Walk to Remember - Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Early Infant Loss

Walk to Remember: Honouring Little Lives Lost

momstown attended the Walk to Remember this year as a group.  Some of us have lost little ones and many were there just for support.  The event always surprises me because it's such a sad topic yet there is so much positivity and hope.  We have attended the walk every year since we lost Maya and it affects me differently every year.  Every year I grow and my grief has changed.  Although I miss Maya and think of her everyday, I feel at peace and this year's walk meant so much to me.  To be surrounded by women who care so deeply for me and my family that they put aside a whole saturday afternoon to support us was overwhelming.  

At the walk each year every family releases a balloon for the children that they've lost and that childs name is written on the sidewalk.  This event is so unbelievably touching and every year I feel more at peace with my loss.  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to share this day with my momstown mama's and family. I hope the walk brought some closure to those who were there to mourn their children and understanding for those there to support their family and friends.

 Kate Inglis spoke at the event, she is a blogger and a fellow Angel Mama.  Her words touch me every year but this year the words below really resonated with me so I thought I'd share.

"You might say, My Baby is gone, and I don't know how to feel. I don't know how to breathe, I don't know how to walk, I don't know how to exist when my baby doesn't. I don't know what to do.

Four years into this, I don't know either, to most of it.

But I can tell you what to do.

In the last moments, you looked at your baby and you thought the same thing I did.

Please live. I don't mind if you dye your hair kool-aid blue. I don't mind if everything you believe turns out to be different from what I believe. I don't care who you love or how you love, as long as you find some and give some. I don't mind what you're into, as long as you're safe. I just want to support you. I want to witness you. I want to see the things that make you smile. I want you to have the chance to be. To be happy.

Please live.

And then your baby died, like mine, and unconditional love was illuminated for you. You might have thought you knew what it was before, but you probably didn't. Now you do.
Carry it with you. Every single day, turn that into compassion for other people, all of whom started out as somebody's baby.

When you're moving through the world, you'll come across people with blue hair, who live differently and love differently and speak and think differently, who are perhaps in every way -- aesthetically, spiritually, culturally -- the opposite of you. Or maybe they're not sure what they are yet. Maybe they're struggling. Maybe they have nightmares too.

Extend them the same compassion that you would have given your baby, had you been given the chance. Regardless of how they align -- or don't align -- with you.

It's one of the only things you can do, after a loss like this. To treat others the way you would have liked to treat your child. With care, with hospitality, with humility.

It's a daily practice, and it does bring some peace, to look at every person and think, There goes somebody's baby. Could have been mine.

And before you're finished, extend some of that compassion to yourself.

That's what you can do."

 

  

Doodle Bear = Lots of Fun!!

This toy really brought me back to my own childhood.  I always wanted a Fisher-Price Doodle Bear as a child, needless to say I never did get one.  My daughter was so excited when she saw this adorable bear, and that was before she knew she was ALLOWED to colour on it!  She's also a huge fan of ballerinas so she was thrilled with the design.

My daughter is 4 and she's very much in the artist stage.  She loves writing, colouring and painting anything, she's always looking for ways to be creative so this bear really hit the nail on the head.  Once she saw the markers she looked at me and said "I can colour on this bear??" She literally played with this for well over 1/2 hour, which in child time is like a century.  She handed it to me when she was done and said "Okay, put this in the washer so I can colour it again!"  What's really neat about this toy is that you can conveniently store the markers on the Doodle Bear's back!

She has taken this out and coloured it again and again and it even stays in her bed to cuddle with too. I am so glad my daughter got to enjoy what I thought looked like a fantastic toy when I was her age. It has definitely lived up to my childhood expectations and as mother it exceeded them!                               



How to make the cutest Sock Snowmen

Our moms had a great time getting crafty with these adorable sock families!

In just 2 short hours we had entire snowville made complete with 25 of these snow people!

