Pedal Your Way Through Calgary: Top Spots for a Family Bike Ride

Calgary, Alberta, is a beautiful city with plenty of outdoor spaces to explore. One of the best ways to enjoy the city’s natural beauty is by going on a family bike ride. Whether you are an experienced cyclist or just starting out, there are plenty of trails and paths suitable for all skill levels. Here are some of the best spots around Calgary for a family bike ride.

  1. Bow River Pathway: The Bow River Pathway is a scenic 48-kilometre trail that runs along the Bow River from Bearspaw Dam to Fish Creek Provincial Park. This trail is perfect for families who want to enjoy a leisurely ride with stunning views of the river and surrounding mountains.
  2. Nose Creek Pathway: The Nose Creek Pathway is a 22-kilometre trail that winds through several Calgary neighbourhoods, including Beddington Heights, Harvest Hills, and Coventry Hills. This path is perfect for families who want to explore the city’s urban landscapes while enjoying a peaceful ride.
  3. Glenmore Reservoir: The Glenmore Reservoir is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts and for good reason. The reservoir offers stunning views of the city skyline and the Rocky Mountains. The bike path around the reservoir is approximately 16 kilometres long. It is perfect for families who want to enjoy a scenic ride with plenty of opportunities to stop and take in the view.
  4. Fish Creek Provincial Park: Fish Creek Provincial Park is one of the largest urban parks in Canada, and it offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, including biking. The park has over 80 kilometres of trails, with a mix of paved and unpaved paths suitable for all skill levels.
  5. Elbow River Pathway: The Elbow River Pathway is a 20-kilometre trail that runs along the Elbow River from Glenmore Reservoir to Fort Calgary. This path is perfect for families who want to enjoy a leisurely ride with scenic views of the river and surrounding parks.
  6. Confederation Park: Confederation Park is a popular destination for families, with plenty of picnic areas, playgrounds, and sports fields. The park also has a 3.2-kilometre bike path that winds through the park’s beautiful landscapes, making it an excellent spot for a family bike ride.
  7. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary: The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a tranquil nature reserve in the city’s heart. The sanctuary has several biking trails that wind through the park’s wetlands, forests, and grasslands, making it an excellent spot for families who want to enjoy a peaceful ride while bird-watching.

Calgary is a fantastic city for families who enjoy cycling. With its abundance of bike paths and trails, there is always something new to explore. From scenic riverside paths to peaceful nature reserves, there is plenty of options for families looking for a fun and active day out. So grab your bikes and hit the road – your next adventure awaits!

Wardrobe Malfunction At The Zoo

In partnership with Tide, I would like to share with you one of my most significant wardrobe malfunctions as a busy parent. Also, I’ll share with you how something as simple as my choice of laundry detergent could have prevented this mishap. 

Is this an outing or Arctic expedition?


Now, if you’re a parent reading this, you know what an outing with a child is all about. There’s a level of planning involved that I’m sure would impress the scientists working on the next moon landing. There are healthy snacks, water, favourite toys, strollers, unhealthy snacks for when the healthy snacks get rejected, and your kid is getting hangry. You get the idea. 


Anyway, another necessity when going out with a child is a change of clothes, maybe even two. It never fails that, kids find a way to get mud, dirt, ketchup, and anything in between all over their clothes within the first 10 minutes of going somewhere. So you rush off to the changing area, change your child, and stuff the dirty clothes into the bottom of the backpack, letting the stains set-in, more on that later. It’s probably at this point you realize that whatever was all over your child is now all over you. It never fails. Now, for those of you that have followed me for a while, you know I love wearing t-shirts. So, it always pains me to see mud and smoothie splattered all over my shirts. It also pains me that after all the planning, the one thing I never remember to bring is a change of clothes for myself.

Alright, here is the embarrassing story.


Okay, are you ready for this embarrassing story? It’s also a story of pure parenting perseverance. The type of stuff Ellen might invite you onto her show for, hint. 

It was at this point that the entire seam that restricts the world from seeing my posterior decided it was no longer willing to cover my butt. As I knelt, a loud “POP” echoed through the room.

Alright, so on this particular day, Benjamin and I were at the zoo in the middle of the winter. We were in one of the warm buildings, because, you know, winter. I was following Benjamin around from one animal to the next when he locked in on one of his favourites, the turtles. On this day, the turtles were extra cute, nibbling on some tiny turtle lettuce, or something. As a result of their cuteness, a crowd gathered around them. Benjamin, not aware of standard society rules, barged up the front of the group and yelled back to me to come and see the turtles. So, I apologetically made my way to Benjamin. Since I am aware of standard society rules, I knew that I must crouch down so that the people behind me can also see the turtles. 

