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Marks Giveaway

Win A $100 Mark’s Gift Card

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Last week I talked about the reasons you need to invest in a good pair of shoes and now I want to help you with that investment by giving you the chance to win a $100 gift card to Mark’s! Don’t want to use it on shoes? That’s fine, too, because it’s your money and who am I to tell you what to do with it?!

I’ve made it easy to enter the giveaway. Simply fill out as many of the below options as you’d like and I’ll draw a winner on July 2nd. Sorry, Quebec, our giveaway relationship will be staying dicey on this one as you are not eligible to win. If you want to get a head start on what you are going to buy with your gift card, you can visit the Mark’s website to browse all of their great products! Good Luck!

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Inside Out Disney Pixar

Win Passes To The Ottawa Screening Of Disney Pixar’s Inside Out!

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I don’t know about your family but my kids and I are extremely excited about the new Disney Pixar movie, Inside Out! We’ll be heading to a special screening of the movie on June 17th and I want you to be there too! Disney has given me a family 4 pack of tickets to giveaway to one of my Ottawa area readers and entering couldn’t be easier!

Simply leave a comment below and let me know what your family’s favourite Disney movie is and I’ll draw a winner’s name on June 14th! Easy, right?! Now, check out the trailer and description below so you can get even more excited about Inside Out!

INSIDE OUT

Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head? Disney•Pixar’s original new film “Inside Out” ventures inside the mind to find out.

Based in Headquarters, the control center inside 11-year-old Riley’s mind, five Emotions are hard at work, led by lighthearted optimist Joy (voice of Amy Poehler), whose mission is to make sure Riley stays happy. Fear (voice of Bill Hader) heads up safety, Anger (voice of Lewis Black) ensures all is fair and Disgust (voice of Mindy Kaling) prevents Riley from getting poisoned—both physically and socially. Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith) isn’t exactly sure what her role is, and frankly, neither is anyone else.

When Riley’s family relocates to a scary new city, the Emotions are on the job, eager to help guide her through the difficult transition. But when Joy and Sadness are inadvertently swept into the far reaches of Riley’s mind—taking some of her core memories with them—Fear, Anger and Disgust are left reluctantly in charge. Joy and Sadness must venture through unfamiliar places—Long Term Memory, Imagination Land, Abstract Thought and Dream Productions—in a desperate effort to get back to Headquarters, and Riley.

Directed by Academy Award® winner Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.”, “Up”), produced by Jonas Rivera, p.g.a. (“Up”) and featuring an original score by Michael Giacchino (“The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “Up”), Disney•Pixar’s “Inside Out” opens in theatres on June 19, 2015.

Kinder Canada Eggs Minions Movie

Make Your Very Own Kinder Surprise Minion Crafts!

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I know I promised you an amazing Minions themed Kinder Surprise giveaway but in honour of the 11 new Minions toys inside specially marked KINDER® SURPRISE® Classic eggs I wanted to show you a very cool and very easy craft you can do with your kids! Follow along with the pictures below to create your very own Kinder Minions!

Step #1 – Gather your supplies. In this case you will need an empty Kinder Surprise Egg, scissors, a sharpie, googly eyes, glue, a piece off some old jeans and glue.

Kinder Egg Minions 1

Step #2 – Use the sharpie to draw a band across the top of your Kinder Surprise Egg.

Kinder Egg Minions 2

Step #3 – Glue a googly eye in the middle of the band and draw a smile and hair on your minion.

Kinder Egg Minions 3

Step #4 – Cut some pieces off the jeans and glue them to the bottom of your minion to make pants! (Parents beware, jeans are tough to cut! You may want to help here.)

Kinder Egg Minions 4

Step #5 – Let your minions dry and they are ready to go looking for a new master!

Kinder Egg Minions 5

MINIONS THEMED KINDER SURPRISE GIVEAWAY!!

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Good Luck and also, don’t forget to visit the Kinder Canada Facebook Page on Friday, May 22 for a chance to win four tickets to see the Minions movie in theatres when it comes out this July!

DISCLOSURE: I’m a #KinderMom/Maman/Dad who is part of the KINDER® Canada influencer team; as part of my affiliation with KINDER® Canada, I am provided with special perks and products.

COOKINA Prize Pack

Win A COOKINA Prize Pack! #WhatsOnYourGrill

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You’ve heard me go on and on about the COOKINA Barbecue Reusable Grilling Sheet and now I’m giving you the chance to win some of your own! I wish there were a way for me to put into words how much the COOKINA grilling sheet has helped me on the barbecue but I think I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Cookina Grilling Sheet Steak Vegetables

A few weeks ago that steak would have looked like a charred mess and I probably wouldn’t even have attempted it. Ever since I started using the COOKINA Grilling Sheet my confidence on the BBQ has skyrocketed! I know this sounds like an infomercial but I am so excited about my new found confidence that I want everyone to know how great this product is! Because of the COOKINA “What’s On Your Grill” campaign, no longer will I scrape the leftover food from my grill and wonder what bacteria is left lurking!

Cookina Barbecue Logo

WIN A COOKINA PRIZE PACK!

