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Parenting trends 2013: the good, the bad and the ugly

Posted on January 7, 2013 | Leave a comment

Every January parenting gurus pick what they think will be the year’s top trends. Last year I weighed in on the trend forecast, and while I’ll be forever thankful that “dadchelor” parties didn’t take off, I am a bit disappointed there isn’t more French parenting happening in my kitchen.

Moving on to 2013, I think the burning questions are: Will breastfeeding your child until he’s four be the new transitioning-to-a-sippy-cup? (Let’s hope not.) Will whatever Wills and Kate name the royal heir become the year’s hot baby name? (Very likely.) And will all that steamy reading about Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele lead to a baby boom? (That depends on how many foil wrappers were opened.) Like your daily horoscope, it’s all very hard to predict. But predict the media does and after perusing the prognostications from iVillage and Chicago Parent I’m here to pass judgement on the trends.

The Good

I know! Chris Hemsworth makes “Thor” seem like a no-brainer baby name.

Scandinavian baby names: We’ve seen Hunger Games baby names and Twilight baby names; how about giving the region that brought us Norse mythology a chance to showcase its monikers? You don’t have to name your kid Thor or Odin, but at least consider Magnus or Axel, okay?

Buh-bye art from forever ago!

Apps to make your life easier (in theory): If your kids are like mine, they bring home every painting, drawing or craft they’ve ever made and then expect you to keep it forever and ever. Some are awful and some are cute and now, thanks to Artkive, you can recycle the lot. Just snap a photo of the artwork, then toss it. At the end of the year use Artkive to make a coffee table book of your child’s works straight from the app.

The Bad

Dressing your child to look like you is never a good look.

Dressing your child like you is never a good look.

Dressing your kid to be a “Mini Me”: It was a bad look for Austin Powers and his sidekick-kid and it doesn’t work for mothers and daughters, no matter what the forecasters say. Either way someone loses, whether it’s Mom, who looks ridiculous rocking a bedazzled shirt; or Daughter, who looks a bit too Toddlers & Tiaras wearing a beret and heels while carrying a purse.

On the plus side it will motivate your child to walk everywhere.

Neon baby gear: I know everything comes back into style, but are you really ready to start putting those garish neon colours on everything again? They were bad enough the first time around on ski outfits and T-shirts and jewelry, but now you want to make sure your neon stroller stops traffic? Those hideous shades of yellow, pink, blue and orange are just as ugly on bouncy chairs and nursery bedding and diaper bags. They will make your baby cry. Promise.

The Ugly

Extreme Parenting: Bomb Shelter Edition. (Look for a blog post about this topic in the future…)

Apocalyptic parents: All the natural disasters and bad, random things that keep happening are spurring some parents to prepare for the worst. It’s like Y2K all over again as paranoid parents stock up on bottled water, batteries and generators. Just in case. Really? You have nothing better to do with your time?If that doomsday preacher taught me anything, it’s that you just can’t count on the end of the world.

Drink of the Week: Frangelico Nutty Irishman

Posted on January 4, 2013 | Leave a comment

I know the holidays are technically over but I couldn’t resist breaking out the sweet stuff for one more frothy winter cocktail. As occasionally happens in my line of work, a bottle shaped like a monk’s habit appeared on my doorstep late last summer. I took it as a sign I needed to try the Frangelico captured within, and squirreled it away until tonight.

When this monk comes knocking, let him in.

Frangelico is an Italian hazelnut liqueur made from wild hazelnuts found in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It was evidently created by a group of ~~minks~~ ~~monkeys~~ ~~(I’m drunk)~~ monks some 300 years ago and then named after a monk of their order with hermit-like tendencies, brother Angelico. Or, abbreviated in Euro-speak, Fra. Angelico. Get it? Frangelico has a sweet and nutty taste, with cocoa and vanilla notes that further endear it to sipping this time of year.

No one is sure when the order got its party on with a bunch of ~~flying Dutchmen~~ wild Irishmen, but the end result of that crazy rendezvous is what I’ve been sipping on ~~all night~~ the past little while: a Frangelico Nutty Irishman.

It tastes kind of like a boozy chocolate-vanilla milkshake. I recommend it ~~in the morning for breakfast~~ as an after-dinner dessert drink. Best tipped back next to an open fireplace, snuggled under a blanket. Enjoy!

Mmmm… boozy milkshake.

Frangelico Nutty Irishman

1-1/2 oz Frangelico
1-1/2 oz Carolans Irish Cream (I used Baileys)
Ice cubes

Blend ingredients with 3-4 ice cubes. Serve on the rocks.

— Recipe courtesy Frangelico

All those ski lessons are finally paying off!

Posted on January 3, 2013 | 2 comments

When we signed Avery up for ski lessons at Fernie Alpine Resort four years ago, at age three, the day when she could ski with us anywhere on the mountain seemed a long way off. She was so little. Her skis were wee — she couldn’t even put them on by herself. And when she toppled over she was like that old lady from the medical alarm commercial: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

She fell. A lot. The instructor did a lot of heavy lifting that day.

She fell at age three. A lot. The instructor got a workout from heavy lifting that season.

But my husband and I are avid skiers and we want our kids to get involved in “lifesports” — activities they’ll be able to partake in their whole life and also ones we can do together as a family, such as skiing, hiking and swimming. So we persevered. Every ski trip meant some lessons, rewarded with runs on the bunny hill with Mom and Dad.

Fast forward to the beginning of her fifth ski season and it’s amazing how good Avery has gotten. I just skied with her in Fernie for two full days and can honestly say we had fun (read: we did not do laps on the Deer chair). Certainly, I have had my fill of the blue run Power Trip off of the slow and freezing Elk chair, but she took me on new-to-me runs like Holo Hike, which passes through two tunnels, and I led her down new-to-her runs such as Sun Up and China Wall, two black diamond pitches in Lizard Bowl.

My girl en route to Power Trip. Again.

In fact, it warmed my heart to watch her follow an 11-year-old boy straight toward the moguls on the south side of China Wall (the middle part had been groomed flat) and then watch her link turns down the bumps without missing a beat. At age seven, kids have no fear. It’s awesome (except when they tuck it down a rather steep and narrow slope and you are the one having heart palpitations). I also felt a glow of pride when skiers riding the chairlift would turn around to watch my pink-helmeted wonder trying to catch air off of little jumps. I am one proud mama.

After skiing, we did what any tired mother-daughter duo would do: hung out by The Griz — the cardboard cut-out version, not the slopeside bar of the same name. Indeed, that’s now the only downside to carving turns with my girl: it limits the apres-ski possibilities.