Alphabet Play: Handprint Fun!

All month momstown Edmonton has been having fun with the alphabet. Alphabet Play was no exception. The letter “H” was our focus for Alphabet Play, so we made a fun handprint craft—hands in the shape of an H! With a little help from the mamas, the kids traced, cut, and glued their handprints down. Afterwards, the kids used play dough to make the letter H on a laminated sheet. Kids LOVE playing with play dough and this simple activity is a great way to introduce them to letters

Join us next month at Alphabet Play to discover letters with your child!

Family Winter Events in Edmonton!

I know, it's cold. Winter came in with a bang this year, and you might be feeling a little claustrophobic already! Luckily we live in a city where there is always something to do! Edmonton is known for being Festival City and winter is no exception! Check out the listing below of all of the exciting activities available for families during these cold winter months! 

Bundle up the kids then get out there and enjoy your city!

Christmas on the Square Holiday Light up!
When: November 17th, 2012
Take in the sights and sounds of the holiday season at the Downtown Business Association’s Christmas on the Square Holiday Light Up.
Where: Sir Winston Churchill Square

Jingle On: Santa Claus Parade
When: Sunday December 2nd, 2012
Colourful floats, mascots, marching bands, dancers and others will jingle their way through Commerce Place, Manulife Place, and Edmonton City Centre Malls. The highlight is the arrival of Santa who takes a break from the North Pole for a pre-Christmas visit with all of Edmonton’s good boys and girls.
Where: Commerce Place, Manulife Place & Edmonton City Centre Mall

Festival of Trees
When: November 29-December 2nd, 2012
There are over a hundred magnificently decorated trees and 150 other festive displays. A gingerbread village and uniquely decorated cakes are other attractions.
Where: Shaw Convention Centre - 9797 Jasper Avenue

A Prairie Christmas at Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm
When: December 15, 16, 22 & 23 2012
It's a quieter, gentle time at the farm with fun indoor & outdoor activites for youngsters who still BELIEVE IN SANTA! Theres a indoor snow ball fort, fox & goose trails in the snow, bale maze, and train rides on the Polar Express, free family photos with Santa Claus, shadow puppetry, and Christmas stories with Mrs. C.
Where: 56311 Lily Lake Road, Bon Accord; 25 Km north of Edmonton

Metropolis Winter Festival
When: New Years Day through to Family Day weekend 
Metropolis is a Sir Winston Churchill Square festival of lights, sound and live entertainment for the entire family.
Where: Winston Churchill Square


Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival
When: January 5th & 6th 2012
The Deep Freeze Winter Festival is a free family event that brings together the Ukrainian, Franco-Albertan, Franco-African, First Nations, and South American communities to revel in the magic and beauty of winter. 
Where: Alberta Avenue (118 ave between 91st & 94th Street)

Ice on Whyte
When: January 25th-February 13th 2012
Come outside and play in a park made of ice and see beautiful ice sculptures by internationally renowned artists!
Where: End of Steel Park (Gateway Blvd. and Tommy Banks Way) and Strathcona Community League (10139-87 Ave. NW)

Silver Skate Festival 
When: February 15th-24th 2012
The Silver Skate Festival & Winter Celebration is a blend of arts, culture, recreation and sport in the heart of the city river valley. Check out the AKA Kids for fun activities for the whole family!
Where: Hawrelak Park (9930 Groat Road Northwest) Edmonton

Boo Bash sponsored by Fisher-Price!

momstown Edmonton had a spook-tacular day at our Boo Bash sponsored by Fisher-Price! The kids tested out some fantastic new toys and a few lucky little ones chose a toy to bring home at the end of the party! 

CST Consultants Theresa & Erin twisted balloons for our little goblins and ghouls! Four brave momstown dads also took part in a fierce pumpkin carving competition! Congratulations to Jerry who won a 1 year momstown membership for his wife Zuzka! 

Toadstool Music provided a fantastic music station where the kids had a chance to make some noise! They discovered all sorts of instruments and kept the party rocking with their music! Check out Sherwood Park music studio run by one of our very own momstown mama's!