Now it’s your turn to be a star on the grill! I have an amazing COOKINA Prize Pack (Pictured Above) to giveaway to one lucky reader and entering is easy! Here’s what you need to do:

1. Take a photo showing me what’s cooking on your grill.

2. Share that photo on social media, with a description of what it is, in one of the following ways. You can tweet it to me @CanadianDadBlog with the hashtag #WhatsOnYourGrill, OR, share it on the Canadian Dad Facebook Page with the #WhatsOnYourGrill hashtag.

That’s it! The important thing to remember is the #WhatsOnYourGrill hashtag as that’s how I will sort the entries. I will draw a winner from all valid entries on May 24th. You must be a Canadian resident to enter. Happy Grilling!

Disclosure: I received compensation for my participation in the #WhatsOnYourGrill campaign, however the COOKINA grilling sheet really has changed the way I cook and I can’t say enough good things about it!

#PringlesDuckLip Pringles Prize Pack

Show Me Your #PringlesDuckLip And Win A Huge Pringles Prize Pack!

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I introduced you to the #PringlesDuckLip campaign last week with our Duckvengers trailer and now it’s your turn to join in for a chance to win! Your prize? See all those Pringles tins in the photo above? All yours!

For your chance to win the Pringles Prize Pack and possibly be featured in the #PringlesDuckLip documentary, all you have to do is follow these steps:

1. Take a #PringlesDuckLip photo or video and post it to Twitter, Instagram and/or Facebook. (Check out my ‘DuckDevil’ example below)

2. Remember to use the #PringlesDuckLip tag and also tag me @CanadianDadBlog on Twitter and/or Instagram in order to be entered to win. If you share on Facebook, you can simply post the picture on my Canadian Dad page and use the #PringlesDuckLip tag.

Everyone who posts a photo or video will be entered to win a Pringles Prize Pack valued at over $200! I will also be sharing a few of my favourites along the way so remember to get creative with your entries. Good Luck! I will be selecting a winner on May 24th.

DuckDevil Pringles

You can follow along with all the #PringlesDuckLip fun by visiting the Pringles Canada Facebook Page or @PringlesCA on Twitter.

*Please note that any content/entries submitted by participants through their networks could potentially appear in #PringlesDuckLip video (airing on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) and Pringles owns rights to use of any materials for use on Pringles social media sites, in media and marketing materials and/or on their respective websites*

Disclosure: I received compensation for my participation in this campaign

Keurig 2.0 K400 Brewing System

Win A Keurig 2.0 K400 Brewing System!

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I thought there would no better way to spread some holiday cheer than to give away a brand new Keurig 2.0 K400 Brewing System! We have been using the Keurig 2.0 since it came out and have been loving the ability to brew a full pot of coffee with it. We also just picked up the new heated carafe and I’ve been highly caffeinated ever since.

Now it’s your turn to try out the new Keurig 2.0 K400 Brewing System! All you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter form below and I’ll notify the winner via email. Giveaway is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. Good luck and have an amazing holidays!!

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Also, don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list so you don’t miss out on subscriber only contests and promotions!

Kinder Surprise Advent Pack

How Would You Like A Kinder Surprise For The Holidays?

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You may remember back in September that I talked about my role as a Kinder Dad. In that post I talked about how much I enjoyed “borrowing” my children’s Kinder Surprise Eggs. Well, now instead of borrowing their chocolate, I am passing it on to you guys!

That’s right, after my children fell asleep last night, I stole all of their Kinder Surprise Eggs, their Kinder Advent Calendar and some other goodies, packaged them up and got them ready to be shipped to one of you! Here is a detailed list of the things you will be receiving from my children if you are chosen as the winner.

The prize pack (ARV $34) includes:

One KINDER® Advent Calendar
One KINDER® Hollow Santa with SURPRISE®
One KINDER® SURPRISE® 100g Christmas egg
One KINDER® SURPRISE® MAXI 150g egg

Shazam! That’s a lot of awesome all rolled into one! All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form below and promise that you will not tell my children that I gave you all their chocolate! Good Luck!!

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Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in the #KinderDad program. Also, I did not steal my children’s KINDER eggs because I am not a monster. Okay, I have maybe ate some of their chocolate in the past but only because I felt they had too much and that it could upset their tummies. Otherwise, I do not make a habit of stealing from my kids. Often.

Quaker Chewy for Charity

I Cannot Be Trusted Around Children’s Snacks

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“Did you seriously eat all of the granola bars?”, my wife asked the question even though she already knew the answer.
“Pffwhuuht?”, I replied, mouth full of granola.

This is a regular conversation in our house and while I know that I am not supposed to eat the kid’s school snacks, I just can’t help myself. One turns into three and the next thing I know the whole package is gone. I mean, sure, my new #DadFit routine has helped me curb my appetite a bit but I still get that itch from time to time and when it happens, you can kiss the snacks goodbye!

Just when I thought I was starting to shake this habit, I found out about the Quaker “Chewy for Charity” initiative and got sucked right back in! Quaker is asking families across Canada to get creative for charity. Parents and children can get involved by creating a Canadian-inspired artwork, take a picture and turn it into a unique and personal lunch bag design at ChewyForCharity.ca.

