Mother's Day Pampering Event!

We love to pamper our mama's on Mother's Day! This year we did a mom's day out event with some extra treats for our very deserving mama's.  Each mom brought their own mom, sister or friend to share in the experience and relaxation! A huge thank you to mG Makeup Artistry & Pretty Mama Ltd for the hair and makeup - we were looking good for our supper out at Yianni's afterwards!

What's a party without sweets? Tastie Treats by Terrie provided delicious cupcakes for our mama's to enjoy and Chocolate Temptation - Velata had a chocolate fondue table set up! Delicious!

We put together a video for the mama's who attended the event to say thank you for being members as well as amazing mothers!

Thank you to our prize sponsors!

Birth Source Inc

Mother Haven

Velata

The Melting Pot

Snow Pea Portraits

Lush Lash Bar

Godiva's Toy Chest

How To Make Sidewalk Chalk Paint

We all have buckets of sidewalk chalk but I thought we'd try something different at our Play & Social:Park-hopping Playdate this week! It was simple to make and super fun for the kids to play with! We had all the kids at the park that day coming over to try it out!

Ingredients: 

Cornstarch

Food colouring

Water

The recipe is so simple!  The ratio is 2 parts water to 1 part cornstarch. This made fairly runny paint, you can see in the pictures that the colours are not as bright as they look in the bottle but they dry much brighter. A ratio of 2:2 will provide a thicker paint but won't go as far. I used a whole box of cornstarch to make the three colours and washed milk jugs and a mason jar to store the paint.

Your next question - does it stain?

We had a few kids who were covered head to toe, it brushed right off of clothes, hands, feet and faces!

Junior Chef: Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes!

Today at Junior Chef we continued our luau theme with Pineapple upside down cupcakes! This recipe was fantastic to make with a group because there were a lot of ingredients and many different steps, everyone had a chance to add something into the bowl! Check out the recipe here!



I always pre-measure the ingredients when I cook with kids so there are only dishes to put away afterwards. I also don't have to worry about consulting the recipe and making a mistake with so much distraction! (Ever added salt instead of sugar? I have!)

Nothing like baking with thirteen kids to teach a little patience (to all of us!)

The fun part - adding pineapple and cherries! we cut the pineapple rings into thirds because they were too big to fit into the cupcake pan, if you use muffin pans the rings fit perfectly



Yum!

 Finished product! Pretty good for so many little 'helpers' in the kitchen and to top it off, they were delicious! Must have been all that extra mixing!

Aloha mama's! ;)

No One Wants To Be The Mom With "That Kid"

I had to write this post after a conversation recently with a momstown member who said she rarely came out to events because she doesn't want to be the mom with "that kid". I understood what she meant and I do know "that kid".  "That kid" pushes, cries, takes toys, hits, throws tantrums, pulls hair, screams, runs away, and gets into everything.  I'd be hard pressed to find one kid that does all of these things at a single event.  But I've seen every momstown kid display at least one of these behaviors (including my own) at one time or another.  Guess what? We all have "that kid".  No one has a perfect child and not one of us claims to be a perfect parent.


Moms. If your kid is driving you nuts - get them out of the house.  Whether they misbehave at a momstown event or at home, at least you get some sanity saving conversation and a little bit of a break.  I know it can be embarrassing to have "that kid".  But at least you aren't at the grocery store getting glares from people who don't understand.  You'll be surrounded by other mom's that have "that kid" too and no one is judging you, your child or how you deal with it.  momstown is about more than just entertaining your kids.  We want to support you.  We want you to connect with your community.  We want you to know you are not alone.  The best way to get the most out of momstown is to just jump in - even on the cranky days ; ) 


If you have a lot of cranky days (like us) sign up for a free 1 month membership! 

Mother Blessings - A Beautiful Spin On The Baby Shower

You all know by now I'm a doula and little on the crunchy side. Even so, when I was invited to my first Mother Blessing I was a little intimidated. Would I say the right thing? Sometimes I have trouble saying what I mean to say and I didn't wanted to fumble my words on this very special day honouring a good friend. We were asked to bring three items with us:


- A bead for a necklace that the mama-to-be will wear during labour. The bead should remind you of this mama in some way or hold a special meaning for you.


- A piece of fabric with a message for the mama written on it. The pieces of fabric will be sewn together and hung up during the labour.


