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Father’s Day Gift Ideas, Plus Enter To Win a $100 Gift Card From Terra20!

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After the Super Bowl and the release of any super hero movie, Father’s Day is the day that dads everywhere look forward to most each year. Because it’s not customary for dad to get flowers and chocolate, like our motherly counterparts, we usually have to dig deep in order to find something that we really want. Something that says, I did a good job as a dad this year and now I am going to accept this award in exchange for that job well done.

Of course, I am kidding about the award. In my house, I am more than happy to completely disconnect from the digital world and spend the entire day enjoying the company of my wife and children. We usually find a cool local trail and spend the day outdoors, which is all I really need. Inevitably, my wife will ask if there is anything I want, I will say no, then she will tell me that they are getting something anyway, so I’d better pick something.

I mentioned recently that I am a big fan of supporting local businesses, so I decided to check out what terra20 had to offer and have listed my top 3 picks below. Just as a side note, I could have listed the entire House of Marley line but decided to cut it down to three things…

House of Marley Lively Up Harvest Messenger

House of Marley Lively Up Harvest Messenger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As someone who suddenly finds himself doing a lot of travelling, I realized that carrying my computer and notepad in an old softball duffel bag is probably not the best idea. This House of Marley Messenger Bag is at the very top of my list, so if my wife is reading this, you know, me likey!

House of Marley Chant Portable Audio System

House of Marley Chant Portable Audio System

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a chance to play around with the House of Marley Chant Player when I visited terra20 last summer and fell in love with it. It stows away anywhere and connects to your mobile device with amazing sound quality. This is the perfect gift for the dad who does a lot of work outside.

Barefoot Books Kid’s Kitchen

Barefoot Books Kid's Kitchen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While this may seem like an unorthodox choice, learning to cook is something that I have had on my list for a while now. The thought of being able to learn to do so with my kids is something that brings me a lot of joy. I can’t promise that I won’t burn the pancakes but I’m willing and ready to give it a try!

WIN A $100 TERRA20 GIFT CARD!

That’s right, terra20 is building a father’s day gift guide and are offering a $100 gift card for your assistance in putting it together. How do you enter, you ask?

Men, you need to browse the terra20 website for a few of your favourite items that you think would make perfect Father’s Day gifts. Ladies, either ask your man to do this or pick something you think he would love from the terra20 site.

Once you find your favourite item, leave a comment below with a link to that particular item and you will be entered in the draw! It’s that easy!

Giveaway closes Sunday, May 18th at 6pm and is open to residents of the Ottawa area, excluding Quebec. One winner will be drawn at random from eligible comments and will win a $100 terra20 gift card to be picked up at one of the two store locations. *In addition, if terra20 is chooses your gift suggestion to be in the gift guide, you may be contacted by Canadian Dad about your comment being included. By entering you recognize that: there is no guarantee that your suggestion will be in the gift guide, and in the case of more than one person suggesting the same item, no specific attribution will be required on the part of terra20.

Books For Parents: Men Get Pregnant, Too by Kenny Bodanis

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It occurred to me while I was reading “Men Get Pregnant, Too”, by Kenny Bodanis, that there aren’t a lot of books out there for dads. I noticed this as I nodded my head along with the stories Kenny tells in the book and found myself wishing that there had been something out there like this prior to my having children. Kenny Bodanis is an award winning, Canadian blogger and radio & television parenting columnist, who lives with his wife and two children in Montreal.

My favourite thing about “Men Get Pregnant, Too”, which shares the same name as Bodanis’ blog, is that he doesn’t hold back in the stories he tells. Another thing I enjoyed was how he added pet peeves and tips for men who are about to enter into fatherhood, such as

“Plug in. Have answers. Be interested. Not for everyone else but as a reminder to your spouse that her husband is excited to be a dad.”

Reading this, I wished I had a time machine so I could go back and do it better.