Heres how you can do it at home:

What youll need:

-one white sock

-one colourful or Christmas sock

-string

-2 elastic bands

-Assortment of buttons 

-wooden bbq skewer

-any decorations you want to add *see picture below

- glue gun

How to:

1) Cut white sock straight across just above heel

2) Fill sock with rice, needs to be stiff (if you use the ankle part of the sock you'll need to tightly place an elastic on the end and flip the sock inside out)

3) Tie elastic around the top of sock leaving some fabric out (this will keep his hat propped up)

4) Cut decorative sock above ankle and just below heel (if using a short ankle sock you need 2 - cut one at toe and heel, the other just below the heel *see picture)

5) Tie string around neck to create a head

6) Fold extra fabric under, place toe section of sock on head and tie hat with decorative bells etc.

7) Glue two small buttons on as eyes

8) Cut bbq skewer and colour with orange marker for nose

 9) Decorate with whatever you have to bling out your snowmen

 That's it! Then you can make a whole family! Here are the ones I made to represent my family!

Dana McDonnell with Snowville also sells ready made kits

To purchase one please email: danamcdonnell7@gmail.com

What IS momstown??

This is the question I get asked the most. What IS momstown??? Why should I pay for a playgroup??

momstown is so much more than a playgroup! momstown is the best way to connect with real moms in your community.  You can get to know these moms on our message board and in person.  They are real, down to earth people with enormous hearts.  They are just like you guessing their way through this motherhood thing. Whether you're looking for advice, a referral, a hug or a laugh, you'll get it all with momstown. 

momstown is a community.  I always have a hard time explaining what momstown is. It's like trying to describe a city, there are so many reasons why I love the Edmonton Region but it's hard to narrow down why I enjoy living here; I love the scenery, the opportunities, the activities, the community feel, the events, the variety, the energy, and most of all the PEOPLE.

The reasons why I love living in Edmonton are the same reasons I love being a part of the momstown community.  We are a town, a town of moms. A town full of diverse and interesting people.  A town full of energy and fun. A town full of events and variety.

Here's an example of our calendar and what kind of events our members have access to:

Sign up here to become a part of this great momstown community and experience all that the Edmonton Region has to offer! 

The Gift that was the momstown National Conference

I was excited to head to Ontario last weekend to learn about where momstown is and where we are headed!  I was looking forward to gaining new skills and tools to manage this business.  I wanted to come home refreshed and with new ideas for our members.  I got all of that out of the conference, and so much more.

The most valuable thing I've walked away with is a sense of community with my fellow licensees and a sense of awe at what we are accomplishing all across Canada.  I met twenty amazing women working as hard as I am to do something great in their communities.  In each of these towns and cities we are connecting moms and we are creating opportunities for real friendships.  We are giving moms who are struggling a soft place to land where they know they'll be welcomed with a listening ear and an offer of help.

These twenty women have the same frustrations and joys that I have. We were able to share with each other what works and what doesn't.  As a new member to this team I am as grateful for what momstown has created for our members as I am for the network of support they've created for the licensees.


This conference meant the world to me, it has left me ecstatic about our vision for momstown and so motivated to continue building an amazing organization that connects real canadian moms.

Want to why so many real moms have joined the community?
Register for a 2 week free trial membership and find out what all the buzz is about : )

A Tablet convert thanks to the Toshiba Thrive

I always thought that tablets were an uneccesary device, I just didn't get the point of them.  Between my laptop and my Iphone I figured I had my bases covered.  I found out that Toshiba had provided four Thrive Tablets to test and give away to momstown at our national conference I thought that it would be fun thing to win, but wasn't sure what use I would have for it.

The first day of the conference I was the first one to get my hands on the tablet!  I turned it on for the first time and it took me all of 30 seconds to be connected to the internet, hooked up to my gmail and logged on to the momstown message board!  The android platform is easy to learn, being both a PC and Apple user I find it just as user friends as the others.

