Music and Movement

This month we had a blast at momstown Edmonton singing and dancing with our Little Explorers! We explored many places through song! We went to the farm and saw cows, horses, dogs, and even chickens when we sang “I Went Down to the Farm.” Then, we swam in the ocean amongst the fish and whales as we sang “Slippery Fish.” We also went on a bear hunt, singing “The Cool Bear Hunt” as we searched for a green eyed, fluffy-tailed bear. We finished off our time together with some parachute play, and lots of laughter! Want to teach your children some of these songs? Here are two of the songs we sang!

I Went to Visit a Farm

I went to visit a farm one day

I saw a cow across the way
And what do you think I heard it say?
Moo, moo, moo
Moo, moo, moo

I went to visit a farm one day
I saw a pig across the way
And what do you think I heard it say?
Oink, oink, oink
Oink, oink, oink

(Continue with dog, horse, chicken, and whatever other farm animals you can think of!)

 

Slippery Fish

Slippery fish, slippery fish, sliding through the water,

Slippery fish, slippery fish, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp! 

Oh, no! It’s been eaten by an… 

Octopus, octopus, squiggling in the water
Octopus, octopus, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp..

Oh, no! It’s been eaten by a… 

Tuna fish, tuna fish, flashing in the water,
Tuna fish, tuna fish, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp! 

Oh, no! It’s been eaten by a… 

Great white shark, great white shark, lurking in the water,
Great white shark, great white shark, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp! 

Oh, no! It’s been eaten by a… 

Humongous whale, humongous whale, spouting in the water,
Humongous whale, humongous whale

Gulp! … Gulp! … Gulp! … BURP! 

Pardon me!

 

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Tales for Tots: Lucky Duckling

Once again, Scholastic pulled through with a fabulous book for our momstown Edmonton Tales for Tots hosted at Dominelli Music! We read “Lucky Duckling” by Eva Moore, and the kids loved it! The pictures were dreamy, and the story was fantastic. It was such a great story for asking predicting questions, and we got several different predictions from the kids about what was going to happen to the ducks. After reading the story, we did a draw and little Ava got to take the book home. Lucky girl!

To go with the duck theme, we made Ducks in Ponds as our craft! Each child got a paper plate, decorated it like a pond, and cut a slit into the middle. Then, they colored and cut out a duck and glued it onto a Popsicle stick. The last step was putting their ducks into their ponds through the slit so the ducks could go swimming. It was so cute to see the kids playing with their ducks as we were reading the story!

Want a chance to take home a fabulous Scholastic book? Sign up for a trial and check out our calendar! 

 

Gratitude.

Ten months ago we asked our momstown members on the message board, "Who would be interested in running a half marathon in May?" We explained the (incredible) program Team in Training offers and the commitment of raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (click here to learn about it yourself!). Many were interested in hearing more about the program so we had the fantastic coordinator meet with us in person to explain more. 

When ten momstown members signed up for the program we were elated! We committed to raising $30,000 as a group. That number seemed huge but if we could do it, imagine the impact we could make for blood cancers! Leukemia & Lymphoma are the two of the most common cancers in children. Kristin & I had a friend's daughter pass away at 3 years old from cancer so the cause is very close to our hearts. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society provides grants to researchers and also provides support and information to families affected by blood cancers. 

Somehow, we achieved this impossible feat. In less than six months we have not only reached our goal but surpassed it! When I realized that we hit our group goal a wave of gratitude overcame me. We raised over $30,000 in just under 6 months. With 21 children between us our hands are already full , this enormous task was not easy and we could not have done it alone. We are blown away by the support and encouragement we received during this time. My heart is bursting with pride and gratitude for the amazing people who helped us along the way.

Ready for a run on an exceptionally chilly morning!

Gratitude for the ten incredible momstown mamas who poured themselves into both the training and the fundraising. To each of you who took the time away from your families and other commitments - Thank you.

Gratitude for all of our husbands, family & friends for their endless support. Training five days a week & fundraising this amount of money takes a toll on a family and without them, none of this would be possible. Thank you.

Gratitude for the momstown members who supported our Team in Training during this time. Thank you for the encouraging words on the message board and in person at events, it means so much to us. To the countless mamas who donated bottles, time, money and supported our fundraising events - Thank you. 

Gratitude for the Edmonton business owners who helped make our fundraisers a success. The support from the community was overwhelming, we received donations of time, products, services, money & space. We are so grateful for your support.

Thank you to: 

Our team is running on May 5th at the BMO Vancouver Marathon! Along with fundraising, we have run countless kilometers together and are so ready to meet each other at the finish line in just 2 weeks!! 

Thank you Edmonton! 

Should You Mix Business and Family?

If you don't know already we, the owners of momstown Edmonton, are also identical twins.  Our poor members never know which twin they're talking to and we're constantly being mixed up.  Some twins might get annoyed by this, but we haven't made it easy on people.  

Throughout the years as most twins would grow apart and create their own identities, we've done quite the opposite.  It's almost embarrassing when people ask all the standard questions like, What do you do? Where did you work? How old are your kids? etc. As we start to reply; We worked at the same bank, have had 2 sets of kids two months apart, worked as doulas together and now own momstown together.  We've always had similar styled hair and clothes, even living 10 hours apart didn't keep us from buying the same shirts! When we're mixed up we know that it's our own fault, no need to apologize! 