 Family Fitness World kept the kids moving with a yoga demonstration to the music of Michael Jackson's Thriller! Family Fitness World is a location sponsor for momstown's programming! They offer birthday parties, yoga classes, intellidance and after-school programs for kids!

Thank you to all of our fabulous event sponsors!

Indoor Trick or Treating in Edmonton!

Looking to avoid the cold this Halloween? Here's a listing of times and locations for indoor trick or treating!

Kingsway Mall
Trick or Treat at participating retailers!
Time: 5pm-7pm

Southgate Centre
Have Halloween Photos done and Trick or Treat at participating retailers!
Time: Photo's 12pm-3pm & Photo's and Trick or Treating 4pm-8pm

Millwoods Town Centre
Spook-tacular Crafts, Activities and Treat Stations throughout the centre!
Time: 6pm-8pm

Londonderry Mall
Trick or Treating at participating retailers & free activities and crafts!
Time: 5pm-8pm

Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre
Candy, Bouncy houses, pumpkin decorating, snow cones, face painting balloons and more!
Time: 4:30pm-8:30pm

West Edmonton Mall
World's Largest Indoor Trick or Treat Festival! Pick up a candy bag at Centre Stage and follow a candy map to find all the treat in West Edmonton Mall! 
Time: 5pm-8pm

Capilano Mall
Pick up a treat bag from a retailer then trick or treat through the mall at the stores!
Time: 2pm-5pm

Adventures in Potty Training - Day 1

Today is the day.  After much procrastination, we are starting to potty train my 2 year old. My oldest is so excited to teach her and while I am excited to stop changing diapers the overriding emotion here is fear. I keep reminding myself that I have a fully trained 5 year old at home, it wasn't that hard...was it? 

The truth is, I didn't train my oldest. I was a full-time working mom when she was in this stage and my day-home provider trained her. Of course I had her on the weekends and evenings but I seemed to mess up any progress she made during the week and set them back for Monday morning. I also had a fantastic day-home provider who washed, dried and folded soiled clothing before I picked her up. I had to deal with far less potty-training messes that the average mom and yet I still look back and cringe at this period of my oldest daughters life. 

Potty-training was a bit of a nightmare to be honest. My daughter used to pee on the floor when I put her in time out so that she wouldn't have to stay a full two minutes.  It was frustrating to see her have impressive control like this, then have an accident a few hours later because she forgot! Don't get me started on the poo-covered room I found more than once after nap! I remember a ton of tears (mine) and it seemed like other kids figured it out overnight where mine seemed to take a full 6 months to master her new skill. I realize that all of the issues we had probably had more to do with me that her. I was a first time mom with high expectations and to little patience.

So today, we set out on this (hopefully painless) journey, I'm hoping that I learned something the first time around and I'm not going in quite as blind as I did 3 years ago! I have to admit my heart is broken a little that my baby is grown up enough for this stage but we'll take it one hour at a time and pray that she catches on quick!

Frozen Boo-nana Ghosts

I was working diligently online (ie. perusing pinterest for hours and answering a total of 2 emails) when I stumbled upon these cute looking Banana Ghosts from Skinny Taste! I realized that they were made with white chocolate which sounds delicious but I was hoping they would be a breakfast treat! (We love breakfast popsicles around here!) I decided to try out the same instructions with plain yogurt instead. It froze nicely and had the same effect, they would be perfect for a Halloween breakfast or potluck! My girls loved them! Next time I'd follow the instructions to wipe off the excess, we also didn't cut them in half lengthwise which worked just fine for us!

What you need:

-Bananas
-Chocolate chips
-Yogurt (plain, vanilla or Greek)
-Popsicle Sticks

Insert the popsicle stick in the banana and dip in yogurt, remove excess yogurt and lay on a cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchment to skip the mess). Place chocolate chips for eyes and freeze for a minimum of 20 minutes. 

Enjoy!

momstown's Little Scientists Discover Fall!

We continued our fall festival with momstown by inviting our Little Scientists to Family Fitness World for a “fall exploration and discovery day.” Science is all about exploration and discoveries. Providing the opportunity for momstown’s Little Scientists to explore encourages questioning and creativity! We had two centers open for discovery: one with leaves and twigs, and one with pumpkins.

