Posts

Cirque Du Soleil Corteo

Win A Family 4-Pack To Opening Night Of Cirque Du Soleil’s Corteo!

/82 Comments/in , , /by

Disclosure, I was provided with tickets to the show in exchange for this post.

It wasn’t until my daughter started gymnastics a few years ago that I could truly appreciate the beauty and difficulty of a Cirque Du Soleil show. I’m sure that sounds ridiculous because of course it’s difficult to do what they do, but after seeing my daughter break her arm on a relatively common gymnastics move, I can’t imagine the skill and concentration it must take to fly through the air, gripping only a piece of metal or cloth the way the Cirque performers do!

In fact, up until recently, I thought there were open tryouts for Cirque Du Soleil and had even started putting together my audition portfolio. As it turns out, being really good at softball and a decent all around athlete in your youth does not qualify you for Cirque fame… Oh well, I’m sure I’ll be able to use these photos for something else down the road.

Canadian Dad Cirque Du Soleil Audition

A post shared by Chris Read (@canadiandadblog) on

While a career in acrobatics may not be in my future, I will certainly be attending the upcoming Cirque Du Soleil show, Corteo, with my family when it comes to my hometown of Ottawa from June 27 to July 1 at the Canadian Tire Centre this summer. To celebrate it’s arrival, I want you to be able to enjoy the show, too!! If you’d like to win a Family 4-Pack of tickets to opening night of the show in Ottawa, simply fill out as many entries as you’d like on the Rafflecopter form below and I’ll choose a winner in a couple weeks!

“Join the parade and get carried away with life!”

CORTEO brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth. You can get a sneak peek of the show by checking out this Cirque Du Soleil’s Corteo Trailer!

If this is your first time attending a Cirque Du Soleil show, I am so excited for you and promise you will be counting the minutes until they return again! Hope to see you there!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rogers Huawei P10

Ringing In The New Year With A Giveaway From Rogers & Huawei Mobile Canada!!

/451 Comments/in , , /by

Happy New Year!! After a much needed break from the internet, I am happy to be back for another amazing year of writing, videos and hijinx!! First things first though, I wanted to help you get your new year off on the right foot by bringing you a number of different giveaways on my various social channels!

Thanks to my friends at Rogers, I have a pile of goodies to share with all of you and I can’t wait to give it all away! I’m starting things off right here with the biggest of the prizes by giving away the Huawei P10 smartphone and accessory kit, courtesy of Huawei Mobile Canada!! That’s right, you didn’t get that new phone you were hoping for this Christmas? No worries, Rogers and I have you covered!

Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll be bringing home with you as the winner of the giveaway! I’d love to take the credit for this but it is all Rogers and Huawei Mobile Canada’s doing, so be sure to thank them!

All you have to do to enter is fill out as many of the Rafflecopter options as you’d like and I’ll select a winner in a couple weeks! The giveaway is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. Good luck and all the best in 2018!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win A Maplelea Girls Doll Just In Time For The Holidays!

/140 Comments/in , , /by

Our daughter has never really been interested in toys. Of course, we still bought her all the toys and then watched as they mostly went ignored and un-played with. It makes sense considering she spends 20 hours a week in competitive gymnastics, which leaves little time for toys. The one exception to this rule, however, is when it comes to her Maplelea Girls dolls.

She takes her Maplelea dolls, Taryn and Alexi, everywhere she goes and I often wonder whether she is a better parent to them than we are to her and her brother… I kid, of course, but she really, really loves playing with her dolls and I absolutely love hearing the imaginative things she comes up with for them. We even held a big birthday party for Taryn last year, with restaurant singing and all! Check it out!

Honestly, how great was Lonestar for playing along and making our daughter’s night there? Just awesome! As you can see, the love for her Maplelea Girls is very real and we couldn’t be happier that she has something in her life that fosters this kind of creativity. I do have to admit being a little bit jealous though, as Taryn and Alexi have way more clothes than I do…but that’s a story for another time!

Maplelea Girls Doll

I’m so excited to have the opportunity to give the gift of a Maplegirls Girls doll to one of you, to help make your child’s day a little brighter! All you have to do to enter is fill out as many of the Rafflecopter entries you feel like and I’ll choose a winner in a couple weeks. Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Maplelea sent my daughter a new doll (Alexi) in exchange for our participation in this giveaway, which scored me a huge amount of dad cred!

Sears Canada Back To School

Win A $300 Sears Canada Gift Card In Time For Back To School!

/372 Comments/in , , /by

There may still be a couple weeks of summer left but it’s Back To School shopping season for parents! Whether you’re sad to see summer come to an end or excited to get back to a structured schedule, you can’t escape the fact that clothing and accessories need to be acquired and I’m going to send you on a Sears Canada shopping spree to help you get it all done!

Sears Canada holds a place close to my heart as my grandmother worked there for years and would take me there on the bus at least once a week for many, many years of my youth. I don’t remember much from those years but I do remember hanging in the shoe department and the fact that she used to have a bag full of used tissues that she’d pull out to clean my face. I know that has nothing to do with Sears, I just wanted to throw it in there…

Where was I?? Oh yeah, I took the kids to Sears Canada this week to do our back to school shopping and while I’ll be writing about the full experience later in the week, I can say that I was amazed at how much stuff we were able to get for the budget we had set. I was also impressed with the Sears private label clothing line, as were my kids, which you can see in the above photo.