Kenny also talks at length about the different emotions and stresses that fathers face and tries to help encourage dad to own those emotions. This is also something that I failed miserably at with my first child and didn’t figure out until I started writing about my experiences as a father. It’s important that dad doesn’t completely take a back seat during the pregnancy and Bodanis does a great job of explaining why that is so important.

With Father’s Day right around the corner, I can’t think of a better gift for dad than this book. It really covers almost everything you are going to come up against and does so in a light-hearted and very relatable voice. Men Get Pregnant, Too is available in both paperback and kindle versions on Amazon. You can also check out Kenny Bodanis on his Twitter and Facebook pages.

Celebrate Mother’s Day With A Gift Card From Zazzle!

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Zazzle is an online marketplace where you can custom design nearly anything-from phone cases to jewelry, and I am teaming up with them to help you with your Mother’s Day gift shopping! As someone who has frequented Zazzle’s services in the past, I am consistently impressed with the quality of their products. I even committed the faux pas of wearing my own band’s t-shirt back in the day because it was so nice!

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, and as someone who isn’t always the best at coming up with ideas, I thought it was great that Zazzle has organized their site to show you a whole bunch of Mother’s Day Gift Ideas. The item shown above was chosen off the Zazzle website by my children and given to my wife for her birthday last week. The excited giggles from the kids as she opened the necklace were enough to keep me coming back time and again. We chose Zazzle again for our Mother’s Day gift and while I’m not going to tell you what we’ve chosen, for obvious reasons, the kids and I are really excited for mommy to open it! There’s just something special about personalized items and Zazzle has everything you need for any occasion.

In order to help make your Mother’s or Father’s Day extra special this year, Zazzle is offering one of my readers a $50 Gift Card! Just follow the steps below in order to enter and I will draw a winner on April 29th. Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received compensation for my participation in this program.

And The Winner Of The HP Loves Dads Giveaway Is…

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HP Envy X2 Laptop HP Loves Dads

I’d like to thank everyone who entered the HP Loves Dads giveaway. I didn’t expect so many entries and so many touching stories of amazing fathers. While I did read every single one of the entries, I had no part in deciding the winner, other than being the one who selected the panel of judges, who did a great job.

Without further ado, I would like to congratulate the winner of the HP Envy x2 and the HP Envy 120 e-All-In-One Printer, 11 year old, Mason. Here is his story:

“hi! My name is Mason, I am 11 years old and I would like to nominate my Dad for the HP Envy prize package. My mom is helping me with the typing.

My Dad is a great Dad. He used to be in the Air Force but now he works as a manager downtown in Ottawa helping to keep military computer systems working. When I started getting bullied at school last year, my Dad signed us both up for TaeKwonDo classes together, so we could get in good shape and learn to defend ourselves. We go three times a week, even when Dad is tired from work. I have ADHD but my Dad is really patient with me. He tells me that some day soon I will probably grow out of it and not to worry. One of the best things ever was when my Dad took us to Comic Con and we met William Shatner and Patrick Stewart. How awesome is that???

My sister has Down Syndrome and she loves to sing with my Dad and they tell jokes to each other all the time. My oldest sister loves to sing too and Dad taught her how to play guitar. She is really good now.

My Dad uses his computer to help us do our homework, to plan summer vacations together, to print photos of our trips and we also got to see all of these really cool photos sent by Cmdre Hadfield from the space station on Twitter. He takes good care of all of us, even my grandpa and my grandma because they have been sick a lot lately. He buys my Mom flowers and takes her out for dinner sometimes too. His computer is old so I know he would love a new computer and printer. I hope you will pick him for your contest and that you will get to meet him, as he really is a great Dad.

Yours truly,

Mason”

Thank you, Mason, for your amazing entry. Your Dad sounds like a great person and I hope he enjoys his extra Father’s Day gift this year. Now, go upstairs and brush your teeth!

Thank you to HP Canada for allowing me to host this incredible giveaway and for giving me a chance to see all of these amazing stories. For more information about the HP Envy x2, you can visit HP’s Website.

Disclosure: I received compensation for my participation in this program.