For the leaf center, each child was asked to bring a small bag of leaves and twigs to share and explore. We provided contact paper for the children to make “leaf collages,” and magnifying glasses for up-close discoveries. Some of the children sorted leaves, some smelled leaves, and one even tasted the leaves! The best discovery we made at the leaf center was finding a couple of ladybugs that were hiding in our leaves. The children were so intrigued watching them crawl around on the table!

At the pumpkin center, we had cut open a couple of pumpkins and scraped out some of the seeds. We encouraged the children to feel and smell the pumpkin seeds and to scoop out more with their hands or with a spoon. Magnifying glasses were used to check out the seeds up close. Tasting happened yet again. Several of the children made the discovery that pumpkin seeds are slippery. It was so much fun seeing the children as they made their discoveries! We can’t wait to head back to Family Fitness World next month!

Interested in what momstown has to offer? Check us out and sign up for our free trial!

momstown's Nutella Buddies Brunch

Nutella knows how important breakfast is to every child – they sponsored our Buddies Brunch with free samples and giveaways. Each of the kids brought their little buddy from a home, a stuffed animal or teddy bear to join in on the fun!

We know how much those Teddy Bears love honey so we made bracelets from Honeycombs and read "Where's my Teddy?" by Jez Alborough! Next everyone stood up and we went on a bear hunt! The kids pretended to climb through tall grass, go through sticky mud and swim through a wide river to find the bears cave! 

After the kids finished their bear hunt we enjoyed a potluck lunch! The kids snacked on a ton of treats while the mama's visited! They were very happy to go home with gifts courtesy of Nutella!

This event was held at The Toy Hutch - the fantastic new inflatable play park in West Edmonton! Both the mama's and the kids are thrilled with this brand new location! They specialize in birthday party rentals but also have drop in days Wednesday-Friday. Check out pictures of this amazing facility below!

How to Make a Halloween Door Hanger!

Some of our mama's love the idea of crafts but find the prep time and mess not worth it - enter momstown.ca's Crafty Mama's event!! We plan the craft and our mama's get to take home a cute home accessory or decoration that they may not have attempted on their own. I am the first to admit I get intimidated by all of the amazing looking crafts I see on Pinterest! I've learned that making the instructions simple and doing a bit of prep work helps even the most hesitant crafter have fun!

This month we made Halloween Door Hangers! They were so simple to make. Follow the instructions below or adapt with whatever materials you find at the craft or dollar store. 

Supplies:

• Cork Board (We found 12in x 12in sheets two for a dollar at the dollar store, we cut them in four and they served as the base of our Halloween faces)
• Glitter Foam Paper (Dollarama again, $2.00 for 10 sheets. I would definitely recommend the ones with an adhesive backing)
• Glue
• Ribbon
• Stapler
• Pipecleaners
• Scissors

Cut the cork board into four squares, you could also use thick foam boards if you can't find cork at the dollar store. We used the Glittery Foam paper as the faces (white and black are hard to come in the packages so we bought single sheets at a crafting store). We cut out the plain black and white to use as eyes, mouths and noses. We didn't use a template, instead we drew the shapes on the back of the foam and cut them out. Cut 4 pipecleaners in half and staple to the back as legs for the spider. We lined them up face down after we decorated the faces and stapled the ribbon to the back.

Crafty Mama's is a monthly event included in a $45/year membership with momstown.ca! Check out the personalizable wine glasses we made last month! To join us next month, click here register for a free 1 month trial membership !

How to Make Apple Print Placemats!

Fall has definitely hit Alberta, and to celebrate momstown is having a fall festival all month long! We started off our fall festival with momstown’s flagship event Art & Play at The Toy Hutch by making apple print place mats with the kids. It was neat to see some of the different ways kids made them! 


If you want to make them with your kids, here are the instructions.

