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The Best Blogging Advice I Ever Received

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It’s hard to believe that it has been 7 months already since I started Canadian Dad. Truthfully, had this domain name not been available, I probably wouldn’t have started it at all. I’m glad it was!

There’s been tremendous up’s and down’s so far and I’ve learned a lot about the world of blogging. Everyone has different opinions on what is acceptable and what is not, some with stronger opinions than others but that comes with the territory. I agree that there are things I see that are off putting but I also understand that as long as you are not breaking the law, it’s your space to do as you see fit with it.

With all the “rules” that float around the blogosphere, there is one piece of advice I have received from two different people now, that has stuck with me. I was lucky enough to latch myself on to an amazing group of Canadian bloggers, where I had the chance to meet Shannon Mischuk of Shasher’s Life fame. I was a little lost about the whole blogging thing, especially with the unwritten rules, when Shannon summed up all I needed to know in two words.

“Be Kind”

It couldn’t be that easy, could it? What about the content? The review/giveaway debates? The Drama! There had to be more to it than that! People don’t want kindness, they want shock and awe! I’ve found over the past few months that there is a market for all types of personalities in the blogging world and have been working hard to try and carve my niche. I have also been using the advice Shannon gave me as the bar for all my interactions.

Flash Forward to a couple weeks ago and I had the opportunity to go spend a day with Ford Canada. More importantly, I got a chance to meet some of the most influential bloggers in Ottawa. Included in that group was Shannon McKarney, who wears many hats but who I associate with her home blog of Zchamu Dot Com.

Not that I had any preconceived notions of how the other bloggers would treat me but I just assumed as the newbie and only male, that I would have a hard time forcing myself into conversations. These were people who had been around the scene for awhile and most likely didn’t have time to coach a rookie. Well, I could not have been more wrong! Not only were they welcoming but they were very willing to dole out advice from their years of blogging. Shannon said something to me towards the end of the evening that I had previously heard somewhere else.

“The best advice I can give you, is to Be Kind.”

There it was again! I don’t know about you but when two influential people say the exact same thing, I listen. Not that I wasn’t already trying to be my jovial self in my interactions with people but it was definitely reaffirming to hear it from the people I looked up to.

It can be an intimidating experience to put yourself out there to be judged by your peers but I’ve found that the advice I received from the two Shannon’s has been invaluable in connecting with other bloggers and also with brands. Now that I’ve been on the scene for a bit, I’m really noticing that this one trait is actually more valuable than having perfect numbers and endless followers. It sounds fun to be able to sit at the top of the mountain but not if you have to sit there alone and disliked.

All that said, I’d like to thank not only Shannon & Shannon (Not an official Law Firm) for the great advice, but I’d like to thank everyone in the blogging community for being so welcoming and open to sharing their wisdom with me. It has been an amazing experience so far and I’ve only just begun!

I’ve now come to my chance to Pay It Forward in a way. I don’t know if anyone really reads my blog but if you are reading this right now and you are looking for some guidance, the best advice I can offer you is also the best advice I have ever received…

Be Kind.

Cheers!

The Most Talented Cat In The World

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I am not a cat person. I do not own a cat and I will most likely never own a cat. The only exception I have seen so far is the cat in the video below. If he becomes available, I may jump in to the bidding war that will ensue.

My favourite show on television right now is Game of Thrones. I know, I know, the book junkies hate that they “ruined” this story by turning it into a show and it is nothing like the books. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I am not a huge book person either!

I like things that entertain me and Game of Thrones has provided me with countless hours of entertainment, which is all I need!

Back to my friend, the Cat! When I see something that makes me cry with laughter, I sometimes feel the need to share that with people. Now that I have a space to do that, I would like to share this video of a cat singing the theme to Game of Thrones and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

On the other hand, I may just been really tired when I watched it…. Either Way, Enjoy!

Happy Hump Day! Cheers!

Canadian Spotlight: Elizabeth Manley

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Another week, another new feature on the blog! This one sort of came out of the blue though. If you’ve talked to me since I began blogging, you’ll know that I have a love for Twitter. After all, it was Twitter that helped me convince Jann Arden to call my wife on her birthday this year.

Imagine my surprise this week, when I ended up in another conversation with Canada’s Sweetheart, the one and only Elizabeth Manley. Her Twitter handle is @Lizmanley88 by the way. You should follow her now and say hi for me. She was incredibly friendly and I decided to abuse that friendliness by asking her if she would let me feature her on the blog. You would have done the same so don’t judge!

