The Eco Dad

Happy New Year! I've made it an entire year without buying anything new. I've received a few new things, purchased a couple new hygienic items (that was in the original disclaimer anyways) and bought a whole lot of used stuff. I've purged a lot of items from my personal belongings, though I have plenty more to go. The one thing I hadn't done, up until today (New Year's eve) is shave with a straight razor. Guess what I did today? Well, I'm still alive, so I got that going for me. I couldn't find a honemeister that would sharpen the blades I have. I couldn't find decent used stones to hone them myself. I was relegated to using the dumpy default one that came with what essentially was a straight razor starter pack I bought used earlier in the year. It sucked. Maybe I sucked at sharpening. I'm not sure. I watched on YouTube as people honed blades and were able to cut a hair by dropping it on the blade. I swear I need a friggin' tetanus shot after

I just noticed it's been approximately 2 months since my last entry. That's pretty piss poor consistency. It's not like I haven't been busy either. I'm sure I had lots to blog about, and out of all that I'm going to provide a vapid post about how I saved money on boxing day - one of the prime consumer 'holidays' next to Black Friday. God help us all. Lately I've been in a creative mood. I've made a refined, personalized coaster using a piece of firewood, a wood burning kit and stain/lacquer (picture not attached). I've tried my hand at making healthy treats, such as vegan, gluten-free mint chocolate bark (picture on my  Instagram account ). I've also made vegetarian (used whey protein powder), gluten-free protein brownies (also on my Instagram account). Maybe I'll post recipes and try to dig up some photos of the coaster, but until then you get the post about fixing jeans. I am sooooo sorry. So, on Boxing Day, instead of going out

I know I haven't been around in a while. I've been pretty busy dadding and whatnot. Things I've managed to do: blow out my left knee, acquire achilles tendonitis and, if all that wasn't bad enough, I just ran a 10k race today and picked myself up two new blisters. Given the lower body ailments, I haven't exactly been on top of my cardio, so of course I thought I was going to die. "Beautiful, scenic hills," is code for death trap. Need to induce a heart attack? Hills. Bit of a masochist, are ya? Hills. Why do this? Because the cause was one close to my heart - SickKids Hospital. My cousin has cerebral palsy and spent some time at that hospital and throughout his various stays there I saw, first hand, the amazing things the staff do there. My two boys had a 50/50 chance of being affected by hemophilia, but as fate would have it, they were born completely healthy and I'm thankful for that every day. Had either of them been affected, we'd have been o

We've all heard the saying that "it's better to give than to receive." For my birthday this weekend, that's exactly what I did. In lieu of some party, I gathered a handful of friends and their kids and organized a site for the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. While we didn't give financially, we gave our time and efforts to clean up a park/beach here in Mississauga. Others will benefit from our efforts. I figure if I'm going to gather people in an area, I may as well put them to use. Ha! An acceptable form of child labour.   I find this to be an extremely rewarding experience inasmuch as you do good on the day of the event, but you also teach your kids (and others, 'cause I don't have four kids as pictured above) to do good in the future. You can make it a bit of a game to see who can pick the most garbage, or who can find the biggest piece. It's all in how you sell it. Make it a friends and family event and it should sell itself to th

Being Canadian, I'm bound to make hockey references. This blog will contain one of those references. Here it is: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky. What the heck am I talking about? If you want something, sometimes you just have to ask. I remember overhearing my friend say she wanted a particular mug that isn't available in stores any more and seems to be quite rare. I spent a couple months watching various sites hoping something would pop up. No such luck. As her birthday started to approach, I did't think I'd be able to find one of these mugs. I could have just let this gift idea go, but then what would I get her? If no one was listing one for sale, I'd have to find someone with this mug and see if they'd be willing to part with it. I found someone on a Facebook group who posted a picture of the mug approximately a year ago. Maybe this person wasn't as keen on it anymore, with a year gone by. Maybe they didn

While I continue to bitch about my left knee, I'm not sitting still. I'm steadily building my garage gym out of scrap wood. While the wife was away in the nation's capital, my sons and I built a bench for my bench press as well as a weight rack of sorts. They ain't pretty, they just look that way. How'd we build the bench? Well, here's a look at the cut list: 2 @ 2"x 6"x 48" (top part where you lay down) 1 @ 4"x 6"x 48" (base where you'll attach the legs; here I used 4 @ 2"x4"x 48" because I'm using scrap wood) 4 @ 2"x 6"x 18.5" (legs) 2 @ 2"x 6"x 20.5" (top and bottom of the base to stabilize) 2 @ 2"x 6"x 12" (joins the legs and holds the top planks you lay upon) This is what your bench will look like, minus the 4 year old.  I drilled the 20.5" stabilizers to the base to start, giving me an 'I' like shape. Next, I attached the 18.5&quo

