Win Tickets To See Max & Ruby Live In Ottawa!

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As my kids are getting older (of course they are), they are starting to enjoy the finer things in life a little more. Things such as live shows featuring their favourite characters are at the top of their lists and I couldn’t be happier about it.

When I found out that Max & Ruby would be bringing their Nutcracker Suite show to our town, I was immediately excited! My daughter loves Max & Ruby, and although my son pretends he is too big for it, once he saw the commercial, he was hooked. Here’s a little info on the show:

About Max & Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite

Max & Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite is the newest live show produced by Koba Entertainment. The company’s roster of celebrated theatrical productions also includes Toopy and Binoo and the Marshmallow Moon and The Backyardigans: Quest for the Extra Ordinary Aliens.

Set to the timeless music of Tchaikovsky as well as delightful original songs, this 90-minute event boasts captivating original choreography by Patti Caplette – who has professionally danced in over 100 ballet performances of The Nutcracker with Canada’s leading dance companies: Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet – beautiful costumes by designer, Anne Armit, and breathtaking sets by Gemini Award-winner, Brian Purchaluk.

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The “Max & Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite” show will begin it’s Canadian Tour starting November 9th in Surrey, BC and closes out in Pembroke, ON on Dec 19th. For all the Tour Dates, please visit the Official Tour Page.

I’m also happy to announce that the fine folks at Koba Entertainment, have given me a Family 4 Pack to giveaway for the Dec 18th, 3:30pm show in Ottawa, ON! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to be entered to win. Contest is open to residents of Canada (Ottawa is obviously preferred) and the tickets will be left at the Centrepointe Theater will call for you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck! I can’t guarantee that Max & Ruby’s parents will be there but it should be a great time all around! Good Luck!

Are We Raising Unhealthy Kids? How Parents Can Turn This Trend Around

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I would like to welcome Deb Lowther from Adult Essentials vitamins to the blog today, to discuss the important issue of raising healthy children. Thanks, Deb!

We hear it on the news and read about it in the newspaper, the obesity rate in kids is growing, leaving them at risk for serious health problems now and as adults. As parents, it raises a lot of concerns. How can we turn this alarming trend around? How do we raise healthy kids?

It’s proven that parents who are committed to their own healthy, active lifestyle raise healthy, active kids. Our own family participates in multiple sports – from my husband who swims and cycles to myself who runs and goes to the gym to our kids who dance, ski and do triathlons. It’s an integral part of our lifestyle as a family.

So what’s the difference between our family and all these other families whose kids are at risk? What are we doing differently than other families? The difference is commitment and effort. . . . from the parents.

Commitment to Staying Active

It takes a commitment to staying active, and effort to teach kids to ride bikes, play hockey, swim, do gymnastics. It takes effort to make the time for them to play or practice, to drive them, to organize games, to get outdoors with them and have active play dates.

It also takes parents modeling an active lifestyle. Parents need to plan active family time, not just family time. Go for a skate, a bike ride, a jog, a hike as a family. Be active yourself. Active parents have a better chance of raising active kids and active families are healthy families.

 

Commitment to Healthier Foods

It’s about more than just taking vitamins, it takes a commitment to eating healthy and an effort to make your kids healthy snacks. Starting with stocking the fridge with healthy fruits and passing up the convenient processed foods at the grocery store.

I know we are all busy and it’s so tempting when it’s right there to just skip the effort this one time. It takes two second to purchase the pre-made cereal and marshmallow snacks at the store and 10 minutes to make them at home. Is the extra 8 minutes worth your kids eating the artificial chemicals and dyes found in most of these packaged snacks?

It’s one thing to see all these brightly coloured convenient snacks with familiar cartoon characters begging children’s attention on grocery store shelves, its another to see a child after child with a lunch box completely full of processed food.

Today, kids are going to school with lunches made entirely of prepackaged convenience foods. Too often their lunches consist of a cello bag of chips, a plastic tube of yogurt, a packaged soft cookies, a wrapped tray of meat, cheese and crackers and a can of soda. Most of these children are too young to have packed that lunch on their own or to be responsible for making their own healthy choices.