It’s not often that you get a chance to talk to an Olympic Hero and I think it’s important that we don’t lose touch with them either. Besides that, Liz (I hope I can call you Liz, we never really discussed it) has been up to some great things in her post-Olympic career and I think it’s worth sharing.

Let’s start with a quick Elizabeth Manley recap for my American friends, because all Canadians should already know this stuff… 😉

Liz is a member of 5 different Hall of Fame’s (Olympic Hall of Fame, Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, Skate Canada Hall of Fame, Belleville Sports Hall of Fame, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame).

She has won 4 World Cup Championships, 2 U.S. Open Championships and has won over 50 national and international medals.

She has also written two autobiographies, “Thumbs Up- The Elizabeth Manley Story” and “Elizabeth Manley- As I Am”

There was something else but it’s slipping my mind….. Oh Yeah!!! She won a freaking Silver Medal at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary!!

Not too shabby, right? I also forgot to mention that she has also had a Park and Arena named after her in her (our) hometown of Ottawa.

With all the great accolades and achievements, something people don’t know is that Liz battled a very severe depression that weighed on her for years. It never really goes away but these quotes from an amazing expose about her shows her strength and courage. Seriously, it’s a great piece and I encourage you to check it out!

“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. Depression was the best thing that could have happened to me. It taught me who I was. I didn’t get lost in a world of sport. I found myself through the whole experience.”

“I was bald, I was 35 pounds overweight, I was locked in a house because I didn’t want people to see me. I’ve had a nervous breakdown. I was 16 and I thought there was nothing good in life for me. Four and a half years later, I was standing on the podium and having my greatest moment. When you think your life is no good, you can change it.”

Flash Forward to today and Liz is busy helping others cope with mental illness and on top of being a spokesperson to a number of Charities and Foundations, has even started her own charity event, Elizabeth Manley & Friends, which will help raise money for teen mental health, specifically the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. In all honesty, while she was telling me all of the things she was doing to give back, I thought “How am I going to fit all of this into a post?!”. She is truly an amazing person and it shines through in her work.

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On top of all of this, Liz was kind enough to answer a few questions for my post and I am very appreciative for that. In fact, this is my first official interview, so I guess I am a journalist now, haha. Here are the results of our brief Q&A:

1. How does someone hire you as a speaker? They can contact [email protected] or me directly (Twitter: @LizManley88).

2. Are you still doing skating events (For fun, charity or other)? I am producing my own benefit show this coming winter Jan 26 at ScotiaBank Place called Elizabeth Manley + Friends to benefit YSB and D.I.F.D. It’s still in the works and will have major stars such as Nancy Kerrigan, Elvis Stojco and more!

3. Where is your favourite place in Ottawa? The canal area!!! Soooo beautiful!

4. You have a lot of living left to do, what is your next goal? To make Elizabeth Manley & Friends a major success and a yearly event to benefit local area charities.

Stay Tuned for more info on the January 26th Elizabeth Manley & Friends benefit show at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. I’ll be reminding you about it every now and then as well and can’t wait to see the stars shining once again! In the meantime, if you are interested in sponsoring this event, you can contact Liz on Twitter or let me know and I’ll pass along your information.

Before I leave you all, I just wanted to say a HUGE Thank You to Elizabeth Manley for taking the time out of her busy schedule to talk to me. It’s always great to see someone emerge from the darkness that is mental illness and want to give back so others don’t have to suffer so much. She is an amazing person and I’m proud to have been given this opportunity!

Cheers!

Dad Blogs Exposed! – The Captain’s Log

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Welcome back to another week of Dad Blogs Exposed! This week I’d like to introduce you to Creed Anthony from the blog The Captain’s Log…Tales From The Poop Deck.

I first met Creed shortly after I joined the crew of Dads over at The Life of Dad website. Simply known as The Captain, it took me about 3 months to realize that he had an actual name.

In that time, I had the opportunity to interact with him quite a bit and quickly became a fan of his work and more importantly, his attitude. Creed is one of these guys that can put a positive spin on anything, which is both rare and inspiring.

It’s evident from his posts both on Life of Dad and his own site, that he is a dedicated father who wants the best for his kids. Check out him and his daughter working out together and also his story about his son’s terrifying trip to the hospital and you’ll see what I mean.

The work he does with the Life of Dad website is incredible as well. When I agreed to run the Twitter account for them, I had no idea how much work it was going to turn out to be. I had trouble keeping up at times but it was watching Creed’s dedication to the site that got me back into a rhythm. I have to imagine that he has recruited more Dads for that site than any of the rest of us combined.

