The Beauty of Birth

Recently someone asked me how I could possibly want to attend births.  Why would I want to stand by and watch a woman writhe in pain for hours on end? What could possibly be gained from putting my personal life on hold for weeks at a time waiting for a woman to spontaneously go into labour? The financial gains could not account for the many sleepless nights awaiting the call.  Or night after night talking to an anxious mom wondering if these contractions were actually the real thing, only to fall back asleep (iphone in hand) just before my kids come bounding into the room saying "Good Morning Mommy!"  Sometimes I wonder myself what I signed up for.  I've been squirted with amniotic fluid, been awake for 36 hours straight, walked empty cold hallways at 4am and will gladly do it again.

Birth is messy, exhausting, unpredictable and intense.  Birth is beautiful.

I fall in love with birth again and again.  I'm not a doula who is concerned with what choices a mom makes.  A birth could never be measured in epidurals, episiotomies or emergency c-sections.  The mother herself is the only one who knows what is right for her body and her baby in that moment. There is no good, there is no bad. Birth just is. There is no room for ego or pretending to be anything other than what you are - a beautiful, strong and powerful woman.  Helping women find the strength to birth their baby, to look into their eyes when they weep "I can't do this anymore" and tell them "Yes, you can" and believe it with every fiber of my being means more to me than I could ever explain.  I don't attend births for the money, most doula's would attest that the sacrifices far outweigh the financial gains.  I attend births because women need someone to believe in them. During labour if she loses faith in herself, even for a moment, and looks outward for help - that is where I'll be.

Spring Planters!!

Alberta had a late start to spring so this month we kicked off summer making some gorgeous planters! We were lucky to have a beautiful day, fantastic company and delicious snacks!  We are some multi-tasking mama's, having 8 babies in tow and coming out with beautiful planters to decorate our front yards and decks!



A Big Thank You to Shanna, our resident planting expert, for hosting and providing supplies!

Sarah, Joanne, Chani and Debbie get their gloves dirty!



Isla gets to dig in the dirt!

The babies have fun in the sun too!

All ready to take home!

 



Summer reading - join the club!

All across momstown communities, kids can join summer reading clubs at their local libraries! You don't need to be a reader to participate - my youngest son was 2 yrs old the first summer he joined, and the books we read to him counted towards his participation!

　
Sponsored by TD Bank, the reading program is launched Canada-wide at the end of June/early July in many communities*. The goal is to encourage children to engage with books throughout the summer.

　
Upon signing up, children usually receive a poster, stickers, colouring book, and a way to track their summer reading. When milestones are hit (say, 10 books read) kids receive a reward - such as a free ice cream from a local restaurant, or a pass to a local entertainment complex. Each year my kids look forward to the library reading program, and it's a great way to start off the summer!

The theme this year is Splash! Celebrate Summer and the website has lots of links to recommended book lists (ranging from pictures books up to teenage years).
An interactive kids website has been designed to engage kids in reading with online games and activities. Whatever momstown community you're part of, there should be a local library ready to engage your kids in reading this summer!
momstown has a strong literacy program as part of its educational curriculum for children aged 0-5. Our momstown book clubs, book reviews, and parent resources help families make reading a part of their every day.

　
Even the youngest child can engage with letters - momstown has a full range of alphabet crafts to get kids interested!
Click on your community for your local library information on the TD Summer Reading Club.

Click here for the link to our Edmonton Public Library Summer reading program!

By: Guest Blogger Ally Cooper

Positive Parenting Solutions Webinar!

momstown.ca is excited to partner with Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, to offer a FREE live training webinar: Get Kids to Listen Without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling!

We have 2 options for you to attend -

Tuesday June 21st from 9-10pm EST

 or Thursday June 23rd 2-3pm EST

Amy 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 Amy.  Participants are not required to have a webcam, only a computer with speakers.

Webinar seating will be limited so learn more and RSVP now!

Please share this on your FACEBOOK page (friends of friends welcome!) by clicking here!

momstown is now offering even more events, discounts, and interactive features than ever!

Monthly Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Jennifer Delisle who won a 6 month membership to momstown Edmonton South!

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Check out this months contest here!

momstown Weightloss Mission!