As parents it takes our commitment to not buy so many packaged foods and to take the time every couple of weeks to make healthy snacks that can be stored in the freezer and popped in lunch boxes on school mornings.

Parents have the opportunity to teach their children about healthy food choices and healthy activity choices. Show your kids that exercise, staying active, eating fruits, vegetables and homemade foods is a commitment to a healthy lifestyle that your family is willing to make.

We have so much opportunity to teach them healthy habits that will last a lifetime. As parents, we certainly do influence what our children eat and how they stay active when they are young. Are you raising healthy kids?

BIO: Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active. You can visit her websites to learn more www.iron-kids.com & www.adultgummies.com

I Want To Say Hi To Frankenstein!

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It’s funny how my kids went from being petrified of people in costumes, to being overly excited at every character they see… Let’s blame it on good parenting, haha!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Blog Soup – Week Of October 22nd

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Each week, Blog Soup will highlight some of my favourite posts from other bloggers around the interweb.

1. That’s What She Said: The Hammer Itself Is Not Evil by Schmutzie – One of the best things about my time at Blissdom Canada in Toronto, was getting a chance to meet some of the amazing bloggers I have been following for so many months. One of the bloggers I was fortunate enough to meet, Schmutzie (Elan Morgan), is also the owner of one of my favourite blogs. This post includes the first video in her new series, That’s What She Said, and discusses her initiative to raise $2000, by her 40th Birthday, in support of funding water projects in Rwanda. It’s a great cause and I hope you’ll stop by to read more about it. (PS – She was as cool in person as I imagined her to be)

2. Things We Do Like The Dickens by Whit Honea – Whit is one of my favourite writers. The way he can twist the mundane every day moments into inspiring posts, is something I admire and hope to learn from. This post is just a small example of his excellence.

3. Why Can’t I Stop Worrying by Kissing the Frog – One of my favourite things about blogging and reading blogs, is when you find a new blog that knocks you on your ass. That’s what happened when I read this post by Kathy at Kissing the Frog, as she describes the similarities between her 16 month old son and the 6 yo son she lost in 2010. I’m not what you would call a “manly” man but for whatever reason, it takes a lot for me to cry. This one did that to me.

That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed these posts as much as I did.

Cheers!

The First Cut Is The Deepest

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It happened already and I have no idea how I’m supposed to react to it.

My son came home from his 12th day of Junior Kindergarten with a huge scar above his eye. When I asked him what happened, he got oddly shy and replied, “I don’t know”. This response isn’t uncommon from kids but in this case, it was a frustrating experience.

I prodded him a few more times to try to get any bit of information I could get. Eventually he said that one of the other boys in the playground pushed him down and he landed on his face. How am I supposed to react here? My first thought was obviously anger. I don’t know who I was angry at though. The other boy for pushing my little guy, the school for not noticing or even my son for not saying anything after it happened.

My next revelation was that boys are usually pretty rough with each other on the playground. I mean, I used to be one and I know exactly the types of games that get played there. In fact, I’ve even stayed around after dropping him off and witnessed firsthand, the high speed games of tag and “got your hat” that they play with each other. They all seem to be smiling and happy, even as they get thrown to the ground; but you can’t help but cringe and wonder if some outside intervention is necessary.

That’s where the hard part begins. I am new at the whole “kid going to school” thing and have no idea what the proper etiquette is in these situations. Has this been going on for years and I’m the guy overreacting on the inside? Should I ask the teachers to keep a closer eye on the playground activities and stop violent games before they start? Or would that be overstepping my boundaries in the parent- teacher relationship?

My son is hardly innocent in all of this by the way. I see him running around and grabbing at kids sweaters and hats as well but once you drop them inside that gate, you are on the outside looking in. As it turns out, he was even less innocent when he later admitted that instead of being pushed, he actually ran into the other boy while they were all running and both kids went down. After confirming this story with the other child’s parents, what I am supposed to do as his father?

