Shopping with Ford's Active Park Assist

Pinch me because I refuse to admit that the holiday season is amongst us!  A couple weeks ago, I had the honour of partnering up with Ford again to drive their Explorer for the week while navigating the busy Black Friday crowds searching for their holiday bargains.  I remember telling myself that I had to get out and do the craziness in person - not only because I live for chaos, but because I just HAD to try out Ford's Active Park Assist feature.

What Is Active Park Assist?

Active Park Assist is basically an assistant for parallel parking.  As a seasoned driver, I wasn't sure how I felt about the feature at first and it felt a little weird letting a computer do the driving for me.  My first attempt went smoothly until the car was in the process of straightening itself out.  My natural reaction was to reach for the steering wheel to position the SUV in place, but my Active Park Assist(ant) wanted nothing to do with that!  You see, as soon as you touch the steering wheel, it disables Active Park Assist and you're basically on your own again and have to park it "old school".

I love the idea of using Active Park Assist for the purpose of maneuvering the Explorer into cramped parking spots - especially during the holiday season when parking is a premium!  It takes away the stress of the trip to the mall with two young kids knowing that my trusty assistant is looking out for me and my car, haha!  Also, I normally drive a standard sized sedan, so having the piece of mind that I could use this feature with the Explorer if I need to squeeze it into a tight spot.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to capture a video of myself using Active Park Assist (it was a busy week!), but feel free to watch the Ford video below for an inside look at how you can use Active Park Assist to back into a parking spot!

Have you tried Ford's Active Park Assist feature?  I'd love to know what you think about it in the comments below!

xo Kristina

Back to School

Back to school.

It was almost as if it wasn't really happening.  I've been pushing this day to the back of my mind for over a year now - not only because my youngest is entering Kindergarten, but because it's been a loooonnnng ride getting there.

To make a long story short, the past year has been riddled with anxiety for me just thinking about Zoë going to the big school.  I know I'm in the same boat as most parents with kids going to Kindergarten, but this was a first for me.  With Jadon, I was like "bye, see ya" (and that's pretty much how the drop-off went with him this morning LOL).  With Zoë, it was "will she have support?", "how will she be able to keep up with her classmates?" and "what will her mode of transportation be when the entire class ventures to the local park?".

I've spent close to a year gathering Zoë's doctors' and therapists' reports, and submitting them to her school.  Out of pure luck, our Vice Principal is also our learning assistance coordinator and very well versed with cases of muscular dystrophy.  When she told me this, it was as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I could really concentrate on the other little things of getting a child prepared for their first big day.  Of course, the preparation would still be different from my experience when Jadon was entering Kindergarten, but at least I had that piece of mind that Zoë was going to have the support she requires and the understanding that I so desperately hoped for.

I could go on and on about the rollercoaster of emotions that's plagued me in the past year, but that can wait until a later post.  Let's get right into the part where Zoë is Zoë and she's been waiting over two years to join her big bro and his friends at the big school!

With the help of Sport Chek, the kids were absolutely spoiled with back-to-school gear for their first day (insert raised hand emojis):

Honestly, Sport Chek has always been my go-to, one-stop shop for all things sports, fitness, back-to-school, Father's Day... you name it!  As a working mom, it's extremely convenient for me to stop at one store (especially when I have that long ride home ahead of me!) and be able to grab whatever the kids need for back-to-school shopping gear, as well as pick up anything that hubby and I may need.

A huge thanks to my Sport Chek fam for spoiling me AND the kids with back-to-school gear!  Jadon can't get enough of his never-ending Under Amour backpack - that thing is like a bottomless pit and perfect for our newly-minted grade three-er!

xo,
kristina

Disclosure:  All opinions in this review remain my own and do not reflect the opinions or views of Sport Chek and/or their affiliates.  We received a form of compensation from Sport Chek in order to complete this review. 

Roughin' It

You guys!!  I just did something that I haven't done since I was 18, maybe 19.

C A M P I N G

Or maybe it was more like GLAMPING, but that's okay.  At first when I was asked by my good friend and her hubby if I wanted to go camping with them, my first reaction was nope.  There was no way I was going to spend my summer with the very bugs I despised, in the woods completely cut off from the world and the possibility of (gasp!) no showers.

Welcome to #firstworldproblems.

In the end, it didn't take long for them to convince me that it would be an amazing experience for my kids, and then my kids chimed in, "Let's go, let's go!" and that was the end of that.  We were going camping!

All I had to do was sit back and wait of the start of summer.  My friends were taking care of everything - booking the campsite, getting the food and drinks, and making sure the kids would be entertained for four days.  Jadon had been excitedly talking about our camping trip for the most part of June (his teacher said that's all he talked about for the last two weeks of school) and Zoë just couldn't wait to sleep in a tent.

Okay, so we did have a few things that we needed to round up for our camping trip.  First things first, I secured an amazing ride from Ford Canada (we loved our experience last year!) - a Ford Edge Titanium.  It has all the bells and whistles that a busy parent, like myself, needs with a growing family.  There's enough room in the trunk for hockey gear, camping gear, everyday gear and everything gear, as well as many safety features that give this busy mama a piece of mind.

