Happy Valentines Day 2023

Welcome to the HELP Im A Dad Podcast, where we explore all things related to the joys and challenges of being a dad. On this week's episode, Alex delves into the spicy topic of Valentine's Day. With the holiday fast approaching, he shares his plans to ask his wife to be his Valentine and compete with their dog for affection. He also discusses the current controversy surrounding schools in Ontario banning the celebration of Valentine's Day and invites listeners to share their thoughts on the matter.

In addition to the main topic, the host covers some housekeeping items, including updates on the show's production and a shoutout to its supporters. He also shares his own personal approach to Valentine's Day and encourages listeners to show love and appreciation not just on February 14th, but every day.

To make this Valentine's Day extra special for his wife, Alex plans on making a DIY card and even plans on making his own flowers using this Youtube Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk4qY61AzvE. This episode is packed with inspiration for dads and dad-adjacent individuals looking for creative and meaningful ways to celebrate love and family. So, tune in and be prepared to have your heart warmed by the love and appreciation shared on this episode of the HELP Im A Dad Podcast.

Manta Sleep Mask:
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2 Pairs 925 Sterling Silver Bar Dot Stud Earrings:
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Transcript

Transcripts Are Auto-Generated

00;00;00;23 - 00;00;30;25
Alex Brodie
Oh. What is up? Fellow dads and dad adjacent. How are you doing today? I'm your host, Alex Brody. Welcome back to The Help. I'm a Dad podcast where we talk about all things related to fatherhood. And today, we're touching base on a very spicy topic. Valentine's Day. It's coming up in a week, and I'll be asking my wife to be my Valentine's, because in this household, I can't assume our dog won't steal the spotlight.

00;00;31;04 - 00;00;52;07
Alex Brodie
Also a hot topic in Ontario right now is that some schools have banned or are talking about banning the celebration of Valentine's Day. Now, I just found out about this before I started recording. Not sure how I feel about it, but but I would love to get your take on in the comments. What do you think? Good, Bad.

00;00;52;27 - 00;01;17;16
Alex Brodie
I think my grasp is that they are trying to balance socio economic opportunities for children and also protect feelings. Again, not entirely sure. Let me know in the comments below. Before we dive in, I have a few housekeeping items to go over. This podcast is a weekly production every Wednesday, and if that changes, I will definitely keep you posted.

00;01;17;16 - 00;01;41;24
Alex Brodie
And I do dive into updates and behind the scenes on the Gram and the Twitters. Links are on the podcast page. And speaking of being on multiple platforms, we are officially hosted everywhere you can get your podcasts. It was a bit of a speed bump getting there, and I'd like to give a special shout out to Meghan from Apple Support, who was so patient with me.

00;01;41;29 - 00;02;11;03
Alex Brodie
Meghan, if you're listening, Thank you. The third thing is incredibly humbling, and I'd like to give a shout out to Gigi and Alice for supporting the show and becoming monthly subscribers. I am blown away and I truly, truly appreciate it. There are plans for exclusive content in the future, but until then you have this podcasts Sincere appreciation. It really does help.

00;02;11;17 - 00;02;43;25
Alex Brodie
And last but not least, my mother's birthday is coming up and I would like to give a very warm birthday acknowledgment. Mom, I love you. I'm very fortunate to be your son. Happy birthday. And with that, on to the podcast, all you need is love. Love. Love is all you need. The Beatles. Now, I know a lot of people think that Valentine's Day is just another holiday made by capitalists to rake in the seasonal big bucks.

00;02;45;16 - 00;03;13;06
Alex Brodie
I mean, admittedly, I was once one of those people. Now I've just reframed how I think about the whole thing. Much like how I view life in general, it's just more positive. And sure, you can spend a boatload of money on Valentine's. But I do think it is more than a cash grab. It is a day that reminds us to celebrate love in all its forms and to remind ourselves to focus on what truly matters.

00;03;13;16 - 00;03;31;17
Alex Brodie
That doesn't mean spending money. I'm about to do a bunch of free stuff to make my partner laugh and hope that she will be my Valentines. Because it's hard to compete with a cute dog who wants all the affection. So I can't just assume that she's going to say yes even though she married me. Now back to love.

00;03;32;08 - 00;03;58;06
Alex Brodie
You can show love in many ways, since there are so many different forms of it to begin with. And nothing makes me happier than seeing my family happy and feeling loved. Valentine's Day is a good reminder, an opportunity to let them know how much they mean to me, whether it's making them their favorite breakfast or adding a little bit of from Bologna to their kibble.

00;03;58;21 - 00;04;23;28
Alex Brodie
Which side note we just found out gives our little boy the toots real bad. So that's the thing that we have to figure out. To giving them a big hug or just spending some quality time together. It's the little things that count. Now, that's my perspective, talking about my family and my household. But it's not just about our household families, right?