I had a talk with him, being careful to explain why it’s important that he not lie about things like this. As any parent of a 4 year old knows, it’s hard to judge how they are processing the information, because they are constantly looking for any place to be but immersed in a discussion about rules with their parents. I just have to hope he understands and then make sure I stay on top of it.

In the end, I most likely overreacted to the situation but that is MY little boy coming home with scars on his face. The thought of him getting hurt and for the first time and not having Mom or Dad there to make it better, leaves a little sting in my heart. With bullying being the hot topic issue it is these days, it’s hard not to jump to that conclusion immediately.

I want to know what you do when your kids come home from school with unexplained injuries. Do you have a “boys will be boys” attitude? Do you rationally attempt to get to the bottom of it; Or do you straight up freak out and call the cops?!

Cheers!

**This post originally appeared on the CHEO Moms&Dads Blog on October 24th**

Dad Blogs Exposed! – How To Be A Dad

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I’m not sure why it took me so long to get to this one, especially considering it was the first “Dad Blog” I ever read. This week on Dad Blogs Exposed, I bring you the funny and talented Charlie and Andy from the ever popular, How To Be A Dad.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, How To Be A Dad is a site that aims to bring you the lighter side of parenting, through hilarious videos, info-graphics and amazing photo shop work. Even though their About Us page states, “If you were looking for a website telling you how to be a dad… You didn’t find it“, I feel like I have gained from being a regular reader of their site.

In fact, earlier this month, Charlie posted about his son’s 3rd birthday, and had a great idea to ask the readers to leave his son some advice/wisdom/funny stories, that he would turn into a journal to give him some day. It was one of those posts that I got jealous over not thinking of it first because I really liked the idea. Please note, I have a problem with my comments going into people’s spam folders, so if you read the comments on this post, you’ll notice my name pop up a couple times. I willingly accept all mocking and newbie jokes that come from this.

Although they haven’t done too many videos lately, I always enjoyed watching them. I know how much work putting together a video can be, but that doesn’t stop me from reminding them constantly, that some us really enjoyed them, haha. Here is one of my favourites:

I think my favourite thing about Charlie and Andy is that they are visible and personable. They skyrocketed to success very quickly and with 126,000 Twitter followers and counting, it would be easy to just sit back and enjoy the ride. That’s not the case with these guys; they are out there answering questions, making conversation and connecting with their community of followers. I have yet to come across another blogger who doesn’t have great things to say about the two of them, and that’s the highest form of compliment.

The guys have something exciting happening right now as they prepare to launch their very first book! You may have seen their Baby Sleep Positions diagram, if not, here it is:

This diagram has become a huge success, getting stolen and claimed all over the place, by some very big sites. The book, titled “The Guide To Baby Sleep Positions” features some of How To Be A Dad’s best posts and info-graphics and is available right now for Pre-Sale on Amazon and also at Random House.

Bottom line is, although I’ve never met Charlie & Andy, they have never been anything but kind to me; and as a newer Dad blogger (and a Canadian one), it’s nice to not feel like we are all competing against each other. Putting out a book is the top of the blogging Everest and I wish them all the best with it! There will definitely be a copy of it at my place; probably in the bathroom but there’s no insult intended, it’s just where I get my best reading done.

If you want to catch up with Charlie & Andy, you can visit their site, How To Be A Dad. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook, and pretty much every other social media platform there is. Seriously, these guys are everywhere and active on all of them!

I’m Gonna Wreck It! @WreckItRalph #Disney

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My son and I were fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at the new Disney movie, Wreck-It Ralph, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it. I have to admit, as excited as my son was after seeing his beloved, Bowser, in the trailers; his Daddy was even more excited to see all his favourite childhood characters!

From Sonic, Ken, Ryu and Zangief to Pac-Man and the Root Beer Tapper, Wreck-It Ralph took me on a wild ride through my video gaming years. I had really pumped myself up for this movie, so a little disappointment was definitely anticipated. I’m happy to report that this movie was so well made, I had a hard time picking out any flaws.

The story follows Wreck-It Ralph (John C Reilly), a video game bad guy who is tired of getting no recognition for his role in the game, Fix-It Felix JR. He sets out to win a good guy medal, by jumping into a couple of different games to try his hand at being good. The movie really gets fun when he meets Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), who is an obnoxious little girl from the game Sugar Rush.

