This is just a short one to share the new trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movie, due out in August! I just assumed that everyone who reads Canadian Dad is just as excited about this movie as I am. Enjoy and I’ll see you at the theater!
Last weekend was Mother’s Day and instead of our usual routine, I decided to send my wife to the Brookstreet Hotel here in Ottawa. The goal was to get her a good night’s sleep and a day full of pampering without having to worry about doing anything parenting related. Now, my kids think hotels are hilarious, so we decided to have a pizza dinner in her hotel room on the first night, but quickly left mommy to her relaxing.
My wife’s stay included lots of sleep, breakfast in bed and a spa treatment at the Brookstreet’s Au Naturel Spa, before we would return in to pick her up, refreshed and ready for Mother’s Day dinner. I was surprised at how much there was for the kids to do at the Brookstreet because I had always assumed that there wouldn’t be a ton of kiddie stuff for some reason. They had a whole array of children’s activities and as you can see from the video below, my kids spent quite a bit of extra time out front of the hotel after we dropped mommy off, entertaining the guests as they walked by.
My wife said she loved her stay and even though we didn’t actually stay in the hotel, my kids and I had a blast taking in everything there was for them to do at the hotel. With Father’s Day just around the corner, I know what I will be suggesting…
Disclosure: My wife was provided one night accommodation by the Brookstreet Hotel and I was not required to write this post. The spa treatment was paid for by us.
“C’mon, dad! Let’s go exploring!”, she yelled as she ran into the small forested area we would soon refer to as “The Jungle”. She didn’t need me to follow along but invited me anyway, which was nice. Though you wouldn’t know from the fearless way that she leaped into the woods, part of me wanted to believe that my presence made her feel safer in there.
We ran through the jungle carrying sticks, just in case we ran into trouble, and popped out at an old wooden bridge that covered a small stream. I tried to explain to her that this was the bridge I used to hide under with my friends when I was her age, but she was way ahead of me in making her way underneath. She’s adventurous, this one. Just like her dad was at that age. We played troll under the bridge for a few minutes, with her insisting on being the troll even though I was perfect for the part, before moving on to the next adventure at a nearby park.
As we walked down the pathway to the park, I felt like I was walking through my past. We passed the creek where I used to catch frogs, the baseball diamond where I found out that I made my first competitive team, the high school where I broke out of my shell, and the park that I spent countless hours pushing my limits. You’d think twenty plus years would have had their way with these places but they all looked exactly the same as I had left them.
Exploring is tough work, so while I didn’t get the chance to stop and take in all the memories that were crashing around in my brain, I did relish the opportunity to create a new memory with her in a place that meant so much to me in my youth.
We left the park, walked through the baseball diamond across from the high school, crawled under the bridge and ran through the jungle back to our original starting point. “Did you have fun exploring with me, daddy?”
More than you will ever know, sweetheart.
Do you know Zach Rosenberg? I recently realized that I spend an awful lot of time talking about me and my family on this blog and wanted to get back to featuring the great works of some of my dad blogging counterparts. So, today, I wanted to just write a couple lines about my friend, Zach Rosenberg, who writes a blog called 8 Bit Dad. I have written about Zach Rosenberg and 8 Bit Dad in the past but have since become friends with Zach and Brian and wanted to share a couple of the cool things they have been up to since.
As big advocates for the equal portrayal of fathers in the media, Zach recently put together one of my favourite posts to date entitled, “Observations on Dad-Bias in 140 Commercials from 2013”, where he watched and scored 140 commercials that featured fathers. The research, and findings, were amazing and were even featured on Adage.com!
If you are looking for a fun site that is a strong advocate for fathers, I urge you to stop by 8 Bit Dad to check it out!
After the Super Bowl and the release of any super hero movie, Father’s Day is the day that dads everywhere look forward to most each year. Because it’s not customary for dad to get flowers and chocolate, like our motherly counterparts, we usually have to dig deep in order to find something that we really want. Something that says, I did a good job as a dad this year and now I am going to accept this award in exchange for that job well done.