I will confess that the Toshiba Thrive tablet has converted me to a tablet addict - who knew I could be addicted to another electronic device?! I've used it to read on the bus on the way to work, I've used it in a meeting to take notes and brainstorm, followed recipes on it while it sat conveniently on my counter while I cooked and both my kids and husband have learned to use it...and I've had it less than a week.

The Thrive is easy to use, easy to set up and so unbelievably convenient.  Considering the high ratings and lower price to comparable tablets I would definitely put this high on my list of must give christmas presents this year!

There are two ways for you to win this year! Click here to find out!

My 1 Year Old Uterus

What is it about your baby turning one that has you doubting your decisions? Is it those first few words? Watching them finally let go of your hand and take those first few wobbly steps? We decided we'd have only two babies but all of a sudden that nagging voice says, "I wonder what having three would be like?"

There are so many reasons that having only two would make sense for us. Our house has only three bedrooms and they are way to small to share. The toll it would take on us financially for me to be back on maternity leave and then the cost of putting them all into daycare when I went back to work (if I went back to work?) I haven't even begun to think about paying for another set of ballet, piano or soccer fees, let alone university in the not so distant future. My heart doesn't seem to be considering budgets and square footage though. None of these rational thoughts seem to make those nagging thoughts quiet down.

I wonder if most parents go through this tug of war between heart and head. I hear so many people say, "I am SO done" and I definitely don't feel that way, but I do agree that not having anymore children would be the easier.  This story from momstown Barrie makes me a little terrified to be outnumbered!  It seems like such a final decision to make at twenty seven; I keep thinking that I might change my mind when I'm 35 or even 40. If those first steps cause so much confusion I can only imagine what sort of emotional hurricane I will be in watching my babies climb onto that big yellow bus or sit in the drivers seat of a car.

Sometimes I look at that sweet baby...toddler (okay there I said it) and think this can't be the last time. It can't be the last time I feel the unmistakable flutter of a sweet miracle in my tummy. It can't be the last time I lay awake in the middle of the night so grateful to stare at the angel nestled in next to me and it can't be the last time that I feel my baby's hand wrapped around my finger. So are we done having babies? The more I think about it the more I don't want to make a decision. Why do I feel so much pressure to decide right now anyway? I know I can't make any rational choices staring into those big blue eyes and hearing them giggle, finally learning to play together. It's like grocery shopping when you're starving. For now, we'll enjoy our girls and see what the future holds.

Remembrance.

For as long as I can remember, I have gone to a ceremony for Remembrance Day. Most often, it was one done through a school. I am not sure when they started to mean more than getting out of class and going to an assembly to me, but somewhere along the line, I realized what that assembly was actually for. I remember one ceremony in particular. I think I was in Grade 11, and as part of our social studies class, we were required to participate in the ceremony. We rehearsed and performed a sort of "re-enactment" of one of the battles in World War II.  All I remember is the sound of gunfire and having to pretend I was dead in front of our whole school. I remember thinking how awful it would have been to be surrounded by real gunfire. What would those brave soldiers have been thinking as they were hearing that gunfire?  What were those soldiers' brave families thinking as their husbands and wives and sons and daughters were hearing that gunfire?

The ceremony that moved me the most, however, is the one I went to when I was newly pregnant with E. I was working as a supply teacher at a K-12 school. That day, I was sitting in the front of the gym with a Kindergarten class. I don't know if it was the hormones coursing through my veins, but I cried through that whole ceremony. It finally hit me what those sacrifices truly meant. I thought about the little baby I was carrying, and how every soldier was at one point a little baby growing in his or her mother's womb. And I cried. One little girl reached over and held my hand when she saw me crying, and that only made me cry more. There I was in a gym with over one thousand 5-18 year olds, secretly pregnant as we hadn't told anyone and I wasn't showing yet, and I was bawling, and a sweet five year girl reached out and held my hand.

