Why would I ever take my child to a chiropractor??

Do you take your new car in for regular service even though it runs just fine?  Do you take your family to the dentist even though none of you are complaining of problems with your teeth? Do you clean your house regularly even though you don’t feel like it?  Why do you do these things?  Really.  Why?  The answers to these questions seem pretty obvious, don’t they?  Well, the same can be said about the reasons for seeing a chiropractor at any age.

There are really only two reasons to go to the chiropractor. 

1.      Something in the body isn’t working right (usually seen in the form of pain or discomfort) and you want to fix it.

OR

2.     You feel fine and you’d like to stay that way.

As parents, how do you know when to take your infant or toddler to get adjusted? (An adjustment is the name of the procedure a chiropractor uses to re-align or “adjust” the position of a joint.)  Let’s answer this by using the  criteria already discussed.

1.  Is your child in any pain or discomfort?   

·  is your child having regular daily bowel movements?

·  is your child having long periods of unexplained crying that you can’t comfort?

·  does your child have trouble nursing on one side compared to the other?

·  are they getting frequent colds or  ear infections?

·  is your child sleeping regularly and deeply or is their

   sleep restless and short?

·  is your child struggling or unable to achieve the childhood milestones of 

   olding their head up, crawling or walking?

·  Do you feel like something’s wrong with your child but you just can’t put your finger on what it is?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, your child may have a misalignment of one of more of the spinal bones that is causing irritation to the corresponding nerves which causes a disturbance in normal function. 

Here we have a problem that needs to be fixed!

A chiropractor examines the child and determines if any misalignments or “subluxations” are present and then proceeds to correct then with a chiropractic adjustment.  This is a gentle force applied to the joint in a specific direction to correct the misalignment.   It’s that simple.

Does it hurt?    

Babies often sleep right through it, some are startled for a moment but easily distracted again and yes, some cry for a few minutes.  Most young children claim that it does not hurt, but it really depends on the sensitivity of the child.

 Now let’s address the second criteria…

2.  Your child is fine and you’d like them to stay that way.

If you are fortunate enough to have a happy, healthy and thriving child you can first, thank your lucky stars, and second decide if you want to take a “wait and see” reactive approach to their health OR a preventative pro-active approach.  Chiropractors recommend prevention since we see what happens to a neglected spine and nervous system on a daily basis.

In the first year of life, we recommend a chiropractic check-up for your infant as they progress through the significant milestones of:

·       birth (within 48 hours of being born)

·    holding their head up (usually 2-3 months)

·    sitting up (around 6 months)

·    crawling (around 9 months)

·    walking (around one year)oll

We are making sure that the spinal joints are working properly and the nervous system is functioning at maximum capacity.

Chiropractic care and your toddler!

The second and third years of life can be a little more demanding on a child as they stumble and crash “head first” through life.  A general tune-up every 3 months is recommended on a preventative basis unless you suspect a problem.  Small children are usually unable to name their problem or pain until they are a little older and able to articulate abstract ideas.  Therefore, bring your child in for a check-up whenever they experience a disturbance in daily behaviours like eating, sleeping and pooping and/or becoming unusually irritable for longer than a couple of days. 

Watch a two year old for a day and you’ll see the amount of stress they put on their young bodies.  Fortunately, the body is designed for self-healing and correction and lots of these bumps and falls are no problem.  But from time to time, children get into more serious situations that put their bodies under more demand than they can handle.  That’s when they get “subluxated” or misaligned and need a little extra help from the chiropractor. 

Your children’s bodies are no different than your own.  Life is demanding and we can all use a regular tune-up to keep all the mechanisms working smoothly.  Just like a wheel alignment problem with your car will cause the tires to wear out more quickly and put more strain on the whole chassis, an alignment problem in your spine will cause your joints to wear out faster and put more strain on your whole body. 

Take care of the body and it will take care of you!

For more information visit:

www.jacksonchiropractic.ca

Drs. Don and Kathy Jackson

Jackson Chiropractic 

11157 Ellerslie Rd SW

Edmonton, AB

(780)988-5444

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. 

Things we've learned...

Parenting is hard. We're 4 years in and I am no expert but I can tell you one thing. We struggled. The first six months of Isabella's life I wasn't sure if we'd make it through as a couple. The stress of having a baby was putting a huge strain on our relationship and we didn't see it coming.  When our second baby was born we talked about what happened to 'us' the first time around and were both terrified, but thank goodness it was easier. My friends without kids (read: the ones with no bags under their eyes, money in their pockets and all the time in the world) always ask how we manage to keep it all together.