Of course, I am kidding about the award. In my house, I am more than happy to completely disconnect from the digital world and spend the entire day enjoying the company of my wife and children. We usually find a cool local trail and spend the day outdoors, which is all I really need. Inevitably, my wife will ask if there is anything I want, I will say no, then she will tell me that they are getting something anyway, so I’d better pick something.
I mentioned recently that I am a big fan of supporting local businesses, so I decided to check out what terra20 had to offer and have listed my top 3 picks below. Just as a side note, I could have listed the entire House of Marley line but decided to cut it down to three things…
As someone who suddenly finds himself doing a lot of travelling, I realized that carrying my computer and notepad in an old softball duffel bag is probably not the best idea. This House of Marley Messenger Bag is at the very top of my list, so if my wife is reading this, you know, me likey!
I had a chance to play around with the House of Marley Chant Player when I visited terra20 last summer and fell in love with it. It stows away anywhere and connects to your mobile device with amazing sound quality. This is the perfect gift for the dad who does a lot of work outside.
While this may seem like an unorthodox choice, learning to cook is something that I have had on my list for a while now. The thought of being able to learn to do so with my kids is something that brings me a lot of joy. I can’t promise that I won’t burn the pancakes but I’m willing and ready to give it a try!
That’s right, terra20 is building a father’s day gift guide and are offering a $100 gift card for your assistance in putting it together. How do you enter, you ask?
Men, you need to browse the terra20 website for a few of your favourite items that you think would make perfect Father’s Day gifts. Ladies, either ask your man to do this or pick something you think he would love from the terra20 site.
Once you find your favourite item, leave a comment below with a link to that particular item and you will be entered in the draw! It’s that easy!
Giveaway closes Sunday, May 18th at 6pm and is open to residents of the Ottawa area, excluding Quebec. One winner will be drawn at random from eligible comments and will win a $100 terra20 gift card to be picked up at one of the two store locations. *In addition, if terra20 is chooses your gift suggestion to be in the gift guide, you may be contacted by Canadian Dad about your comment being included. By entering you recognize that: there is no guarantee that your suggestion will be in the gift guide, and in the case of more than one person suggesting the same item, no specific attribution will be required on the part of terra20.
It occurred to me while I was reading “Men Get Pregnant, Too”, by Kenny Bodanis, that there aren’t a lot of books out there for dads. I noticed this as I nodded my head along with the stories Kenny tells in the book and found myself wishing that there had been something out there like this prior to my having children. Kenny Bodanis is an award winning, Canadian blogger and radio & television parenting columnist, who lives with his wife and two children in Montreal.
My favourite thing about “Men Get Pregnant, Too”, which shares the same name as Bodanis’ blog, is that he doesn’t hold back in the stories he tells. Another thing I enjoyed was how he added pet peeves and tips for men who are about to enter into fatherhood, such as
“Plug in. Have answers. Be interested. Not for everyone else but as a reminder to your spouse that her husband is excited to be a dad.”
Reading this, I wished I had a time machine so I could go back and do it better.
Kenny also talks at length about the different emotions and stresses that fathers face and tries to help encourage dad to own those emotions. This is also something that I failed miserably at with my first child and didn’t figure out until I started writing about my experiences as a father. It’s important that dad doesn’t completely take a back seat during the pregnancy and Bodanis does a great job of explaining why that is so important.
With Father’s Day right around the corner, I can’t think of a better gift for dad than this book. It really covers almost everything you are going to come up against and does so in a light-hearted and very relatable voice. Men Get Pregnant, Too is available in both paperback and kindle versions on Amazon. You can also check out Kenny Bodanis on his Twitter and Facebook pages.
Amidst the chaos in the fenced off kindergarten playground, I watched him quietly shovel sand into his bucket. If there has even been a time where I could ignore my surroundings and focus on a singular event like he was, I certainly can’t remember it. I realized today that I am lucky to have had the opportunity to hang around to watch him play and interact with potential new friends. Next year he will be thrust into the real world that is grade 1, where his school life will truly begin.
