Merry Christmas to All

momstown Edmonton-South joined forces with momstown Edmonton-North this past week to celebrate the magic of Christmas together at the momstown Family Christmas party.

A fun morning for kids and parents where we enjoyed games, crafts, food, a special visitor and most of all the festive community of momstown members!

New toys

To all our momstown families thank you for a great year and for making momstown what it is,a community of  neighbourhood moms!  From my family to yours we wish you a magical Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!

And the Winner Is......

We've just wrapped up the 12 Days of Toopy Contest on the momstown website!  Our members watched daily for a clue word to enter.  And the winner is:

Congratulations to Kimberly Gibson, winner of the momstown Edmonton-South 12 Days of Toopy contest!  Kim wins a Family 4 Pack of Tickets to the January Toopy and Binoo show in Edmonton.

Lovely Weather for a Sleigh Ride Together

NOT!  Unfortunately the weather for our momstown Sleigh Ride down Candy Cane Lane was not so hot, literally.  Those of us who braved it, froze!  But the kids enjoyed it so we'll still consider it a success.

Join us for some upcoming, hopefully warmer, momstown Edmonton-South events!  Register for your free trial membership today and come out to see what we are all about.

Christmas Party Treats

I will be the first to admit that I am not into baking and hardly enjoy treat making. Aside from the occassional cupcake or decorated cookie, its not really my thing.

Challenged recently as a momstown minds panelist for Rice Krispies got me thinking about new (and very easy, my main criteria) treats to make for the upcoming momstown Family Christmas party. Here's what I came up with, try it. So easy and very tasty.

What you need:
1/2 batch of Rice Krispie Squares Batter
Melting chocolate
Sprinkles or sparkly sugar
Sucker sticks
Sucker bags
Mini Cupcake Pan (optional)



What to do:
Press rice krispie batter into greased mini cupcake pan.  Alternatively you can roll your batter into balls.  Place one sucker stick in the center of each.  Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill.  Remove and place each sucker on wax paper.

Dip each sucker in melted chocolate.  As you do this press the top of the sucker in sprinklers or colored sugar.  Place on wax paper again and allow to dry.  Place each sucker in a bag!

I have a batch (minus 1) of these yummy treats ready for our momstown Family Christmas party this Saturday!

Enjoy!

O Christmas Tree

A fun craft from a recent momstown Connect the Tots playdate that is easy for toddlers and non messy for moms!

Christmas Tree "Stained Glass" Window Clings

What you need:

Construction paper (black or green)
Tissue paper cut into small pieces
Clear Contact Paper
Scissors

What to do:

Cut 1 piece of construction paper into a large triagle.  Cut the center from the triangle.  Use a leftover piece to make the "tree stump".

Place the tree on the sticky side of a sheet of contact paper.  Have your child place the tissue pieces inside the triangle.  Layering the tissue and cover all the open space.  Cover with another piece of contact paper and trim.

Here is my sample window cling beside my daughter's hanging in the window.  Can you tell which is which?  Pretty good.  These look even better when the sun is shining through!

Enjoy!

Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer

Rudolph the red nose reindeer, had a very tasty nose at momstown today!

Keeping in mind my daughter's current obsession with Rudolph (she asks me to call her by that name right now) it was pretty easy to choose what kind of treat to make for our Connect the Tots craft date today.

These Rudolph Cupcakes were a hit with the kids, and the moms, many of whom requested the recipe.  Here it is, adapted from a recipe at allrecipes.com.

Banana Pudding Cupcakes

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 Package of Instant Banana Pudding
4 Eggs
1 Cup of Water
1/4 Cup of Cooking Oil


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, water, oil and mashed banana. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into cupcake papers.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes test done.

To make reindeer cupcakes, frost with chocolate icing and use pretzels, m&m's, red candies and Nila wafers as above.

Makes 24-30 cupcakes

Here's what our taste testers had to say!

They approved!  Join us for these bi-weekly playdates by registering for a free trial membership at momstown Edmonton-South.

The Festival of Trees

momstown headed to the Festival of Trees last week.  What better way to get into the holiday spirit than gorgeous decorations and lots of fun activities for the kids?

Coupons in hand we decorated cookies, fished for prizes, visited Santa, made jingle bell necklaces and colored some ornaments.

A couple of us mamas even took a giant leap this year and let our kids shop at the "Secret Shop".

I don't think there was anything more unnerving for us than handing our 3 year olds $5 and sending them through the passage which donned the sign "Kids Only, No Adults".

For me, it was the first time ever I have been in public with my child not in my site.  We waited anxiously.

And they of course emerged with treasures (and change I might add).  These two were thrilled to have "shopped" on their own and purchased their very own goody.  Oddly the goodies were both cats, but that is beside the point.

It was a great day for inspiration (for me) and independence (for my daughter)!

12 Days of Toopy - Contest

momstown is thrilled to announce another fabulous contest compliments of Koba Entertainment! Looking for a great family gift this Christmas? How about a Family 4 Pack of Tickets to the January production Toopy and Binoo and the Marshmallow Moon.

Toopy and Binoo and the Marshmallow Moon brings to life these two fun-loving and adorable characters, whose antics are driven by their out-of-this-world imagination. Entertaining and whimsical, this family favorite incorporates music, theatre, dance, puppetry and innovative multimedia technology to weave a story that will tickle the imagination of the entire family.