We are starting fresh for spring with a new Weight Loss Challenge beginning on June 1st. Many of us have settled in to some unhealthy habits over the winter (drive thru anyone?) and it's time to shape up and get healthy!

Our biggest goal this time around is to provide support for each other so that we don't fall off the wagon a few weeks in! We have three groups set up based on location and we are ready to motivate and support each other to reach our goals! Participants received a pocket calorie counter, food log and journal to keep track of the lifestyle

changes we are making!

We have a total goal of 465lbs to lose in six months!

Can't wait to see what we can accomplish together!

Congratulations to momstown member Cheryl who lost 20lbs and won $360.00 in our last challenge! Great Job!

Need some extra motivation? Check out how momstown Barrie did in their weight loss challenge earlier this year!!

Mother's Day Surprise!

On Mother's Day momstown wanted to show our deserving mama's how much we appreciate them.  We lined up some amazing local businesses to come and pamper them and even better, entertain their kids at the same time! We had a fantastic time and thank our members for sharing their special day with us!

Here are some glimpses into our Mother's Day Surprise!

Mariya receives a relaxing massage from Cheryl-Lynn McKinnon RMT, this chair was never empty!

Cheryl gets a great 'do by Christina Mawhinney

 from Pretty Mama Travelling Salon!

Zoo 2 U brought some friendly animals and The Twisted Pirate made amazing balloon art for the kids! Bounceroo provided a great bouncy castle for the kids to get their energy out! We hope there were some long naps in the afternoon!

Make up by mG Artistry had our makeup looking camera ready!

Delicious gourmet cupcakes enjoyed by all

 were provided by Toot Sweet Cupcakes!

Thank you again to Snow Pea Portraits for taking beautiful family photos with our mama's looking especially gorgeous after a relaxing day of pampering. 

What I love about momstown!

Everyone is familiar with the saying "it takes a village to raise a child" and as mothers, I'm pretty sure each and everyone one of us has, at one time or another, wondered where the rest of the village was hiding, shirking their duties to a crying newborn or fit-throwing toddler.

I talk about momstown A LOT, and people often ask me two main questions: where I found momstown, and what it is exactly that a moms' group does. So, I'll answer those questions here for everyone today, because I believe the answers bear repeating, and the benefits of a moms' group, specifically this moms' group, are innumerable and should be had by all.

I was already a new mom when I found momstown, although I wish I'd found it much, much sooner. My daughter was just over six months old, and I'd been cloth diapering her (and I was the only person I knew who used cloth diapers). I thought I'd look for some one-size AIOs, and dashed to the internet. I had a brand in mind,  so I went on a search to see if they had what I was looking for. I was pleasantly surprised - they did! But the wholesaler wouldn't sell me small quantities, obviously, and I'd never seen these before at any baby specialty store, so I sent an email inquiring as to where I could find these diapers in my area. The only place, they told me, I could find them was at The Baby Market Place, an online store that, as it turned out, is based here in Sherwood Park. Even pleasanter a surprise was that my mom offered to buy the diapers for me. At that time I was lonely and overwhelmed and never got a thing done - so she looked into it for me, and discovered that you could get free shipping to my house with a momstown membership. Even better, a trial of the membership was free! And better yet - there was a promotion going on that gave you a free 6 week trial, instead of the usual 2-week trial! It all made sense.

Those six weeks opened my eyes - there was a whole world of moms out there who also used cloth diapers, and also struggled with breastfeeding and also had babies who wouldn't sleep more than three hours at a stretch.

This leads me into question number two. What does a moms' group do? Well, a lot of things, actually. momstown has events every day of the week - you can always find something to do with other moms in your area, even during the day when your old friends are at work, and bringing the kidlet along is no problem, and there are big holiday-based events where the whole family can come and enjoy. Better yet, there are Mom's Nights Out, where you can go out and talk at lengths about your child without boring the pants off of anyone. Those are amazing benefits, and they've kept me coming back again and again, but they're not really the main draw for me.

