Those cheery, toe-tapping Christmas carols can sure put a swing in your step and¬†a lift¬†to¬†your spirit.¬† Crank up the volume of¬†Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and let the perky words dance from your lips… Had a very shiny no-o-ose…¬†¬†I mean, isn’t that the point of these tunes?¬† They are to remind of us of the joys of the season, or (dare I say it?) contemplate the¬†birth of¬†the world’s Saviour, Jesus Christ.¬†¬†At least, that was their raison d’etre before Happy Holidays¬†became the preferred Christmas greeting and¬†when Advent¬†was actually a four week period of prayer and meditation – not a¬†chocolate-filled December calendar with a picture of Spiderman¬†swinging across it.¬†

Don’t get me wrong.¬† I love Christmas.¬† But by the time December arrives, those wonderful carols have been rolling around in my head like an old orange in the refrigerator drawer that no one bothers to eat.¬† They are played so continuously that¬†they’ve grown stale and tasteless by December 25th.¬† Not to mention, in the effort to provide variety, shoppers are forced to hear every horrible rendition recorded of every song that pertains to a snowy time of year (please… lose the Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey duets!)¬† On top of this, parents must scurry to toy stores and electronics shops to buy the dream¬†items on their children’s lists – thank goodness Santa graciously provides one of them (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.)¬† Is it any wonder, then, that so many of us find December the busiest time of year, and perhaps even the most stressful?¬†

Which brings us back to the basics of the Season … prayer and meditation.¬† Church leaders try to preach over the kaching-kaching of cash registers and woo us away from long line-ups and busy parking lots with calls to shun the materialism of Christmas.¬† Few can argue their point.¬† However, unless they’re willing to hang out on Christmas morning and wipe the tears off your children’s cheeks when you tell them that “this year, Mommy and Daddy decided to shun materialism”, the shopping malls will be a favoured destination.¬†

A simple way to break from the broken record of Christmas carols and ease the mind numbing effects of dollar, barbie, and action figures is to listen to classical music.¬† Seriously.¬† There are no annoying lyrics to interrupt your thought processes, no mispronouncing of words in songs.¬† And, although one could just listen to the usual Top 40,¬†tapping¬†your toe to¬†”Womanizer, womanizer, you’re a womanizer…” isn’t exactly conducive to finding your Christmas spirit, either.¬† It’s easier than reciting a litany of prayers, and certainly less effort than sitting cross-legged¬†and repeating a mantra for twenty-five minutes.¬† Just close your eyes, relax, and appreciate the genius of the world’s greatest composers.¬† And then, when December 25th hits, throw in a Christmas CD and sing your heart out!

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony¬†

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkTKb79RbOI

photo from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Who would know we’re tinkering on the edge of recession here in Canada?¬† The stores are packed, mall parking lots are as aggravating as ever, and it isn’t even December.¬† With more North Americans planning to wait for their coveted items to hit the sale rack, perhaps many of today’s shoppers are simply making their list, and checking (the price tag) twice.¬†¬†While Americans plan to spend 50% less this Christmas than they did in 2007 – from $859 to $431,¬†Canadians are¬†less inclined to cut back, according to a study by Deloitte, with only 40% of shoppers planning to spend less this holiday season.¬† And, thanks to credit cards and debit card overdraft, Christmas budgets are easily¬†blown when facing the temptation of shiny new merchandise surrounded by red and green cheer, carols crooning¬†through the store speakers.¬†

More than ever, there is an abundance of high-priced electronic items on the gift wish list.¬† The video game consoles will still be a hit among families, not to mention the games that go with them.¬† But, think twice about buying a¬†Blu-Ray player this year.¬† The price of these high-tech players have been slashed from US$400 to US$230 to encourage better sales this Christmas.¬† The technology, however, is a threatened species in the world of high-definition video.¬† Consider that DVD prices are lower than ever, at $15¬†(versus the inflated Blu-Ray DVD’s at $30), video-on-demand and internet streaming are more readily available, and critics say the quality of the picture is not substantial enough to warrant the heftier price tag.¬†

A new DVD player can cost as low as $50 in Canada while the hyped up technology of Blu-Ray is about five times the price.¬† With the possibility of Blu-Ray going the way of the Beta, consumers should think twice about investing in it.¬† Personally, I’m glad I scoffed at the merits of Blu-Ray that the sales guy espoused when I when DVD player shopping a few weeks back.¬† I asked the question: Why buy this if I have to then re-purchase all my kids’ DVDs with more expensive versions?¬† He insisted the quality of the picture made it worth the extra cost.¬† I wasn’t convinced and, thus,¬†added a measley $70 to his commission-based sale.¬† My new DVD player works great,¬†as do my kids’ DVDs, and I’m only $70 poorer.¬† Time to do some more shopping!