So, how do you win this amazing shopping experience?? Simply fill out as many of the Rafflecopter entries you feel comfortable with and I’ll draw the winning name in a weeks time! Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Netflix Logo

5 Reasons Why Netflix Is Crushing It Right Now {Plus a Giveaway!}

/86 Comments/in , , /by

As I have recently come to find out, there are many things to love about Netflix. So many, in fact, that I had to narrow down my list to the top 5 or run the risk of writing a 300 page novel.

1. Netflix Kids – We love the Netflix Kids option in our house because while my kids are old enough to turn on the TV and set up Netflix by themselves, I feel a lot better knowing that they are going to be selecting shows that are appropriate for their ages. Some favourites in our house are H2O Mermaid Adventures, LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Friends and Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse. Also, once Fuller House is released I can promise you that my daughter will have it playing on a loop!

2. Documentaries – Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have heard about the polarizing Netflix original documentary ‘Making a Murderer’, which follows the murder investigation of Steven Avery, who had recently been exonerated for a crime that he spent 18 years in jail for. Hopefully the popularity of this documentary will lead people to explore what else Netflix has to offer. I have already watched Happy, Forensic Files and Cosmos, and have Trophy Kids, I Am Ali and Best of TED Talks on tap!

3. Original Programming – What was once solely a streaming service has quickly turned into one of my favourite sources for television shows. In just the last year I have loved Daredevil, Bloodline, Narcos, The Last Kingdom, Jessica Jones and Wet Hot American Summer. That’s only 6 of the many shows that Netflix has produced and the list of shows for 2016, including Marvel’s Luke Cage, looks even more incredible!

4. Great TV Shows – Here is a short list of shows that my wife and I have binged watched on Netflix. Breaking Bad, Pretty Little Liars, How To Get Away With Murder, House of Lies, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Suits and Gotham. Oh yeah, there’s also the cancelled shows they’ve revived such as The Killing and Arrested Development, which were both fantastic! You will literally never run out of great shows to watch on Netflix and it is definitely worth the investment!

5. Kung Fury – I’m not sure what to say about Kung Fury other than that it is a must watch for anyone who loved 80’s martial arts and police movies. The 30 minute short film is the closest thing you will experience to being on drugs without actually being on drugs and will blow your mind. Please go watch this, urgently!!

GIVEAWAY!

Now, who wants to win a 6 month Netflix membership so you can test out the service for yourself? Winning is easy, simply leave a comment below and let me know what your favourite television series of all-time is and I’ll pick a winner next week. Good Luck!!!

The Winner is #76, Hannah!

Random Netflix Winner

Playstation 4 Star Wars Bundle Giveaway

Put A Limited Edition Disney Infinity 3.0 : Star Wars™ 500GB PlayStation 4 Bundle Under The Tree This Year! {Giveaway}

/650 Comments/in , , /by

I’m sure you had to check that title a couple of times to ensure that you read it correctly. Well, it’s true! One lucky Canadian Dad reader is going to take home a Limited Edition Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars™ 500GB PlayStation®4 Bundle and I couldn’t be happier to be able to provide this gift!

I have been a gamer for as long as I can remember, spending many, many hours finishing levels, winning fictional sports championships and playing online against people from all around the world. You can imagine my excitement now that my 7 year old son wants to play video games with me. I thought it was going to be tough holding back while he learned the controls but when it comes to video games, kids seem to have a 6th sense. In no time at all he was crushing me in our favourite racing games and keeping me in check while we played our hockey games on PlayStation.

The amount of bonding we’ve done while playing PlayStation4 together is precisely the reason why I am so excited to be able to give the gift of gaming to one of your families! PlayStation Canada has a stacked lineup of great titles this holiday season at a selection of price points, from new releases, amazing franchise collections and more, so the lucky winner and their family will likely never be bored ever again!

GIVEAWAY RULES AND INFORMATION

Alright, let’s get down to it! Before you enter using the Rafflecopter form below, please carefully look over the giveaway rules and regulations document. This giveaway will run for 3 days and is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. The Winner will be chosen at random via the Rafflecopter application. Winner will be contacted via email, will have 48 hours to respond and must answer a skill testing question to claim their prize. The prize is as follows:

PS4 Star Wars Bundle

Limited Edition Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars™ 500GB PlayStation®4 Bundle Bundle contains:

• Darth Vader inspired PlayStation®4 and DualShock®4 Wireless Controller
• Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars Edition Bundle Kit
• Rise Against the Empire Play Set Pack including Luke and Leia figures
• Rise Against the Empire Play Set Piece, Boba Fett
• A voucher containing four Star Wars Classics: Super Star Wars™, Star Wars™: Racer Revenge, Star Wars™: Jedi Starfighter, and Star Wars™ Bounty Hunter

MSRP: $469.96.
Fore more information on PlayStation, visit any of the following:

PlayStation Canada Website
PlayStation Canada’s Twitter
PlayStation Canada’s Facebook Page
PlayStation Canada’s Instagram

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this program.