Here's what we've learned along the way:

1. Housework is NOT worth fighting over.   Stop keeping score. Understand that sometimes you'll do more than your share and sometimes he'll do more than his.  Laundry is more a team sport now and our carpet sometimes just gets swept instead of vacuumed.  Surrender to the fact that your house may never be as clean as it was when you had no kids. Don't expect a gold star and applause for sweeping a floor, just help each other out where you can.

2. Stay on the same team. Whether you're trying to get out of the house to go grocery shopping or on vacation. Work together - you both have the same goal in mind but you might have different ways of getting there.  (Husbands - if you see your wife running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to find soothers, socks and mittens, please, for the love of god, don't stand at the front door watching her. Jump in and help!)

3. Don't expect big conversations with kids around. It can be almost impossible to even get through the "How was your day" discussion during supper with kids.  Take this time to talk to the kids, not about the kids.  Save the big conversations for naptime or when the kids aren't around, that brings me to my next tip!

4. Prioritize couple time.  It's not always easy to leave the house together alone but make time for each other in the evenings and on the weekends. Listen to your spouse, it can start to feel really isolating if your other half is too busy on facebook (or xbox) to listen for a few minutes.

5. Tell the other person what they're doing right. It can be easy too fall into a habit of criticising each other (this one is especially for you mama's!)  Who cares if he puts the diaper on backwards or picks the one sleeper you'd never put the baby in. Think big picture here - he's being a dad, let him make his own mistakes; you'll make yours too and you'll rarely have someone peeking over your shoulder to check your work. Don't assume that your partner knows how you feel. I'll never forget the time I was nursing my baby for the third time one night and my husband woke up and looked at me and said "You're such a good mom". He probably barely remembers saying it, but it's something I'll never forget.

My biggest piece of advice is be kind to each other.  Remember that it's the first time either of you has done this exhausting, frustrating and amazing thing that is parenting and it'll be easier if you lean on each other.  Looking for more advice? Check out momstown.ca's Secrets to a great marriage!

Children's Book Club - Perfect Snow

This month for our Scholastic Children's Book Club we read Perfect Snow by Barbara Reid.  Although it's January, we actually had very little snow on the ground that day.  By the evening though the snow was coming down full force, I think we had a little something to do with that!

Perfect Snow is a story about the kind of morning Canadian kids love - the Perfect snowfall! Wet sticky snowman, igloo and fort making snow! The kids in the story learn that working together is more effective than everyone trying to work on their own and they build and amazing fort and team of snowmen!

Congratulations to Brooke who won a copy of the book to take home!

Edmonton: Our Winter Wonderland!

Our theme this month was very fitting for our fair city and we had tons of fun with it! We kicked it off with Baking at Bella's where we made adorable Cinnamon Polar Bears! The kids loved decorating then eating them! Click here for the recipe!

We had our Scholastic Canada Children's Book Club at Chapters Southpark.  Although we had very little snow that morning (despite it being January!) the kids loved the book and one lucky attendee went home with a copy of the book Perfect Snow by Barbara Reid.

We had a Winter Wonderland themed Connect the Tots where the kids decorated snowflakes & we also attended Edmonton's annual Ice Festival where the kids admired beautiful sculptures and went down huge ice slides!

We wrapped up the month with a Winter Wonderland party with Edmonton & Area moms! We decorated cookies, made adorable snowflake bracelets, snowmen crafts, read stories at momstown's reading corner and what's party without bouncy castles! 

We had so much fun in our Winter Wonderland!
Join us next month for our
Mix & Match theme!

Click here to register for your free trial membership!

Social media - Are we too connected?

So I conducted a little social experiment (and maybe lost a few facebook friends).  For just one hour I changed my status on Facebook to "Exciting news...Guess What?"

I knew I'd get a reaction and a handful of comments guessing baby news. What I got was a virtual facebook riot. Literally.  In just 30 minutes I received 8 texts, 55 comments, and a phone call from my mother asking if I was pregnant. Wow. In 30 minutes. That's almost 2 comments every minute, friends were putting their lives on hold to hear news from me. Dishes unwashed, children waiting to go to bed. I was completely overwhelmed.  We're so connected in our society that in just minutes my friends, acquaintances and family were pulled into my life.

