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T-Fal Baby Home Giveaway

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I think it’s safe to say that all parents are concerned with feeding their babies a healthy diet. This isn’t always easy to say the least! With the costs of buying organic foods not being in everyone’s budget feeding your growing family may pose a challenge. I’ve teamed up with a fabulous group of bloggers and T-fal Baby Home to help one lucky Canadian reader make this a cinch.

This past May T-fal introduced Baby Home, a series of appliances developed to help making healthy meals for your baby easier. The line is BPA-free and features Disney’s Pooh Bear and friends. The products within the line are the 2 in 1 steamer and blender; a steam sterilizer; a bottle and jar warmer and a 2 in 1 bottle warmer and sterilizer.
WIN:
The prize pack T-fal Baby Home has provided us is simply amazing and valued over $230!!
One Canadian resident will receive the following two products:

The 2 in 1 Blender and Steamer: $129.99

The Baby Home blender/steamer combo features four settings: steam, heat, defrost, and purée,that make it possible to treat even the tiniest taste buds to fresh, nutritious, homemade food in as little as ten minutes!
The innovation however, brings more than just convenience to the table
by allowing parents to:

  • provide their baby with healthier and tastier alternatives to store-bought food through steaming, which locks in essential vitamins and flavours minus the additives and preservatives
  • exercise quality control, ensuring that only the freshest fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats go into their baby’s food
  • prepare organic baby food at a fraction of the price of manufactured organic food
  • expose their baby to a variety of different foods and combinations not customarily sold in stores, which helps to set them on the path to a lifetime of healthy choices
  • transition their baby onto the next feeding stage more easily by gradually increasing the texture of their baby’s food over time for a seamless switch from purées to big kid fare!

The blender/steamer features a graduated blending bowl that stays cool to the touch,
eliminating the risk of burns, and a double locking system ensures that it only works when the lid is in place. A recipe book and feeding guide are also included.

2 in 1 Bottle Warmer and Sterilizer: $99.99


Ideal for travelers, the Baby Home steam sterilizer and bottle warmer are also available as a convenient 2 in 1 unit that performs both operations simultaneously. With the capacity to sterilize one bottle and its accessories in six and a half minutes and heat it in three—bottles can be ready faster than it takes Pooh to get to the bottom of a honey pot.
Giveaway is open to residents of Canada 18+, winner will be drawn on July 17th and have 48 hours to respond. Simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dad Blogs Exposed! – EduDad

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As another month of blogging on Canadian Dad sails by, I have decided to unleash yet another feature that I hope will catch on and stick around. I have been so fortunate to have met so many great bloggers, who are all so willing to help out with anything, that I thought it would be fun to give a little back by featuring some of them on a weekly basis.

Seeing as how the Mom to Dad blog ratio is so lopsided, I thought it would be cool to highlight a few of the great Dad blogs out there so you could get to know some of us a little better. We’re really not that bad, I promise!

What better way to kick it off, than to feature a Canadian on Canada Day! I’d like to introduce you to James from the blog EduDad!

I first met James on Twitter, as I do with most of my blogging friends, where he goes by the handle @SaskaDad. He gets his Twitter name because he grew up in Nipawin, a little town in Northeastern Saskatchewan.

I guess the best way to cover all the ways James is the man, is to use his Twitter bio, where he describes himself as a Dad. Husband. Teacher. Minivan. Some hair. Some gut. Strong coffee. Guitars. Songwriter. Blogger.

One thing that really sticks out about James’ blog is the fact that he is a very talented musician. You can check out his About Me page for more info about his music career, but I’m talking about a cool feature he does, where he writes Theme Songs for other Dad Blogs that he likes. He’s done about 7 of them so far, including this one about the guys over at How To Be A Dad

Awesome right!? My favorite part about that one is his kid playing in the background.

James is a really cool Dad and is someone I consider to be a down to earth person. He has some tragedy in his life and isn’t afraid to write about it in a very open manner. He’s a super nice guy, a great writer and an amazing Dad. Oh yeah, and he’s Canadian!

I hope you’ll give his blog a read and I’ve even picked out a post for you to start at! He recently wrote a very touching piece about his daughter, who they were told would never have normal vision. The post is entitled “She Makes the Ordinary Extraordinary” and it’s well worth the read!

