Crunchy Parenting Is The New Black

I feel the pressure to be crunchy. As well as owning momstown I'm a birth doula which in itself is a whole lot of crunchy. A conversation on facebook recently had me googling Kombucha and still can't wrap my head around what a scoby actually is and why everyone shares them. I have multiple baby carriers but I rarely use the word babywearer. I had a homebirth, but I couldn't fathom eating my placenta, not in pill form and especially not in a meatloaf. I'm a little on the crunchy side but I still like my to rely on my old stand-bys like McDonalds and strollers.  Sometimes in this world it feels like you need to choose sides.  But I really feel like I'm dead centre in the crunchy spectrum. 

I think it's amazing that we have so many exciting options out there that are more natural and better for the environment. The sheer amount of information available is incredible! I can definitely see the appeal of adopting the crunchy lifestyle, but there are some things that just aren't for me.  I totally understand why the crunchy mamas seem to have a bond, as I can't really jump into a conversation about spirulina without making a complete fool of myself.  What I'm hoping is that our crunchy mamas and their smooth counterparts can respect each others decisions in how we parent our children and live our lives.  I'm taking a stand and it's not quite crunchy.  I'm declaring myself as oatmeal, pretty much smooth but with some lumpy bits and I won't choose sides because I want to be on both : )

p.s. for all you smooth mamas out there this is a scoby...It still icks me out but it does have some really amazing health benefits!    

Why Parenting On TV Is Nothing Like Real Life

No wonder we have no idea what we're getting into when we have kids. TV is where so many of us get our point of reference early on.  It begins during pregnancy, a young woman finds out she's pregnant by throwing up (in public, of course).  The only symptom she displays is getting sick in the morning and she never mentions the hip pain, heartburn, hemorrhoids or any other pregnancy symptoms throughout the entire 9 months of pregnancy.


The birth: Her water breaks on her due date and in public because a due date is written in stone and labour starts no other way, right? Contractions start instantaneously, she's rushed to the hospital and is screaming for pain meds before the commercial break. A few moments later, mom is holding a perfectly pink baby, who probably has a healed belly button and a bottle of formula shoved in it's mouth because that's the only way babies are fed (?). This is where the 'parenting' begins.


First of all, no ones house is as clean as on TV, especially with kids! Even when they're cooking supper the kitchen is spotless. So realistic. The funniest thing to me is how rarely you actually see babies on these shows. You don't see the baby interrupt the couples witty banter over supper, you don't see the mother nursing that baby six times in one night (let alone talk about it) and you most of all don't see the baby change the dynamic of any relationship. It's almost as if the baby takes care of itself.  You even see the parents out together without talking about the logistics of childcare. I guess that doesn't make for good tv, but it sure doesn't make the transition to motherhood easy on new mothers.


I think many moms feel like they don't 'have it together' because they don't see what real life really looks like. I worry about new moms seeing these portrayals on tv and think that it's anything close to reality.  That's why moms need REAL moms in their lives.  We need to know that other moms feel the same way we do.  Moms need momstown for this.  It's unbelievable to me when a mom of more than one says she has no mom friends.  I can't imagine my life without the support of other mamas who struggle with relationship issues, toddler tantrums and sleepless nights.  I am grateful for the "mommy friends" I've met through momstown who have become so much more than playgroup company and developed into a community that I couldn't live without. 

Kellogg's National Breakfast Day

Join momstown Edmonton South, East & Sherwood Park on National Breakfast Day, for the Kellogg’s ShareYour Breakfast Event on March 8^th, 2012

momstown wants to help Kellogg’s give back to the Edmonton community. At this event, members will receive breakfast kits and learn how we can share our breakfast. 

In Canada, 1 in 10 children live in poverty, and are at risk of starting their day on an empty stomach. On March 8^th, National Breakfast Day, Kellogg’s will be distributing mini-packs of Rice Krispies cereal nationwide, to raise awareness and reach out to children in the community.

Kellogg’s will also be donating to Breakfast Clubs of Canada and Breakfast for Learning. You can help by purchasing Kellogg’s cereals – every box equals a donation!

Join us for Share Your Breakfast – we’ll have activities for the kids, circle time, crafts, and a great way to help your community.

Go to www.kelloggs.ca/SYB for more information.

momstown's Busy Bag Swap!

Two minutes into a long car ride your child says "Are we there yet?" Your oldest reaches over and grabs the soother/toy/empty fry container from your younger child insert high pitched screaming here.

OR

Your napped and happy 2 year old wants to do anything but sit in a highchair during a lunch out at a restaurant.  You ordered 15 minutes ago and food is nowhere is sight! Where is that server!?