I think this intense level of connectedness makes some people uneasy.  The thought that your private information could easily be spilled to so many people with very little effort makes a lot people want to protect themselves.  If a simple status of "Guess What??" can trigger a flurry of comment, texts and phone calls imagine what could happen if someone were to target you.  Our lives are intertwined so much so that I can't even imagine my life before these social networks existed.

The social media world has made me feel connected. I feel connected to my community, my family and friends. I've developed friendship with people that I barely know in real life, but have found commonalities with online. I feel as though I actually know the businesses I frequent, they have a personality and a story. I've connected with so many online friends and learned so from people that I will never meet. I think that's pretty incredible.

The conclusion I came to about this facebook experiment was that I'm happy all those people wanted to know my news.  I know if I was announcing bad news (which I've had to do in the past) those same people would do just about anything to help me get through it.  Maybe in this case it was overwhelming.  But most of the time I feel as though my facebook friends as well as my momstown friends are just widening my support network that is so important to me.  

And I guess I should formally apologize to my poor facebook friends who hung on for an hour while I tested my theory.  Thanks for not unfriending me : )

I locked my child in the car...and other mommy mistakes.

-Jon Rogers

After thousands of trips in and out of the car with kids, I've finally locked my child in. After buckling my daughter in her carseat I close the door and realize it's locked, I frantically run from door to door like this will be the one and only time my doors malfunction. Nope. No miracle this time. Dammit. 

Alright now what? Hmm...well she's four maybe I can get her to unbuckle herself? I plead with her. She finds this very amusing. Apparently the more I try the funnier it gets. Not going to happen. Next I call my husband. We don't have an extra set of keys so he can't help me. I was secretly hoping he turned into a locksmith overnight. No such luck. He tells me to call someone.

 "Oh hello Mr. Locksmith, yes, what time can you be here? TOMORROW?!? Umm nope that won't work." Ok calm down, I'm starting to lose it now and my daughters amusement turns to worry. I call every other locksmith in town, two could come

immediately, I basically make them race. Whoever gets here first gets my money. The guy shows up and takes 2 seconds to open the door. He attempts to make me feel better as I try to explain the situation "The car must have done this on it's own, I swear I'm not a bad mom." In hindsight this seems like a ridiculous thing to justify, even if I were a bad mom there would be no purpose in locking my kids in a car. Basement, yes. Car, no. 

After the doors are open my daughter says "mommy please don't lock me in the car again." Insert guilt here. Sorry Isla I can't promise it won't happen again but I'll try my best. Driving home I think about every other time I've done something that resulted in this tailspin of mommy guilt. Considering there was no physical damage I realize this is at the bottom of my list of mommy mistakes. We've all done things like this. So why do we beat ourselves up when they happen? I'm coming clean with my top 3 mommy mistakes, please don't judge. Actually, feel free to post your own; I know you've all got some. 

1) I pierced my daughters nipple. You may ask how does one pierce a child's nipple by accident? The metal soother clip we thought was clipped to her sleeper apparently was also attached to her nipple. Ouch. After 10 minutes of her crying we realized what happened. It broke the skin and everything. OMG. 

2) My daughter pooped out a dime (at her first day at her dayhome) The dayhome providers exact words were "I just thought you should know she pooped out a dime, is this normal?" Umm, yes coins are a regular part of her diet, tomorrow you can expect to see a penny, it's yours for the taking. 

3) Not securing my child into her car seat. Driving around town for almost an hour when all of sudden she starts freaking out because apparently I didn't do up her buckles...Oops. There are so many things on my mind it's a wonder they are fully clothed when we leave the house! 

This list could be much longer, I don't even want to count how many times they've tumbled off a couch or bed. Or all the times I've bumped their heads off walls, door frames, etc. Considering locking my child in a car for 45 minutes doesn't even make it into my top 3 mommy mistakes, I'm going to let myself off the hook for this one. I hope you can all come clean and let go of the guilt it's just not worth hanging onto and there's probably a reason they don't remember much till they're 5 anyhow : )

momstown membership - for the working mom too!

We've heard there's a silly little rumour that momstown is only for stay at home moms and we think it's time to settle this once and for all!  Did you know that we are in fact, working moms ourselves?  Both momstown Edmonton South owners work out of the home and can appreciate that working moms want to do fun things with the kids on their time off! momstown is a lifestyle and we've got something for everyone!