Quaker The Recital Giveaway

Win A Quaker Prize Pack Including $250 In Gift Cards!

/164 Comments/in , , /by

To celebrate my participation in Quaker’s campaign for their “The Recital” video, they are letting me give away this amazing prize pack to one lucky reader! This campaign has been really eye opening for me in that it has got me thinking about how easy it is to fall into a routine with our kids. Don’t get me wrong, routines are great and all but I think we still need to step outside the box every now and then to show our kids that it is okay to take risks.

I hope you enjoy this giveaway, picture above, and also take a minute to watch and share The Recital video again. I really love the new trend of emotional marketing, especially when it involves dads! This giveaway is not open to residents of Quebec and I’ll select a winner on September 24th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Schick Drive Free

How Would You Like To Drive Free For A Year?

/1 Comment/in , , /by

I bet you thought I was joking with a title like that, didn’t you? In case you hadn’t realized it before, owning a vehicle can get pretty expensive. Between rising gas prices, insurance and depreciation, I often think I’m going to need a second job just to afford staying on the road. The folks over at Schick® understand this reality as well and decided to launch the Schick® Drive Free For A Year giveaway so that one lucky driver could stop worrying about car bills for a whole year! Seeing as how that person cannot be me, I wanted to share this news with all of you in hopes that one of you are named the winner. Imagine how great it would be to drive me all over the place as a thank you for sharing this amazing contest with you? I know I can’t wait!!

I can feel how excited you are getting right now so I’m just going to cut right to the chase. Here are the steps you need to complete in order to win:

Step 1 – Look for participating products in your favourite stores. Then, check for a yellow “Drive Free for a Year” sticker. Also, you can win without making a purchase by writing a 50 word essay on “Why Schick® is my Preferred Brand” and mail it to: The Schick Drive Free for a Year Grand Prize Draw and Instant Win Promotion (Request for No Purchase unique PIN number), Dept 3112, Box 9500 Lakeshore West PO, Oakville ON, L6K 0G4. Let’s be honest though, it’s much easier to stock up on razors, am I right??

Step 2 – Visit the Schick® We Set You Free website, click on the Drive Free tab and register for the contest. It’s quick and easy – takes only 5 minutes. Or, if you’re already registered, just sign in.

Step 3 – Now it’s time to enter your PIN. Be sure to check that it’s a yellow “Drive Free for a Year” sticker. You could win great prizes instantly (over 2400 of them) – plus every PIN is an entry into the Grand Prize draw to Drive Free for a Year!

To sum that all up, buy the product, enter the code, win stuff! You can visit the Schick® We Set You Free website for more details and don’t forget to follow the @FreeYourSkinCA Twitter handle for more info and giveaways during the Drive Free campaign!

Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this program, however I seriously considered turning it down after realizing that this blocked me from entering. I also seriously expect one of you to drive me around if you win…

TropicanaBottledSummer Prize Pack

Win A Tropicana Summer Prize Pack! #TropicanaBottledSummer

/161 Comments/in , , /by

The summer of winning continues here at Canadian Dad HQ and next on the list is the sweet prize pack above from Tropicana! On top of the fun summer toys in the prize pack, Tropicana have even thrown in a $50 PC gift card to get your next BBQ off on the right foot! Also, while I have you here I would like to admit that I singlehandedly drank all the Tangerine Lemonade that Tropicana sent me to share with my family. No, I am not proud of myself. Yes, it was so good that I would probably do it again. Go buy some for yourself and you’ll see what I’m talking about. While your out, you should definitely also try Tropicana’s new Watermelon Fruit Drink because it is the perfect compliment to any summer outing.

Back to the business at hand, all you have to do to enter is fill out as many of the entry methods as you feel like in the Rafflecopter form below and I’ll draw a winner on July 17th. Giveaway is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec (I’m so sorry, Quebec, I am a huge Montreal Canadiens fan and this stings every time). Go get it, folks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received compensation for my participation in Tropicana’s campaign. That said, I actually hid in the garage at one point and drank the Tangerine Lemonade straight out of the bottle so my wife and kids wouldn’t see me…

GoodLife Fitness Membership

Project #DadFit – Win a 1 Month Membership To GoodLife Fitness!

/28 Comments/in , , , /by

So, this exercise thing is pretty fun once you get into a rhythm, isn’t it? I have been making my weekly trips to GoodLife Fitness and have even convinced my wife to start coming with me. Having the on-site daycare service has been a life saver, literally I guess. Next week I am going to start weight training, which is scary and exciting at the same time, so we’ll see how that goes!

Also, in order to celebrate the opening of a new GoodLife Fitness at 900 Exhibition Way, Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, I am giving away a 1 month Membership to a GoodLife Fitness near you! All you have to do to enter is fill out as many of the options as you’d like on the Rafflecopter form below and I’ll select a winner on July 6th. Good Luck and don’t forget to get your sweat on!

a Rafflecopter giveaway