I don't have any family that were/is in the military that I know of except for my mother's grandfather and mrblueberry's grandfather. I don't know what it feels like to have someone close to me make that ultimate sacrifice. I saw on the news today about a Canadian soldier who had been killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb. It was his funeral. I saw his wife carrying his little girl, wrapped in a blanket, and I broke down. He was deployed when she was ten days old. They showed one of the newborn photos they had done with her. At least he got to hold her, and smell her, and she will have those photos. But she will never have her dad hold her when she skins her knee. She will never have her dad look at her with proud eyes as she graduates. She will never have her dad walk her down the aisle, or hold her newborn baby. That whole family paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Remembrance Day means more to me now that I am a mother. As I snuggle E, and my new nephew, it truly hits me. I understand what those families lost more than I ever did. My heart goes out to every family who has felt that sacrifice, and to every family who has waited for their soldier to come home to them. Our veterans and military sacrificed a lot for us to have what we have. And sometimes, I wonder if my generation and the generations after me truly appreciate that. I hope I am wrong. I hope that they do. I hope that they realize that the sacrifice does not always come in war; often, it comes after when the soldier comes home. I hope that they realize what it means when we wear that poppy.

 

Thank you to Guest Blogger & momstown member Sarah Wallace for this post.  Check out her blog http://meditationsofablueberry.blogspot.com/ 

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Puppy!

My kids get so excited when they see the Fisher Price box come in the door! They've learned that they get a new toy to play with and mom is going to be asking them what they think!  It makes my 4 year old feel so important!

The Fisher Price Laugh and Learn puppy is the culmination of all things kids love: animals, singing and dancing!  My daughters love the flapping ears and the puppy's cute wiggly
movements.  The puppy is so easy to play with, even my 1 year old daughter learned within a few seconds how to turn it on and change the music.  It is so adorable watching her dance and clap along with her new puppy.

I was surprised to find out that my four year old loved to play with it too.  She's carries it all over the room, talking to it and tucking it in under some blankets for a nap, she loves that it talks back to her.  I feel bad for the poor puppy though; he spends a lot of time tipped over because my kids think it's hilarious to hear him say 'Uh Oh' when he falls down.

I would definitely recommend this toy as a great Christmas gift for kids!  My only complaint is that I didn't get two; my kids are constantly trying to take it from each other! The Laugh and Learn Puppy is a hot item in this house! Check out this link for more reviews on Fisher Price toys by your momstown mamas.

Do's and Don'ts from the Big Cook Expert!

When you first think stay at home mom, its amazing how quickly images of perfectly cleaned homes with well behaved children, four course meals waiting on the table with you looking all done up will come to mind. Cause everyone knows that we moms have tons of time on our hands! Reality of it is, we fight for time to shower, and when witching hour hits, that hour before dinner, you are opening the fridge ten times hoping that something will finally appear that will solve the reoccurring question of “what are we going to have for dinner tonight?”

Before kids, I used to love to cook. Trying new recipes with hours in the kitchen was something I looked forward to. Somewhere in the last 3 years, that changed. My food ends up on floors and walls, and on a good day, I will have 20 minutes to get dinner made before I have to break up fights, or have a child hanging off one of my limbs. Needless to say, there had to be a better way to do this! As if on cue, I was introduced to Big Cooks, a simple concept where in a few hours, the horrible supper problem is solved.

A Big Cook is a pretty simple concept. Recipes are picked, food is bought and prepared, and then everyone gathers to assemble the meals in a few hours. These meals are then tossed in the freezer and the only thing left to do is relax! Come suppertime, grab a bag, defrost it, and go! Some are even easier and get thrown, completely frozen, in the slow cooker. Simple concept right? Well it is, if it’s done right.

When putting together a big cook, there are a few things to know to ensure that it’s a successful night:

When just starting with Big Cooks, plan ahead and pick recipes that don’t involve multistep cooking (browning meat, then vegetables, etc). Meals that have everything combined at once work best.