The main draw of momstown is this (I'm actually tearing up a bit as I type this - bear with me); momstown is a community. It's a support system for every mom out there who's ever been frustrated or fed up or felt helpless or didn't know what to do. It's advice, experience, and help. I've found lifelong friends at momstown (and since the cost of membership is nearly nothing, I don't have to worry about losing this group) and have found a whole world outside of my life that I didn't know existed and couldn't otherwise have tapped into. It's not just a playgroup - it's a group of friends, and a safe place for us moms to be who we are, do what we do, and help one another.

By: Jen Schimanke Snow Pea Portraits

Congratulations to Chani Palindat who has won Design Services from Urban Chickadee! Be sure to post some pictures when the room is done!

From Yoga Pants to the Workforce...

Tomorrow is the day I've been dreading since my son was born, it's time to go back to work.  I've dreamed up every possible way to stay home and for us unfortunately it's just not an option.  Although I am going to miss my kids and my "old life" I’m desperately trying to stay positive about my “new life”, so here are a few things I’m actually looking forward to!


1) Taking care of myself- I can no longer leave my eyebrows untamed or my hair in the standard ponytail, I must look presentable to the general public this means I will need take more than glance at myself in the mirror.   I’m actually looking forward to showers being necessity rather than an optional luxury.  Now if this post pregnancy weight didn't make these damn pants so tight I might actually like getting dressed up!
2) Adult conversation – I love talking to my kids and other moms but it's nice to have a conversation that doesn't include breastfeeding, dirty diapers and sleep schedules.  This means when someone asks "how are you?" they don't mean "How many hours of sleep did you get between feedings??".  I’m not sure if I know how to have these real conversations anymore but I’m sure I’ll learn.
3) Problem Solving- I am absolutely not an expert on parenting, I’m just flying by the seat of my pants, like the rest of you.  Parenting is about trial and error and I find that as soon as I think I know something about my child she changes making me more confused than ever.  I can’t wait to live in a world where there’s just one solution to a single problem, rather than having 100 possibilities why my child isn’t sleeping, eating, walking, pooping...the list goes on and on.

Although I know returning to work will benefit my family, but I have to remember it may be good for me too.  I’m going to try to remember these things this week, while I hold back my tears, do my hair and put on those pants with a button.

Teddy Bear Picnic with momstown!

On April 1st we pretended it was summer here at momstown Edmonton South! Of course it was too cold to enjoy a real picnic so we laid out our blankets inside! The kids brought their favorite teddy bears to share their lunch with.  There were lots of laughs over our April Fool's joke earlier that day and a ton of food enjoyed by all!

Top 3 tips for Parents Taking Pictures!!

Parenthood, especially early parenthood, is a chaotic, whirlwind time in a person's life, and if you're anything at all like me, you're completely blown away by the speed with which your little one is changing before your very eyes. I find myself moved, daily, by my daughter, who is 21 months...oh my goodness, 22 months old. This morning, she was sitting in her high chair, blond locks all disheveled and big, round hazel-green eyes looking tiredly at me and a little pout on her pillowy little lips. Looking back now, five hours later, I cannot believe I did not snap a photo. Every moment in time is so precious and irreplaceable. So, it makes sense that we want to take photos of our children every single day. We're lucky to live in the digital age, where that's very possible and I encourage everyone to carry a camera everywhere you go! But there are good photos, and there are bad photos, and what good are a million photos if you didn't manage to get any good ones? So, here are some simple tips you can follow to take good and even great photos of your kids! 1. Make sure you camera settings are appropriate to the situation. While just about every camera has an "AUTO" setting, you won't get the best results in every situation. Kids move QUICK. So take a look at your camera - does it have a "Kids" setting? This setting is designed specifically to reduce blur in your subject, by using the fastest possible shutter speed for your lighting situation, and by using it, you'll have far fewer photos of adorable little blurs. 2. Lighting is key in photography, so be mindful of your light. The more light the better, and natural light is always best. I know, we can't take every photo outdoors, but we can still be smart about our lighting. So, to avoid disappointment, DO NOT shoot a photo of your child in front of a window! At best, you'll end up with a silhouette, and at worst, your kidlet will disappear completely. Light shining on the face is ideal! 3. Get up close! When it comes down to it, the situation and the place don't matter - it's those wonderful little expressions that you're going to be treasuring forever. When getting up close, it's better to ACTUALLY get up close, unless you're outside in daylight. Using the zoom on your camera will change the amount of light that can get through the lens, and will increase the length of exposure, which may result in blurry or grainy photos. It's much better to just get closer to your kid - and if you start early, they won't mind so much when you have a camera in their face all the time. Time is precious, especially with little ones, so don't let it get away from you! Take photos often - you'll never regret taking too many, and you will thank yourself later! By Jen Schimanke - Snow Pea Portraits

Message to the mama's - Take the help!

