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