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Summer Canonball

Summer Is Here & It’s Time To Get Outside!

“This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.”

In the age of electronics, we’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to making sure our kids get enough outdoor time. Both kids ended up loving sports, which keeps them outside from morning until night and makes this dad a happy camper. I figure if the only downside to this is that they sometimes don’t want to come inside, that’s a trade-off I’ll take.

While we aren’t much of a classic outdoors family, with the camping and hiking and whatnot, we love spending time outside together. With that said, here are a few of our favourite summertime activities!

1. Baseball

Baseball Kid

I can’t tell you how happy I was when my son decided he wanted to try baseball as one of his activities. I played competitive fastball my entire youth and while I purposefully didn’t push my son into it, I’m excited that he discovered a love for it on his own. That means I get to coach, which also means I’m using muscles I hadn’t used in a looooong time. Luckily for me, I have discovered ALEVE® Back & Body Pain, because I’m not sure how else I’d be able to get through running up and down the baselines for 5 tournament games in one weekend!

2. Soccer

Girls soccer

While my son chose a sport I was familiar with, my daughter has gone in the opposite direction. As if 16 hours of gymnastics a week wasn’t enough, she also decided to excel at soccer. I will admit that when I was a kid the baseball kids were trained to dislike soccer, I really love watching her fly up and down the field like a bolt of lightning. It’s also kind of nice to not know anything about a sport because I can pay more attention to my daughter and worry less about the rules.

3. Glamping

KOA Family Cabin Camping

I mentioned earlier that we are not a campaign family, but that doesn’t mean we don’t hit a campground for the weekend on occasion. In our case, however, we choose to book a cabin at nearby KOAs so it feels like we are camping without the uncomfortable feeling of a deflated mattress at 2am! The only real downside to this is that my wife is an allergy sufferer and occasionally needs to pop one of her Claritin® Allergy tablets to get through the day’s events, but then we are back on track!

4. Water Fights

KOA Ivy Lea Wet Wagon Ride

Whether it’s just us with water balloons or the entire neighbourhood with water guns, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a good water fight! That is, as long as the people getting soaked know that they are in said water battle…

5. Trampolining

Trampoline Kid

We are officially a trampoline family now and I have never seen the kids want to be outside more in their lives. Seriously, they wake up and before I can remind them to brush their teeth they are outside jumping in their PJs. Even on the hottest days of summer so far they are out there, jumping and melting in the hot sun. You can imagine how eager they are to stop jumping to come and get their sunscreen on… Luckily we found the Coppertone® Sport Sunscreen Continuous Spray SPF 30 which not only gets them back on the trampoline in minutes but also handles the sweat with ease and holds its SPF for at least 80 minutes of activity.

There’s so much more we love to do in the summer but this covers the major items on our yearly checklist! How about you? I’d love to hear what your favourite summer activities are, so feel free to go ahead and leave them in the comment section!

Get Outside Bayer

“This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.”

Bayer Allergy Post

Spring Is Finally Here! But So Is Something Else..

This post is sponsored by Bayer.

“Dad, when is baseball season going to start?!”

This was the question my son asked me over 2 weeks ago, when we were scheduled to begin our spring baseball season. It seemed like spring was never going to get here this year with all the snow and rain and flooding we’ve had, but things appear to be looking up as the sunshine and blue skies are starting to break through!

There is something extremely therapeutic, for me at least, about stepping out the door in the morning and taking in a big breath of that cool spring air that I look forward to every year. It almost makes me wonder why we continue to live in a place that has such harsh, long winters, but that’s a story for another time!

Unfortunately, having spring in the air also means that allergy season is here for a lot of Canadians and while that is a major bummer, it doesn’t have to ruin the entire season for you! Here are some tips to get you ready for allergy season.

1. Have your allergy medications handy at the first signs of symptoms. Antihistamines can help decrease sneezing, runny nose and itchy-watery eyes. Claritin® Allergy + Sinus Extra Strength gives you 24-hour non-drowsy relief from bothersome allergy symptoms caused by pollen, ragweed, grass, dust, pets and moulds.

2. Air conditioners are your friend. If plants (trees, grass, pollen and ragweed) are at fault for your allergy symptoms, control the air inside by keeping the windows in your home and car closed. Turning on the air conditioner is a better way to keep cool while keeping your symptoms in check.

3. Brush those pets! Dogs and cats that have been outside can track pollen into your home. Make a habit of brushing your pet before you head back inside to keep pollen out. It’s also a great idea to give yourself a shake before you step in to avoid tracking pollen throughout your home.

4. Clear your head. For some allergy sufferers, like myself, symptoms can include sinus pressure and sinus congestion. Make sure you’re picking up the right allergy medication for you. AERIUS® Dual Action 12hr is an antihistamine that delivers multi-symptom allergy relief for 12 hours, including relief from nasal congestion and stuffiness.

5. Take yourself off lawn duty. Keeping the grass short is a good idea for reducing grass allergens – but don’t cut it yourself! Call in a favour from a partner, family member or friend. C’mon, who doesn’t want to cut their neighbours lawn for them?

6. Hit the treadmill. Running outside, especially when pollen counts are high, can be a recipe for sore eyes. If morning runs are part of your routine, consider hitting the gym or a home treadmill instead.

I’d love to hear what other strategies you have for combating allergy season. Leave a comment below with your best tips!

Here is a little more information on the products mentioned above:

Claritin® Allergy + Sinus Extra Strength 24 hours

– Claritin® offers effective, non-drowsy 24-hour allergy symptom relief
– Allergy
– Pollen, ragweed, grass, dust, pets and moulds
– 24h Symptom Relief
– Nasal congestion
– Sinus pressure and congestion
– Post nasal drip
– Itchy, watery eyes
– Sneezing
– Runny nose
For more information: https://www.claritin.ca/en/products/allergy_sinus_extra_strengh_24_hours/

AERIUS® Dual Action 12hr

– AERIUS® Dual Action 12 Hour combines the AERIUS® antihistamine multi-symptom allergy relief to the effect of a decongestant.
– AERIUS® provides relief from symptoms associated to seasonal allergies with a specific extra action on nasal congestion for up to 12 hours.
– AERIUS® Dual Action 12 Hour effectively relieves all of the following allergy symptoms; nasal congestion or stuffiness; sneezing; runny nose; itchy nose; itchy ears; itchy palate; itchy, burning, watery, red eyes.
For more information: https://www.aerius.ca/en/products/dual-action

This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.