1. Cut out a tree branch shape from brown construction paper and glue it to a piece of whitepaper.
2. Make leaves by fingerprinting with green paint.
3. Cut an apple in half (make sure to cut it lengthwise and not widthwise!). Dip it in red paint and print it on the paper.
4. Cut a piece of contact paper to double the size of the paper. When the paint is dry, place it on one end of the contact paper. Then fold contact paper over and seal.
5. Enjoy your place mat!

While we waited for the paint to dry, we sang some fall songs, played with the parachute, and got to bounce around in the fabulous indoor inflatable playground at The Toy Hutch! The kids really enjoyed singing the song “Scarecrow, Scarecrow.” We had a room full of dancing scarecrows!

Scarecrow, Scarecrow

Scarecrow, scarecrow turn around,
Scarecrow, scarecrow touch the ground.
Stand up tall and blink your eyes,
Raise your arms up to the sky.
Clap your hands and tap your knees
Turn around and stomp your feet.
Scarecrow, scarecrow touch your toes,
Scarecrow, scarecrow tap your nose.
Swing your arms so very slow,
Now real fast to scare the crows!
Touch your head; jump up and down,
Now sit down without a sound!

Art & Play is one of momstown's Pillar Programs! We have over 30 events every month for you get out of the house with the kids and connect with other moms! To join in on the fun register for a free 1 month trial at http://edmonton.momstown.ca/user/register

Alphabet Play! Glittery Green G's

momstown continued our look at the alphabet this month by having fun with the letter “g.” We joined up with Woodcroft Community League’s play group for our alphabet play. The kids made “Glittery, Green G’s” using paint and glitter. They all had fun painting their g’s, but I think the best part was when they got to sprinkle glitter on them! We had some great looking g’s when we were finished (and some sparkly hands!).

After our alphabet craft, read the book "G is for Goat" and brainstormed “g” animals and acted like them. We had goats, goldfish, giraffes, gorillas, and even grasshoppers! The kids sure had a lot of fun!

Art & Play is one of momstown's Pillar Programs! We have over 30 events every month for you get out of the house with the kids and connect with other moms! To join in on the fun register for a free 1 month trial at http://edmonton.momstown.ca/user/register

38 Weeks with Baby #4 - Are you excited??

The question I keep getting asked being so close to my due date is "You must be getting excited?".  Throughout the pregnancy I've just answered "Nope, I'm terrified."  Anyone who heard this response would probably assume I'm kidding, that of course I'm excited to have another baby.  

I thought the same thing.  I thought it was a just a phase.  I thought as my belly grew and I felt those tiny kicks, the excitement and joy would come.  It hasn't. After 38 weeks I feel the same way - anxious, overwhelmed and indifferent.   

This baby has the same due date as Maya, who we lost 3 years ago.  We found out the sex of this baby the day before Mother's Day.  When we found out he was a boy, my emotions took me by surprise.  This is definitely our last baby, so this was our last chance to have the little girl that we lost.  The guilt of being so disappointed on a day that I should be grateful to be the mother of any baby hit me hard.  I spent most of the day crying.  I spent the next few months coming to terms with the fact that Isla will not have a sister, that I won't have another daughter and I tried my best to stay positive.  

I've had a really hard time with this positivity thing though.  I've tried to plan what my life will look like with 3, but it only overwhelms me.  I came to a point at my Mother Blessing last weekend when I realized everyone around me can't wait to meet my baby.  They want to hold him.  They want to talk about his name.  They are all excited.  But I'm still not excited.  

I reached out to a friend who's had postpartum depression.  Talking to someone who understood made a huge difference.  It seems this feeling of indifference and anxiousness is probably a depression of some sort.  I wanted to share this because momstown is about connecting real moms.  Yet I've never heard any mom say she's not excited to meet her baby.  After talking to a few friends they've confided that at one point or another they've felt the same way.  I've been carrying this guilt for 38 weeks.  That's 266 days of feeling alone, thinking I'm a horrible person, and cringing when someone asks about the baby.  Hoping it doesn't slip out and they "figure out" I'm a terrible mother for feeling like this.

