that this time around, I can stick to it. If all that wasn’t motivation enough, my 6 year old son came running with me the other day and said “Dad, I love to come running with you because I like having daddy son time”. How do I quit after hearing that?

I don’t write this story so that you will shower me with congratulations or encouragement. I do it for a couple of reasons. First, writing and talking about it is a strong motivator for me. Also, I think there are a lot of people like me out there. People who start something with a strong passion for it, only to watch it fade away without a second glance. I want to show those people that failing once or twice or five times doesn’t mean it’s over. As long as you are breathing, you have the chance to make a difference in your own lifestyle and you should seize that opportunity. You know, YOLO, and all that stuff!

I have no idea what is going to happen with my latest attempt at creating a better situation for myself but I know that I am more motivated than ever and at least that is a step in the right direction.

Cottage Life

Serenity Now

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The waves crashed into the rocks on the shore. In the distance a low flying plane rumbled by. The squirrels and seagulls congregate on the beach to discuss the day’s happenings while I sat quietly on the deck, enjoying my coffee and the serenity of being the only one awake. I’m not usually this chipper to be the first one out of bed but then again, this isn’t my usual morning view. I watched the animals run around and wondered if they actually communicate with each other, but only because there was no one else for me to talk to.

The day will soon be filled with sand castles, beaches, games and laughter, but for now it is as peaceful as you could ever imagine. Almost an hour goes by before the first sounds arrive. The very familiar “Hi-Ya!” sound of Michelangelo, to be exact. The ninja turtle, not the artist. I often wonder if my son was destined to someday become a ninja turtle with the amount of time he spends acting out scenes.

“Hi Daddy”
“Hey buddy, did you have a good sleep?” I’m not the least bit upset by his presence. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I’ve had my quiet time and it was more than enough serenity to recharge my mind.
“Yes. Do you want to play soccer with me?” He hasn’t been awake 10 minutes and he has already begun planning out our day together. We played barefoot soccer in our PJ’s before retiring for breakfast with the rest of the family.

As expected, the day was action packed and full of laughs. We left paradise that day and returned home to our own beds and busy lives, but held on to the new memories that were created. Now, whenever life hands me that overwhelming feeling it sometimes does, I simply shut down all my devices, close my eyes and picture the waves and the coffee and playing soccer barefoot in my PJ’s.