So, my knee injury from months ago isn't much better. I may just relent and go see a doctor, but not before I kick the shit out of them one last time. 😕  The question begs: why? Because I had to go to Ukraine for work when this particular race took place. I registered for a 5k on a Friday with a follow up 10k the morning after. Why would anyone do that? Because the funds raised went directly into the small town my mom moved to and you got a bonus medal if you did it. Let's have an honest moment between us here. I just wanted the bonus medal. Oh, and I wanted to complete approximately 4 races this year. Race day came and went while I was off travelling for work and I was saddened I didn't get my medals or complete my races. Another moment of honesty, if you'll allow it: I had more fun in Ukraine, but that's not the point. Resigned to waiting until next year, I was pleasantly surprised when the event organizers created a virtual race. What's a virtual race? Wel

I'm certainly glad I put 'irregularly updated' in this blog's description, 'cause it's been just over three weeks since I last wrote anything. I don't really have any excuses. It's just been a bit busy with a family vacation and a work-related trip to Amsterdam, Holland. Oh yeah, and my oldest starts school this week. He seems alright with it. I'm f*cking terrified! For our family vacation we went the cottage rental route. We've done the group cottage rental thing before and I have to say, with the right people, it's a good idea. Luckily, we go with the right people. At our busiest we had 10 adults and 6 children. We were spread around 5 cottages on one property, so we weren't on top of each other for 7 days, thankfully. That's how friendships are ruined. Nope, this was about a 3 hour drive outside the city limits and each family that went had their own cottage. The property was waterfront so the kids got plenty of beach time while

My first DIY Garage gym piece was a pull-up bar made of 3 pieces of 1.5" pipe, 2 elbows and 2 floor flanges. Not very technical, not very fancy, but in terms of doing pull-ups it's quite efficient. The unfortunate part is that I'm a bit limited by the exercises I can do with a single purpose pull-up bar. Solution? Build another piece for my garage gym. Now, I don't have a lot of money or a tonne of know-how when it comes to construction. I need simple and efficient - just like my pull-up bar. I also want something a little more versatile. Recently I bought a used Olympic barbell and 265 lbs worth of weight, so hopefully my new DIY piece will allow me to incorporate that second hand purchase. Given my affinity for squats (despite a bum left knee) the decision is easy: build a dual purpose squat and bench press rack! What you'll need: 9 - 2x4's (8') 40 - #8 2.5" wood screws 2 - 5 gallon pails 2 - bags of quick setting cement Doesn't l

It's easier, and a lot more fun, to showcase life's victories. Last year I completed my first 5km race. This year I completed my first 10km race. This weekend I attempted my first Try-a-Tri triathlon. Finishing races and raising money for good causes was sunshine and lollipops. This triathlon thing? A disaster. It was the complete opposite of sunshine and lollipops. It was shit storms and black licorice.  Artist's rendition of my swim at the Try-a-Tri This journey of eco-friendly frugality, family and fitness isn't going to be victory after victory.  I'm not perfect. No one is. There are, inevitably, going to be losses and heart break. I'm not going to hide mine to create some facade of infallibility.  I posted a DNF at this Try-a-Tri and the feeling of disappointment was brutal. There isn't much else to say. I shit the proverbial bed.  What's important though is what happens after the fall. It's easy to give up and move on, but then I

As the disposable razor supply in my house reaches what I'd consider a critical low point, I have, with great patience, found a honing stone. It's a tad dirty and needs a good lapping (flattening), but I have a means to sharpen my old straight razor. Victory! I was starting to give up and even saved a website on my browser for buying new stones and a lapping apparatus. Guess I won't be needing that! I've also found a guy who hones straight razors that works where some friends of mine live, so even without the stone, I'd have a way to sharpen my razor. Ta-da, an environmentally friendly alternative to disposable razors that also supports small business. Not bad. This is going to take some work ... thankfully there's YouTube! I also found a seamstress willing and able to fix my favorite shorts. Cost? $12 ... there was more than one hole that needed sewing. 😬 No matter. You'd be hard pressed to find a pair of shorts you'd consider your favorite f