Last year I raved about the Intelligent Access key fob - as long as the key is in your pocket or purse and you're within a couple feet from the car, the door unlocks by itself (I repeat, BY ITSELF!!), leaving you with two hands to wrangle your active toddler or the 500 bags of groceries.  The MyKey® Safety System is also a great feature for those of you with older kids that are just learning how to drive and allows for owners to restrict certain features to promote better driving habits.

For those of you that have travelled the Sea to Sky Highway, you probably know that the stretch of road from Vancouver to Squamish (and Whistler) is full of twists and turns.  This is where the Driver Assist features come into play, including Enhanced Active Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control (I didn't have a chance to try this because, buttons, but perhaps next time), Lane-Keeping System (the best!), Adaptive Steering (also the best!) and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive.  Just to feel these features being activated while driving the Sea to Sky gave me the extra piece of mind that my family would be safe and sound should anything happen.

Back to camping prep.  While we did have everything planned for us, I did end up spending the day before searching for camping gear over the course of 7-8 hours (a huge thanks to my bro who tagged along and helped entertain the kids while I wandered aimlessly from store to store LOL).  I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything.  Must be that Type A personality or something.  I swear I'm half Type A and half Type B (yes, I totally just Googled it).

Fast forward to the actual days we were camping and I felt like I was in a dream.  A good one.  I had a few chefs on one side and a few babysitters on the other.  The beers were flowing and once the kids went to bed, so did the shots.  We roasted marshmallows nightly, had gourmet meals (and even maybe a BBQ fire LOL), attempted a failed beach day (even at 35 degrees Celsius, the wind made it seem more like 20 degrees), braved the cold showers and fought off an endless army of mosquitoes.

And repeat.

And repeat.

This was pretty much my life for the next four days and I was loving it.  I was relaxed with no care in the world (Type B), but was also intent on making sure the kids went to bed (sort of) on time (Type A).

The conclusion?  WE CANNOT WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR'S CAMPING TRIP!!!!

THE END.

kristina xo


Photo credit (partial):  Modern Fort

A Father's Day Experience + a Giveaway

Isn't it amazing how life comes around full circle once we "grow up"?  Way back when, I remember thinking about how uncool my parents were and how they didn't know anything (because teenagers know EVERYTHING, haha!).  Now I know that they were just trying to raise us, teach us morals and give us the foundations we would need to tackle this thing called life.  There are certain things that I've had to figure out myself, but I know my parents did the best they could.

As I raise my two kids, I realize just how much my dad did for us on a daily basis.  From the time I was five years old, I was a competitive gymnast.  This meant many practices, gymnastic meets, volunteer hours and commitment - not just from myself, but from my dad.  His shifts at work changed quite often (mornings, days, nights), but he always made sure he was present when he could be.  If he wasn't working, he was driving me wherever I needed to be or he was at the bingo hall volunteering or at the bottle drive, car wash, selling raffle tickets / chocolate almonds / his life (?) - you name it!  And let's not get started on those late night pick ups at 12:15am when my shift ended at my local grocery store at 16/17 years old (poor Dad!).

Whatever I needed, I knew I could always rely on Dad.

I initially intended to document a day of experiences with my Dad for this post, but we ended up running behind and didn't get to meet up until later in the evening.  Despite the change of plans, we were able to score Dad (and hubby) an in-store experience and new fit gear from Sport Chek!

Dad is normally a fairly laid back guy, so (as you can imagine) he was completely out of his element when I told him he was going on a shopping spree.  I just assumed he knew why we were meeting up, but when I told him he could get something for himself, he was beyond himself (growing up, Dad would always say by 'assuming' you're making an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me' - typical Dad joke, I know)!

We browsed around the shoe department and tried to make Dad 'cooler' by making him try on a pair of Pure Boosts, but that kind of failed haha!  I could tell hat he wast trying to convince himself that he truly needed another pair of runners.  After circling the store a few more times, Dad received a Fitbit lesson from one of the electronics specialists and he was sold!  Nothing like a little nudge and a challenge from his daughter (did you know that you can 'challenge' your friends through the Fitbit app?).  And off he went with his new Fitbit Charge 2!!

Since Sport Chek is our go-to shop for Father's Day gifts, I've put together some budget friendly gift ideas for the amazing dad / grandfather / step-dad / special man in your life just in time for the big day!

1. Fitbit Charge 2 | 2. Adidas Training Pants | 3. Nike Sandals | 4. Jason Mark Essentials Kit | 5. GoPro HERO5 HD Action Camera | 6. Nike Aerolayer Jacket | 7. Nike Flex Distance 2-1 Shorts | 8. Under Armour Sport Wireless Headphones | 9. GT Mountain Bike | 10. Adidas Pure Boost Runners

{win it!}

Father's Day is just around the corner and Sport Chek is generously offering one of our Canadian readers a chance to win a $75 gift card to help out with those gifts for Dad!  To enter, please follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only and ends Friday, June 16, 2017 at 9pm PST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure:  All opinions in this review remain my own and do not reflect the opinions or views of Sport Chek and/or their affiliates.  We received a form of compensation from Sport Chek in order to complete this review.  Note that SwankMama does not accept responsibility for sponsors that do not fulfill their giveaway duties.  Winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond, otherwise, a new winner will be chosen at random.