- A flower for a bouquet for the mama to be


Okay. So a little more pressure was added. I wasn't sure what items to bring and what if no beads spoke to me? I don't normally hear voices when I walk the craft aisles, why would I expect more of the beads today? What if I could think of nothing to say on the piece of fabric? Luckily, I know this mama well and I was instantly drawn to a bead I felt represented her and found the words easily that I thought would help her through her labour. 

I am not often moved to tears, but on this day it was hard to hold them back. The feeling in the room was of complete support and love for this mama; exactly what a soon to deliver mama needs. There were no ooh's and ahh's over baby booties and not a onesie in sight. This was a shower of love and encouragement, not things. I believe that if every mama had an experience like this that mother's would go into their labours feeling supported and confident - now that is a gift. 

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Prepared For a What If?

What if there was a fire in your neighbourhood and you weren't able to get home. What if there was a hazardous material spill and you were quarantined to your hours for 72 hours. What if you went off the road in the winter with your kids in the backseat.

Are you prepared for any of these situations? I was lucky enough to attend a free Emergency Preparedness Workshop presented by the amazing volunteers at the Canadian Red Cross in partnership with momstown.ca.

Talk about a wake up call.

On a scale of 1-10 I would have fallen around a -2. I was so unprepared that I had no idea I was unprepared. Yes, I walked away feeling like a terrible mother who would be that mom in an emergency that leaves the house with only a pair of flip flops and a picture frame.

But, when you know better you do better and I have a lot of work to do. This weekend we'll be assembling our emergency kits. 

We're following the three simple steps that Red Cross suggests:

Risks: Know the Risks

Plan: Make a Plan

Kit: Get a Kit

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to learn about Emergency Preparedness. I hope we never have to use our kits but I now know how important it is to have one. When I arrived at the workshop I felt nervous looking around the room at all of the emergency equipment, I left feeling like I had the knowledge to be prepared and ready to get started.

The partnership between momstown.ca and the Canadian Red Cross is a perfect fit. Who better to educate about emergencies and how to keep our families safe than Canadian mothers? We'll be partnering all year to present more workshops for momstown members, from water safety to CPR & First Aid.

Want to help momstown make a difference? You can help us reach our goal to donate $5000 to the Red Cross by making a donation here. On twitter use our #RedCrossMomtown Hashtag to share your support.

Crafty Mama's Pinterest Party!

This month at Crafty Mama's we made some personalizable wine glasses. No need for charms to mark your glass when you have a a gathering, why not just write names on the glasses with chalk? As always with Pinterest finds, there was some trial and error, but I think we've figured out how to get the best results!

If there were price tags on the bottom of your glasses be sure to remove the residue (peroxide does a great job) and let dry completely. 

Supplies: Chalkboard Paint, Painters tape, parchment paper to set the wine glasses on and protect the table, high density foam paint brushes and a container to hold the paint.

 Dip the bottoms of the wine glass and let the excess drip off.  Once you set the glasses down to dry you need to move them around every 10 minutes or so to avoid the excess paint from drying to the glass.

We found that we had to paint the bottoms after they had dried a bit to avoid white spots showing through, once the bottoms are painted set them to dry upside down. 

You should let the paint dry for at least 24 hours before writing on them and the paint needs to be conditioned by rubbing the chalk all over it sideways before writing words on it. 

Voila! Now...where's that bottle of wine?

Tales for Tots: I Am Small

Our little people enjoyed hearing an adorable story about a tiny penguin in a great big world. It made me think about the fact that it's our job as parents to show our kids how important they are in this big, busy world we live in. 

We made footprint penguins with those sweet little feet 

and Isabelle was the lucky winner of a copy of the book! 

Check out the book review and more baby animal crafts here!

Join us next month for our luau theme! 

We're reading Giraffe's Can't Dance and making a fun Hawaiian craft! 

Friends with Benefits - A mom's secret weapon

I have amazing friends. Truly incredible people that I am so lucky to have met through momstown and secretly feel that I don't deserve.  Mama's need each other, and to know that I have such a strong support network makes me a happier person all around. These mama's step up when I need them and most importantly, they follow through. These are my friends with benefits, the ones I know I can count on through thick and thin.