This movie has a little bit of something for everybody and I highly recommend it for the whole family. If you have ever played a video game, you will recognize at least one character in this movie and relive the glory days of when you could finish one level without asking your kid for help.

The only thing I will mention, is that there are a couple scary parts involving some radioactive bugs. Both 4 year old’s we went with mentioned that they were a little freaked out at those parts, but for the most part, the rest of the movie is fun and light.

The creativity that went into this movie is second to none and everything is very well explained. I always appreciate when I’m not left scratching my head at the end of a kids movie and this one delivered, big time! If I had to rank it among my recent favourites, I’d put it somewhere between Toy Story/Cars and Brave/Tangled.

Thanks so much to Disney for allowing us to experience this movie! For more information on Wreck-It Ralph, please visit the Official Movie Site; or you can visit the Disney Facebook Page!

Our First Family Photo Shoot! With The Talented Erin Petruska

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After 4 years of raising kids and snapping 1000’s of iPhone pictures, my wife and I decided to finally get some profession family pictures done. We were lucky enough to meet our photographer, Erin Petruska, while at a local charity event and she impressed us right away! We got to talking and very quickly set up our appointment.

Unfortunately for Erin, we had to reschedule about 13 times because of various kid illnesses and weather, but we finally got together for our big day and it certainly did not disappoint. I was a little worried about how Erin would view us after having to cancel so many times but she couldn’t have been more awesome, especially with the kids. When she started off the session by spending some time getting the kids to be comfortable with her and her camera, I knew we had chosen the right person for the job.

One of the reasons I hadn’t wanted to get family photos done, is that I had a preconceived notion that we would have to do all the work in scouting and planning poses for them. It’s not that I’m lazy; I’m just terrible at that part of it. Okay, and a little lazy… To my pleasant surprise, we told Erin where we wanted to have the shots done and when we arrived, she had a complete plan in place for the whole area, along with all the different poses she was looking for.

That’s not to say she wasn’t open to input because she asked us at each location if we wanted other shots and I appreciated that greatly! It’s tough to balance being friendly and professional at the same time but she did it seamlessly and we were completely comfortable the entire shoot.

I’m not even sure what else to say. She was exactly what we were looking for in a photographer. Kind, Professional, Great with kids and she emailed some photos immediately to us and delivered our CD very quickly after the shoot. If you are looking for all of those things (of course you are) than I very, very highly recommend Erin Petruska for your next family shoot.

For more information about Erin Petruska Photography, you can visit Erin’s Website Here! Also, if you feel like connecting with her online, you can reach her on Twitter and also on Facebook. Honestly, this was an amazing experience for our family and we are very grateful to have met Erin in our travels. Thank You, Erin, for all your great work!

Now on to some of my favourite shots!

**Photo shoot was provided in exchange for a review of services. All opinions are my own. I truly enjoyed this experience and hope you will give Erin a shot. Just look at those photos!**

I Saw A Million Faces; Well, You Know The Rest! #BlissDomCA

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Where do you even start in formulating a proper recap of the weekend that was Blissdom Canada? I could write about all the great people I met, but listing only a few would be unfair and listing them all would be way too much! I want to write about the experience but speaking about the experience would pay it far more justice. That way, you could see my smile and my arms flailing wildly as I describe each session, interaction and excursion.

That still brings me back to my original question, “How do I accurately describe my time at Blissdom Canada?”

I guess I’ll start from the top. Being of the male persuasion, the thought of heading to a 500 person conference, where the ratio of women to men is 490:10, was a little overwhelming. Nightmarish thoughts of walking into the room and everyone glaring at me with disapproving eyes, filled my head in the days leading up to the event.

Once I arrived on site, it took about 30 seconds for those fears to disappear. That’s because 30 seconds is all it took for me to get my first warm welcome. The next one came at 45 seconds; and then at 60 seconds, it happened again. In fact, every single interaction I had the entire weekend was positive and welcoming.