A Dad’s Guide To Being Completely Unstylish

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Sherriff Woody

This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and Philips “Win a $1,600 Makeover for the Man in Your Life” program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors.

To say that I am not stylish may just be the understatement of the century. Every time I flip through my old high school yearbook’s, I am reminded of why I didn’t have as many dates as some of the other fellas did. I was the guy that wore black track pants and a t-shirt, every single day. I had/have amazing parents, who gave me pretty much everything I could ask for, but if I have to pick one criticism about my youth, it’s that I wasn’t forced encouraged to dress a little hipper.

Until I met my wife, at age 20, I didn’t even own a single pair of jeans. It even took her about 3 years to convince me that jeans were kind of cool. It was weird going from a closet filled with way to bright khaki’s, to a closet filled with way to bright khaki’s and one pair of jeans. I’m happy to report that I now have an entire arsenal of different fits of jeans and wear them with pride.

Nice Watch!

Nice Watch!

I wish I could say that it was just clothes that I had an issue with, but, you know…

Is She Really Going Out With Hiiiim?

Is She Really Going Out With Hiiiim?

I know, I know, she’s beautiful, right? What was she doing with this guy? For the record, I knew HOW to shave; I just didn’t necessarily do it all that often. You’ll also note the way too bright khaki pants again. And the hilarious glasses. And the crazy hair cut… Alright, enough laughing!

It’s not all bad news though. I got a little wiser about my choices as I grew older and can now say that I at least look presentable in most situations. I still have a long way to go before I could ever be considered “cool”, but I’m learning more every day and I have no doubt that I will be the sharpest dressed cat in my retirement complex someday.

I guess you’re probably wondering why I am humiliating myself on purpose like this. The simple answer is that I have no idea. The real answer, however, is that this is my story after reading about YummyMummyClub.ca’s Philips Father’s Day Makeover contest! One lucky Dad is going to win a $1600 makeover courtesy of Philips and their new SensoTouch 3D Wet and Dry electric razor. Details on entering are below and I wish you the best of luck in topping my style disaster. How about one more picture for good measure?

Why Am I Sharing These?!

Why Am I Sharing These?!

Live in the Toronto area and think you’re in dire need of a makeover? YMC and Philips are giving away a $1,600 makeover that includes being whisked away via private car service to a spa day for you and your partner! Plus you’ll dine at Morton’s Steakhouse and receive a Philips SensoTouch 3D Wet and Dry electric razor. The Philips SensoTouch 3D is the first 3D, wet and dry electric shaver that minimizes pressure and skin irritation. It’s one tool that does it all! Go to YMC’s Facebook Page to enter.

Win An HP Envy x2 With Printer In The “HP Loves Dads” Giveaway!

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HP Envy X2 Laptop Tablet

This Father’s Day, HP Canada would like to give one of my readers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to think outside the box and win a brand-new HP ENVY x2 and HP ENVY 120 e-All-in-One printer. You are invited to participate in the “HP Loves Dads” Father’s Day Gift Challenge. To enter, you must complete ONE of the following THREE TASKS:

1. HP Loves Dads: Nominate a special father in your life and share why they should receive a new HP ENVY x2 and HP ENVY 120 printer for Father’s Day. Please explain how your father would use the new PC and printer in their everyday life, to balance being productive and staying connected with their loved ones. You can express your nomination through words, photos and captions, or video.

2. Dad’s First Gadget: Nominate a special father in your life and share what his first tech gadget was and what it meant to him.

3. Think It! Make It! Build It!: Create a unique, personalized Father’s Day gift and share it with me. It could be an old, cherished jersey, niftily framed for dad’s “man cave”, a recipe book of dad’s favourite dishes, or a video of the kids doing a choreographed dance created especially for dad. You will be required to share step-by-step instructions on how you created the project and will need to provide a photo or video of the finished Father’s Day gift once complete.

The winning entry, as chosen by me and a panel of great Dads in my life, will be featured on the blog, along with step-by-step instructions on how to recreate it at home, a couple of days before Father’s Day. Sound good?

