A perfect day for Connect the Tots today.  After a wicked cold snap it was time to get out of the house and see some other kids and moms!

We took an idea from the momstown arts and crafts blog and made it happen.  Check out these bird feeders we put together this morning.  Most kids used birdseed, those who were allergic to nuts used oatmeal!

Spreading butter on the pinecones, then rolling them in birdseed.

And maybe playing in the birdseed too.

Having a chat while they work!

Lovely Bird Feeder in our Backyard!

Join us next time for another break from the long cold winter days.  Connect the Tots meets bi-weekly for free play and crafts at momstown Edmonton-South.

There's No Place Like Home

This week momstown was off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz at the Royal Alberta Museum. 

A fun and interactive exhibit with something at each stations to entice and occupy our toddlers.

A definate hit among the kids was Tornado Alley where they could make their own tornado with the touch of a button.

Musuem staff also treated the kids to storytime and craft time where we made these cool Lion masks to take home.

At the end we click our heels and said, "There's No Place Like Home", so that's where we headed for naptime!

Looking for fun things like this to do with your kids?  Try out momstown!  Register now for a free trial membership and join us on our next adventure.

Let It Snow

We said Let It Snow, and snow it did. Our first snowfall of the year was honored with this Snowflake Craft I tried at home with my toddler as an experiment.

What you Need: 

Coffee Filters
Scissors
Felt Markers
Spray Starch


What to Do: 
Cut a square out of each coffee filter. Fold into triangles, like this, and create snowflakes.

Have your child color each snowflake with a variety of colors. The more marked up they are the better. 

Place Snowflakes on a cookie sheet and spray with starch until the colors run together. 

Let dry overnight.

 Decorate! We hung these in my daughter's room as the start to our Christmas decorating around the house!

Looking for more fun craft ideas to do with your kids at home?  Check out the momstown arts and crafts blog full of great ideas for little kids!

Give the Gift that Lasts All Year

Do you know a mom or mom to be who lives in Edmonton South, Edmonton East or Sherwood Park? 

Give her the gift that lasts all year, give her the gift of fun, friendship and support with a momstown membership.

momstown memberships make great gifts!  Just $45 per year, or $30 for 6 months.  Order your momstown Gift Certificate now and receive the actual certificate in the mail in time to give for Christmas this year.

Psst. already a momstown mama?  Pass this on to someone you love and they just might top up your membership for another year this Christmas!

My House, Your House, Check out This House

momstown chapters across the country are doing crafts this month with the theme of My House, Your House.  In Edmonton we decided on a craft of a different sort of house.  One from way up North, further North than we are! 

Check out these Marshmallow Igloos. 

What you need:

Styrofoam cup
Mini White Marshmallows
Styrofoam plate (small)
Icing Cement

What to do:

Icing Cement With an electric mixer, beat 2 large egg whites, 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 2 teaspoons water until frothy. Mix in 3 cups sifted powdered sugar; beat on high speed until icing is stiff, 5 to 10 minutes. Use, or cover up to 8 hours. Makes about 1-1/2 cups. 

Cut the top off the styrofoam cup.  You are left with the base of the cup which when turned upside down becomes the base of the Igloo.

Cover the cup with Icing Glue and place in on the styrofoam plate.  Have your child cover the cup with mini marshmallows to create the Igloo.  Place glue in front of the Igloo on the plate to build the doorway.

A simple craft that is almost as much fun to make as it is to eat while you are working on it!

Join us next time, for more crafts and fun with momstown Edmonton-South by registering for your free trial membership.

Our craft was adapted from the Marshmallow Igloo Craft shown at Ehow.com

Lazy Lasagna, momstown Style

We told you last month about the momstown Big Cook which took place at the end of September.  Since that time momstown families have been busy, with everything BUT cooking.  We've been enjoying the fruits of our labour.  Easy meals, no prep, little time in the kitchen.

We've also been discussing, at length, on our message board our successes and failure, tips and trick and the best way to prepare and serve some of these meals.

One of my favorites so far has been the Lazy Lasagna, a favorite because of the momstown message board adaptation.  So much my favorite I must share!

Mix together in a bowl all of the ingredients from your favorite lasagna recipe.  We used The Big Cook recipe, but one like this, or your tried and true favorite would work too.  Make a double, triple, quadruple batch and freeze the mixed ingredients in zippered freezer bags, 1 for each meal.

When you are ready for a quick and easy meal (when aren't you ready for that) defrost the bag of lasagna in the refrigerator overnight.

You will need regular lasagna noodles, cooking spray and a crock pot.

Spray the bottom of your crock pot with cooking spray and place one layer of uncooked noodles into the pot.

Layer the noodles and mixture of lasagna ingredients into the crockpot.  Finish with a layer of noodles on top.

Pour approximately 1/2 jar of pasta sauce over the noodles until they are completely covered.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

During the last half hour of cooking sprinkle the top with mozzeral and or parmesan cheese.  Serve and enjoy.  This serves up the same as regular oven baked lasagna, only it tastes better thanks to the slow cooking method!

Thanks to all the momstown mamas who contributed on our message board!  We have a new and easy favorite in our house.