The truth is I didn't choose to feel this way and this isn't what I want.  I want to be excited to hold this little boy like every other mom.  I want the pure joy of creating a miracle to overcome the obvious hurdles I will face as a mom of 3.  Because these feelings are just not there I have to believe that I don't need to feel connected or excited.  It would be nice, but it's not required. It doesn't mean I don't love him.  It doesn't mean I'm a horrible mother.  And it doesn't mean when he gets here my feeling won't change. If they don't change I know that I will get help anyway I can.  But for now I'll focus on the fact that I'm lucky enough to have support.  With family and a community of moms behind me I will get through this. 

Pumpkin Bowling!

We had a blast last year doing some pumpkin bowling! We'll be doing it again this year at our Boo Bash!

This is such a simple activity and all ages can participate which is fantastic for playgroups or at home! 

This one doesn't need much explanation but draw some ghosts or Halloween characters onto rolls of toilet paper, find the roundest pumpkin you can and let the kids loose!!  

It's a great way to spend a fall afternoon!

Tales for Tots: If Wishes Were...

 

 

 

This month at Tales for Tots we read a perfect book for back to school! Wishes is a beautifully illustrated book by Jean Little that talks about all sorts of dreams kids have!

 

 

We made our very own dandelions to make a wish! Using construction paper, green pipecleaners for the stem, Q-Tips for the seeds and a cotton ball for the centre!

 

Emilie was the lucky winner of a copy of this fantastic book, courtesy of Scholastics Canada!

 

Join us next month for Let it Fall - we'll discover all of the wonders of the change of seasons!!

 

Alphabet Play - F is for Fire!

This month we looked at the letter ‘F’ with momstown. Since we have been learning about fire trucks, it was the perfect letter! The kids made “fiery F’s” using red, orange, and yellow tissue paper. Some of the kids crumpled up the tissue paper before gluing, and some just laid it flat on their ‘f.’ It was neat to see the different methods of creating their “fire.” After, the kids were given some paint in a plastic sandwich baggie to practice some fine motor skills. Some practiced drawing f’s, their name, and some just had fun making hand prints. All of the kids left with a fun fire truck themed colouring sheet to colour at home!

 

Alphabet play is just one of our educational programs, momstown is a huge supporter of early literacy! Join us next month for Alphabet Play where we'll be learning about the letter G!

 

Sign up for a free trial membership here! A momstown membership is $45/year and all of the 20+ events are included!

 

Learn more about momstown's early education programming here!

Art & Play sponsored by Tropicana!

At Art and Play this month, we continued our theme of fire trucks, and did a cute, fire truck construction paper craft.  The children arranged their pieces to make their idea of a perfect fire truck, and then glued it all down. After the fun of gluing, we sang a song about fire trucks (see below) and played with the parachute. Everyone had a great time with the parachute!

Hurry! Hurry! Drive the Fire Truck
Hurry, hurry. Drive the fire truck,
Hurry, hurry. Drive the fire truck,
Hurry, hurry. Drive the fire truck,
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
(For the next verses, replace “drive the fire truck” with: ring the bell, turn the corner, climb the ladder, and spray the water. Finish with the following verse.)
Slowly, slowly, back to the fire hall,
 Slowly, slowly, back to the fire hall,
Slowly, slowly, back to the fire hall,
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

(Source:http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/h027.html)

We had a special beginning to Art and Play this month.  Tropicana Canada is a proud supporter of Breakfast for Learning, and they supplied us with delicious orange juice as we learned about the Tree of Giving. Our little ones enjoyed their Tropicana Orange Juice, while the mamas each picked an orange from the tree. Each orange we picked this morning helped supply orange juice to breakfast programs in schools across the country courtesy of Tropicana! After enjoying the juice, the kids had fun playing a “pin the orange on the tree” game. Check out Tropicana’s Tree of Giving, and pick your own orange to help send a child to school with the nutrition they need! I've been picking an orange every morning with my kids and explaining how some kids go to school hungry and how we're helping to make a difference!

 

Click here to pick your orange now!

momstown Tours the Strathcona Firehall!