How To Enter

Entering the giveaway is easy. Simply choose one of the three choices above and email your entry to [email protected], with “HP Loves Dads” as the subject. I will gather all the entries and the winning entry will be posted on the blog by June 14th.

Rules and Regulations

Contest is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. Winner will have 48 hours to respond after being notified and will have to answer a skill testing question. Prizes will be supplied by HP Canada. Contest closes Tuesday, June 12th at 11:59pm.

Disclosure: I received compensation for my participation in this program.

A Huge Father’s Day Giveaway, Courtesy Of Terra20

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Terra20

I’m so excited to be partnering up with North America’s largest eco store, terra20, to bring you an amazing Father’s Day giveaway! They just recently launched their new Tech Zone, which features some amazing products from House of Marley. I have your opportunity to come home a hero this Father’s Day by offering you a chance to win a prize pack valued at $350, which includes the following:

House of Marley Chant Portable Audio System
House of Marley Chant System

 

Take your music with you wherever you go with the Chant portable audio system with Bluetooth. The built-in rechargeable battery and convenient 3.5mm input and included cable make it simple and easy to connect hundreds of devices and fire up your tunes whenever and wherever you need them. Designed and built with natural bamboo wood and durable canvas, recycled plastic, earth friendly metal plating and printing inks.

 

House of Marley Stir It Up Harvest On-Ear Headphones
House of Marley Headphones

 

The Stir It Up Noise-Isolating Headphones offer a real uninterrupted experience. You can hear the bass, the drumbeat and every colourful melody the way they should be heard. They have an on-ear design for exceptional comfort, with a frequency response of 15Hz – 22kHz and a 40-millimeter dynamic moving coil speaker drive for sound reinforcement. Designed and built with recyclable aluminum, FSC certified Beech wood, responsibly tanned leather and canvas. Fabric cord.

 

House of Marley Smile Jamaica Fire In-Ear Headphones with Microphone
House of Marley Ear Buds
 

With the Smile Jamaica noise-isolating earbuds, what you see is what you get. They have stripped the in-ear headphones down to their essence and built them back up using natural materials and recycled plastics. They have an in-ear design for deep bass, with a frequency response of 18Hz – 20kHz for authentic sound and a 8-millimeter driver, 16 ohms impedance and a dynamic micro speaker with neodymium magnet for sound reinforcement. Designed and built with FSC certified sapele and beech wood and recyclable aluminum. Fabric cord.

 

I know, I’m making uncharacteristic grunting noises right now. Ladies, as a husband, father and owner of these three items, all I can say is “Please win this for the husband or father in your life!” And, fellas, I won’t blame you for entering this one yourselves.

HOW TO ENTER

Here’s how it works. All you have to do is pop on over to terra20’s amazing online shop, find one thing you would love for yourself and leave a comment with the item and the link from the shop page. That’s it. I will draw a winner at 3pm on Friday, June 14th.

RULES & REGULATIONS

This contest is open to residents of Ottawa and surrounding area (If you can pick up the prize in store, you can enter). The winner must be able to pick up the prize pack at the terra20 store at 2685 Iris St. Ottawa, Ontario K2C 3S4. One entry per household. Good Luck!

You can also visit terra20 on Facebook and Twitter for more great deals and information on their product line.

My Summertime Reading List and Subliminal Father’s Day Wish List

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#cbias

As a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community, I was asked to pick out a few of my favourite Summer reads from Chapters and share them with you as part of a #cbias campaign. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client, Chapters.

Only in the past few years have I become more interested in the joys of reading. I realize that sounds weird coming from a grown man but I was so into sports and video games that I never really had time for it. Now with kids, age and gravity all changing the way I looked at the world, I decided to try it out and couldn’t believe what I had been missing out on.

I still remember the exact book that dragged me back from my Hardy Boys days and into and new era of appreciation for books. It was Mo Hayder’s “Birdman” and it is a gruesomely amazing detective thriller. The kind that you never want to put down and that wakes you with nightmares so realistic that you’d swear you were living it. I have read all of her books since and was excited to snag one of her newer ones, “Hanging Hill”, on my latest trip to Chapters.