I can’t imagine how much money he would have if you got a commission for everyone you referred! Now that I mention it, I wonder if there is a commission for that?! If there is, someone’s (Ahem, Tommy Riles) got some explaining to do! Sorry about that, back to The Captain!

Bottom line is that Creed is a genuinely good dude (a theme with these posts) and he is worth checking out. His sense of humour shines through in his posts and he is always quick to thank you for stopping by. I encourage you all to pay him a visit, either on his own site The Captain’s Log, or his Life of Dad page!

You can also find him on his Facebook page and also on Twitter @acjlist. As with most of us bloggers, Twitter is usually the place to be if you want to find any of us and The Captain is no different.

Before I leave you, I have a couple more items. Creed taped an episode of the Life of Dad Show Podcast and you can check that out Right Here! Also, if you’re looking for some Captain dirt, Life of Dad has recently welcomed a 2nd Captain to the fold and the fireworks are just beginning! Is there room for two Captain’s on one ship?? Stay Tuned to find out!

That’s it for this week’s edition of Dad Blogs Exposed! Please feel free to leave The Captain some love in the comments section and we’ll see you next week!

Cheers!

My Zip Lining Adventure: Evidently Fear is Not a Factor For Me!

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I was fortunate enough to have been asked by Ford Canada to take part in their “Escape For A Day” adventure. The day included lunch and dinner, the chance to drive on a closed, professional driving course and a zip lining adventure at Lafleche Adventure Cave and Aerial Park.

One problem. I am terrified of heights! A trait I’m sure can be traced back to my mother, who avoids flying like the plague.

Looking back on how amazing the experience was, I thought about how I must have been perceived in the moments leading up to the big moment where I stepped off the ledge and hung suspended over the vast expanse of nothingness beneath my feet.

I have never been a very adventurous person, so the thought of hurling myself off a platform while hanging by a couple of clips wasn’t really sitting in my stomach very well. Up until this moment, one of the most dangerous things I had done was riding the banana boat with my friends in the Dominican Republic. There was also the time I jumped off the roof of my house into our pool but I was much younger and dumber back then.

I spent the better part of the morning with a gut wrenching knot in my stomach, worrying about whether I’d be able to pull it off or not. When the dark clouds began to form and the rain started pouring down, I breathed a great big sigh of relief. There was no way they would allow people to zip line in the rain. It would be far too dangerous. Better yet, now I don’t have to make a tough decision in front of all my blogging peers, 99% of which were women. My manliness would remain intact on a technicality!

Wrong!

We were immediately ushered into our meeting room and asked whether we’d like to do Zip Lining or Cave Exploration. Now the spotlight was on me and I had no idea what to do. My fear was evident and hopefully the people in the room that day know that I was 100% in my fear. There was zero attention seeking going on in that moment, my family was literally flashing before my eyes as I contemplated taking the leap.

The fear had just about taken over when the “zipping instructor” ( I don’t know what they’re called…) said that if I was scared, she would tandem zip with me. For some reason this made me feel more comfortable and I started getting suited up to zip! Looking back, I have no idea how the idea of tandem zipping would have made any difference in my fear of plunging to my death.

So I gathered up all my courage, kissed the picture of my family and marched up the mountain. Once I got there, I realized that there was nothing manly about tandem zipping so I decided to go at it alone. Realizing the longer I stood there the worse my anxiety would get, I decided to volunteer to go 2nd (going first is highly overrated!).

The only other pic that proves I did it, haha! Photo by @Tricia_Duggan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a miniature anxiety attack, I spent the longest 30 seconds of my life staring at the edge of the platform before gently gliding off through the trees. In my head, I screamed like I was in a horror movie. To the crowd, I was smiling as if I’d done it a million times before. Pure exhilirating fear. That’s how I would best describe my first run.

By the time I had arrived at run 2, I was a seasoned pro and couldn’t wait to get on the line. Again, I have no idea why my brain felt safe all of a sudden, nothing had changed and the worst case scenario was still a 50 foot free fall with no parachute or water beneath me. Still, I threw out some hotdog moves and even pulled off a Shaka Brah although no one was there to see it.

I don’t know if there is a message in here for people. As an anxiety ridden person myself, I always scoff at the idea that you can do anything you put your mind to, especially when you don’t control the environment surrounding you. There’s always a downside or worst case scenario to things but I’m so happy that I chose to go with the upside of trying this experience out. I also don’t feel like a changed man. It’s just nice to know that fears can be conquered and that being scared of something doesn’t mean it is not worth trying.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to go and chain myself to my desk!