The incident happened at the adorable turtle enclosure

It was at this point that the entire seam that restricts the world from seeing my posterior decided it was no longer willing to cover my butt. As I knelt, a loud “POP” echoed through the room. Now, you’re probably thinking, well, no one noticed, right? Wrong! It was apparent that other people saw my mishap. The sound was so loud, and I was left with no choice but to acknowledge the rip. “Oh man, I ripped my pants,” I said, contemplating my next move. Do I tie my coat around my waist? That wouldn’t make any sense; it’s pretty cold for that move. Now you’re probably thinking, you could leave, right? Wrong! This building was the first stop. And after all that planning and packing, there was no way I was going home so soon. 

This is what the pants looked like after the incident

So what did I do? For the rest of the time, I just stayed standing up, refusing to bend over or kneel, which is surprisingly tricky when accompanied by a barely 3ft person. Of course, it was a little drafty, but I don’t think anyone noticed.

I could have prevented this.


As much as I love telling that story now, I didn’t think it was all that funny at the time. And it wasn’t until I had a chance to talk with the great people at Tide, that I learned that there are better ways to treat our clothing and prevent them from failing when we need them the most. Furthermore, it’s days like this that our clothes are put to the test. We are walking in the cold weather, into a warm building, letting the sweat absorb into our clothing. Then there’s the dirt and food stains. Those clothes go into the washer, and the cycle repeats itself the next day. 


Washing and wearing your clothes can cause things like permanent stains, dinginess, and fading, which can keep them from looking great. Tide Power PODS contains specific ingredients that help maintain clothing appearance over time. 

My kids make a mess of their own, and my clothes


First, they contain builders and chelants. Builders lock up calcium and magnesium to reduce water hardness, allowing surfactants to do their job, which is removing stains. 

Secondly, Tide Power PODS contain scavengers. Scavengers seek out things like chlorine, which is often found in drinking water. Chlorine has been shown to damage and fade fabrics over time. 

Third, Power Pods contain polymers. Polymers keep stains and soils from re-depositing onto other garments after the surfactants have removed them, preventing dinginess on clothing over time.


Finally, Tide Power PODS contains cold-water enzymes. The enzymes are part of an overall formula designed to function well in cold water. Since washing in the cold maintains bright colours and prevents fading.

Alright, if you didn’t want to read all that technical stuff, I’ll sum it up like this. Tide Power PODS are designed to keep your clothes looking better for longer, and maybe saving you an embarrassing moment along the way.

Thankfully Tide Power PODS keeps my clothes looking great!

If you want to learn even more about Tide Power PODS, or you’d like to try them out for yourself click here!

A Tuna Casserole To Remember

Do you know those meals that bring you back to childhood? You know, the ones that as soon as you even smell the dish cooking, you’re transported back in time. You remember standing in the kitchen, patiently waiting for your parents to serve it to you? 

In partnership with Ocean’s Tuna I’d like to share one of my favourite childhood meals. The mighty tuna casserole. 

Now, I know that some of the ingredients in a tuna casserole are as hotly debated as Star Wars versus Star Trek. For the record, the force would blow those one-piece unitards into a galaxy far far away. Anyway, some people like to add peas, and some don’t. Then there’s the question of using egg noodles or regular pasta, chips, or no chips. You get the idea.  

However, regardless of what you put in your tuna casserole, one ingredient is kind of essential. Any guesses? I know, a lame attempt at a joke. It’s tuna. And I’d like to talk about tuna for one second because after all, the good people at Ocean’s are the sponsors of this post. Oceans Tuna is a company that is committed to using their business as a force for good, as is evident with their B Corp certification. 

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of B Corp Certification. I’ll give you details, and once you know what it is, you’ll love supporting B Corp companies. In 2019 Ocean’s became B Corp Certified and joined a group of companies that are committed to using their business as a force for good—balancing profit with purpose. B Corp companies are committed to creating a positive impact on their employees, customers, the communities they operate, and the environment. For Ocean’s, this means that they only use sustainable fishing methods and protect vulnerable species. They also work with local authorities to reduce bycatch and consider the impact of their decisions on employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. To learn even more please visit this link .

Okay, time for the tuna casserole. Here is a list of the things you’ll need:

  • 2 Cans of Ocean’s Solid White Tuna
  • 3 Cups Penne or Fusilli Pasta
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 small onion
  • 2/3 cups of frozen corn
  • 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/3 cup of milk
  • 1 cup of cheese
  • 1 teaspoon of dill
  • A squeeze of lemon to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Topping:

  • 1 cup salt and vinegar chips (crumbled), or however many you want, because you’re an adult! 