Here's what's available to our 9-5 moms with a momstown membership!

1. Message Board - this is the best place to get to know other local moms.  We talk about everything,  this is a supportive environment where you can ask questions, chat and get advice! I'll warn you though - it's addictive.  Our members check the momstown message board as often as they check facebook - yep, that's a lot.


2. Fun Family Events - momstown hosts holiday events from Mother's Day to Christmas and everything in between we have great events to bring the whole family out together!

3. Scholastic Children's Book Club - We meet at Chapters on a Saturday to read a story, have a snack and do a draw for a free book, courtesy of Scholastic Canada!


4. Junior Chef - Once a month we bake a special treat to go along with our theme for the month. This month we made adorable Cinnamon Polar Bears for our Winter Wonderland theme!


5. Big Cook - We've got it down to a science! Working moms need big cook meals more than anyone! After a busy day at work it's exhausting to come home and plan a big meal - we meet for a few hours and go home with up to 24 meals ready to go!


6. Working Girl's Lunch - We need to have a little fun on the weekdays too! The first wednesday of the month we meet for a lunch downtown.


7. Discounts -  We've got tons of discounts both nationally and locally, they change on a monthly basis so check back regularly!


8. Sports Saturday - we go skating, to an indoor playground or something else fun and active for the kids to run, jump & play!


9. Mompreneur Networking Night - From accounting to social media we've got a topic for you, we meet for coffee and learn from speakers and from each other!


10. Mom's night out! Meet those lovely mama's you've been talking to online for a delicious meal, a movie, a book club, bowling or anything in between! We've got at least two evening events a month for you to have some adult time with moms just like you!

Don't forget about our sister sites at momstown.ca there are
craft ideas, recipes and contests available at your fingertips anytime!

 At $45.00 a year - there is no better value!

Click here to start your 1 month free trial!



The day my toddler turned into a cat

A few short weeks ago my sweet toddler was easy going. Anything mommy wanted her to do she went right along. It was fun to put a hat on, have her diaper changed or eat her supper. She was a little bit on the slobbery side, somewhat clumsy too. She reminded me of a little puppy, easy to please, easy to love.

My cute cuddly puppy turned into a cat overnight.


My darling toddler has learned the word no. She says it loud and proud. Time for boots? That's a good reason to run. Needs a hat on? She can twist and turn her head so fast I end up just lunging for the nearest round, bald object and it ends up on the banister. The car seat, oh my. Have you ever seen a cat arch it's back? She could be a yoga master with her moves. Sometime around 18 months my little angel has decided that she eats when she wants to, comes to me when she feels like it and she has a fierce determination that would have a puppy cowering with it's tail between it's legs.

'with strong, flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey.'

Yep, that about sums it up.

 

10 Things I Never Thought I Would Do...

I knew some things would change when I became a mother but never would I have imagined doing any of these things! Thank you to our momstown Edmonton South members for contributing to our list, thank goodness we have each other to vent, laugh and cry with over the crazy things we do for our kids!

1. Eat something that has been in someone else's mouth.

2. Wipe a snotty nose with my bare hand.

3. Explain the use of a tampon to a 2.5 year old boy

4. Give up on closing the door when I use the bathroom

5. Talk about poop, my cervix or nipples with random strangers

6. Catch vomit in my hands because it's better than it landing on the carpet

7. Consider 3 consecutive hours 'A good nights sleep'

8. Keep my cool while my three year old has a full on tantrum in the middle of a store, then pick her up calmly and leave a cart full of groceries behind.

9. Eat a piece of oatmeal off a toddlers face only to find out that it was snot

10. After all this - love these little hurricane people enough to make multiples!!

Noon Years Eve Party with momstown Edmonton South!

Why not celebrate New Years Eve at a decent hour with the kids! The same fun can be had Midday instead of at Midnight and it will save you from having cranky kids on New Years Day!

This year we made noise makers, had a delicious potluck lunch, toasted the new year with juice and counted down to 12pm with some very excited kids! 

 

The kids had a great time making these paper plate shakers, they made a ton of noise when we did our countdown! Click here for instructions on how to make them!

After we rang in the New Year we ate some countdown cake - I do not claim to have any talent for cake decorating, this was my best attempt!

Thank you to everyone who rang in the Noon Year with momstown Edmonton South!!