00;04;24;20 - 00;04;46;03
Alex Brodie
With so many people in our lives who mean the world to us, and it's important to show them our love and our appreciation. Whether it's parents, siblings, friends, or chosen family, a little gesture of love can go a long way. And if you're on the fence about telling somebody that they mean something to you, just do it. Just spread the love.

00;04;47;11 - 00;05;14;28
Alex Brodie
Granted, Valentine's Day shouldn't be the only day we show love and appreciation. I'd recommend that. It is important to make an effort to show love every day, not just on the 14th of February. But I know life can get busy and hectic. However, I don't think that one day out of the year is really enough. That's not your make everything better for the rest of the year kind of thing.

00;05;15;26 - 00;05;42;10
Alex Brodie
But this is my reminder to you that V-Day is a week away and you still have time to not forget about it. If you do celebrate, it just don't want you getting caught unawares. So I said I'd be giving my wife a card. Right. But I won't be going to the store. I won't be ordering it online. I am simply getting a piece of paper from the printer, grabbing a pen and some coloring sticks and just having fun with it.

00;05;42;18 - 00;06;01;22
Alex Brodie
And that's just another creative outlet for myself. I have fun with it and me being silly and goofy with the whole thing. It translates pretty well, at least in my experience. Maybe I'll post a video or a picture. Actually, you know what? I will. Because with that card, I also wanted to give her flowers. But not just any flowers.

00;06;02;02 - 00;06;32;02
Alex Brodie
I wanted to make her flowers. Yeah, you heard me right. So there's this trend I saw pop up on social media where you can make flowers at home with toilet paper. I'll let you sit on that for a moment. Hashtag dad joke. Anyways, obviously, I'm going to try this out. And the beauty is that I don't have to leave the house because thankfully this isn't like the beginning of the pandemic and we have some extra rolls in the cupboard.

00;06;33;02 - 00;06;52;20
Alex Brodie
And if you want to try this out yourself, I'll leave a link in the description to a video for them. If you do, make them please, for the love of anything, tag me. I want to see how you manage with this as well. We could see who did better. So fingers crossed that with all the arts and crafts effort I put into this.

00;06;52;28 - 00;07;15;14
Alex Brodie
When I ask her, I'll get an emphatic yes. And then the plans for Valentine's Day. That's a whole other conversation. But maybe I'll cook a nice romantic dinner, throw on some Leonard Cohen, some candles, some glazed carrots, homemade pasta with a meat sauce or tofu sauce, as we tend to be leaning towards these days, which I don't mind.

00;07;16;04 - 00;07;44;10
Alex Brodie
Either that or whatever we meal prep for the week. If we run out of energy and the day just gets away from us. But that's the whole point. Valentine's Day making, making time. As a reminder, you know, make a conscious effort throughout the year. But on this particular day you gotta. I will say though, that if you are struggling and you do want to buy a gift for someone or for yourself, I can suggest one perfect addition to the bedroom.

00;07;44;10 - 00;08;05;01
Alex Brodie
A sleep mask. Yeah. You thought I was going somewhere else with that one? A sleep mask is absolutely phenomenal. Once you get used to it. The one that I'm currently using is made by Manta Sleep Mask, and I use the pro one, but I'll link the, I guess, normal one in the description so you can check it out.

00;08;05;16 - 00;08;22;25
Alex Brodie
I personally use the Pro mask because I'm a side sleeper and if I sleep on my back I snore. And sleep masks tend to make me want to sleep on my back. But again, this one facilitates side sleeping. And the cool thing about this is that the way the mask is developed is that there's no contact with your eyes.

00;08;23;14 - 00;08;42;22
Alex Brodie
So you don't feel your eyelashes brushing up against anything. It's almost like a portable compact black outlines. So check it out. If you want to do yourself a solid or do your partner or somebody special in your life. A solid. When my wife heard I was doing this episode, she wanted me to specifically put in a piece of jewelry.

00;08;43;04 - 00;09;06;12
Alex Brodie
So there is one that she liked in the description below as well. Very minimalist, very affordable. And it is through Amazon, so you can expect to get it pretty quickly if you're still on the fence about when or what to get. On that note, I hope that you all have a wonderful upcoming weekend and share the love in whatever form that might be on the 14th.

00;09;06;24 - 00;09;28;29
Alex Brodie
And if you've enjoyed this episode and want to see us grow. Share this podcast with your friends. We would really, really appreciate that. Here's to being the best parents that we can be much love. I thanks for being a part of this community and following us wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to leave some of your insights, you can find us on Instagram currently at help.

00;09;28;29 - 00;09;43;11
Alex Brodie
I'm a Dad podcast or click the link in the description to leave a voicemail. We'd love to hear from you. Your message might even be featured on a future episode of our show. We appreciate your support and can't wait to hear from you. Much love.