How many of us have purchased a bag of dried beans, and then never bothered to cook them?¬† In fact, perhaps you still have the bag you purchased three years ago sitting unopened in a kitchen cupboard.¬† As much as we’re told how good beans are to eat, they’re just so much effort to cook.¬† And, let’s face it – they’re BEANS.¬† Once they’re finally cooked, after hours of soaking and boiling and rinsing, what do you do with’em?¬† Certainly, there are plenty of recipes around for delicious bean soups and let’s not forget chili -¬†a Canadian favourite (with canned beans, of course) – but the amount of time invested in a bean concoction can seem overwhelming, and frankly, not worth the effort.¬† This is why lentils are the perfect pulse.¬† They take less time to prepare than most beans, and even require less cooking time than brown rice, and just a little longer than pasta.¬†

During tough economic times (hint: recession), lentils are an extremely affordable item on the grocery shopping list.  They are very nutritious Рa half cup of dried lentils offers 9 grams of protein, just over 100 calories, less than one gram of fat, and 24 grams of fiber. 

I finally decided to open the bag of lentils I’d purchased a¬†month ago¬†and prepare them for¬†the family dinner.¬† The easiest way to serve them in my household of picky children, is as a replacement for a side dish of rice or pasta.¬† The following recipe is as easy as it gets.¬† All you need is a cup of dried green lentils and chicken or vegetable stock.¬† I served them with roast chicken breast and cooked vegetables and, surprisingly, all my kids ate them.¬† I’ve served them twice since, and the kids (and husband) eat them up.

Recipe

Rinse & drain 1 cup of dried lentils

Add to a saucepan, then cover with 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium/low and simmer until tender (15 Р20 minutes).  Stir occasionally.

Optional:¬† Add garlic, salt, and/or cumin, depending on your children’s taste preferences.¬†

1 cup of dried lentils yields 2 cups of cooked lentils.

An autopsy on Friday confirmed that the body found in a field north of Barrie was, indeed, 15-year-old missing boy, Brandon Crisp. Parents across North America commiserate with the tragic loss of his parents and sisters, particularly because this story of video game addiction resonates with the personal experiences of so many. Removing privileges, such as video games, is a common, and often effective, means of teaching life lessons and has been practiced by generations of parents. Unfortunately, in Brandon’s case, what had seemed a normal course of action for concerned parents led to a tragically irrational response from a boy with an addiction.

Addiction has traditionally been relegated to vices – alcohol, drugs, smoking.

The concept of addiction has long been relegated to traditional vices – alcohol, drugs, smoking. But this incident has forced many to realize that the seemingly benign pastime of video game playing may need to be added to the list. Last Christmas, my husband and I decided to give each of our boys a DS Nintendo. Their ecstatic whoops of elation warmed my heart – that day. But, the battles that ensued for months afterward over how long and how often they could play had, on many occasions, tempted me to throw the beeping metallic boxes in the garbage (or better yet, hammer them to pieces.) The boys (6 and 8 years old) even woke late in the night sometimes to creep downstairs and play their games gleefully. Fortunately, they would guiltily confess their trespasses each morning. And I would have to find new hiding places for their DS’s.

Clearly, my husband and I realized, these little screens of animations were highly addictive and we were concerned. Now, almost a year later, we have come to a mutual understanding that the video games come out only every other day, and are timed for 30 to 40 minutes (with some exceptions.) My kids are lucky, however (or unlucky, depending on whose point of view), because I’m a fighter. They can whine and tell me I’m a mean mom until they’re red in the face (which they do) – I stand by my convictions. And it is exhausting. Just ask any parent of a video game console.

