Author: avery

Happy New Year!

Hey pals – just quick note to say Happy New Year and I hope you enjoyed your holidays.  It was a total whirlwind for us – a week filled with family, excellent food and drink, and winter colds for everyone. Oh well, such is life with a baby, I guess.

Speaking of the little munchkin – guess who learned how to crawl? She’s so proud of herself and her new skills. She crawls a few feet, and then sits up and claps with joy.  It is beyond adorable.

Later this week I’d like to tell you all about my New Year’s Resolution… but now I’m off to watch the Bachelor with friends. Yep, it’s a guilty pleasure, and I’m not afraid to admit it!

[image above of the Centre Island pier in winter by Flickr user gardinergirl. Part of Torontoist’s roundup of the best photos from 2011]

Happy Holidays!

That’s it for me – I’m officially on holiday, so I won’t be blogging next week.  I’ll be back with regular posts starting January 2.   I hope you have a wonderful holiday break; enjoying good company, eating good food, and getting lots of sleep!

Don’t forget to track Santa as he flies around the world Saturday night…

[image above: Christmas angels and a Santa Claus ride on Segways in Berlin on November 3, 2011. Photo from The Big Picture, c/o Wolfgang Kumm/AFP/Getty Images]

Best Kids Apps

Say what you want, but I am pro-technology for kids.  Of course, I think there should be limits placed on the amount of time a kid spends with a smartphone in their hands, but in general, I’d much prefer to see a child playing with n iPad (and actually interacting with it) than just passively watching TV. Everything in moderation, right?

Anyway, if you don’t mind sharing your smartphone or tablet with your kid, you might want to try some of these apps out:

There’s a Monster at the End of This Book is an interactive story app based on the Sesame Street book of the same name.  My nephews (aged 3 and 6) can’t get enough of this one.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App features a make-your-own story and drawing tool, all based on Mo Willem’s hilarious “Pigeon” books.  We’ve played this with our 9 month old daughter, but mostly Ian and I just like to play with it ourselves.  That pigeon is a riot.

Elmo Loves ABCs for iPad. Seriously, what kid doesn’t go nuts for Elmo?

I haven’t tried it, but Swiss Miss recommends Count the Animals, an app for toddlers and pre-schoolers learning to count.  It comes in 16 languages!

For more kids’ app recommendations, check out this article that the NY Times just ran in their travel section.  And of course, check out BestKidsApps.com where you can search for the best apps for kids of different ages, search by different prices, different types of apps, etc.

Oh, and PS – if you’re going to let your kid play with your iPad, you better get a really good case for it so they don’t break it.  I have my eye on the iGuy by Speck Products.  Isn’t it adorable?

[image above by Flickr user speedye]

Easy Holiday Treat: Peppermint Bark

As a general rule, I don’t cook. I’m pretty useless in the kitchen, and as long as Ian keeps cooking for me, I don’t have to. But, I have been known to make a few things here and there, and at the holidays, I like to make peppermint bark.  Mostly because it’s really really easy, and ends up looking pretty impressive when it’s done.  Oh, and it tastes amazing too.

All you have to do is melt chocolate chips, pour them into a pan and let that cool in the fridge.  Then melt white chocolate chips, and pour those on top of the milk chocolate that has already cooled in the pan.  Smash up some candy canes, and sprinkle those on top.  Then put the whole thing in the fridge overnight, and break it into pieces the next day.  Could not be easier.

Here’s a full recipe with instructions.  There’s even a video.

Movies I Want To See Over The Holidays

The Golden Globe nominations were announced yesterday, which reminded me to look and see what movies I’d like to see over the holidays. At the top of my list are The Artist, The Descendants, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I think I’d also like to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (don’t you just love Gary Oldman?  And Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch are in it too), and Carnage (from the Yasmina Reza play God of Carnage).  I see there’s a film version of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (the extraordinarily amazing book by Jonathan Safran Foer).  I don’t know if I can sit through that one – the book was so great, I’m afraid the movie won’t do it justice.  And I would be a total wreck – bring the Kleenex if you go to that one.

What movies are you excited to see?

Good Read: A Visit From the Good Squad

Since Clara was born, it takes me forever to read a novel.  But I’m glad I stuck it out and made it through A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.  It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2011, and I really really really liked it.  Read more about the book here on the Pulitzer website, or read the NY Times book review here.

Hide the Credit Cards: Shopcastr

Now this is dangerous.  Shopcastr is a new Toronto website that features products from local businesses, arranged in an easy-to-see format like Pinterest.  Select your neighbourhood (I picked Leslieville, of course), and see some great items for sale from local vendors. Nathalie-Roze & Co, Timmie Doggie Outfitters, Little Peeps, Baby on the Hip, Atomic Toybot, Empire, Studio WE!, Doll Factory by Damzels, The Bone House, Pied-A-Terre, Telegramme Prints, Arts Market… they’re all on there.  Drool.