Try to pick recipes with the same key ingredients and cuts of meat. This will save you bundles in the long run.

Arrange to only do 1 shopping trip. Call ahead with the amount and cuts of meat you need and ask for a bulk discount and for it to be packaged in larger quantities. When you are talking 100 lbs of chicken, most stores are happy to help, especially if it means you not taking every pack of chicken out of their store. Don’t be afraid to ask if they can slice the meat into needed cuts as well, as this will save you TONS of time! With only one shopping trip, you’re also not ending up with 5 cans of ketchup, 4 bottle of soy sauce, and so on.

While each Big Cook can be done differently, there are some easy Do's and Don'ts that will help things go well. The big secret is to keep it organized!

Do try to pick recipes that can use the some of the same ingredients. Some great staples will be ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar and tomato sauce. 

Don’t assume that a favorite recipe can’t be adapted to be frozen. Many meals can easily have a few ingredients left out as added during cooking so that it freezes better.

Do use a recipe multiplier to make sure you have your quantities right. Allrecipes.com has one built in that works great, but always round up with the measurements. Remember to double and triple check your quantities when buying things, its never fun to run out of a key ingredient.

Don't try to take on all the shopping by yourself, enlist a few friends, or go as a group. If you've called ahead for the meat, it makes for a quick shopping trip when you are just getting the remaining ingredients and the meat is already measured out and packaged.

Do print out your recipes based on the serving sizes you want. It’s much easier to double then it is to half, so when in doubt, go smaller and double it if you need to.
Don’t assume that everyone knows what they are doing. Ask people what they are comfortable doing and put them at tasks they know best.

Do keep it small to start. If you want more meals, have people do 2 or 3 recipes each, but the more people that come, the more hectic it gets.
Don’t worry too much about lots of space, you can always do one recipe at a time. If you do have lots of room, setting up stations for each recipe works great too!

Do let people assemble their own meals, some may want some things left out.
Don’t forget to always make a bit extra when prepping the ingredients, you never know when something is going to get knocked over or spilt.

Do keep it organized while cooked. Try to keep each ingredient with the recipe it belongs to and in one spot.
Don't forget to label your bags! You can write on them prior to putting ingredients in the bag, or can print out labels with the name and cooking instructions that you just stick on after.

Do remember basic cooking rules when assembling meals. Keep raw meat separate and make sure there is lots of soap and cloths for washing hands.
Don't just wing it with the measuring. Most ingredients are weighed or measured carefully, so use proper measuring cups and spoons and weigh your meats.

Do take a break in the middle and do a load of dishes, it helps tremendously at the end!
Don’t neglect the clean up. While it’s wonderful to have 30 meals in one day, most kitchens will look like a war zone at the end, so make sure it’s good to go before leaving!

Remember to enjoy yourself and your company while you’re at it, and then say good-bye to dinner-time stress! Happy Cooking!


Guest Blog by momstown's resident Big Cook Queen - Amanda Laramee

momstown.ca Wins Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award!!

Wow.

Mom Entrepreneur of the Year!!!

That's quite the title considering the absolutely incredible and innovative businesses that were nominated as well!

We are so unbelievably proud of Ann-Marie Burton for developing this amazing organization and inspiring us to think so big! momstown.ca has been going strong for 5 years now and this a fantastic way to celebrate!

momstown could not have done this without the support of our members, fans, and partners.  We are so grateful to everyone for supporting this community of mom entrepreneurs, this means the world to us!

Because this award is a joint effort and wouldn't not have been possible with our amazing members and partners we want to share this award with you!

• Available to ALL Online Mom Entrepreneurs: FREE advertising package which includes a National Contest and a 3 month discount listing on all our national sites. Click here to sign up to claim your package and get set up to support your business over  the holiday season. Our celebration ends October 28, 2011, don’t miss out and enter your name.
• 
  Available to ALL Members: As a thank-you to all of our amazing momstown members for their continued support, we’d like to extend everyone’s membership! FREE one month membership – for all New, Existing or Lapsed members. Click here to sign up for your free month extension, reactivation or extra trial membership. momstown loves to connect neighbourhood moms and we hope you’ll join us.