We think the dictionary should read:

Here are some Pros and Cons of working with your twin:

Pros

1) We can be snarky to each other with damaging our relationship.

2) We look like we work extra hard, because one of us is always at events.

3) We deliver a consistent brand because we are literally the same person.

Cons 

1) Our brutal honesty with each other is sometimes uncalled for in a business relationship.

2) We have the same strengths and weaknesses.  It would be nice if one of us was organized, but unfortunately in this area we lack x2.

3) The "M" word (momstown) has been banned from family dinners because it's so hard to turn the business talk off when we're both so invested in it. 

I know a lot of people wouldn't want to work with family.  It's definitely tricky at times but I couldn't imagine a better partner. We've never had completely separate lives so I can't imagine watching her accomplish what momstown does without being involved! 

Junior Chef: Soft Baked Pretzels

Our momstown Edmonton Junior Chefs love to bake, so this month we decided to make some Soft Baked Cinnamon Pretzels. Our chefs had so much fun stirring, kneading, and shaping the pretzels. We ended up with some very interestingly (but tasty!) shaped pretzels! 

Want to make this easy snack with your kids? Here's the recipe (slightly adapted from this recipe).

30 Minute Soft Baked Pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups warm water (lukewarm, no need to take temperature)
• 1 packet active yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 4 - 4.25 cups all-purpose flour + more for the counter surface to knead (we used 2 cups all purpose flour and 2.25 cups whole wheat flour)
• 1 large egg
• course sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir with a spoon until fairly mixed, about 1 minute. Some clusters of yeast will remain. Add salt and sugar; stir until fairly combined. Slowly add flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough is thick. Continue to add more flour until dough is no longer sticky. Poke the dough with your finger - if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes and shape into a ball. With a sharp knife, cut ball of dough into 1/3 cup sections. This measurement does not have to be exact - use as much or little dough for each pretzel as you wish - the size of the pretzel is completely up to you.
4. Roll the dough into a rope with an even diameter. My ropes were twenty inches long. This measurement will depend how large you want the pretzels. Once you have your long rope, take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape. See above for link to visual instructions.
5. In a small bowl, beat the egg and pour into a shallow bowl or pie dish. Dunk the shaped pretzel into the egg wash (both sides). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 425F degrees. Turn the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to brown the tops. Watch closely to avoid burning.
7. Allow to cool and enjoy. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pretzels may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 4 days (will lose softness). Pretzels freeze well.
8. *If you'd like to make cinnamon sugar pretzels like we did, mix 1 Tablespoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar and coat pretzels instead of using salt.

Bouncy Bunny Breakfast

 A group of 10 dedicated momstown Edmonton mamas have been working hard to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. This month, we got together with the Easter Bunny for a fun pancake breakfast at The Toy Hutch. There was so much to do for Edmonton families! We had delicious pancake breakfast, cute Easter Bunny bag crafts, an egg hunt, potato sack races, and of course, lots of bouncing! The Easter Bunny even joined us for some fun before heading off on his way!  

Tara Wildgoose of Pinkstar Photography generously donated her time and talent to take beautiful pictures of some very cute bunnies and children. The photos were a big hit with a steady line-up of families waiting for their turn in front of the camera! Special thanks goes out to her and to the families who waited patiently and donated generously to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada!

Art and Play: Little Explorers

We went exploring at momstown Edmonton this month! And what does every Little Explorer need? Binoculars! So, we began our Little Explorer theme by making binoculars at Art and Play. It’s an easy craft that just takes some supplies you probably have around the house already. Want to make them with your children? Read on to see how we did it!

Each child was given two toilet paper tubes, masking tape, paint, and yarn. The first step was taping the tubes together. Then, it was time to get messy and paint them. It was fun to see how each child choose to paint theirs! Some used just a little paint, and some used much more! Once they dried, we poked holes in the tubes and tied on the yarn so that they could keep them around their necks! It was great seeing the different ways each child painted them, and the children loved playing with them. My son is still playing with his binoculars! 

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Edmonton Kids Experience Ballet with Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes

Edmonton moms and their kids had a fun morning at Flexpointe Studios celebrating the release of the new movie Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes. Our little dancers brought their own Barbie™ along to include in the dancing! The fabulous teacher kept the girls busy twirling around the studio.

Check out the adorable tutus from Hailey's Blooming Bowtique! The girls loved getting all dressed up like real ballerinas! There were a rainbow of colours to choose in every size and these beautiful tutus are handmade by a local mom!

Every little ballerina needs a bun! Feel Fabulous helped the girls get ballet ready! Feel Fabulous is a fantastic company offering Spa Parties for girls - check out their birthday package options here!

Thank you to our title sponsor, Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes, for helping momstown Edmonton support local moms, and thank you to Melissa, owner of Flexpointe Studios, for sponsoring our fabulous location and providing the excellent dance entertainment and an amazing prize. Special thanks to Tara Wildgoose of Pinkstar Photography for taking the beautiful photos, Feel Fabulous helping our little ones get glamourous and to Haileys Blooming Bowtique for providing beautiful tutus for the little ballerinas to wear! For more event photos, please check out momstown Edmonton's Facebook page! 

This event was exclusive to momstown members and was included in a $45/year membership! We have exciting events happening every day for Edmonton moms! Become a member by clicking here!