One of the most important things that being a parent has taught me is how to stop and enjoy a moment in time. This was going to be one of the last times that I would be able to watch him interact in the school yard and I was going to soak up every last second of it. At one point he glances over and flashes a smile my way. I played it totally cool, while my emotions raced with a thousand memories of his youth. It’s a lot harder to let go than I imagined it would be. He’s sheltered right now, with kids his own age, oblivious to what awaits beyond the steel gates of the kindergarten sanctuary. Soon he will learn about bullies, girls, structure and peer pressure, and I worry about whether I given him all the tools he needs to make the right decisions. Time will tell, I guess.
What I do know, is that I still have four months left with my kindergartner and I have no intention of rushing through that time. We’ll worry about bigger kids and heartbreak when we get to it, but for now, we’ve got some memories to create.
Since I began blogging two years ago, I have developed a new appreciation for the term “Shop Local”. There is something really special about the small businesses that make my city great and I have been able to find this out first hand. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of Ottawa’s small business owners and am constantly amazed by their kindness and hospitality.
My first experience with this was when I stumbled into Tag Along Toys for a wine and cheese event that they were running. That night I met the owner, Patti, and we have been good friends ever since. My favourite part about going in to Tag Along Toys is that it always feels like I am at home while I shop there. Everyone is greeted with a smile as they walk in and now my kids even ask if we can go see Patti, even though they know they won’t always get a toy.
It’s through local businesses and owners like Patti that I have learned the true value of supporting local companies and I highly encourage you to do the same. To thank YOU and all of her customers, Patti from Tag Along Toys has asked me to help her in giving away some very cool LEGO sets from the recent hit, The LEGO Movie!
We will be selecting two winners and each will get one of the sets in the image above. The only catch is that you have to be able to pick them up in store at 499 Terry Fox Dr in Kanata. Deal? Alright, just head down to the form below and get yourself entered so you can scream “Everything Is Awesome” when you win! After you enter, you should pop in to the Tag Along Toys Facebook and Twitter pages to say hi to Patti for me!
The animated and believable way in which she can tell a story about fictional princesses who can fly and who also turn into magical mermaids with super strength.
She has no idea how loved she is.
When she bats her eyes and asks for five more minutes of colouring before bed, after I’ve already given her five more minutes three times.
She has no idea how loved she is.
When she gives me the twentieth drawing she’s done that day and says, “This one’s just for you, daddy”.
She has no idea how loved she is.
Having to scold her when she’s misbehaved, because that’s my job as her father, but having it hurt so much to do so.
She has no idea how loved she is.
Listening to her beautiful voice sing when she thinks no one is listening.
She has no idea how loved she is.
Getting lost in her eyes as she recounts her day.
She has no idea how loved she is.
The way she instinctively plays with my hair while I read her bedtime story.
She has no idea how loved she is.
The passionate way in which she loves her friends and family, and at such a young age.
She has no idea how loved she is.
Watching her play “family” with her dollies and all I can think about is that someday those dolls will be real people.
She has no idea how loved she is.
The pride in her eyes when she does something she’s never done before.
She has no idea how loved she is.
Her career choice, when asked: Superstar
She has no idea how loved she is.
The way she understands and practices compassion for others.
She has no idea how loved she is.
It’s my little girl’s birthday today and yet I feel like I’m the one who got the greatest gift. Happy Birthday, Baby!
I recently came across a website called, Novica.Com, that had some fantastic hand crafted items and knew immediately that I was going to get sucked in. NOVICA gives Artisans from around the world, many living in rural communities, the means to sell their work on the international market by providing them a free platform to reach a global audience.
With my wife’s birthday fast approaching, I was excited to dig in to find something special. The website is perfectly laid out to find a gift for any occasion and when I spotted the spirituality section, I knew the gift would be in there. My wife has undergone an inspirational life transformation and yoga has been a big part of that, so I was really excited when I saw this Handmade Chakra Energy pendant necklace, pictured below. I was a little nervous because it was shipping from India but it showed up on time and even had a thank you postcard from the artisan who created it, which I thought was an excellent touch. PS – My wife LOVED the necklace!
I wanted to give you a chance to take NOVICA out for a test drive, so I’m giving away a $25 gift card to one lucky reader just in time for Mother’s Day! All you have to do to enter is check out the Rafflecopter form below and I will select a winner on May 1st! Good Luck! In the meantime, you can also check out NOVICA on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this campaign.