Designing the Perfect Nursery...

Picture this: I was about 8 1/2 months pregnant and I spent my days wandering the aisles of all kinds retail establishments, list in hand. What list? The list I had ripped out of my New Mom Organizer, of course; the list outlining everything I would need to create the perfect nursery.

Baby wash: Check. Baby Lotion: Check. Baby Oil. Why? Who knows, but it's on the list. Check. Gorgeous matching crib sheet set: Check. Check. CHEQUE! Hundreds of checks and almost as many dollars later, I felt so ready for a baby. Boy, was I prepared!

I used to just sit in the rocking chair and gaze upon my perfect nursery full of matching bedding, wonderful artwork (what a find – a framed alphabet picture in my nursery's colours!), the wonderfully stocked cabinet of diaper creams, lotions, potions, elixirs, oils, powders and pastes (no seriously, I had something called Butt Paste). All arranged according to size, all easily accessible. I would sit there and dream about my perfect baby in my perfect nursery.

A few weeks later, Harrison barged right into my life in what can only be described as an infant hurricane. In only a few short days, the nursery I'd worked on all summer became a mess of creams, diapers, clothes, maybe some sweat, surely some tears, and a possible puddle of pee.

You can't put a lotion bottle back in the ‘right’ place when you're keeping one hand on your squirmy infant. You can't remember to empty the diaper genie when you just wrestled a 6-week old into a onesie that Nana Sally bought and you have to go get a picture of him in it before he outgrows it - which may be in 7 more minutes. You can't put laundry away when you've got a newborn!!!!

Soon I learned that baby powder isn’t really used by anyone with lungs (why was it on my checklist?), and that Butt Paste wasn't as good as Penaten, that baby wash smelled like chemicals, and what to do with baby oil is still a mystery.... eventually it all got given away and I was left with my trusty favourites that got the job done a little quicker each time.

What about the matching crib set? My son started to shimmy around in his sleep and one morning I found him snoozing happily with his face in those beautiful bumper pads. Out they went. That comforter that matched the set? My baby has never seen it – you don’t put a heavy comforter on an infant!??. So basically we had a beautiful fitted sheet and a bedskirt left. But that sheet is now a multitude of colours, telling the story of when we started solids... carrots, berries, beef. Yuck, beef. It's been replaced. That wonderful bedskirt? Now that the crib is lowered, it was all bunchy on the ground and nothing we had left matched it. It's gone too.

Remember that alphabet picture I mentioned? Well, my checklist didn't mention not to hang it over the baby's crib (duh!), so now that he can stand and reach it, that big frame is on the floor, on its side, behind the diaper genie. And don’t even ask me about the bedsheet-for-curtain décor I have going on. It keeps the daylight out, okay??

So now I sit in the puke stained rocking chair and gaze at my nursery in the wake of Hurricane Harry. It’s been disassembled, reassembled, and it's certainly nothing you'd see in ‘Today's Parent’ Magazine.

But it’s where my little man has hung his hat for over a year now. It’s where he first peed on me, it’s where we’ve cried together, eaten together, hid from company together. It’s where he first reached his arms out to me. It’s where he peed on me again.

It’s not the nursery I imagined.... but he’s not the baby I imagined either. They are both so much better.

Guest blog post by Cheryl Trachimowich

New Positive Parenting Webinar - Is Time Out a Waste of Your Time?

momstown is excited to partner with Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions to offer a free live training webinar to our members!

If Time Out is the staple of the discipline diet in your house, sign up for this webinar today! Amy McCready, will teach you why you need to ditch the strategies that are fundamentally flawed and what you can do instead. You’ll walk away with concrete tools you can use immediately to get your kids to cooperate without the slightest hint of whining, fussing or complaining.