If I could measure how much these mama's help me and how valuable they are to me this would be my rating system:

• Hold my baby so I can go to the bathroom alone - 5 points

• Listen to me incessantly whine about my kids/hubby/work without judgment - 15 points

• Tell me that nobody saw my 2 year old's meltdown in Wal-Mart - 35 points

• Bring me a coffee when you know I've had a bad day - 25 points 

• Remember the exact, ridiculous modifications I make to said coffee -  15 bonus points

• Wipe my kids nose for me - 10 points

• Watch my child while I'm at a doctors appointment - 50 points

• Make me feel better by telling me that your kid bit another child at their dayhome too (whether they did or not) - 75 points

• Babysit at my house for date night so that my kids get to fall asleep in their own beds - 85 points

• Take my kids overnight - 200 points

• Change a diaper - 50 points (25 bonus points for poop)

• Tell me how much you love my kids - 150 points

• Quietly warn me that my shirt is on inside out - 50 points

• Send your hubby to help mine move furniture - 100 points

• Bring a dessert to moms night out - 50 points

• Bring dessert and a bottle of wine to moms night out - 150 points

My definition of what makes a good friend has changed since having children. Sometimes a good chat is worth more than all of these things combined. Truthfully, the value of these friendships is immeasurable and some days I'm not sure how I would get through my days without them! 

Glitter Water Globes: Easy Craft for Babies and Toddlers

We found a version of these on pinterest and decided to try them out at our baby basics group.  All the kids had fun making them and the tiny baby's had a great time playing with them when they were done! 

What you'll need:

• Small bottle (ours were from Walmart chubby brand)
• Small object to fill bottle - beads, poms poms, dice, pipe cleaners (cut up), buttons etc. 
• Glitter
• Glue gun

           

Fill bottle with objects as little or as full as your child wants (watch them closely as these are all choking hazards), add glitter and water.  Use the glue gun to secure the lid.  You can glue a piece of fabric around the lid for those really determined little ones! These have kept my little one's amused for hours!  

Driving With Kids:10 Things That Are More Distracting Than My Phone

So we have a new law that states we can't be distracted while driving. This includes but is not limited to; texting, talking on the phone, and personal grooming.  I try my best to avoid all of the above and use Boobtooth (see below) when I have to talk on the phone.  


While I understand the idea behind the law I've got news for the government; the most distracting thing in my vehicle are my children.  I learned early on as a parent that my best multitasking happens in a moving vehicle.  I know it's not the safest place to complete more than one task, but like any mom knows it's completely unavoidable.  


Here are 10 things that I think are more distracting than talking on a phone:


1) Fishing around the floor of the backseat to find the toy that has been dropped and is causing a major meltdown
2) Trying to answer a 4 year old's 3000 questions: 

• Mommy, why are we stopped?
• Mommy, why are we moving??
• Mommy, what is that yellow thing???
• Mommy, how do you make a car????
• Mommy, what is that man doing?????

3) Trying to blindly insert a bottle into the right orifice of a screaming baby. Then dropping the bottle into an impossible to reach spot. 
4) Attempting to rock a screaming, hungry baby with one arm stretched beyond human limits. 
5) Trying to divert flying objects from landing under the gas peddle.
6) Getting hit in the head repeatedly with an escaped balloon.  
7) Trying to see the traffic in rear view mirror through said balloon (and managing to not go off the road when the balloon pops in my ear).
8) Divvying up on the go meals - including opening drinks, toys, and ketchup packets. 
9) Driving on less than 3 hours sleep plus listening to a combo platter of wheels on the bus and a screaming baby.
10) Breastfeeding an infant while on a road trip by hovering over the car seat to avoid a 6th stop in one hour (I know this one is bad, but totally necessary in this case.)


So Mr. Police Officer - next time you see me swerving all over the road and assume I'm texting, please feel free to pull me over. But be sure to take the real culprits for the afternoon, then maybe I'll get to drink my coffee and talk on the phone in peace ; ) 

Oh, and this is Boobtooth. I'm too cheap to spring for the
 Bluetooth so I've put these milk-makers to use!

Alphabet Play: Letter B

We’ve continued our journey of learning about literacy and letters at momstown. This month we looked at the letter B. We decided it was time to get messy, so we pulled out the paint!  Each child painted over a taped letter B using various ‘b objects.’ The children could choose from brushes, bunny tails (cotton balls!), balloons (not blown up), balls, and even broccoli to apply the blue paint. 

It was so much fun to see them get creative in how they used each object. Some used A LOT of paint, and some wanted to only paint the inside of the letter. When each child was done, the mamas helped them to sprinkle blue glitter over their masterpieces. Once the paint was dry, we pulled off the tape to reveal beautiful B’s!  