Unleash Creativity with The WayZoo Colouring Book

Being a working mother, blogger, personal stylist, nurse, cook, housekeeper, personal assistant, dictator (okay, a mom), I constantly get asked how I do it all.  Well, I don't.  My time at work is a vacation and without the support from my extended family (namely my mother-in-law and my brother), there's no way both hubby and I could do this parenting thing.

All the while, I'm fighting this continuing battle with technology - both with myself and my kids.  Our consistent rule is no electronics at the dinner table or during the nightly bedtime routine.  These are the times when real conversations happen.  I'm also trying to incorporate more arts and crafts into my children's lives - colouring being one of them.

When the popular online furniture and décor site Wayfair.ca reached out to me about their new free printable colouring book, The WayZoo, I hoped onto the creativity train immediately.  Ever since Zoë was old enough to hold a crayon, she was busy expressing her feelings and imaginative nature through her drawings, and ever so careful to stay within the lines when colouring (now, not so much, but definitely pretty impressive for a two year old at the time).  After printing The WayZoo Colouring Book on our home printer, the kids were able to choose which pages they wanted to splash colour on and Zoë got to torment her older brother by drawing her little stick figures all over his finished products.  Ah, the benefits of being the youngest!

So, as your kids are channeling their inner Picasso's, make sure you submit their artistic creations to Wayfair.ca for a chance to win one of five art supply prize packs including an easel, chalk, markers and paint!

HURRY!!  Contest ends Monday, March 6, 2017 and is open to legal residents of Canada (excluding Quebec).

Disclosure:  All opinions in this post are my own and is in no way sponsored by WayFair.ca.  The contest is separate from SwankMama and SwankMama has no legal obligation to fulfil the contest.

xo,

kristina

Winter Refresh with Garnier Whole Blends

Disclosure:  Although this post has been generously sponsored by Garnier Whole Blends, the opinions and language are my own.

Every Mom can attest to this, I’m sure:  a 10-minute shower is like a brief, but long vacation.  You shut the door in hopes of getting those precious few minutes to yourself and pray that you won’t be interrupted by those little fists banging at the door screaming, “Mommy!  MOMMY!!  MOOOOMMMMMMYYYYYYYY!!!!”, as if in the two minutes you’ve been in the washroom, the world suddenly came crashing down.

I’ve been fortunate enough that my children do leave me alone in the washroom for the most part.  I’m sure it’s mainly because I put the fear in them early on that unless it was a matter of life or death, if they dared to knock on the door and bother me while I was taking that 10-minute shower, all hell would break loose! (not really, but it seems to be working just fine haha!).  As any mother knows, just 10 minutes of peace and quiet can do wonders for our sanity (can I get an AMEN?!)

Now let’s get to the good stuff.  This past Vancouver winter has completely wreaked havoc on my hair.  I’m talking Flyaway Central!  We’re normally used to mild winters with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, but once it hits the minuses (Celsius, that is), Vancouver is in a state of emergency while the rest of our country mocks and laughs at us.  I tried absolutely everything to get my flyaways under control – conditioners, deep conditioners, leave in conditioners, styling creams, serums, you name it!  If they claimed to banish flyaways, I tried it!  

Well, I thought I did!  That is, until I was introduced to the NEW Garnier Whole Blends Moroccan Argan & Camellia Oils hair care line from Garnier.  Why Moroccan Argan & Camellia Oils extracts?  Both are rich in Omega 6 and Vitamin E – a perfect combination for dry, dull hair. 

I’ve used Whole Blends products before and couldn’t wait to try the newest addition to their Whole Blends product line.  And let me tell you – It didn’t disappoint!  The infused blend and rich aromas of Moroccan Argan & Camellia oils made my hair feel softer and healthier, and the Marvelous Oil leave-in oil was the icing on the cake!  Not to mention, it made my hair smell AMAZING (just ask my kids)!!  Plus, flyaways?  What flyaways?

The one thing I love about the Whole Blends line is that the products are paraben-free and contain only natural extracts.  Each blend is focused on a unique hair action such as healing, protecting and nourishing, which means there’s a perfect blend for all hair types!  Plus, Garnier has just introduced a NEW Legendary Olive blend with virgin-pressed olive oil focused on replenishing dry, depleted hair.

Want to get your hands on the NEW Garnier Whole Blends Moroccan Argan & Camellia Oils?  Head over to Garnier for a coupon and find your perfect blend online or in store.  Plus don’t forget to join the upcoming Twitter party on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 7pm EST for a chance to win some of my favourite Garnier Whole Blends products and more fun prizes!