Cheers!!

PS – I want to say a huge thanks to the people at Ford Canada for allowing me to take part in this experience. It was one of those once in a lifetime things for me and I’ll never forget it. I also want to thank all the incredible local bloggers I met that day. As a new blogger, I was starstruck throughout most of it and you all made me feel like one of the group from the get go. It was very much appreciated and a testament to the quality of people in our community.

A Commercial Dads Can Be Proud Of

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Please note: I am NOT recommending you go out and buy a Google Nexus 7 here. In fact, I’m not even really sure what that is and most likely will never be able to afford one.

My reason for writing today is because of this great commercial I just watched for the Nexus 7. Ever since I have joined the wonderful world of Dad Blogging, I have had the opportunity to voice my opinion on certain subjects that I would normally have kept to myself. Or bored my wife with.

One of those topics is the poor representation of fatherhood by media, hollywood and corporations. Brands like Huggies and Oscar Mayer know what I’m talking about and they have also heard the backlash from the rising Dad Blogging community.

That’s why I found it refreshing to see an ad featuring a father and son doing something that father’s and son’s do. It didn’t have any gimmicks or crazy “Dumb Dad” moments. It was simply an excellent display of a parent enjoying time with his child and having a camp out in their backyard. Have a look for yourself:

Seriously amazing. I understand that it’s not an exact portrayal of everyone’s experience with their father but it was a mirror of my upbringing and also of the way that I am trying to raise my kids. On top of all that, it has given me a great new activity to try out with my son. We’ve been waiting for my daughter to get a little older before attempting the camping thing but this looks great in the meantime.

That’s really all I wanted to share with you today. I hope other brands will start to take notice and see what at least some of us consider to be powerful and effective marketing to Fathers and Parents alike.

For the record, I’m not crazy “boycott all non-dad friendly ads” guy, I just really detest the brands that make us Dads look like imbeciles to try and sell their product. I love Moms. I have one and there’s another one raising my children. They deserve everything they get and more. It’s just nice to see a company portray Dads in a positive parenting light for a change.

I also want to say Thanks to Bryan and Zach from 8 Bit Dad for bringing this one to my attention. I like to talk Dad here but these guys are “The modern parent’s source for fatherly opinion”! (You guys can pay me via PayPal (US Funds))!

I hope you all have a great day and thank you for your continued support!!

Cheers!

Not Your Ordinary, Everyday Bunnies

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Just a short post today as I get myself back into the swing of things after a long and very enjoyable vacation! My daughter has recently discovered the joys of music and dancing but there is one song in particular that she can’t stop listening to.

Seriously, she literally will not stop listening to it and if I turn it off, we get an epic meltdown every time!

That song is called Sleeping Bunnies by The Derry Hares and my little one can’t get enough of it. It’s so amazing to watch her dance and sing to the song that it almost makes you forget that you have listened to the song 31 times in a row!

I decided to take a video of her so you can all see just how much she loves it and got an added bonus when my son noticed the camera and decided to join in. He is a spotlight hog just like his Dad!

So without further blogging, here are my kids doing their interpretive dance version of Sleeping Bunnies.

Cheers!

Munchkin® Canada Grows With Your Baby {Review & Giveaway}

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I’m proud and very excited to have been chosen as one of PTPA’s Brand Ambassadors for Munchkin Canada! My little ones and our Day Care have been using their products for a couple years now so it seemed like a perfect fit. I love the variety they offer and how durable their products are, which is important when you care for 6 kids on a daily basis.

I received a wonderful package of goodies from Munchkin and my kids went right to work by ripping the packages apart and rifling through all the amazing new products. I think their favourite items were the Click Lock™ cups. My kids are really into cups for some reason (no, seriously, they are weird about cups right now) and this was a very welcome sight!

 

 

 

 

 

Munchkin’s new line of Click Lock™ Cups are just right because they just CLICK. These cups feature a simple click-and-lock lid to securely close for a leak proof seal – guaranteed. Parents will see, hear and feel the cup lock, so they have triple assurance against dribbles and drips. Munchkin is so confident these new cups are mess-free, we are backing up the promise with a 100% replacement guarantee.

Click Lock™ cups are available in an assortment of vibrant colors, fun artwork, licensed characters, and styles including sippy, trainer, straw, flip straw and Big Kid™ spout-less. Because sometimes things in life just click!

A couple of Mommy & Daddy’s favourite items were:

Large Dishwasher Basket:

Product Features:

* 40% larger capacity holds more items
* Patented accessory cleaning technology
* Unique slide-and-fold top for easy loading and unloading
* Straw cleaning rack holds 10 straws of various sizes (Awesome!)

