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The Art of Making Friends

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Making friends is a tough business. It seems the older you get, the harder it is to put yourself out there, and especially in this digital age where everything you do is out in the open for the world to see.

I can remember back to middle school and the awkwardness of trying to fit in with a particular group. For me, it was such a painful experience that I got to the point where I just kind of shut down and coasted around the halls unnoticed.

High school wasn’t too much different of an experience for me. I certainly had more friends but none that I would have called best friends. They were more like acquaintances. I was just way too uncomfortable in social situations and to risk what I had built in an attempt to be outgoing just seemed irrational.

I figured it would get easier with age and even though there was a point after college that I decided not to be the shy guy anymore, I still found the friend making process incredibly intimidating. The very first blog event I attended consisted of me hiding in the back of the room, near the M&M’s bowl, watching everyone mingling and having fun and wondering how they were doing it.

It certainly couldn’t be as easy as walking up to someone and simply talking to them, could it?

And then it happened. My three year old daughter was at her ballet class, when another young girl approached her and asked bluntly, “Do you want to be my friend?”, to which my daughter giggled and answered “Yes”. And that was that, they were friends. She retold the story a number of times that night, gushing about all the play dates they were going to have, and I remember thinking how easy their friendship transaction had been. Maybe it really was that easy.

I have since adopted this method in my own life and have to say that walking up to someone and saying “Hi”, is a lot less stressful than thinking about it for 3 hours and then walking away. Something to think about.

Win Tickets to Disney Live! Mickey’s Rockin’ Road Show! ~ Ottawa

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I’m not sure about you guys but I know what I’ll be doing on March 9th! Feld Entertainment is bringing Disney Live! Mickey’s Rockin’ Road Show to the National Arts Centre and I’ve got my tickets secured. It’ll be a nice way to pretend we are still at Walt Disney World as we will have just gotten back. Tickets are on sale now, Right Here!

Here’s what the show is all about and a special clip for you to show the kiddies:

Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy set out on a zany road trip where audiences join in and help find the coolest acts around. Along the way, hit a high note with Cinderella; get your bounce on with Tigger; and shout out your loudest “yee-haw” at a hoedown with Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear from Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story! Grab your family for a fun-filled getaway at this live, show-stopping adventure jam-packed with unexpected twists, turns and hijinks —right in your hometown!

How would you like to be a hero and win a Family 4-Pack for the March 9th, 6pm show? Well, I’m going to give you two chances to win and the contest will close next Friday, the 24th at 5pm. Cool? Here we go.

HOW TO ENTER

1. Leave me a comment, telling me who your favourite Disney character is.

2. For a 2nd entry, use the form below to sign up for my mailing list and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did it.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Congrats to our winner, Janette Folkens!

Lego Captures Fatherhood Beautifully

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For those new to the site, from time to time I like to feature commercials that portray fatherhood in a positive light. This tradition has actually resulted in one of my most inspirational moments as a blogger. This past week, I was introduced to a new commercial from LEGO® that captures everything I love about being a father, and I wanted to share it with you all.

The commercial is a simple yet very effective look at everything being a father means to me. LEGO® are the latest in a line of companies who have shifted the way they are marketing to families, specifically fathers. From Tide and Downy to Clorox and Dove Men+ Care, it seems like the days of the bumbling, useless dad are fading quickly and I’m excited to watch the new trend unfold.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this commercial and the new trend of the modern father being represented in a more caring and competent light.

Silent Screams and a Flash of Light

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We tend to take a lot of things for granted in this life. Even those who preach not taking things for granted still do it on occasion and it’s completely natural. Life is busy. We have bills to pay, deadlines to meet, food to put on the table and children to raise, among many other things and sometimes it’s easy to forget the truly important things.

I was reminded of this fact a few weeks ago while I was out running errands with my children. They have always been fascinated with money and the way the light reflects off the coins when they spin them in different directions. Heads or tails has quickly become one of our favourite games, even though we are still working on the losing gracefully part. I will routinely pass them a nickel each to play with while we are in the car, so they can watch the light dance and dream of what they will do with their new found fortunes.

This particular day, however, my daughter had a different plan for the money. As we exited the vehicle to head into a nearby store she began to vomit on the sidewalk. With her having just gotten over a cold and based on the unhealthy food we had just eaten, I didn’t think much about it and went over to hold her while she finished up. Something was off though. She kept digging her hand in her throat and I also noticed that she had stopped breathing. At that moment, my son dropped his nickel on the pavement, reminding me of the fact that I had just handed them money minutes earlier, and her’s was no longer in her hand.