James, you’re an amazing Canadian, Dad, Musician and Teacher and even though we may never meet, I’m happy to know you and appreciate what you’re all about!

Happy Canada Day Folks!!!

Cheers!!

Youth Hockey Coach Deserves More Than A Ban From Hockey

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For further proof that we take youth sports too seriously, look no further than coach Martin Tremblay of the Vancouver Minor Hockey Association’s UBC Hornets.

You might recognize coach Tremblay from the below video of a post game handshake last week, where he decides to deliberately trip one of the opposing players and then follows it up by taunting him and the other coaches. By the way, the opposing player (a 13 year old boy) broke his wrist during the fall and is now wearing a cast.

Disgusting, right?

Tremblay’s original defense was that he slipped on the ice, causing the player to fall, but you can clearly see from the video that this was not the case. Not to mention the taunting afterward and the fact that so much more information has come out in the last few days.

Apparently the drama began when the injured player scored the opening goal of the game and celebrated as he skated by the Hornets bench. Coach Tremblay took offence to the celebrating and yelled at the player, who turned and gave him the middle finger. According to another parent in attendance, coach Tremblay then began yelling insults at the player each time he took the ice after that, leaving the player visibly shaken on the bench.

Did I mention that Tremblay’s team won the game to take home the league championship…..Not that it should matter, but it definitely adds to the idiocy of the incident. Tremblay was arrested but has since been released and awaits a decision about whether he’ll be charged or not.

I’m left scratching my head at the whole situation. What in the world was this guy thinking? A 40 year old man taunting a 13 year old hockey player and then deliberately trying to injure him?! Is he insane? Is this where we are as a society today when it comes to youth sports? It has also been noted that after the incident, Tremblay stayed on the ice and flipped off fans who were outraged by the incident. It has also been reported that his players also taunted fans as they left the ice.

Kids are kids, they do things that we don’t understand because they are still learning how to act in the world. Do you think this is the first time that coach has ever done anything like this? I’m guessing no. If this is the example we are giving our children, how do you think they are going to act as they grow and mature? Probably a lot like this idiot and that is completely unacceptable.

We all need to chill out a bit. Do you know how many of these kids ever go on to make it to a professional level of sports? Not many. Is it really worth it to show them that monsters are in fact very real, just to try and get yourself to that next level? I say no.

I hope Martin Tremblay gets charged to fullest extent that he can be. The RCMP said it plans to recommend an assault charge for him and The Vancouver Minor Hockey Association has suspended him already but that isn’t nearly enough. He should be banned from attending anything in youth sports for life and furthermore, he could benefit from some time behind bars for what he’s done. Seriously, he purposefully broke a 13 year old child’s wrist in a pre-meditated attack on the ice. If he doesn’t get charged, what does that teach these kids?

I don’t want to raise my kids in a world where they have to watch out for their coaches on the playing field as well. I know he’ll never read this but on the off chance that it comes across his desk, I’d like to say that you disgust me, Martin Tremblay, and I hope you realize what you’ve done here is humiliating and wrong and decide to seek professional help. You should be more embarrassed as a father though. I hope your son is smart enough to know what you did is wrong and abnormal.

What did you think about this incident? Is it just common place now or were you as enraged as I was upon reading/watching it? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!

Hey Canada! by Vivien Bowers (Book Review)

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I was happy to help out a Canadian author when I was approached to take a look at a new book called “Hey Canada!”, which is written by Vivien Bowers & illustrated by Milan Pavlovic.

Here’s a brief overview of Hey Canada! from GoodReads:

“Gran has decided that she is taking nine-year-old Alice and eight-year-old Cal on a road trip across Canada “before she’s old and creaky.” With a sparkling combination of poems, silly songs, tweets and blogs, the trio records the trip for readers everywhere to share. Starting in St. John’s Newfoundland, where they have a “find-it” list that includes a moose and an iceberg and going all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the gang in Hey Canada! offers a delightful way to learn about vast, varied, and surprising Canada.

The book combines narrative, poems, photos, comics about historical events such as the battle at Fortress Louisburg, maps (including provincial flags, birds, and flowers), in a lively, easily accessible format. Not only great fun to read, this is a valuable resource for young Canadians and for visitors across the country.”