 

 

Bath Fun Bubble Blower:

Product Features:

* Battery-powered bubble maker
* Conveniently works with any bath bubble solution1
* 8 rotating wands for continuous bubbles
* Strong suction cup mounting with grippy feet to rest on tub ledge
* Can be used both inside and outside the tub
* Requires 2-AA batteries*

 

 

There were so many great products this month that it was hard to pick only a few. Our daughter is teething right now and really loved the Orajel® Teethers as well. My son is a fish and loved using the bath crayons for his hour long bath! He comes out when he notices his prune hands, haha.

I’m also happy to be able to bring you a giveaway for one of Munchkin’s amazing products! This month I am offering Munchkin’s Nursery Projector & Sound System to one reader. Here are some details on the projector.

 

A voice-activated system with soothing sounds, dreamy images and a comforting nightlight that helps provide an ideal sleep environment – because getting baby to sleep quickly is the stuff that dreams are made of. It’s the little things®.

Product Features

* 10 soothing sounds, including Mozart, lullabies, and white noise
* 3 image discs
* Rotating projector head allows for projection onto the ceiling or wall
* Voice activation feature allows baby to self-soothe
* Optional nightlight and 3 timer settings let Mom customize for baby

 

 

Contest is open to residents of Canada. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win!

Good Luck! Remember to check out Munchkin Canada on Twitter and Facebook for great deals and more!

I am participating as one of Munchkin Canada’s Ambassadors and I received a package of Munchkin products in exchange for my participation in this campaign. Opinions expressed belong to me and are NOT influenced in any way.

Disney’s Diamond Collection Giveaway

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I’m happy to have the opportunity to work with Disney again and this time we’re teaming up to bring you their Diamond Collection Package, which includes the following titles:

“Pocahontas” & “Pocahontas II”
“The Rescuers” & “The Rescuers Down Under”
“The Aristocats”

This is a great collection to add to any household and your kids are sure to love it! I don’t really have much more to say about this because these Disney movies always speak for themselves!

All you have to do to enter the contest is to leave a comment on this blog post telling me what your favorite Disney movie is. It’s as easy as that!

The contest closes Aug 17th and is open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec). I will choose a winner using Random.Org.

Best of Luck!!

Cheers!

Big Brother Is Coming To Canada and I Can’t Wait!

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Photo from http://bigbrotheraccess.com

You may not know this about me but I am a Reality TV junkie. I know, I know, it’s nothing but senseless drivel that further dumbs down our society and takes away from the actual film and television makers who slave over their product. Still, I like it.

I’m not saying I watch all of them, although this new Here Comes Honey Boo Boo show looks great….(Not Really Though). Of all the Reality shows out there, only one of them has kept my attention for longer than 2-3 seasons. That show is Big Brother!

I remember about 4 years ago, I had sent an email to ask if Canadians were allowed to apply for Big Brother and got a big fat NO! I knew the answer before writing but I’ve never been one to follow traditional “rules”. Enter last months news about the upcoming production of Big Brother Canada and I couldn’t be more excited!

I’ve seen every season so far and although I’m not as impressed with the new trend of mixing in old players with new players, I do still enjoy the show and am excited at the prospect of a fresh start here in Canada.

I was reading some of the details over at Big Brother Access and the more I read, the more excited I get. It seems like casting was going to begin in July but has been pushed back to August and will most likely run until sometime in January 2013.

Either way, I’m keeping a close eye on the details so I can get myself ready to enter the BB house! Oh yeah, I’ve already decided that I am going to be on the show…Do you hear that producers?! Yeah, I’m talking to you John Brunton!

The only downside was when I suddenly came to the realization, while watching Big Brother 14 the other night, that I am no longer one of the young, buff house guests. That’s right, I’m pretty sure as a 33 year old, slightly out of shape male, that I would be considered one of the “Old Guys” on the show…No matter, I’m still in!

Now that we’ve got that out of the way and decided that I am in fact already going to be on the show, the application video seems like somewhat of a formality. It’s still necessary though so I’ll put the question out to all of you to help me decide what to do.

What should I do in my Audition Video to get noticed for Big Brother Canada?

I appreciate all your help and hope that I don’t get kicked off first!!

You can read more about Big Brother Canada on their host site, Slice. You can also follow along with updates from their Twitter and Facebook accounts as well.

UPDATE! You can now apply for BB Canada by going to their Application Page and going through the motions! Good Luck!

Cheers!