Not one time did I feel out of place, as a blogger or as a man. I got nervous; and anxious; and overwhelmed at times, but that wasn’t anyone’s fault but my own. It’s a lot easier to say you’re going to go up to someone you idolize, than it is to actually do it. I was lucky to have some people watching out for me and making sure that I felt included in the fun and for that I am eternally grateful.

I went to Blissdom Canada to learn how to become a better blogger but I left with so much more than that. I left with a sense of belonging. I left with great connections. I left with a new found confidence in my abilities as a writer. Most importantly, I left with new friends. Not “friends” in the Facebook sense either, but real friends who are willing to help you when you have questions and who genuinely want to see you do well, as I do for them.

I could write a book about how fulfilling this conference was. I won’t, but I could! I sang, I learned, I laughed, I cried (Let’s not get into that, I am a man after all and I was watching a family video), I gangnam styled, I interpretive danced (see above), I connected, At Blissdom Canada, I saw a million faces…

And I rocked them all!

Thank you so much to the organizers, community leaders, sponsors and attendees. You made this experience one I will never forget and I am going to make it my goal to let the other male bloggers know that this is a conference that will accept them for who they are and not judge them based on their gender.

I’d also like to say a special Thank You to my wife, who was nothing but supportive of my time away and never made me feel like I was doing something wrong by being there. She is a great woman and my family is incredibly lucky to have her!

Cheers!

Oh yeah, I also got to spend an afternoon with Canadian Family Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief, Jennifer Reynolds. It was incredibly rewarding!

What Can The @PTPA Seal of Approval Do For Your Brand?

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I learned of the Parent Tested Parent Approved “Seal of Approval” long before I began my blogging journey. In fact, the first time I saw it was on a PlaSmart toy I purchased for the kids, that they loved!

Ever since that day, I have purchased a number of other products from PTPA Winners. From companies like Norton and Indigo to PlaSmart and Vtech, I always check for the seal when I’m out shopping for my family.

The reason I do this, is because I know that the products with the PTPA Seal have all been tested and approved by the people that matter most, the consumers. That’s right; every PTPA winner goes through a number of tests from Moms, Dads and Kids, before they submit a final review.

As a brand owner, there is no better feeling than knowing that your customers not only approve of your product, but that you can proudly show that Seal of Approval right on your packaging. Here are some of the other benefits of submitting your product or service to the PTPA for Approval:

• Brands receive objective reviews from volunteer parent testers

• PTPA’s mission is to be a liaison for the Brands and the parents – providing each access and a voice to share and engage with one     another

• PTPA provides access to all of the completed evaluations providing invaluable market research

• PTPA has 60,000 volunteer parent testers across North America

• PTPA is the only Seal that awarded based 100% on the parents evaluations

• Earning the Seal of Approval gives Brands credibility and a voice to communicate with their target market

• The PTPA Seal of Approval is one of the most publicized and recognized seal in the family consumer market

• Award winners receive direct access to their target market through a variety of innovative marketing initiatives

• No risk guarantee – companies who do not earn the Seal of Approval do not receive any negative attention and are refunded for their submission

• Founder and CEO Sharon Vinderine has been featured on over 55 morning shows including The Rachael Ray show

If you’re not convinced yet, please take a trip over to the PTPA’s website and poke around at all they have to offer and you’ll also find an impressive list of some of their clients. You can even register your product for award testing on that site.

Also, feel free to stop into one of the many social media channels the PTPA has to offer. Their Facebook page is filled with great information, testing opportunities and contests. Furthermore, you can follow them on Twitter @PTPA and watch how committed they are to promoting your brand through all of their amazing Tweet Chat’s (Don’t worry; I can explain those if you haven’t heard of them).

Finally, there is the Blogaholics’ Page, where you’ll find me and many other amazing bloggers, who are there to talk about the things that matter most to them; their families, lives and the products they love to use.

If I were a business owner, the decision would be easy. I would want my product to go through the rigorous testing process provided by the PTPA and their group of over 60,000 volunteer parent testers.

So, what’s it going to be? Go get the PTPA Seal and watch your business shine in the eyes of parents everywhere!