Join us for some fun in the 12 Days of Toopy Contest.  Visit momstown Edmonton-South daily starting Monday, December 6th for 12 days to find our Clue Word of the day.  Simply Click the Clue word to Enter!

When you click on the clue a new email will be created.  Email us the clue word for that day in the subject line!  Enter once to per day and you might win this fabulous prize, just in time for Christmas!

Contest ends: December 17th, 2010

A perfect day for Connect the Tots today.  After a wicked cold snap it was time to get out of the house and see some other kids and moms!

We took an idea from the momstown arts and crafts blog and made it happen.  Check out these bird feeders we put together this morning.  Most kids used birdseed, those who were allergic to nuts used oatmeal!

Spreading butter on the pinecones, then rolling them in birdseed.

And maybe playing in the birdseed too.

Having a chat while they work!

Lovely Bird Feeder in our Backyard!

Join us next time for another break from the long cold winter days.  Connect the Tots meets bi-weekly for free play and crafts at momstown Edmonton-South.

There's No Place Like Home

This week momstown was off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz at the Royal Alberta Museum. 

A fun and interactive exhibit with something at each stations to entice and occupy our toddlers.

A definate hit among the kids was Tornado Alley where they could make their own tornado with the touch of a button.

Musuem staff also treated the kids to storytime and craft time where we made these cool Lion masks to take home.

At the end we click our heels and said, "There's No Place Like Home", so that's where we headed for naptime!

Looking for fun things like this to do with your kids?  Try out momstown!  Register now for a free trial membership and join us on our next adventure.

Let It Snow

We said Let It Snow, and snow it did. Our first snowfall of the year was honored with this Snowflake Craft I tried at home with my toddler as an experiment.

What you Need: 

Coffee Filters
Scissors
Felt Markers
Spray Starch


What to Do: 
Cut a square out of each coffee filter. Fold into triangles, like this, and create snowflakes.

Have your child color each snowflake with a variety of colors. The more marked up they are the better. 

Place Snowflakes on a cookie sheet and spray with starch until the colors run together. 

Let dry overnight.

 Decorate! We hung these in my daughter's room as the start to our Christmas decorating around the house!

Looking for more fun craft ideas to do with your kids at home?  Check out the momstown arts and crafts blog full of great ideas for little kids!

Give the Gift that Lasts All Year

Do you know a mom or mom to be who lives in Edmonton South, Edmonton East or Sherwood Park? 

Give her the gift that lasts all year, give her the gift of fun, friendship and support with a momstown membership.

momstown memberships make great gifts!  Just $45 per year, or $30 for 6 months.  Order your momstown Gift Certificate now and receive the actual certificate in the mail in time to give for Christmas this year.

Psst. already a momstown mama?  Pass this on to someone you love and they just might top up your membership for another year this Christmas!

My House, Your House, Check out This House

momstown chapters across the country are doing crafts this month with the theme of My House, Your House.  In Edmonton we decided on a craft of a different sort of house.  One from way up North, further North than we are! 

Check out these Marshmallow Igloos. 

What you need:

Styrofoam cup
Mini White Marshmallows
Styrofoam plate (small)
Icing Cement

What to do:

Icing Cement With an electric mixer, beat 2 large egg whites, 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 2 teaspoons water until frothy. Mix in 3 cups sifted powdered sugar; beat on high speed until icing is stiff, 5 to 10 minutes. Use, or cover up to 8 hours. Makes about 1-1/2 cups. 

Cut the top off the styrofoam cup.  You are left with the base of the cup which when turned upside down becomes the base of the Igloo.

Cover the cup with Icing Glue and place in on the styrofoam plate.  Have your child cover the cup with mini marshmallows to create the Igloo.  Place glue in front of the Igloo on the plate to build the doorway.

A simple craft that is almost as much fun to make as it is to eat while you are working on it!

Join us next time, for more crafts and fun with momstown Edmonton-South by registering for your free trial membership.

Our craft was adapted from the Marshmallow Igloo Craft shown at Ehow.com

Lazy Lasagna, momstown Style

We told you last month about the momstown Big Cook which took place at the end of September.  Since that time momstown families have been busy, with everything BUT cooking.  We've been enjoying the fruits of our labour.  Easy meals, no prep, little time in the kitchen.

We've also been discussing, at length, on our message board our successes and failure, tips and trick and the best way to prepare and serve some of these meals.

One of my favorites so far has been the Lazy Lasagna, a favorite because of the momstown message board adaptation.  So much my favorite I must share!

Mix together in a bowl all of the ingredients from your favorite lasagna recipe.  We used The Big Cook recipe, but one like this, or your tried and true favorite would work too.  Make a double, triple, quadruple batch and freeze the mixed ingredients in zippered freezer bags, 1 for each meal.

When you are ready for a quick and easy meal (when aren't you ready for that) defrost the bag of lasagna in the refrigerator overnight.

You will need regular lasagna noodles, cooking spray and a crock pot.

Spray the bottom of your crock pot with cooking spray and place one layer of uncooked noodles into the pot.

Layer the noodles and mixture of lasagna ingredients into the crockpot.  Finish with a layer of noodles on top.

Pour approximately 1/2 jar of pasta sauce over the noodles until they are completely covered.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

During the last half hour of cooking sprinkle the top with mozzeral and or parmesan cheese.  Serve and enjoy.  This serves up the same as regular oven baked lasagna, only it tastes better thanks to the slow cooking method!

Thanks to all the momstown mamas who contributed on our message board!  We have a new and easy favorite in our house.