Enter - The Busy Bag!

Busy bags are portable activity bags to keep kids busy, many are educational and all are fun! We'll be packing them in the diaper bag, both cars and have a few hidden spots at home for those "Mom, I'm bored" moments when the kids needs something new and interesting!

We immediately fell in love with the busy bag swap idea! What better way to take advantage of the amazing community of moms we have here at momstown! We had 15 moms take part with 195 bags made in total! It was so fun to see all our mamas getting crafty!

Here are the activities we made
  
Click on the link for step by step instructions:

• Popsicle Colour Matching
• Color and Number Wheel
• Lacing Activity
• Alphabet and Number Tracing
• Popsicle stick puzzles
• Matching paint shades with the clothes pins
• Fishing game
• Cupcake activity
• Pipe cleaner matching
• Banker Boxes
• snowflake felt activity
• "I spy" jars
• Pushing puff balls
• Egg in Carton
• Felt Pizzas
• Wonder Wipe Box!

Art & Play - Mix and Match Snowmen!

Winter has finally arrived so we thought a fitting craft for Art & Play was Mix and Match Snowmen!

Our little artists picked their own jewels for eyes, Q-tips or straws for arms, lots of options for snowflakes and of course some glitter glue to make everything sparkle! 



Loved all the creativity these kids have what a great way to spend a wintery morning.  For more pictures check out the album on facebook!



Our new programming including Art & Play starts this week!  Check out the new calendar for lots of fantastic programs for kids of all ages!

Make sure you register for a free trial membership to see what momstown has to offer!

When to Announce You're Pregnant: Breaking the 12 week Rule

That's the rule isn't it?  You must wait until you're past that magic date to announce you're expecting.  The more I think about it the more my heart tells me there is something wrong with the 12 week rule.   

As you've read from my previous post about stillbirth, I've lost a baby.  With Maya's pregnancy I followed the rule.  I waited and as soon as I hit that 12 week mark I shouted that I was expecting to everyone I knew.  I got all the congrats and woohoos...then the complications started.  From that point on I was surrounded with support.  I was surrounded by people who understood why I was distant and maybe not quite myself.  Being on bedrest was only manageable with an 18 month old because of the amazing women in my life. 

As you know Maya's pregnancy ended with heartbreak.  It took everything in me to get up everyday and face life without my baby.  A baby that I already loved and adored.  My life was flooded with kind words, acts of kindness, and prayers.  I felt my support network lifting me up and helping me move forward. 

A baby is a baby, no matter how small.  I believe this with everything in me.  This is why the 12 week rule just doesn't sit well with me.  Miscarriage has been a taboo subject for way too long.  I think this rule has a lot to do with it.  It further ostracizes women who experience it.  We will never learn how to support women who experience miscarriage if we can't acknowlegde a baby is important from the second it's conceived. 

I am celebrating this baby today, tomorrow and everyday of this pregnancy. Maybe writing a blog the world can see isn't everyone's cup of tea. But I firmly believe that you should share your baby news with your close friends and family long before the 12 week mark.  If anything were to happen you'll be so grateful to have their support - I promise you that.

Did you catch that??

That's right - Baby #4 is on it's way!! 

Tales for Tots: We Share Everything!

At Tales for Tots this month we read We Share Everything by Robert Munsch. The kids in the story learn how to share on their first day of daycare. All of the kids end up mixing and matching their shoes, shirts and pants at the end of the story! I wouldn't want to be the teacher trying to figure that out at the end of the day!

We did some mixing and matching of our own with a snowman craft! We chose to dress our snowmen in different colours of hat, scarfs, buttons and boots! It was neat to see some kids that like to have all matching clothing and others with a rainbow of colours!
We share everything at momstown too! Isabelle won a copy of the book to take home! Join us next month for Tales for Tots where we'll be reading How do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies? We'll be talking about our senses while we smell our way through this scratch & sniff book

Get Kids to Listen without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling!

All you need is a computer with speakers and you can kick back and learn from the comfort of home.

Get Kids to Listen without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling!

If yelling and nagging a common occurence in your house, sign up for this webinar today! Amy McCready, will teach you why you need to ditch the strategies that are fundamentally flawed and what you can do instead. You’ll walk away with concrete tools you can use immediately to get your kids to cooperate without the slightest hint of whining, fussing or complaining. Who Should Attend: Frustrated parents of kids ages 2 – 15

The webinar promises that we’ll walk away with concrete tools we can use the next day and see results. I know you'll be especially interested in learning the 5 R’s of Fair and Effective Consequences. You can watch, listen and even interact with our host, Amy. Participants are not required to have a webcam, only a computer with speakers

You'll love the way this webinar is structured. Amy is right there LIVE, a video image of her is in the upper left corner of your monitor the whole time. As she talks with you, you'll watch her PowerPoint presentation that is packed with valuable information. She'll also stop to answer our questions about difficulties and needs when it comes to getting our kids to listen.