The next 30 seconds felt like 30 years. I saw my life without her flash through my mind as I began to perform the most delicate Heimlich maneuver imaginable. At one point I glanced over at my son and the pale, ghost-like expression on his face let me know that he knew exactly how severe this situation was and it made me focus even harder on making it right. It broke my heart listening to her gasping for air as I attempted to dislodge the coin from her tiny throat, when suddenly I heard the clank of the nickel on the pavement and collapsed to the ground with her in my arms.

She spent the rest of that night in my arms and the next day we had a long family discussion about the dangers of putting coins and other small objects in our mouths. Had it not been for the fact that I keep my first aid training up to date, I don’t know that I could have reacted as quickly as I did and, after many sleepless nights, I don’t care to think anymore about the consequences of that.

Win a $20 Fine Silver Santa Collector Coin From The Royal Canadian Mint

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It will come as no surprise to anyone who has read this blog for any length of time, that I am a complete geek at heart. I love comics and super heroes, but my real love is in collecting. I have had collections of everything from sports cards and stamps to bar coasters and match packs. I also have a love for coins. I mean, we all like money, but I am talking more about the kind of money that you look at as opposed to spend.

I was excited to hear that the Royal Canadian Mint had a new $20 for $20 collection, and even more excited that it included a Santa Claus coin, designed by Canadian artist Jesse Koreck. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce both of my children to one of my passions and it did not disappoint! The minute the kids say the Santa coin, they screamed “Money!!!” and immediately began plotting how they would spend their new fortunes. Okay, so it didn’t go exactly as I planned but they really loved seeing Santa on their money.

I am equally as excited to provide you, my amazing readers, with an opportunity to win one of these limited edition, fine silver, Santa collector coins. All you need to do is enter using the rafflecopter form below! These coins are limited to only three per household and they will sell out fast, so if you want to pick up a couple as gifts, you can do so buy visiting the Royal Canadian Mint’s Website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a Santa coin for my participation in this giveaway.

The RBC Believe in Kids Pledge ~ #RBCKids

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I was just introduced to RBC’s “Believe In Kids Pledge” via some short videos they have put together and admit that they may have tugged at the old heart strings a little bit. Here is a bit about the program, from the RBC Commitment to Kids page:

The RBC Believe in Kids Pledge is a five-year, $100 million commitment to improve the well-being of at least 1 million kids and youth. We believe kids are our future: for our economic prosperity, the health of the planet and the hope of humanity. We believe kids need and deserve our complete commitment so they can be healthy in mind, body and spirit. That’s why we support a wide range of charitable and community health, education, arts and sports programs for children and youth. Because we believe in kids.

I was asked to watch three videos, featuring inspirational stories from children who have been helped by the RBC funded programs, and was asked to share one of them with you. This task was nearly impossible as they were all worthy of sharing, but here is my choice and I will explain why after you watch it. Although, I’m sure most of you will understand why.

With my history of mental illness, Jacob’s story resonated with me on a number of levels, but especially the part where he actually gets help for his illness. All too often, especially with children, help is either not offered or easily accessible, so the illnesses go untreated. I love that RBC is trying to do something to help with this issue and I am always going to be a supporter of anyone who wants to make a difference in the mental health field.

The RBC Believe In Kids Pledge combines the RBC Children’s Mental Health Project, the RBC After School Project and a commitment to Sports, to form an amazing program that is sure to help children across Canada. I hope you will take a minute to check out the RBC YouTube channel, so you can watch all three stories, because they are all worth watching.

This post content is sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada, however the views and opinions expressed herein represent my own and not those of Royal Bank of Canada or any other party and do not constitute financial, legal or other advice.

I Want Mommy!!!

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I work hard at trying to give my kids the same kind of upbringing that I had and that includes my being a very hands on type of father. So you can imagine my surprise recently, when both my children decided that they didn’t want daddy reading their bedtime stories anymore… “I Want Mommy!” they both cried, on consecutive nights.

Let me tell you something about the type of story teller they have for a father. I have worked countless hours practicing my Mater and Dr. Doofenshmirtz impressions, so that come game time, I am ready to go. I don’t just read Pinkalicious, I AM Pinkalicious. Don’t even get me started on how many times I have watched Tinkerbell’s, Pixie Hollow Games, in order to get all the character’s names and voices juuuuust right! And, do they not remember the tears from my dramatic reading of when Barbie became class president and then got a chance to meet the first woman president of the United States?!

