Sometimes Parenting Means Eating Froot Loops From The Floor In The Bathroom

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Kelloggs Froot Loops

You’re probably thinking “link bait” on this one, right? Unfortunately, for me, the title is 100% accurate. Let me tell you why I was forced to eat my delicious Kellogg’s Froot Loops from the floor in the bathroom…

I guess I should start by answering the obvious first question: Yes, I am a 34 year old man/husband/father and I still occasionally enjoy a bowl of sugary Froot Loops. While we’re on the subject, once every weekend I even let my kids have a bowl of it. There it is. I am a terrible father and role model.

Now, where were we??? Oh yes, the eating cereal from the bathroom floor thing.

You see, I am a firm believer that crunchy cereal is meant to be enjoyed while it is still in a semi crunchy state. Otherwise, why would it begin crunchy in the first place? It would just come in a can, like soup, and we would either drink it or continue eating it with a spoon as we do now. Of course, that would just be ridiculous.

There is, in fact, an art to cereal eating that I have decided not to bore you with at this time. That being said, one of the key components to enjoy a perfect bowl of cereal is the ability to eat it immediately after the milk has been poured. This becomes difficult when your two year old, almost potty trained, daughter yells “I have to go pee-pee!” as she runs to the bathroom.

What else was I supposed to do? I followed quickly behind her, bowl in hand, as we took our usual places. I can’t say it was my ideal eating conditions but damn if that wasn’t a delicious bowl of cereal!

Have you ever been stuck between a Pot and a Hard Place? Share your story in the comments!

Cheers!

Welcome To My New Sponsor ~ @CardSwap

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CardSwap.ca

I’m proud to announce a new partnership on the blog. I’d like to welcome and thank my friends at CardSwap for becoming the latest Canadian Dad sponsor. I have been a fan of their service for a while, which made teaming up with them an easy decision.

For those of you who are not familiar with them, Cardswap is Canada’s #1 resource for selling, buying and donating gift cards. You know those gift cards you get every year and think, “I will literally never use this”, but you are too afraid to tell the giver of the card? CardSwap makes it easy for you to turn those cards into cash. On top of that, for every transaction you make with them, you collect points that can be redeemed for more gift cards!

CardSwap Offer

CardSwap carries gift cards featuring more than 450 retailers, including Esso, HBC, Winners, Canadian Tire and more, with new gift cards added daily. They also have the highest offers I’ve seen for your gift cards. If you’ve ever used a Kijiji or Craig’s List to try to sell your cards, you know that 50% offers are the norm. Through CardSwap, I just got $21 for my $25 card (I can’t name the store in case the giver reads this, lol).

Thanks again to CardSwap for supporting Canadian Dad! You can check out CardSwap on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Cheers!

How To Get Your Kids To Stop Playing Online Video Games

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Call Of Duty Black Ops

My 4 year old son loves his Super Mario Bros video game. Some days it borders on an unhealthy amount of love and I have recently started taking measures to cut back the amount of time he is allowed to spend on it. I realize that it is a non-violent video game for kids, but I really don’t want him to be so dependent on video games for entertainment. I mean, that’s why I bought him all those toys, right??

While doing my daily rounds on the internet yesterday, I came across another reason why I want to cut down on his video game time. That reason came from this article on Kotaku.com, which describes how far one father was willing to go in order to deter his 23 year old son from playing video games.

The father of 23 year old, Xiao Feng, didn’t like how much time his son was spending playing online video games, so he took matters into his own hands. In an effort to discourage his son from gaming and to get him to focus more on finding a job, Mr. Feng decided to hire in-game assassins to kill his son’s character every time he logged into his game.

As a former (mediocre) online gamer and as someone who has been killed in Call of Duty more times than I care to admit, I can sympathize with the frustration the boy must have felt. The son probably won’t admit it but the planning that must have gone into hiring in-game hitmen is most impressive. I wouldn’t even know where to start in contacting the top players of a specific game. It’s not like they use their real names and openly publish all of their contact info. Although, they may begin now that a new “Hitman For Hire” business opportunity has opened up!

I’m not sure how effective this strategy would be with other kids but it seems to have had the desired effect with Xiao Feng, who said “I want to take some time to find one (a job) that suits me.” I’ll be keeping this one in my back pocket for future use. Secretly, I hope it’s something I get to use someday. Talk about being a Bad-Ass Dad! Way to go, Mr. Feng!

Cheers!

In Lieu Of A “Year In Review” Post

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Kindness Video

I saw this video shared on Candace from Life In Pleasantville‘s Facebook Page and I am hesitant to admit that it caused a strange liquid to form around the corners of my eyes. I was going to write a long, drawn out “Year In Review” post, filled with my goals and hopes for my blog but this video said everything I want out of myself, better than I could.

I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year and I want to say Thank You for making my first year of blogging a memorable one. You have all been so kind to me and it has made me want to be a better father and person in general. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did. All I know about it is that the song is “Give A Little Love” by Noah and the Whale, and the message is amazing!