I didn’t even need to read this book to know that I was going to love it! I am Canadian after all…. The book offers extremely informative descriptions of some of Canada’s greatest places and landmarks. It takes you through Canada, Province by Province and has incredible illustrations by Milan Pavlovic. Seriously, the pictures add so much more to the book than I can describe.

This book is a wonderful addition, not only to a home library, but could be an excellent addition to a classroom as well. There is so much detail and colour that your kids will love reading it, as mine did!

Being from Ottawa, it was a real awakening to see all of the great things that my city has to offer, that all to often get taken for granted. The Museum’s, Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal to name a few, I really have to get my family out there enjoying it.

I actually think one of my favorite part’s of Hey Canada! was the legend in the back….I know, I know, it’s a very nerd thing to say but it’s true. I really enjoy being able to look something up quickly and a legend is like a book’s form of a CTRL-F search, lol.

I really recommend Hey Canada! to help show your kids and yourself, just how much our great country has to offer!

Here’s a little bit about the author of Hey Canada!, Vivien Bowers:

Vivien Bowers was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1951, the second of four children. She received a B.A. in English (honours) from the University of British Columbia followed by a teaching certificate, and was a grade 5 teacher for several years in Nelson, BC. Vivien has been a freelance writer for more than twenty-five years, writing elementary and secondary school materials, as well as non-fiction books and magazine articles for both adults and children. She has been invited to do presentations on her children’s books in hundreds of schools and libraries across the country. Bowers has two sons, now grown up, and lives at the base of the mountains outside of Nelson, BC. She loves to escape into the wilderness to ski, hike or canoe.

Hey Canada!
Author: Vivien Bowers
Illustrations: Milan Pavlovic
Publisher: Tundra Books, a division of Random House
Pages: 72
Format: Hardcover
Ages: Children 7-10 years
Genre: Children’s books/non-fiction/history
ISBN 978-1-77049-255-4
Release date: May 8, 2012

I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review. As always, all opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third party.

Win Tickets To The Amazing Spider-Man: An @IMAX 3D Experience

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If you’ve been following this blog from the beginning, you’ll know how excited I am about the upcoming Spider-Man movie! I was going to do a post about my excitement anyway, so I figured why not try and put together a giveaway as well for all my beautiful and handsome readers! PS – That’s you!

I contacted IMAX and they have agreed to let me give away 1 pair of IMAX movie tickets and a Spider-Man poster. Oh wait…Did I say 1 pair? I meant 2 pairs of tickets and 2 posters!! That’s how much I appreciate all of you! We are going to have two winners on this one so your odds are even better.

I’m pretty sure I don’t need to tell you what Spider-Man is all about, right? If so, here’s a brief description, because you probably aren’t going to see it anyway. Peter Parker gets bit by a walrus at the zoo, then the zoo keeper, played by Ben Stiller, yells at Parker, who falls into a pit filled with spiders and becomes Spider-Man. He makes a super suit and flies around the city, solving crime with Justin Bieber, Ironman, Drake & Julia Roberts. The End!

For those of you who know what Spider-Man is all about, you’ll want to check out this link for all the details!

This contest is open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec) and the USA. The Amazing Spider-Man opens July 3rd! Good Luck and here’s a little something to look forward to!

RELEASE AND INDEMNIFICATION:

BY ENTERING THE SWEEPSTAKES, ENTRANTS RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS IMAX CORPORATION,
WARNER BROS. PICTURES, AND EACH OF ITS RESPECTIVE PARENTS, DIVISIONS, AFILIATES,
SUBSIDIARIES, AGENTS AND ADVERTISING AGENCIES (COLLECTIVELY, “WBEI”) FROM AND
AGAINST ANY AND ALL LOSSES, DAMAGES, RIGHTS, CLAIMS, AND ACTIONS OF ANY KIND ARISING
IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES OR PARTICIPATION
IN ANY SWEEPSTAKES-RELATED ACTIVITY (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE REMOVAL FROM
THE SITE OF, OR DISCONTINUATION OF ACCESS TO, ANY MATERIALS), OR RESULTING DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY, FROM ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE, OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE AWARDED IN
CONNECTION WITH THE SWEEPSTAKES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION PERSONAL INJURY,
DEATH, AND/OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, AS WELL AS CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS,
DEFAMATION, AND/OR INVASION OF PRIVACY.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:

IN NO EVENT WILL IMAX CORPORATION BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY
KIND, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR
PUNITIVE DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF ANY ACCESS TO AND/OR USE OF THE SWEEPSTAKES SITE,
THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES SITE,
THE REMOVAL FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES SITE OF, OR DISCONTINUATION OF ACCESS TO, ANY
MATERIALS, OR THE ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE, OR MISUSE OF, OR ANY HARM RESULTING
FROM THE ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF, OR PARTICIPATION IN, ANY PRIZE
AWARDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SWEEPSTAKES. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, THE
SWEEPSTAKES, ALL PRIZES, AND ALL MATERIALS PROVIDED ON OR THROUGH THE SITE ARE
PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

My Life In Song – Dad Edition

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I’ve decided to try yet another new feature on the site. The best thing about this being my site, is that I can try as many new things as I want without having to ask permission!

In case you didn’t know already (I guess you probably wouldn’t know unless you knew me personally, because I never really talk about it on the blog…until now) I love music! It makes my world go round in a way that would probably relate to Quentin Tarantino, who has said he picks his music before writing his movies.

If Sidney Deane from “White Men Can’t Jump” is indeed correct, then I feel like one of the few people who can hear Jimi, instead of just listening to him. That’s how much I love music!

Anyway, that’s enough of that. On to the show! This week, with Father’s Day still fresh in everyone’s mind, I am showcasing a couple songs that remind me of my Dad, who passed away in 2007. I don’t necessarily have a reason why certain songs remind me of him but anyone who has lost someone close knows what I’m talking about.

Without further ado, here is my list:

1. My Hero – Foo Fighters – Thought by some to be a tribute to one of Dave Grohl’s best friends, Kurt Cobain, this song is one of my all time favorites. My Dad was my hero and best friend and that’s why this song speaks to me so much.

2. Fix You – Coldplay – This is one of those songs that can relate to a lot of different situations. For me, oddly enough, it was the first song playing in my car after my Dad passed away and that has stuck with me ever since. There’s more to it but I imagine you’ve already gotten the point here. Plus, if I shared all my thoughts, I would have no mystery left to me.

3. Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day – Something funny about my Dad is that he really enjoyed listening to Green Day’s American Idiot album. Even in my late 20’s I didn’t fully understand it. He certainly wasn’t listening to it as a ploy to bond with me because we always had a great relationship. Personally I thought it was pretty cool but never admitted it to him, lol. Dad passed at the end of August, so this particular song is extra sentimental to me but he loved the rock songs on this album.

That’s all for this edition of “My Life In Song”. Unlike some other new features I’ve tried, I really enjoyed putting this one together and think it’s a keeper! I’m always happy to hear your thoughts/suggestions though, so just fire away in the comments section!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!!

Disney Pixar’s Brave Passes The Ultimate Test

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I was fortunate enough to find my way to a screening of Disney/Pixar’s new movie “Brave” in 3D. I had seen about a thousand clips of it with my kids but had no idea what we were in store for as the movie began.

Let’s start with the actual trip to the theater. I went with my 4 year old son, his little girlfriend and her Dad. We got there nice and early, as anyone who has ever been to a screening knows, the lines fill up very early!

We had our dinner’s while standing in line, placed our cell phones in the brown paper bags (because I usually bring my buddy and our kids to the movies with the intention of taping it on my iPhone…) and 3 trips to the bathroom for my little guy….he gets scared in theaters and it makes him have to pee (a Lot).

My son is what you would refer to as a scaredy cat when it comes to watching movies. He hates witches, bad guys & any kind of frightening character, to the point of not wanting to watch anymore. I thought bringing his friend along would be a wise move in attempting to keep him interested.

In case you are one of the few who haven’t seen the clips for this movie yet, here’s a peek!

I’m proud to report that with the exception of a couple of scenes with the ancient bear Mor’du, my son got through the movie relatively unscared! There is a witch in the movie but Disney did a great job of getting away from the traditional scary witch for a sneakier version. Personally, I appreciated that fact as I never understood why they had to make these kids movies so frightening.

