Summer Sports with the 2018 Ford Escape Titanium

June 27, 2018 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

Testing out a new Ford vehicle is always a treat, but it’s especially enjoyable in the spring! Finally getting out of the house after a long winter and cruising in a beautiful new car is the best way to say goodbye to cold weather for the next few months.

So, when Ford Canada offered me the chance to take the 2018 Ford Escape Titanium for a week-long test drive, I couldn’t have been happier. And as luck would have it, I ended up receiving the vehicle during the same week my boys had eight different sports games over a two-day period!

The new 2018 Ford Escape Titanium is packed with family-friendly features that make it the perfect vehicle for packed weekends, road trips and running errands. The blind-spot alert ensures that when a vehicle is in the car’s blind spot to help avoid accidents. Curve Control applies automatic brakes if a curve is taken too fast. And the rear view camera lets the vehicle get in and out of the tightest spots with ease. [Read more…]

DIY Step-by-Step FRAM Engine Air Filter and Cabin Air Filter Replacement

August 31, 2016 by Kathryn 1 Comment

Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FRAMFresh #CollectiveBias

With fall just around the corner, it’s a great time to tune up the car so that it’s ready for the busy back-to-school season. And even though I don’t have a whole lot of experience with car maintenance, I know that there are a lot of little things I can do myself rather than paying a mechanic. Last year, I taught myself to change my car’s oil. This year, I knew that my car’s air filter and cabin air filter were both due to be changed. So I decided to change them myself in preparation for winter…with a little help from FRAM!

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Eating Healthy With Kids While on the Road

June 21, 2016 by Kathryn 1 Comment

Summer is coming, along with summer vacations and travel. Traveling with kids is challenging whether you’re going for a day trip or a week-long vacation, and one of the major issues is what to feed the little ones while on the road. Here are six great tips for keeping your kids fed when you’re away from home.

Use Your Travel Cooler

This is an important tool to have in your arsenal. Choose a small personal-sized cooler if you have one or two children, but if you have three or more go for a full-sized cooler. Skip the loose ice cubes and keep your cooler cold and mess-free with commercial ice packs or frozen water bottles. You can keep dairy snacks and filled baby bottles cool all day, and chill fruits, veggies and dip for maximum enjoyment in the summer heat. For added cooling power, freeze juice boxes the night before your trip. They will melt slowly and help keep your cooler cold to boot.

Bring Your Gear

If you have infants or toddlers, you probably have special feeding gear that you always use at home. Instead of packing up everything from home, consider buying duplicates of favorite bowls, cups, and utensils for traveling. Other travel-friendly gear you may not have include spill-free snack cups you can use to serve dry cereal, chips, small berries, and other snacks to kids while in their car seats, and spill-proof cups. If you have older babies and toddlers, look for cups with straws as these are easier to drink from when your kids are held in a reclining position in a car seat. [Read more…]

Need a Family Vehicle That Does It All? You Need the 2016 Ford Flex!

June 1, 2016 by Kathryn 36 Comments

Right now, my fiance and I each drive fairly basic passenger car sedans. My own Ford Taurus has had a lot of miles added to it since I bought it two years ago, and I’m thrilled with how reliable and comfortable it’s been. But before too long, Jeremy and I want to upgrade that Taurus to something bigger and more versatile. So when I got the chance to review the 2016 Ford Flex, I couldn’t wait to see if it might be the vehicle we’d been searching for.

I have to admit that part of the reason I was so excited to test-drive the Ford Flex was because I think it looks so funny. The boxy rectangular shape certainly isn’t designed to look sleek and sporty, and I’d always giggled to myself a bit when I saw one driving down the road. But there’s no doubt the Ford Flex is a popular family vehicle choice and I wanted to see just what it was about this crossover that made drivers flock to it, and its “unique” design. [Read more…]

Join the @CanadianTire #CanadasGarage Twitter Party April 7 at 7pm EST

April 2, 2016 by Kathryn 3 Comments

When it comes to keeping a car running well, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When I was younger, I had a bad habit of running my vehicles until they were no longer road-worthy and only then getting them fixed. The result? Costly repairs that could have been prevented with some cheap and easy maintenance. That’s why now I put a lot more effort into keeping my car in good running order. Spring is the perfect time to do that, since I’m already heading to the garage to take off my winter tires. And Canadian Tire is always a top choice for one-stop servicing for my beloved car!

Wondering what kind of maintenance your car might need this spring? Topping up fluids is a must, from antifreeze to brake fluid. An oil change is usually a good idea too; planning one every spring and fall will help keep a car running smoothly for years. It’s also a good idea to check spark plugs, especially if you’ve noticed your engine stutter a bit at any point. And having your mechanic check the condition of a car’s brakes, timing belt and air filter can save thousands on future repairs. Brake pads need to be changed periodically; left too long and both pads and disks will need replacing. And breaking a timing belt can ruin the entire engine, so checking it for wear is a must.
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