Well, I've been hit with a few clothing emergencies. Okay, so they aren't emergencies, but as life happens I'll need a couple things. I dodged a bullet with buying a suit because my son's daycare graduation was moved to a new date that clashed with a business outing. Given the choice I chose family. I always will. Yes, I know it's daycare and it's not a recognized diploma, but my son worked very hard on his Going to Kindergarten song and at four years old he knows if dad is, or isn't, there. Back to the suit though, this will likely require a consignment store. I don't see too many suits in a style I like on the thrift store racks. Consignment means paying more, but not everything second hand is going to be cheap or found in a store that relies solely on donations. It's sort of a negative connotation about second hand - that's it's cheap, beat up, useless stuff. Yes, you have to sift through the rough (and there's lots of rough), but you

Happy Canada Day! It's Canada 150 up here and though the weather sucked for a good portion of the day, it didn't dampen our spirits.  The kids got dressed up. Mom wore a reconfigured Canada shirt and I wore my altered lobster shirt (I'll blog about that tomorrow). It was all very red and white today though. Check this dynamic duo out! My wife purchased these 'outfits' for the kids, so technically I still haven't purchased anything new. It should be noted it would be totally worth it though. I loved looking at my kids and loved how they greeted everyone they came across with "Happy Canada Day!" They didn't wear capes to the park this morning, but they still wore red and white and carried Canada flags. I hope they truly appreciate the country they live in and all it has to offer. They may not appreciate it now, and I don't expect them to at 4 and 2 years of age, but one day, I hope they do. I hope they look after it, care for it and make

You know that whole " do one thing every day that scares you? " Yeah, not so sure that's the best advice. I'm sure it's got limitations and such. For instance, I took the plunge and registered for a Try-A-Tri ... an introduction, of sorts, to triathlons. Why is that a scary idea? Simply put: I suck at swimming. Seriously, I'm terrible at it. I can tread water for like 30 seconds before I need friggin' water wings. What's worse is I have less than 2 months to get some beginner level of proficiency under my belt. Pray for my swimming abilities. Know what else I suck at? Cycling. Didn't think that was possible? It is. Borrowed the wife's bike the other night and sweet Jesus those gears just slip in and out, to and fro. One second I'm struggling to push forward, the next second it's like peddling does nothing. I get it's different gears and such, but after close to 7kms I had zero figured out. At the half way point I just put it at th

Just a quick post to say happy Father's Day to all the dads out there and moms pulling double duty. I had a great day (predominantly great day) with the family. We spent the morning at Canada's Wonderland and capped off the evening with an after dinner walk. For Father's Day my boys each donated $50 to my run to raise $1000 for SickKids Hospital. It's been a great day. The younger of the two boys had a real dad attachment today. It was awesome! I have to say, the best gift is time with the boys. Sure, they drive me crazy sometimes, but when they're good (or just not in a dumpy mood) it's great! It's the reason I go to Wonderland something like 8 times per year and only get on about half a dozen rides. It's all for them. So far, I've been there twice and the adult ride count stands at 0. Coco out.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I even like this running thing. I'm going to be honest, I hit the 2k mark of this last 10k and I thought, WTF am I doing?! Where's my runner's high? Then I remember why I'm running - to do good. This 10k was done to raise funds for research on heart and stroke PLUS I got to run with these beauties below. Check those sweet finisher medals! Together, as a team, we raised over $1000 for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Afterwards we got to hang out and have some brunch. Throw in the fact we all got some exercise and I suppose there really isn't any reason not to run. Tonight I just signed up for another 10k, and this one will benefit the SickKids Foundation in order to support SickKids Hospital in Toronto. So far I'm solo. One of the other guys in the photo has said he'll run it with me. I'll try and convince a few others because, hey, nothing like raising funds for a good cause with good people. My goal

In an earlier post I discussed my internal debate between a home gym and a low-cost gym. I ultimately chose the low-cost gym for a variety of reasons, but as I sit here on weekends, with the low cost gym closed, I wish I had something more than running at my disposal. Now, I'm not going to invest in a home gym. I don't have the money or the space. With a little ingenuity though, I can create something that doesn't take up any floor space and still lends itself to working out. I'm not much of a handyman, but off the top of my head I can redneck something together. I don't normally workout in sandals.  What did I slap together? A pull up station! All this pull up apparatus took was 3 pieces of 1" pipe, 2 threaded elbows and 2 floor flanges. I'm actually a bit impressed at how easy this was to do. I'm already trying to draft a fold away dip station in this head of mine. If companies can create fold away tables and beds, surely I can create somewhe