According to the National Institute on Media and the Family four out of ten parents whose kids play video games argue sometimes or very often with their children about the amount of time they spend playing. They also discovered, in a study on grade 8 and grade 9 students, that addicted video game players were involved in more physical fights, more arguments with friends and teachers than their non-addicted peers. It’s easy to sympathize with a parent who is tired of the constant battles and thinks, ‘what’s the big deal… It’s just a video game?’ After all, everyone plays video games these days. They’re right, almost.

Today, 92% of American children aged 2 – 17 play regularly. Market research firm, NPD, counts 174 million people as “gamers”, that is, those who play computer or video games. Of these, 22% of them are categorized as “young heavy gamers” and they comprise one-third of the population of console owners, with a particular preference for portable systems (DS Nintendo and PSP.) No surprise, then, that they are a marketing target for the big video game producers – Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. According to NPD’s Kids & Gaming Report, “When kids get to the 6 to 8 year-old age range is when we see them turn into more serious gamers. Not only does the amount of time they spend playing games increase the most dramatically, but they migrate from using ‘kid’ systems to using more portable and console systems as well” says Anita Frazier, an industry analyst, “This appears to be a critical age at which to capture the future gamers of the world.”

Microsoft spent $500 million to launch their Xbox 360

Microsoft hauled in a huge catch in 2000, when they spent $500 million to launch their Xbox 360 – the most they’d ever spent on a new project launch. In 2008, Microsoft was the most awarded advertiser, according to creativity-online.com, for their successful marketing of video game, Halo 3. This Christmas, they plan to invest more money than ever to woo a wider audience for their Xbox 360.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSdSnYGL7YA

It’s the quintessential David versus Goliath parable. Parents have little hope of defeating the forces of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo with a measley sling shot. But, all is not lost. They can arm themselves with knowledge and awareness about the very real possibility of addiction for video game players and keep a vigil eye on the types of games kids play, and for how long. Kudos to Microsoft for recently creating the Xbox 360 Family Timer to help parents limit their children’s video game content and usage. Perhaps it will help improve the grade ‘C’ that NIMF’s 2007 Video Game Report Card gave parents for their level of involvement in their children’s gaming habits as a result of their failure to use the ESRB ratings system, and their continual complacency in allowing children to purchase and play Mature rated games. Call of Duty 4 is among the top ten games NIMF recommends parents avoid for their children and teens – the very same game Brandon Crisp, tragically, lost his life for.
Do you suspect your child may have an addiction? Try this Quiz for children or teens.

With the kids licking lollipops and flipping¬†Rockets into their mouths, it’s hard to recall that only a few days ago (pre-trick-or-treat) they happily munched on carrot sticks and homemade oatmeal cookies.¬† But, soon the candy will run out, and their sugar-laced taste buds will once again appreciate the¬†flavours of¬†home baked goods¬†and naturally sweetened fruits.¬† It’s not just the moms who are anticipating the return to nutritious snacks, the trend toward healthier munchies, and¬†less junk food eating is being embraced by the big snack producers.¬† Consider the latest takeover of Alberta-based¬†Spitz International Inc. by PepsiCo Inc., which also owns Frito-Lay North America.¬† Spitz, which offers packs of sunflower and pumpkin seeds in various flavours, has enjoyed an¬†increasing presence in Canadian grocery stores alongside Doritos and Humpty Dumpty.¬†¬†¬†

The addition to PepsiCo better enables the global company to meet the growing demand for healthier snacks, and should be seen as a victory to parents who have continuously shunned the junkfood aisle when shopping for their families.¬† Considering the huge amount of marketing dollars invested by the largest food corporations on snack foods, the news could mean more effort will be devoted to advertising for healthier snacks.¬† Of course, the best foods continue to be found along the periphery of the grocery stores among the produce and dairy, but when a parent is meandering down the middle aisles while contending with a child begging for chips, won’t it be nice to see a bag of pumpkin seeds beside the ketchup chips?¬† It’s not so painful to relent to your child when you can say, “Okaaay, you can have something.¬† Here’s a bag of Spitz.”¬† And, with enough advertising, perhaps sunflower seeds will become the next cool snack at the party.