Two sessions are available:

Tuesday, Feb 21st from 7-8 PM

Tuesday, Feb 21st from 9-10 PM

All you have to do is RSVP at http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown

(You must RVSP in advance to attend as there is limited 'seating')

Not a momstown member? Think could benefit from this training?

Please Join In Too! We wouldn't want you to miss out!

About Amy McCready Parenting expert Amy McCready is the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, which has empowered thousands of parents worldwide to correct their kids’ misbehavior without nagging, reminding or yelling. Amy is a frequent guest on the TODAY show and has also appeared on Rachael Ray, CNN, Fox & Friends, MSNBC, and elsewhere. A regular contributor to the TODAY Mom’s blog, Amy lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons.

Junior Chef: Valentines Edition

What's more appropriate for our Valentines Day Junior Chef than heart shaped red velvet cupcakes?  Although ours turned out to be a little more pink than red they were just as tasty with homemade cream cheese icing!

Click here for the recipe we followed, be sure to have lots of red food colouring on hand though, we ran a little short (hence the pink!) We let the kids decorate them with cinnamon hearts, pink, red and white sprinkles! They were proud of their masterpieces before they gobbled them down!

Pink Velvet

YUM!

Masterpiece!

 Concentrating on decorating



First cupcake, first cinnamon heart, first Valentines Day!

Searching for family friendly restaurants in Edmonton!

Recently our momstown mama's planned a wonderful Mommy and Me lunch out at a "family" restaurant.  The company was awesome (as usual) and all 6 kids behaved perfectly.  What wasn't so fantastic was just how oblivious our waiter was to our needs as moms.  How can you wait on tables all day and not know that a family with children has special requirements?  I don't want to be treated like a princess just so my child stays relatively quiet, but for the sake of the servers tip as well as the enjoyment of the other patrons we have some suggestions for restaurants and servers to ensure they are family friendly.

Servers

• Respond quickly to requests - Especially when the request is for the child, it's stressful taking your child out and not really knowing if this is the day they throw an epic meltdown in a crowded restaurant.  Keeping the baby quiet is in the best interest of you and the other guests at the restaurants. 
• NEVER pass food, drinks or anything else over a child's head - I know you're being careful and I do understand that you "think" you won't drop it. The truth is each and every mom has dripped or dropped something on their child's head before so they know it's possible even with the best of intentions.
• Offer suggestions for the baby - A new mom might not realize that you'd gladly bring out a side of steamed broccoli or mashed potatoes rather than deep fried processed "chicken" that costs an arm and a leg.  It's a great alternative to the kids menu especially with young babies. 
• Always be mindful of the child - Ask if she'd like the babies food to come out first.  Bring back napkins when you see the child is clearly covered in food.  Check back often to see how the food is and if anything else is needed. 
• Please be FRIENDLY - I know you don't really want my table.  I know we're going to make a mess and we're probably going to take double the time most tables take.  But we love our kids and we like to treat ourselves and go out once in a while.  We'd appreciate being treated like we're welcome just like everyone else. 

P.S.  If you want a really good tip tell me how adorable my kids are and talk to them directly.  Your misses won't even be half as noticeable if I think you're in love with my children : )


Restaurants

• High Chairs - Need I say more?  They need to be clean, safe, and with working parts. 
• Breastfeeding Friendly - Restaurants need to make all moms feel welcome and inform servers that a nursing moms should never be made to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.
• Change Tables - Not 100% necessary, but if you don't have them I will be changing my child on your seat so please make sure that it's acceptable.
• Great Servers - See above recommendations and train them to be welcoming and aware of the needs of families.
• Background Noise - I know most people like to eat in peace, but our meals are never peaceful and a bit of background noise it makes our children blend in.
• Reasonable Prices - Especially on kids meals and sides.  We don't mind spending $25 on a really good cut of steak or a carefully prepared dish.  But $8 for mac and cheese is just outrageous! Keep things reasonable and we'll be back often.
• Fast Service - We don't expect food out immediately but with a family we just can't wait over 25 minutes for an appetizer. 

Do you know which Edmonton restaurant is the MOST family friendly?? 

Neither do we but we're determined to find out. 

Send us your recommendations where you've have the best family experience.  This year we'll be testing restaurants all over the city and we will be crowning one fantastic restaurant the most Family Friendly Restaurant in Edmonton.