Who Should Attend: Frustrated parents of kids ages 2 – 15
What You’ll Learn: Our strategy-packed, interactive, LIVE online webinar designed to teach you…

• What kids are really telling us when they don’t listen, talk back or flat out ignore us!
• Why the time is up for “Time Out” and “Counting 1-2-3”
• Tool Box Solutions – the strategy parents consistently hail as “magical” in it’s effectiveness
• The answers to your pressing questions (you’ll submit your questions via the text chat and I’ll make them part of the session.)

No need for a webcam. All you need is a computer with speakers and you can kick back and learn from the comfort of home.

Two sessions are available:

Thursday October 20th at 12pm MST

Monday October 24th at 7pm MST

All you have to do is RSVP  at http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown

(You must RVSP in advance to attend as there is limited 'seating')

Not a momstown member? Think could benefit from this training?

Please Join In Too! We wouldn't want you to miss out!

About Amy McCready

Parenting expert Amy McCready is the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, which has empowered thousands of parents worldwide to correct their kids’ misbehavior without nagging, reminding or yelling. Amy is a frequent guest on the TODAY show and has also appeared on Rachael Ray, CNN, Fox & Friends, MSNBC, and elsewhere. A regular contributor to the TODAY Mom’s blog, Amy lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons.

 

Planning is Key - Quick Tips for New Mompreneurs

At momstown Edmonton South's first Mompreneur Networking night, Communications Specialist Natasha McKenzie shared with us some critical tips on having a plan - and not just a business plan.  She taught us how to make both Communications Plans and Marketing Plans to ensure that we've considered everything about the industry we're in before taking the plunge! As suggested in the recent, and very polarizing, blog post by momstown.ca about the rise of the Disposable Mompreneur, having a good plan that considers every aspect of your business is so crucial to your success as a Mompreneur.  It takes a look at the business from different angles and can help you figure out if your business is viable and if you have the time and resources to make it successful.

So what is a Communications Plan and a Marketing Plan (and aren't they the same thing?) Natasha explained that the Marketing Plan is a precursor to the Communications plan.  The Marketing Plan tells us the Who, What, Where, When, while the Communications Plan is the How & Why.

Marketing Plan - Top 5 Tips

1. Find out who your customer is - include age, sex, marital status, location, family size, income level etc.  You need to know who you're selling to.

2. Once you find out who you're selling to find out how they make their purchasing decisions - what are they willing to pay for your product, where do they shop, what motivates their purchases and what problem does your product or service solve for them?

3. Know Your Competitors a.k.a SWOT Analysis - Identify your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

4. Marketing Activities - How will my message reach potential customers? Print ads, facebook, twitter, sponsoring, promotions. Figure out what the best fit is for your business in your industry.

5. Project where you will be in 1, 3, 5 and 10 years - What are your long term goals?

Don't forget to set a date to review your plan!

Communications Plan - Top 5 Tips

1. Overall Outcomes/Objectives - Similar to your mission statement from your business plan, this should be 2 or 3 sentences about how your product or service will assist your target audience.

2. Critical Path - Timeline for how you'll use the tools and tactics to achieve your goals and relay your messages, charts are a fantastic way to budget your time and stay organized  (ie. How often and  how long will it take you update facebook, your website or engage on twitter daily?)

3. Key Messages - What is the message you are trying to relay about your business, these should be one liners to describe what you're business is about, your 'elevator speech'.

4. Evaluation - This is necessary to measure your success.  Example - how many hits generated, number of new clients or number or mentions/media clippings.

5. Public Relations - How will you interact with the public? Advertising, Socia Media and Media Kits - Which will you use in what way? Remember that social media is not free, you are always investing time and energy.

Thanks again to momstown mama and Communications Specialist Natasha McKenzie for teaching us so much!

