The Eco Dad

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...

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 ...

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...