The other thing I enjoyed is the relationship the female lead, Merida, has with her father. I thought it was cool that they portrayed them as best friends, which is something as father, I can only hope for with my daughter someday.

I’m not going to ruin any of the story in this review, I just wanted to share my experience from the screening. I have read a lot of reviews from this movie, some good, some bad, some very, very strange, but my personal feeling is that this is an excellent movie for the whole family. The stunning animation alone is worth the price of admission as I feel it’s one of Pixar’s best to date.

Oh Yeah, I almost forgot! In true Pixar form, my son decided that he was going to dress as Finn McMissile for this trip to the movies. One thing I’ve learned is not to bother arguing if he wants to leave the house in costume, lol, Kids Will Be Kids! Plus, he’s just like his Dad!

Brave opened June 22nd and if you haven’t seen it yet, I urge you to check it out as you won’t be disappointed!

Cheers!!

An Introduction To Dad-chelor Parties

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What exactly is a Dad-chelor Party? Well, essentially it’s the male equivalent of the Baby Shower. Except that it is nothing like a baby shower! Here’s a brief description:

Dad-chelor Party [dadch•uh•ler par•ty, dadch•ler par•ty]
noun
1. A bachelor party for a dad to be.
2. A man’s baby shower.
3. One last pre-fatherhood bash.

Created by Life of Dad founder, Tom Riles, and featured on ABC’s “Nightline,” the Dad-chelor Party” celebrates the expectant Dad with one last pre-fatherhood bash. “It’s like a baby shower for Dads-to-be,” says Riles. “Everything is going to change so much after having a baby, this is something they really need – hanging out with friends, having a blast, going crazy – before their lives change forever.”

Dad-chelor Parties are growing in popularity and will be coming to a city near you very soon! For more information on the history and future of Dad-chelor Parties, please check out Life of Dad’s Press Release.

You can also head over to http://dad-chelorparty.com for video and tips on how to run your own successful Dad-chelor Party.

Cheers!

The “I Want Candy!!” Giveaway From Big Sky Brands

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I get a lot of email requests asking if I want to do product reviews and giveaways. A LOT!

For the most part (about 98% of the time), I politely decline and move on with my day. Sometimes though, a sales pitch is too powerful for even me to decline. I’m talking about those brilliantly crafted campaigns that leave you stunned and wanting to know more about them! This is a story of one of those times.

The message I received read: “We would like to send you some candy”.

The rest is history! The brilliant company that sent me this glorious pitch was Big Sky Brands and I was happy to be working with them.

For those of you who do not know, Big Sky Brands are the masterminds behind some truly amazing candy, such as:

* Jones Carbonated Candy

* Sunkist Citrus Burst

* Yogen Fruz Smoothies

* Maple Ice Mints

There are so many more but the more I type, the less time I have for eating candy….

I spent a weekend analyzing and tasting the candy that arrived at my doorstep and am ready to give my verdict. They were all amazing! My favorite were the Jones Carbonated Candies, as they seemed to get better as I ate more and more. I also love that all their candy comes in tin casings, which I though was very cool, almost hipster cool but not quite.

Now that I’ve enjoyed the candy for a week, I thought it would be cool to let you enjoy some as well! All you have to do is enter below and all 4 of the candies listed above could be yours! Good Luck!!

And before you ask, I am not advocating feeding your children candy. In fact, just to nail that point home, I did not share any of this candy with them or my wife. Sometimes Daddies need to enjoy the finer things in life too!

Contest is open to Canada Only (Excluding Quebec)

Cheers!!

Happy Father’s Day To All The Proud Papa’s Out There!!

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It’s finally here! The day us Dads wait for all year long! On behalf of all of us here at Canadian Dad (really, it’s just me) I’d like to wish all the wonderful Dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day!

That’s all.

What? You didn’t think I was gonna write some long winded post on Father’s Day, did you?? Instead, here’s a bunch of pictures of me with my kids! In case your Sherlock Holmes senses aren’t flowing, the above photo is of me and my Dad. He was accepting the award for lifetime achievement in volunteerism. Not a bad role model to have.

Enjoy your day Dads, you have earned it!