I've been slowly getting back into running, and I haven't decided whether I like it or not.  It's a weird sorta love/hate relationship. It impedes my ability to gain weight and ruins a weight lifting day, but I know it's good for my heart health, not to mention the runs I've been doing have been geared towards good causes. For instance, my upcoming 10k run is for Heart & Stroke. My grandmother suffered from a stroke that crippled her mobility, ended her independence and left her in a home. I'm glad to run and raise funds for research geared towards heart disease and stroke. That being said, you can donate to my run  here . SHAMELESS, I know! Besides spreading good in the world, all this running is taking a toll on my one pair of running shoes. Solution: buy shoes! Of course, I couldn't just walk into the nearest Nike/Reebok/Running Room/(insert good place to buy running shoes here) and pick something off the rack. Nope, this dad has been looking for

The first long weekend, in Ontario anyways, with decent weather is (hopefully) the Victoria Day weekend. It's sort of an unofficial kick-off to summer, even though summer is actually another month away. It's also a huge weekend for gardening. I'm not sure if it's because the temperatures are all but certain to stay above that bloody frost point or because the only shopping people can do on the holiday Monday is at a nursery/garden centre. Either way, I don't care. I went to our local nursery this long weekend and picked up some flowers and a couple scotch bonnet pepper plants. At first I wondered if it broke the mission of not buying new, but plants are perishable items, kinda like food. I've never really heard of someone buying pre-owned annuals. They die. Every year. Circle of life. Perennials, I suppose, you could buy second hand, but I've never heard of someone digging up someone else's garden to transplant it in their own garden. You'd risk root

Ah, Mother's Day. A day to celebrate the mothers in our lives. I happen to have three - my mother, my aunt (Godmother) and my wife (mother of our two rug rats). What do you get the women in your life that have raised you and now raise your children? I'll tell you what I got them: nothing. Sounds a little harsh when I put it that way, but none of them need anything - certainly nothing within my budget. There are, however, mothers, and their families, who could use gifts within my budget. Instead of giving the women in my life stuff, I opted to give meaningful gifts to women I'll never meet and never know. My boys had a 50/50 chance of being affected by hemophilia, which would have likely resulted in many trips to SickKids Hospital. My own cousin has spent time at SickKids for his cerebral palsy, so I've seen first hand how amazing the staff at this hospital are. It might be something to consider for upcoming birthdays or other holidays that usually have gifts give

This post is breaking away from my usual minimalist (I'm hitting a plateau in that department), anti-consumerist (still not buying new stuff) and/or reducing my environmental impact (I'm trying) posts. Today's blog focuses on personal health. It's probably just disguised bragging/boasting, but I'm proud of what I've accomplished. What have I done, you ask? Well, I ran my first ever 10k race! The previous 5k races and CN Tower stair climb were for good causes, but I can't even tell you what my 10k was in support of, other than a smorgasbord of local NGO's that work within the geo-political boundaries of Mississauga and, maybe, the Region of Peel. I did this one for me. Sometimes we lose sight of ourselves. We try to do so much for others and the world around us, but what's the point if we're not looking after the person in the mirror? How can we sustain a lifestyle if we don't enjoy it or it runs us ragged? For this 10k, I did it, in all hones

It's now May and I haven't blogged in a bit. I don't really have a valid reason for it. I missed Earth Day, which you figure any eco blog would recognize. I stand by my "irregularly updated" disclaimer. 😏  Besides, shouldn't Earth Day be every day? Is this blog really belated if I believe that? Well, it's not like I didn't do anything for Earth Day. I made a point of taking my boys out for a good old fashioned, unorganized, impromptu neighborhood makeover. We took out our garbage pickers, some garbage bags and had at 'er. It's like a game to them - see who can pick up the most trash. Their motives may be to win a competition, but the end result is a couple of garbage bags worth of litter off the street. It also gets them in the habit of looking after their environment. Hopefully seeing their dad do it too means they recognize you're never too old to clean your street. The family that picks together, sticks together? They genuine

Over the past two days, little by little, I have endeavoured to make my best friend a trophy. Why? Because she deserves it. She has served her country for twenty years and I am fortunate to have been her partner (officially and unofficially, on and off) for almost the last four of them. I could go on and on about how awesome she is, but that's not the purpose of this blog. The trophy I made - that's why I'm writing today. So yeah, she's served her country for twenty years as an officer and there will be no pin, no plaque, no handshake, nothing. In fact she had to plan her own celebratory lunch. While I'm up for that, I wanted her to have something other than a full belly. My immediate thought was a gag gift - a used softball trophy from Value Village, likely a 1997 Pee Wee 'AA' Championship. It wasn't that I was looking for a softball trophy, I just figure that's the sorta trophy that gets thrown out. Having it used also keeps in step with my year