#cbias

Since that first Mo Hayder book, I have been sampling every genre I can think of in order to find a few that fit. As it turns out, I haven’t been able to narrow down the field too much because there are so many incredible titles throughout all genres. If pressured, I could probably cut it down to murder mysteries and biographies but it would be painful to leave the others behind. The biographies have really been growing on me lately, especially after reading “Always Looking Up” by Michael J. Fox and “Home Game” by Michael Lewis.

With Father’s Day just around the corner, I was excited to see that Chapters had dedicated three separate displays to books for Dad. On one of the displays I found what I believe to be a jewel in the rough, so to speak, in Mike Adamick’s “Dad’s Book of Awesome Projects”. I consider myself to be a novice crafter but this book looks to challenge me to step outside of my home made light sabers and to step up my game to the next level of Fatherhood!

#cbias

Not to be outdone, the kids love a good trip to Chapters as well because on top of the incredible play areas they have set up, they know that a book store is the one place where Daddy can’t say no to a new purchase. I’m not saying I bribe them but the promise of new reading material is an excellent way to get them to behave while Daddy shops for his literary needs.

#cbias

I have to admit that I may have gone a little overboard on my latest shopping trip but it’s a long summer and once I’m in the beach chair it’s really hard to convince me to get back out of it. Yeah, I’m kind of lazy, wanna fight about it? Sorry about that. Anyway, here is what my shopping bag full of summer reading looks like. Do you recognize any of these titles?

#cbias

Finally, I imagine that we all have a favourite place to read, whether it be in bed, on a park bench or on the beach, and I am no exception to that rule. There is nothing I love more than heading up to the cottage, grabbing a copy of Barbie’s Princess and the Popstar and curling up on a deck chair with my best gal.

#cbias

We had a great time on our shopping trip to Chapters and you can see everything I checked out, which includes my subliminal Father’s Day Wish List, over on my Google+ page! Also, I’d like to know, do you have a favourite genre, author or book? Give me your suggestions in the comments so I can expand my summer library. Happy Reading, My Friends!

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!

Celebrate Father’s Day With A Giveaway From Crown Royal

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I couldn’t think of a better way to ring in another glorious Father’s Day, than to co-host a giveaway with my friends over at Life of Dad.

But this is not just any giveaway. No! It’s one that is near and dear to my heart. My father, who passed away in 2007, may have been one of Crown Royal’s biggest fans. He wasn’t a heavy drinker by any means, but he loved everything Crown Royal had to offer. He had the cool cups, the bottle openers, the glass mirror, all of it!

I couldn’t think of a better way to honour him this Father’s Day, than to give you the thing I bought him every year since my licence said I was legally allowed.

But that’s enough about me, let’s hear a word from our sponsor!

Crown Royal XR is the second variant in the Crown Royal Extra Rare Whisky Series made from the remaining whiskies of the renowned LaSalle Distillery in Montreal.

The new liquid was crafted with a celebration in mind – whether celebrating the birth of a child, helping a buddy christen that new boat or simply enjoying the fact you finally made a pot of chili to rival your old man’s, there are certain moments in life so special, they warrant a drink as rare as the moment itself.

Developed by Crown Royal Master Blender Andrew MacKay, the exquisite 80 proof blend (40% ABV) is crafted with a small reserve of the final batch of LaSalle whiskies to create a refined fusion of dried fruits and honey in a harmonious balance with the spicy notes of Canadian rye. The finish is exquisite with an elegant touch of cocoa and brown sugar.

You can get more in for on this and other Crown Royal products over at their Facebook Page as well.

Now, Are you ready?

The Terms and Conditions are listed below but here’s some basic ground rules. The contest is open to Canada (Excluding Quebec) and the USA (excluding Hawaii & Alaska). You must be 21 years of age or older to enter.

Good Luck and please remember to always, always, always Drink Responsibly!