For every lunch bag design submitted and approved, Quaker Canada will donate the equivalent of 10 pounds of food to Food Banks Canada. Food Banks Canada reports that 36 per cent of the estimated 1.7 million Canadians who turned to food banks in 2013 were children and youth.

Quaker Chewy for Charity Art Party Kit Giveaway!

While my kids and I create our submissions for charity, here is a fun giveaway for some great art supplies from Quaker Chewy! The winner will receive: Chewy Product – 2x Chocolate Chip, 2x Yogurt, Markers, Paints and brushes, Pipe Cleaners, Pencil crayons, Glue, 5 Canvases, Popsicle Sticks, Basket for storage. There is also a picture of the kit below. Good Luck and don’t forget to send in a drawing to help Food Banks Canada!

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Quaker Chewy for Charity Art Kit

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

Fellowes Canada AeraMax 300

Fellowes Canada AeraMax 300 Air Purifier {Review & Giveaway}

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This week I had the opportunity to try out the Fellowes Canada AeraMax 300 Air Purifier and wanted to share a few thoughts about my experience with it. If I’m being perfectly honest, I had never considered purchasing an air purifier in the past, mostly due to the fact that I didn’t really know what the benefits were.

That said, it was definitely encouraging to read this statement from the President & CEO of the Asthma Society of Canada, Robert Oliphant, who said, “The new AeraMax air purifiers are the only such devices in Canada which have been scientifically tested and proven to be Asthma & Allergy Friendly. Investing in a quality air purifier is an essential tool for reducing allergens in your home, helping to minimize asthma and allergy symptoms.”

My wife has a pretty bad hay fever allergy that affects her quality of sleep (which in turn affects my sleep), so we were excited to get the AeraMax 300 hooked up and running. Having never used an air purifier before, I was skeptical about whether it would do anything to help, but after only a couple nights we both noticed a dramatic decrease in the amount of times we were woken due to coughing. In fact, when we put the AeraMax 300 on our main floor, the one that houses our guinea pigs, we noticed not only that our family’s noses were less stuffy but also that those dust particles you see floating around were almost completely gone. I’m no air purifier expert, but I do know change when I see it and there has been a clear improvement in the air quality in our house.

I just wanted to share a couple more quick notes about the AeraMax 300. Much like Baby, air purifiers do not like to be put in the corner, so make sure you find a fairly open space, in the room that needs it most, so that it can do its job. Also, although the AeraMax 300 looks a lot like a slim R2D2, it will not interact with you no matter how many Star Wars reference you make to it. On the other hand, its Four-Stage Purification System captures 99.7% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, which is way more useful to your family. Without trying it out for myself, I had no idea that there were so many benefits to purifying my air and now I don’t know how we managed without it!

Now, who wants to win one of these amazing Fellowes Canada AeraMax 300 Air Purifiers?! Check out the form below to enter!

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Best Buy Preschool Back to School

Celebrate Back To School At Best Buy {And Win A $250 Gift Card!}

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Let’s get this out of the way right away. This post is sponsored by Best Buy but the words come from me, a father who will be watching both of his children attend full time school for the first time this year! Needless to say, I am slightly emotional about seeing them both off on their first days but know that they are going to do great! I am made slightly less stressed out in knowing that we have equipped them with all the gear they are going to need in order to succeed in their new adventure.

When Best Buy contacted me, I actually had no idea that they carried so many back to school supplies for kids from preschool to high school. I am also happy to note that they are fully stocked for all your child’s Frozen needs as well, something that was much appreciated by my daughter… For my son, I managed to get all of his pencils, scissors, glue and even some Home Presence Bento Lunch Boxes for both kids! Oh, and I did all of this online where you can choose to have it shipped or reserve it and then pick it up in store.

On top of all that, the Best Buy Mobile selection is huge and also helped me find some really cool Back to School apps, such as:

Hurray For Pre-K: This a book app that introduces preschoolers to an exciting peek at a Pre-K day and is a great way for parents to help reduce child anxiety about preschool.

Cozi Family Organizer: I’ve actually been using this one for a couple years and love it. Cozi helps to manage the chaos of back-to-school and everyday life with the Cozi scheduling app that allows you to keep track of all family-members’ schedules, share grocery, chore and to-do lists in real time and access, view and update from any mobile device or computer.

myHomework: This will be the first year for homework in our house and myHomework claims to keep your child on track in school by helping to organize classes, assignments, projects, and tests by tracking what’s due and when. A color coding system organizes homework by class. I’m in already!

LunchBag: LunchBag is an app that helps you plan lunches for you and your family, whether at school or at the office. It also has a database of more than 100 lunch items, and you can check each off as they’re made.

With these tools at my disposal, all I have to worry about is my own emotional state as I wave goodbye to my kids this week, and not even Best Buy can fix that! Now that you know where to go for all your Back to School needs, Best Buy wanted to get you started on the right foot by providing you, my loyal readers, with a $250 Best Buy gift card to help with all your mobile needs! To enter, just head to the Rafflecopter form below and complete the appropriate task! Good Luck!

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