I admit that I am not the first person to ask for help. I've been guilty of saying "No. I'm fine." when I really, really wasn't. When Madilyn was born I was deadset on breastfeeding. I was committed, then my baby starting shrinking. My midwife and I tried everything to try to get my supply up. This meant that Maddi was attached to me constantly and if she wasn't, a pump was. My older daughter was getting extremely frustrated with the whole situation and was acting out constantly. Of course I didn't ask for help. What's worse? I didn't accept the help that was offered. My mom offered to take my 3 year old to Fort McMuray for a week to give me a break. I said no, over and over again. My sister finally convinced me to let her go so that I could focus on getting my sweet baby healthy again. I felt so relieved and wondered why I had put up such a fight to allow someone to help me. I think we all need to remember that "Can I help you?" does not mean "You can't do it" it doesn't mean "You're failing" and it most of all does not mean "You're not a good mother". However, it does mean that I have someone in my life willing to go out of their way to help me. Lucky me. :)

Rules & Filming Dates

APRIL FOOL'S!!

Come on mama's! You know we at momstown love messy children, not to mention yoga pants!! Not even Oprah could take those away from us!

We hope you all have a fantastic day!

Janine & Kristin

Your momstown mama's

March Contest Winner!!

Congratulations to Joanne Mekdara!

She won an adorable personalized dish set from CHILDish!

Thanks to everyone for entering!

Check out this month's contest here!

Stronger than you think - Moms Supporting Moms

Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. -Christopher Robin to Pooh

Our vision for momstown is not only playgroups and a helpful message board; but a real community. We know that moms need to feel that they are supported and cared for. In the past few months we've seen moms who are stressed, alone, or affected by postpartum depression. We've had moms who've lost babies, been admitted to hospital or had sick children.

We feel it is our duty as a community to have a support system for situations like these. We've been amazed to see so many of you reach out and support moms who need help. Whether it was a kind word, offer for childcare or help around the house.

We believe this group is full of compassionate, kind and downright incredible women! We know how hard it can be to ask for help, or to talk about difficult situations. We'd like to make sure that if one of our own is struggling they know they have somewhere to turn. We've created a committee of moms who have volunteered to help us with this. The response to our request for volunteers was incredible, it was extremely hard to choose only a few of these amazing & caring women. It was so nice see so many of our moms truly care for eachother and were willing to help.

Janine & Kristin Your momstown mama's

Our Love-ly Breakfast with momstown!

On valentine's day we hosted our Love-ly breakfast with momstown sponsored by Kelloggs!!

My daughter and I spent the afternoon before filling all the gift bags, she was excited to hand them out to all her friends!

Our momstown mama's were so looking foward to this event, they'd been hearing the buzz through twitter and facebook and the day was finally here!We had a selection of cereals for everyone - moms and kids alike enjoyed trying out some cereals that were new to them as well as the old favourites! We also enjoyed fresh fruit, coffee, tea and juice all provided by Kelloggs!

Many of our moms were surprised to hear that some of the cereals they'd been avoiding giving their children were actually very nutritious!

We wrapped up the the day with a valentines day craft and handing out the incredible gift bags! We had more than one mom say, "Is this really ALL for me!?"

What a great way to spend Valentine's Day with our momstown mama's! Thanks Kelloggs!

February Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Stephanie Kanee who won the O'Play card courtesy of Cafe O' Play!

Check out this months contest here!

New February Contest!

This month enter to win an O' Play card courtesy of Cafe O' Play - one of momstown Edmonton's favorite places to visit!! Remember to enter once a day all month long!

January Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Debbie N. who won a 6 month membership to momstown Edmonton South!