It's been busy around the Eco Dad house these days. The wife is off on a business trip. The inlaws are visiting from up north to continue the battle with cancer (I really hate cancer). I'm caught in the middle of all of it trying to make shit work. So far, so good. The kids have been fed, dressed and sent to school without issue. I've also managed to pick them up at the usual time, complete with little dad surprises. The first day they got dried mango slices (not a hit with either of them). The second day they got chocolate milk (always a hit with both of them). Not sure what to do today, but I'm sure they'll be expecting something. Not sure if that's a good thing, but I like the idea of them remembering when dad picked them up and how it was a bit of a treat. Speaking of treats, I received something new the other day! I'm okay with it because I believe it falls under the hygiene column. It's a hat. I equate it to a base layer of clothing. I mean it&#

I did it! I completed all 1776 steps of the CN Tower climb for the World Wildlife Foundation. Total funds raised by me? $370! It's not a huge amount, but it's $370 they wouldn't have otherwise had. To add to that awesomeness, I also got to spend time with friends. The only part that sucked was the 0500 hours alarm set on my phone on a Saturday morning. That was dumpy. Just gonna go ahead and use a B&W filter in honour of all the baby pandas we saved. This is the kind of activity I think more people should do - something for your body, for a good cause, with good friends. Look at all the win in that picture. If the picture wasn't in black and white you'd see even more win as the girl in the middle got a fluorescent yellow shirt for raising over $1000 ... yes, over one thousand dollars! She's a rockstar, or, as the WWF considers her, a platinum panda member. I think I might try to find more good causes to support. I just wish most of them weren'

In the absence of purchasing anything new, I've found that thrift shopping or scouring used online ads has become a bit of a pastime, almost an addiction. There is something to be said about finding a great deal, but trying to keep in step with decluttering is becoming a bit of a battle. I've done well enough in terms of donating old clothes when I buy something 'new,' but I'm running out of clothes I'm willing to part with and I really enjoy finding something awesome at a second hand store. Just yesterday I found two used shirts I really liked, so I caved and purchased them. Coincidentally, it is Hockey Night in Canada! What else have I been scouring for? Well, I'd like a second iPad Mini 2 in order to minimize the fighting between my boys over the one iPad Mini 2 I have.  My Nexus 7, the one that allowed me to part ways with my Kobo in a previous post, is on it's last legs, so I started looking for a used Android tablet for me. Shoes. I

Temptation lurks all around us. We're inundated with the latest and greatest something or other. I got a phone for Christmas, liked the company's Instagram page and started following them. Problem with that is, aside from the cool pictures showcased by OnePlus owners, I've just recently been shown a really cool version of the phone I already have. The difference? It's limited edition black. Mine is charcoal. Now, I'm pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things, so I've never lined up for an iPhone when the latest one came out, but others do. I can almost guarantee that someone has gotten rid of their perfectly good charcoal OnePlus 3T in order to get the OnePlus 3T in Midnight Black. Just this week I've seen the same thing with the latest iPhone 7. Now there's a 'RED' version allegedly supporting a cause. Not satisfied with your black or silver Google Pixel? How about a 'Really Blue' Pixel? Companies don't even have to innovate anymore

A few blog posts back I made mention that I would use some of my Kijiji earnings and support a friend's charitable endeavours. I did, but then more recently I thought to myself, why stop there? My finances may be finite, but I can raise more money for the cause by taking part in it myself. That said, I will raise funds for the World Wildlife Foundation by completing the CN Tower Climb here in Toronto. It's just that there is always room for more good in the world. It's like Jello, and if I'm to believe the commercials of my childhood, there is always room for Jello. Who knows, maybe my kids will see me doing it and want to do it too. Granted, they're a little young at 2 and 3 years of age, but it gets them thinking. Here's an excerpt from a conversation I had with my 3 year old this evening about it ... Not sure I'll be able to save any 'cars' doing the WWF Stair Climb. 😕 So, he may have been thinking about Transformers and how some of th

Kids grow up so fast - way too fast as it turns out. They outgrow their friggin' clothes and it's hard to keep up. If they aren't out growing the clothes, they are simply shredding them at the knees, elbows, collars, everywhere. The good thing is, in addition to my go to thrift store, there are kids only thrift stores called Once Upon a Child ! We managed a pretty sweet haul of clothes for the oldest boy. Unfortunately for the youngest, he will likely get second generation hand-me-downs that don't have holes in them. No one said life was fair. Green Lantern Meets Captain Thrift? My oldest son was pretty stoked about his new gear, as seen in the flexing pose above. You can't go wrong with a MEXX sweater for about $5.  We grabbed two other sweaters, three jeans and a pair of shorts. The Green Lantern glasses, pictured above, were already his from a Happy Meal.  Clothes aren't the most exciting thing for kids, but it seemed to make my little guy smile.