Turning the Page: A New Chapter for a Working Mama

I've felt conflicted about returning to work since the day I stepped foot back in the office after my first maternity leave. I felt different. Changed. Out of place. I used to enjoy the work I did, I was ambitious and passionate about the investment industry (can't picture it, huh?). Three years into my five year plan my first baby arrived. I changed my goals temporarily and took a position that allowed me a little more freedom and a less scheduled day. Slowly my career has become a job; a means to an end. I spend my days missing my kids and wishing I could be working on something more meaningful. I've teared up watching a mother and her daughter climb the escalator on my lunch break and ached to stay home with a toddler who wasn't feeling well.

I've decided that my kids are more important than a job I have no passion for. In two weeks I will be fully self-employed and working from home. I'm excited for this new adventure and a little terrified too. I'm drowning right now, juggling full time work out of the home, a thriving at home business and my very busy family. I can't keep up and I can't continue at the pace I'm going. The most important things are coming dead last and they need to end up higher on the totem pole.

I've been shocked to hear the reactions to me leaving my job. Many questions about what I'm going to do all day, how I'm going to keep busy and how lucky I am to retire at 27. A co-worker on his lunch went as far as to ask me if I wanted to cut up his apple to practice for my new job. None of these people are parents or have ever spent anytime alone with children, but it still gets under my skin. I realized that this brave, scary and life-altering decision was being perceived as laziness on my part. I am no less ambitious and no less passionate than I was four years ago, but the things that I care about have changed drastically and my decision reflects that.

I have to be honest that sometimes the quiet of this office can be an escape from the chaos that is living with small children. While there is no joy in the paperwork or tasks, I admit that it is quiet and predictable. There is nothing easy about raising children, it is difficult, frustrating and unbelievably rewarding – everything that my current job is not. I don't expect this new journey to be easier, just different. Balancing working at home with small children and sneaking in business calls and meetings will be a challenge but I have the support network to do it. I finally get to bury myself in work that I truly love and enjoy my children while they are small.

My New Bosses: Demanding But Super Cute!

Hippity Hop Easter Bop!

This past week, momstown hosted a public Easter event in conjunction with Southgate Centre's Kid Shop program.  Both members and non-members got in on the fun! From crafts and games, to pictures with the Easter Bunny, it was a hit. But the biggest hit of the day was neither the crafts, nor the games, not even the Easter Bunny.  It was the live chicks and the bunny that were available to hold and cuddle. Almost everyone got in on the cuddling, children, teenagers and adults alike! Cuddling bunnies and chicks, making cute egg magnet crafts, and playing fun Easter games, the kids were sure tired by the time they got home. A great time was had by all!

If you are interested in anything momstown has to offer, check out our website and sign up for our free one month trial!

Little Scientists: Planting Seeds

Our budding scientists (pun intended!) dug into the soil so they could each plant a Runner Bean. Each planted a seed into their own little cup that they got to take home to watch as it grows.  Since it was just after Easter, we couldn’t resist a little Easter egg craft to use as labels as well! They starting seeing growth in a short week and the bean very quickly after that! What a great project to teach responsibility.  We'll be transferring these to another pot as in just a month the little bean plant is 2 feet tall!

After planting, we carried on our Baby Animal theme and read “Are You My Mother?” by P.D. Eastman. The children loved the story of the baby bird searching for his mother.  We finished up with some fun dancing and singing in which the children pretended they were elephants! 

       

              My daughter was so excited to
            see the roots starting to grow

And those roots grew quickly,
This is the next day!

            

              And finally we saw the leaf sprout
       from below the soil!

Final product! One month after planting!
My kids were so thrilled to see a plant they
 grew from scratch. 

  

Art & Play - Baby Animals!

Spring and baby animals go together perfectly, and with Easter around the corner, what better baby animals to make than bunnies and lambs?  Using some cotton balls, beans, felt and googly eyes, the children made adorable mini-lambs and mini-bunnies. It was a great fine motor activity that got them gluing and cutting! Love how they turned out! They look fantastic as little Easter decorations.

After the children finished their mini baby animals, we read a story called “Seven Hungry Babies” by Candice Fleming. Everyone laughed, especially the moms, when we got to the end of the book and the mama bird was about to pass out but the baby chicks were all waking up hungry again. Safe to say, all the moms were pretty glad that they don’t have seven hungry babies! We finished up our circle time with a little dancing to the song “Over in the Meadow” where the children moved like the animals in the song.

If you are interested in what we are doing, make sure to check out our programming and sign up for our 1 month FREE trial!