Well, just when I thought things couldn’t get any lower for this loving father, my son had one more surprise for me. While the two children fought over who got to have their precious mommy for story time, my son got up and left the room. I assumed he had accepted defeat at the hands of his younger sister, until he returned a minute later with a shiny object in his hand and a proposal for his lil’ sis.

“If you let daddy read your story, I’ll give you this money from my piggy bank”, he bribed as he slyly flashed the shiny nickel before her eyes.

“I WANT DADDY TO READ MY STORY!!” she proclaimed wildly as she snatched up the coin that Canada will probably do away with next.

And there you have it, folks. The pleasure of my company reduced to the cost of a big foot gummy candy. On the bright side, I have a persuasive son, a daughter who wants to make the big bucks and a wife who happily sits upon her throne, for now! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go check the couches for more nickels.

Phineas & Ferb: Mission Marvel DVD ~ Review

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Just when I thought Phineas and Ferb couldn’t get any cooler, they go and team up with the Marvel super heroes and hit it out of the park! I have to admit that there has been more than one occasion where I catch myself watching Phineas and Ferb without any kids around and this DVD will be no exception to that rule. Plus, Super Heroes!

Here’s a quick synopsis of the film:

After Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s latest “-inator” scheme accidentally removes the powers of some very well-known Marvel Super Heroes (Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk), the heroes enter the world of Danville and team up with Phineas and Ferb to relocate their powers, defeat the Marvel Super Villains (Red Skull, MODOK, Whiplash and Venom) – who have also shown up to steal Doofenshmirtz’s power-draining technology – and save Danville from ultimate destruction!

Although I couldn’t get my kids to give an official statement on the DVD, other than that is was good, the glazed stares on two kids who can barely sit through dinner was a ringing endorsement for this one. Plus, any parent who is into super heroes will love it too! Besides, this is MY review, not theirs!

The Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel DVD is on store shelves now and also comes with an In-Packed Collectible Comic Book & exclusive Marvel poster (each DVD will be packaged at random with one of three distinct Marvel posters). I mean, come on, do you really need for me to tell you that this movie is awesome? It’s Phineans & Ferb & Perry & Doofenshmirtz & Super Heroes!!! Do the math and get the DVD!

Mission Marvel Poster 1

A Quick And Easy Canada Day Craft

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Oh Canada Craft

Hello and Happy Canada Day Weekend! Just in case you were looking for something quick and easy to do with the kids, this Canadian Flag hand print craft would make great fridge material or could even be the perfect gift for Mom, Dad, Grandma or Grandpa.

It’s extremely simple. Here’s what you need: Card Stock Paper; Red, Washable Paint; Paint Brush; Kids Hands; Printed Lyrics To “O Canada”; Glue.

QUICK AND EASY STEPS

Cut out a piece of card stock and place it in the center of a full sheet of card stock. Have the kids paint the outer edges of the full sheet, in red paint. Once done, paint the child’s hand and press down in the center of the painted card stock. Let the paint dry, and then let the child glue the lyrics to “O Canada” on the back side.

That’s it, you are done! I hope you all have an amazing Canada Day!!

I Love You 200

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Love You 200

My wife asked my son how much he loved her the other day, and he answered, “I Love You 200!“ We both looked at each other, and then he followed it up with, “That’s a lot”. I spent the last couple of days wondering what that 200 could possibly represent, and these are my best guesses.

* 200 Skylanders. (This is his favourite game and 200 new characters would certainly translate into plenty of love.)

* 200 episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (His favourite TV show. We are both getting tired of watching the same episodes, so 200 new ones would be amazing!)

* 200 cookies. (Should be pretty self explanatory, no? This is something we can get get behind.)

* 200 play dates. (What can I say, this kid loves playing with his friends.)

* $200. (To a 5 year old, $200 probably seems like a million. That’s a lot of love!)

* 200 straight hours of Game of Thrones! (Okay, that one’s for me, but still, amazing!)

* 200 extra days of vacation from work. (**Drool**)

* 200 Pizzas. (This is both my son’s and my favourite food. Just the thought of this gives me the excited goosebumps)

* 200 X’s and O’s. (This is what I hope it stands for. There is no amount of pizza in the world that I would trade in exchange for this one.)

And, there you have it. I really have no clue what he was talking about, but in the end it doesn’t really matter because if he says “I Love You 200” is a lot of love, I have to take his word for it. In all honesty, I think he is smarter than I give him credit for, and this whole thing was an elaborate subliminal plan to get kid points, so he can work his way to actually obtaining the 200 Skylanders he covets. Well, guess what? I will totally take that!