Fun with the Fisher Price "Loving Family" Grand Dollhouse

When we received the Fisher Price "Loving Family" Grand Dollhouse I had thought to myself; "Grand indeed!"  The mere size of the box was surprising until we opened it and to our surprise there it was, assembled; every parents dream!  To completely assemble the dollhouse it took about 5 minutes in total and that was mainly because we couldn't decide which room from the many available to put the family! 

Once it was complete and ready so was our daughter.  She couldn't wait to get in there and explore the house herself.  She loves that there are two babies to play with and that have their very own chairs to sit in with the mommy and dada.  I found the layout was very well done because our daughter isn't even quite two yet and it can keep her busy for quite a while with all the different rooms available and also something as simple as playing on the stairs, go figure.

The "Loving Family" Grand Dollhouse doesn't only keep our daughter busy it also keeps my nephew (3) busy as well.  I found it quite interesting that he naturally picked up the male figurine and started to play with him.  After being able to watch both of these children play together with this one item I knew this was definitely something that would stay grand in our loving family for quite some time and am very grateful that we were picked for such an opportunity.

Guest Blogger: Angelina Cardinal

Why Doing What You Love Will Repay You In Spades

When I found momstown.ca I thought, "Why would anyone pay to join a momsgroup??".  Then I took advantage of a 2 week free trial and realized the  value a membership contains and haven't looked back since.  After 1 year of attending events and developing some incredible friendships, the opportunity came to purchase the South Edmonton chapter.  I originally thought about how much I loved these ladies and worried that we couldn't live up to their expectations.  I also thought about how much work was involved in keeping an entire community of moms busy, happy and most of all connected.  Needless to say taking over the momstown Edmonton South chapter was a huge decision and after thinking about it long and hard Janine and I decided to jump in!


Then came the work.


I once thought that I was a computer whiz, after purchasing the license I found out my knowledge level is sub par at best!  After a month or two of frustration and a lot of hard work, we realized that we missed something.  momstown is about community.  Although things were running smoothly our vision for community had been buried as we learned our new roles. 


Moms need support, recognition and to feel cared for and our vision for momstown was just that.  We began to look at ways to encourage our community to support one another in good times and bad.  We've had incredible response and we've been so unbelievably delighted to see amazing things happen within our community.  Our moms have given so much of themselves to help each other and at times it has literally brought tears to our eyes.  Whether it was a coffee, a hug, or help around the house our community takes care of each other and we couldn't be prouder.


On a business front we've seen that partners are aware of how connected our moms are and they want to be a part of it.  This venture has been scary, frustrating but most of all rewarding.  We all know being an entrepreneur takes a lot of hard work so check out this blog for some fantastic tips on how to keep the love for your business alive.  We can't *imagine not being an integral piece of this flourishing community and we're excited to be part of an amazing team of mom entrepreneurs just like us.  We've learned that our struggles only make us stronger and they don't even compare to how much we've gained intrinsically from this endeavor!


"Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do."


Kristin and Janine
Your momstown mama's

Back to School PJ Party with Kelloggs!

momstown Edmonton South spent a fantastic morning dressed in our jammies at Gymboree! Our bellies were filled with delicious Kelloggs cereal, fruit and yogurt!  All our moms were amazed as we read the labels on cereal we've all been feeding our kids for years.  We were surprised to learn just how nutritious cereal really is, it was a fantastic learning experience for us all! 

      

 

If you’re interested in comparing

Kelloggs cereals and how your choices contribute to your calorie and nutrient intake for the day I encourage you to check out this neat tool from Kelloggs that builds a breakfast for you and then compares the breakdown of each food.

http://www.kelloggsnutrition.ca/canutrition/en/gda-tool/GDA3.html

A HUGE Thank you goes out to Kelloggs who treated us to a wonderful breakfast as well as Gymboree who hosted the awesome event and kept the kids entertained!

Here is a video recap of all the fun we had! 



We're having fun with Kelloggs all across Canada!

Check out the PJ Party's in Winnipeg and Hamilton!!