Cheers!

Bullied Boy Fights Back With Kindness

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Holding Doors

I caught this story on The National the other day and thought it was worth another share. Check out what happened when Clarke Road SS student, Josh “The Doorman” Yandt, started holding doors open for his school mates. I realize that this isn’t the answer for all bullied children, but it’s definitely a cool story in this instance.

The best part about this story is that it carries a message we can all learn from. Kindness breeds kindness. If we all go out of our way to do something nice for someone else, even once a day, we can create a better community to be a part of. Rock on, Josh!

Max & Ruby Visit Ottawa’s Centrepointe Theatre

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M&R_bunnytales_11x17

I’d like to welcome my friend, Erin Blaskie, to the blog today. She kindly agreed to review the Max & Ruby show for me when my family came down with multiple pneumonia’s the day of the show. Here is her review of the show!

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A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending Max & Ruby’s in the Nutcracker Suite event at Centrepointe Theatre after winning a contest that Canadian Dad had on his site. The event was put on by Koba Entertainment and was inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite – one of the greatest musical scores ever.

My daughter Willow, who is two, absolutely adores Max & Ruby and I knew that she would LOVE to see them live. So, on Wednesday, December 18th, we drove over to Centrepointe and took our seats – one row back from the stage.

Max Ruby 1

Max Ruby 2

Max Ruby 3

The show was absolutely incredible. I went into it expecting to see the fuzzy characters of Max & Ruby as well as Grandma but I had no idea that there would be so much talent onstage. We were delighted with ballerinas and Spanish dancers and other worldly dancers. It was beautiful and went beyond my expectations!

Max Ruby 4

Willow loved the show as well. She danced and waved and shouted to Max and Ruby and every time that one of the two would leave the stage, she’d shout out for them to come back. It was really awesome to see her, and her cousin Taylor, take in the show the way that they did.

I would highly recommend this show, and future presentations by Koba Entertainment, to anyone with children. It was delightful and exceeded our expectations.

Thank you to Chris for giving us the opportunity to enter your contest and win – we had a fantastic time and will be something that is filed away into the memory box for some time to come.

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Erin

 

Erin is a work-at-home mom with a 20-month old daughter named Willow. She and her husband Steve have been married since 2005 and they live in the suburbs of Ottawa. Erin is the co-founder of Ottawa Valley Moms, a CHEO Moms & Dads blogger, a Kellogg’s blogger, a YouTube partner, the founder of a virtual assistance company and the founder of an online marketing firm. When she isn’t working she enjoys reading, couponing, going to the movies and gardening.

Return Of The #AwesomeDads!

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I took a bit of a Holiday break since my last #AwesomeDads post but I think it’s time for a Dad revival!

My goal is to feature Awesome Dads doing awesome things with their kids. Whether it’s hitting the slopes, helping with homework or snuggling them back to health, I want to showcase the changing face of Dad. That said, here are this week’s Awesome Dads!

AdultEssentials

 

 

This is a great shot of Stuart Lowther and his 3 daughters, as they are about to cross the finish line at Gabrielle’s Ride in Oakville. Stuart is the Founder/President/CEO at Life Science Nutritionals, which create the Adult Essentials and IronKids Gummies brands of vitamins.

 

 

Trev Mahoney

 

 

Trev Mahoney is seen here with his kids, on a Whale Watching tour in Newfoundland. Trevor writes over at the Just A Dad blog and also on the Cheo Moms & Dads blog. You can catch up with him on Twitter at @Trev_Mahoney.

 

Cloak&Curio

 

 

Steven Grossman knows how to tire his kids out before bedtime. He opens up the Daddy Gym! A big thanks to his wife, Roshan, who runs Cloak & Curio, for submitting this picture (with his permission, of course)!

 

Justinvl

 

 

 

 

Photographer Justin Van Leeuwen sent in this hilarious picture of his kids invading his private time. Justin runs JVL Photography out of Ottawa and can be found on Twitter at @JustinVL.

 

 

 

 

 

That’s all for this week’s edition of #AwesomeDads! Keep an eye out each week for a new set of amazing pictures and feel free to submit pictures for future editions to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

Cheers!

And This Is Why We Don’t Do Spins Near The Christmas Tree!

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Kids Dancing

My kids love to spin. It doesn’t matter where we are or even if there is music playing, they just spin. I try to be a good parent and warn them of the dangers of spinning next to free standing objects but I can’t be expected to watch them every single second, right??

The following is an outtake from the “Dads sing Mariah Carey” video for the Life of Dad website. You’ll want to ignore the singing and pay attention to my son at the end of the video…

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

My Windows 8 Phone – App Review {#HolidaySwap}

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Holiday Swap

It’s week 3 of my Microsoft Canada, Holiday Swap adventure! My last post took you through my first impression with the Nokia Lumia 920 and now I’m ready to talk about my experience with some of the apps that I’ve been working with. As a blogger, the social media and camera apps are the ones I use most, so I will stick mostly to those.