This month at momstown, much to the enjoyment of many of the boys and girls, we are learning all about fire trucks. To start off the learning, we headed to the Strathcona County Fire Hall for a tour of their facilities. We started off our tour by getting into the back of an ambulance, and then made our way over to the fire trucks. The kids were excited to explore the inside of the fire trucks, especially when they got to get in the front of the truck and pretend to drive! The fire fighters were fantastic with the children. They brought out most of the equipment to show the kids. From the flashlights, to the Jaws of Life, to the hoses, to even an axe, the kids were able to touch or hold it all!

 One of the fire fighters even put on all of his equipment to show the kids what it all looks, and sounds, like. Some of the toddlers were afraid of him with it all on, and were hiding behind the mamas’ legs. The fire fighters explained that that fear is very common, so they like to show kids all of the equipment whenever they can so that in the event of a fire, the kids will be less likely to be afraid and not hide from them. The best part for many of the kids, though, was when they got to put on the equipment themselves! At the end of the tour, they turned one of the ambulances’ sirens on for all the kids to hear! Several of the kids later that day and the next day kept saying how it was the best momstown event ever. My toddler is STILL talking about the fire trucks and how he got to go inside one!

If you are interested in seeing what momstown Edmonton has to offer, please sign up for our free trial and check us out! A momstown membership is $45/year and includes all of our 20+ events per month!

Mommy Confessions ...

Sometimes I wish my daughter would misbehave at school.

It was our first week of school. It was exciting, fun and nerve-wracking. My oldest daughter entered Kindergarten and the teacher asked me on the first day if there's anything she should know about my little girl. Well yes, there are a few things to know. She can be mean, rude, loud and violent; but I didn't say that because I knew I didn't have to.

Just as I expected on Friday when I picked her up from school the teacher saw me in the hallway and walked over. I knew what she was going to say, I've heard it before. "You have such a sweet little girl! She has a big heart, is so polite and is such a great listener. She's the first to clean up and first in line. Good job mom!" I should be thrilled. I should be proud. But instead I'm annoyed.

I want to hang out with that kid.

Don't get me wrong, I get glimpses of this side of my daughter, sometimes hours at a time but her worst behaviour always happens around me. My husband tells me about how much fun she is at hockey games, football games and at the movies. She's an angel for him too, why not me? What am I doing wrong that she feels the need to hit me, call me names and be borderline psychotic.

Sometimes I would trade the great behaviour at school and around other people for just a few days straight of that little girl with the big heart. I love my daughter but I just get so frustrated with the same behaviour over and over. There are only so many time-outs and I'm sorry's before my patience is exhausted and I'm a screaming crazy mess, the exact kind of mother I don't want to be.

So teacher, I'm glad to hear my daughter is a saint for you, hoping that maybe some of that behaviour will rub off on her at home. Would you please tell her to be nicer to her mommy?

Strawberry Shortcake Party Ideas!

My youngest daughter turned two in July and she absolutely loves Strawberry Shortcake. Although I love the wonderful messages that the show sends to little girls, I hate spending a ton of money on decorations with the licensed characters on them. So I decided to try to get the Strawberry vibe without spending big bucks on decor!

 

I love that the colours are easy to find, we went with Red, Pink and Green plates and even made a tutu for the table in the same colours. This was super easy and I'll probably use the technique again for other parties! It was made using a piece of yard the length of the perimeter of the table and strips of tule (3-4 inches wide). Tie the tule strips around the yarn until you get the volume you're looking for, then attach to the table. To add the third colour we used some green tissue paper as a belt around the table but that was more trouble than it was worth. I would use a green streamer next time and wrap it around several times to add in the additional colour - live and learn! :)

 

 

For snacks we went all out with fruits! We made Rasperry Tarts, Strawberry Shortcake Sticks drizzled with chocolate and wands made with watermelon and blueberries! The wands were a huge hit! Just cut out a piece of watermelon using a star-shaped cookie cutter and thread onto a skewer with blueberries!

 

The cake was made by a lovely local mama (and momstown member!) at Tastie Treats by Terrie! Check her out for great unique & delicious cakes and cupcakes!




Did you check out my oldest daughters Brave themed party? We skipped the licensed gear for that one too! Check out momstown arts & crafts for tons of great party ideas!!