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F if you’re in the USA, or 218°C if you live everywhere else. Combine topping ingredients and set aside.
  • Boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
  • Cook onion in butter until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, combine pasta, onion mixture, corn, soup, milk, cheese, and tuna. Make sure this is evenly mixed!
  • Spread into a casserole dish and top with the crumbled up chips.
  • Bake 18-20 minutes or until bubbly.


Once it comes out of the oven, set it aside for 5-10 minutes. Then you can serve it right away, or freeze it for later. The great thing about this meal is that it’s enough for dinner and a light lunch the next day. Perfect for a stay at home parent, that doesn’t want to spend their days, preparing endless meals! 

One final note, if you enjoyed this recipe using Ocean’s Solid White tuna, please visit oceans.ca to learn more about Ocean’s products and see more healthy recipes.

#ComeHomeToSwiss

As a partner of Swiss Chalet, I have been given the opportunity to share with you my, Come Home To Swiss, story. It’s one of my fondest memories as a hockey-loving kid, growing up in a small community. 

For those of you that don’t know this about me, I grew up in a small farming community, about an hour and a half north-west of Edmonton, Alberta. There wasn’t a school or any organized sports in our community, so every day I stood at the end of my driveway and waited for the bus to pick me up and take me to a nearby town. 

Nothing Takes Priority Over Teddy

Or, somedays the bus waited for me to get to the end of the driveway. The bus always showed up 10 minutes before the end of Teddy Ruxpin and I always wanted to find out if Tweeg would finally get Teddy, spoiler alert: he didn’t.

Anyway, the bus brought me and the other kids to the nearby town of Barrhead. Now, I wouldn’t say that Barrhead had all the conveniences of a large city, but it had everything that my friends and I enjoyed, a hockey rink!

Like the time my friends and I invented the game of “hockniss”, a game that was essentially tennis but played with hockey sticks.

You see, I grew up with hockey, I played hockey, I watched hockey, and I made up games that largely revolved around hockey. Like the time my friends and I invented the game of “hockniss”, a game that was essentially tennis but played with hockey sticks. We also invented the game of “hosketball”, but I’ll let you just imagine what that was all about. 

Hockey, Hockey, Hockey

Hockey was all we knew. We had hockey practice twice a week, we played two games on the weekends, and in between, we could often be found on the outdoor rinks. We were a high knit group. However, one of the things about playing hockey in a small town is there aren’t enough people to make up more than one or two teams for any specific age group. This meant that we often had to travel a lot for games and tournaments. 

I guess teams didn’t have many players back then?

On the weekends we would travel to nearby towns and play teams like the Westlock Jerks, or the Onoway Cold Hockey Rinks … I actually don’t remember their team names, but based on the feelings we had back then, I’m sure this is accurate. 

Those towns were all relatively close. However, a few times a year our teams would enter into a tournament in the city of Edmonton. These were the trips that my friends and I got really excited about. 

During tournaments, we always played two games a day, sometimes three  … oh to have that much energy again. And because we were so far from home, it meant that we would eat at a restaurant. 

Just a Small Town Kid in the Big City

Living in a city now, I take for granted just how exciting the city can be. As kids, we loved seeing all the cars zooming around, the huge buildings, the malls, and all the restaurants. In our farming community, we had the grand total of zero restaurants and in the town, I went to school there was one. But in the city, the restaurants seemed endless.

However, at the end of a long day of playing hockey, we weren’t going to choose just any restaurant, we wanted a good meal from a restaurant that has been a Canadian staple since 1954, Swiss Chalet! 

When we would get to the restaurant, we didn’t even need to look at the menu, we knew we wanted the quarter chicken dinner, a roasted chicken leg or breast with Chalet Sauce, a bread roll and fries (there are more options besides fries, but we always wanted the fries).

Family favourite my whole life!

As my friends and I sat around the table eating our dinner and talking about the games, we felt happy and content. I’m sure all the parents were stressed about all the logistics, but we didn’t have a care in the world. 

Great Memories

As the years have passed and I’ve slowly lost all the medals and trophies from the tournaments, I still remember these special memories at Swiss Chalet, with my friends and family. Memories that I am reminded of every time I bring my own kids to Swiss Chalet and order a quarter chicken dinner.

If you would like to share your own special Come Home to Swiss story, click here and tell it. When you do, you’ll be entered to win 1 of 65 prizes of FREE Swiss Chalet for a year!