TWITTER

Let’s start with my home away from home: Twitter! You don’t send 22,000 tweets in 10 months without a good smartphone app, am I right? Then again, most people don’t do that anyway… Unfortunately for the Windows phones, the standard Twitter application is not very good at all. Low functionality, trouble sending tweets and the inability to link multiple accounts make this app almost unusable.

Luckily for the Windows Phone there are some great third party Twitter apps, with my favourite of the bunch being the Rowi app. I actually like the Rowi product better than the iPhone Twitter app I was used to. It has a fully customizable home screen that lets you check things like trending topics, your retweeted tweets and all the standard options. It also allows you to link to multiple accounts and makes it easy to switch between them. Essentially, Rowi saved the day for Twitter and the Windows Phone.

FACEBOOK

I have mixed feelings about the standard Facebook app. I like the way it looks but the functionality could be a lot better. It’s quite possible that I just haven’t learned all the in’s and out’s yet but just like the Twitter app, I have already found an alternative that I like better, so I’m not too worried about it.

That alternative is the Facebook Touch Pro app. It looks just like the Facebook we know and love, plus it has all the functionality you’d expect. If I have one complaint, it’s that clicking the notifications doesn’t always work, but those instances are few and far between.

CAMERA APPS

It’s funny, 2 weeks ago I was sad that there was no Instagram option for the Windows Phone. Then Instagram lost a good chunk of their subscribers because of their cryptic new terms of service. That’s where Fhotoroom comes in. Fhotoroom is the Windows equivalent to Instagram and even has more editing options for your photos. It also allows you to share the photo with your favourite social media networks, such as Twitter, Facebook & Flickr.

Another app I like is the Smart Shoot feature. This one snaps 5 pictures in succession and then allows you to edit the photos together to create the best one shot. It’s perfect for people with fidgety kids or for those who have blinky eye syndrome!

Just like every other smartphone on the market, there are hundreds of apps for your camera needs but these are just a couple of my favourites.

NOKIA CITY LENS

I’m going to close out my review with my favourite app on the Nokia Lumia 920. It’s called City Lens and I am in love with it’s capabilities. At first it felt like a novelty app but now that I have been using it, I am amazed at how useful it is. You simply go into the app and either choose from one of the options (Food, Lodging, etc) or type in a location and then hold the phone up and it geo-locates the nearest place.

City Lens

From there, you simply click the option you want and it takes you to the GPS directions screen. It’s perfect for when you are in a city or area that you are not familiar with and I highly recommend it.

And that, my friends, are just a few of the apps I am using on a daily basis. As you may have noticed, it’s not all roses but for every downside, there seems to be a great alternative. Overall I am still enjoying the Nokia Lumia 920 and am loving the camera/video quality and features more and more each day.

Cheers!

Disclosure: The Nokia Lumia Windows phone was provided to me by Microsoft Canada in order to facilitate this review as part of the #HolidaySwap challenge. I will also be receiving compensation in exchange for my posts related to the review of this phone, however all opinions on this blog are my own.

Social Media Commerce For Dummies {Review}

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9781118297933 cover.indd

I’m taking part in a program featuring the “For Dummies” books and my first book was entitled “Social Media Commerce For Dummies”. In the year that I have been blogging, I have developed a passion for learning about everything social media, so this was a logical next step.

About The Book

Social media commerce is a booming industry. By using social networks in the context of e-commerce transactions, brands large and small are making their products more available and more convenient for customers. This one-of-a-kind guide introduces you to social media commerce and explains how you can use social media to provide better customer service, collect payments online, and build your customer base. Online marketing expert Marsha Collier helps you determine where you have the best opportunity to reach your market, which sites you should integrate with, and much more.

I’ve always been a big fan of the “For Dummies” series, even though they call me a Dummy with each new book I read. Admittedly, I didn’t get through this entire book yet because, well, I just don’t read all that fast and I haven’t received my “Conquering ADD for Dummies” book yet. What I have read, however, is more than enough to make me want to get through to the end of it.

My favourite part of the book so far has been the “Casting and Catching Customers” chapter. It’s not easy to stand out in a crowded social media scene and this chapter teaches you not only how to find people in your demographic but also how to get them coming back for more. It also helps with tips on building your Facebook page, which we all know can be a challenge these days.

With things such as blogging, podcasts, video and social media advice included, this Social Media Commerce book has been an excellent tool for me to use in looking at the next step in my online development. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking to monetize their web space or for businesses looking to take the next step.

For more information on the book and where to get a copy, you can visit the “Social Media Commerce For Dummies” Info page. You can also catch up with the “For Dummies” franchise on Facebook and Twitter.

This is the part where you’d expect me to throw out some cheesy one liner like, “You’d be a dummy not to buy this book!” or “What are you waiting for, Dummy? Go get it!” Don’t worry; I won’t do that to you…

Cheers!