Do You Have an Ugly Floor? (CONTEST)

Calling all momstown mama's with ugly, ugly floors!  Now is your chance to get the floor you've been dreaming of compliments of Nufloors Sherwood Park.

How?  Enter the momstown Ugly Floor Contest.
 


 

 How do you enter?  Add a photo of your ugly floor to the Ugly Floor Contest photo gallery on the momstown Edmonton-South site! 

Not a member?  Signup for a free trial membership TODAY and enter to win this fantastic prize!

And the Winner Is.....

Congratulations to this month's winner Jennifer Oullette.  Enjoy your Alex Toys ABC Zoo!

Stay tuned HERE for details of this month's exciting contest sponsored by Nufloors Sherwood Park.

momstown Boo Bash a Smash!

What a day, what a party! momstown Edmonton joined together to party momstown style with an amazing event filled with giveaways, games, crafts, and of course Halloween treats galore!

We could not have done it without our stellar sponsors: Fisher Price, Whimsical Cupcakes, Beverley Sobey's, Presto Music and Snow Pea Portraits!

Some very lucky little munchkins took home fabulous toys from Fisher Price and everyone recieved loot bags, cake pops, and mini pumpkins!

Presto music kept us all doing the Monster Mash with their awesome music and dance class! A huge thanks to you all for making this event one to remember!

Interested in joining a momstown event?  Register with momstown for a free trial membership today!

Images courtesy of Snow Pea Portraits.

Silly Pumpkin Face

Armed with pumpkins, pipe cleaners, foam stickers, pom poms and toothpicks, the momstown Edmonton-South  group created Silly Pumpkin Faces today.  Don't they look great?

Join us for more momstown fun!  Our Boo Bash takes place this Saturday.  Register with momstown Edmonton-South for more details.

Haunt Your House

We've been busy at momstown and around our house getting ready for Halloween these past few days.

We added to our usual pumpkin decorating/carving night this year with a great idea from the momstown arts and crafts website.

Try these Pinecone & Felt Ghosts to Haunt Your House this Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

momstown Get's Lost

Lost in the corn that is!  We gathered to check out the Edmonton Corn Maze.  We entered the maze with clues in hand and were challenged to find our way out!

It really didn't matter how long it took to find out way out, once we found our way out of the maze and to the campfire where we enjoyed a good old favorite, the s'more!

Join us for more momstown Fall Fun by registering for a Free Trial Membership with momstown Edmonton-South!

momstown MINI's with Tangible Moments

The most glorious day of our short Fall Season just happened to be momstown's day for mini photo sessions with Tangible Moments last weekend.

An unforgettable day with the most beautiful fall backdrops all captured with momstown families by Maureen from Tangible Moments.

While we anxiously await the finished products we can share what was happening from behind the scenes on this fun, fall day.

Stay tuned to the Tangible Moments Blog for some sneak peeks of the Tangible Moments Family Photos!

A Big, Big Cook

Take 12 momstown mamas, 8 The Big Cook recipes, over 130lbs of chicken (plus a whole lot more ingredients) and what do you get? 

All of us mamas gathered on a Saturday afternoon recently for 2 hours to execute the momstown Big Cook and what did we take away?  Anywhere from 16 to 32 meals each, depending on our individual portion sizes, ready for the freezer. 

On average we spent approximately $170 each which made for a huge payoff.  Meals for as low as $5.31 are now waiting in our freezers for those busy days (read: everyday) when we need to throw something in the Slow Cooker and not worry about what we're making for supper!

Join the momstown fun by registering with momstown Edmonton-South for a Free Trial Membership.

And the Winner Is.....

Congratulations to this month's winner Angie.  Enjoy your family 4 pack of tickets to the Jurassic Forest.

Be sure to enter this month's contest (daily) for a chance to win the Alex Toys ABC Zoo compliements of The Baby Marketplace.  Good Luck!

Cooking with Kool Aid

Well, we weren't actually cooking with Kool Aid, but we were preparing with Kool Aid.

Kool Aid Playdough that is!  Playdough that smells way to yummy not to share the recipe.

1 Pkg of Kool Aid (the kind you add sugar to)
1/4 cup of salt
1 Tbsp Oil
1/2 Tbsp Cream of Tartar
1/2 Cup of Hot Water
1 Cup of Flour

Combine all ingredients except flour.  Mix Well.  Add flour and knead dough until playdough consistency.  Keep covered in the fridge.

This dough smells delish and is fun to play with too.

These are some momstown kids at a recent event trying out the Kool Aid playdough.





Recipe source: http://www.twinslist.org/toddler.htm

Fall Leaves

It was craft day at momstown and we made the most of the beautiful fall foilage by making a leaf art craft to hang in our windows at home.

Simple enough for a toddler to complete after a fun walk through nature collecting "materials".

     What you need:

     Clear Contact Paper

     Leaves, grasses, twigs and/or flower petals

     Ribbon

     Hole Punch

Simply lay a piece of clear contact paper, sticky side up, on the table.  You can tape the paper to the table to keep it from slipping.  Have your toddler place the leaves, grasses and flower petals in their own design on the sticky paper.

When they are finished place another piece of contact paper on top and trim the artwork into any shape you desire.  Punch a hole at the top and thread ribbon for hanging your new masterpiece in the window.



Join us next month when we decorate pumpkins for Halloween!