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!!

A Fisher-Price Princess Songs Palace for my little Princesses!

My daughters were thrilled to receive the Fisher-Price Princess Songs Palace!! We had just returned from a camping trip and found the package on our doorstep. I decided to put it together right away so the girls could play while we unpacked all of our camping gear. They were enthralled from the moment we took it out of the box. They each assigned themselves a character, my youngest became Snow White and my oldest was Cinderella.

 

I think our favourite thing about the princess songs palace is the the songs! The girls loved putting their character into the dance floor and listening to the song specific to each princess. It was adorable watching my girls faces light up hearing Snow White introduce herself. I was so thankful that the castle came with 2 princesses and not just one. I love that this is a gift you could add on to by buying more of the princesses to go with castle!

 

One of the biggest things I appreciated with this toy was that both of my girls were able to apprecate the magic of Disney Princesses. The little people characters are the perfect size for my toddlers little hands.

 

 

When Life Hits You With A Traffic Pole.

As most of you know last week Janine and I were on our way to momstown Central Alberta's Birthday Party delivering coffee and Clifford and were involved in a pretty serious accident.  It was scary.  The truck we were in is completely totaled (apparently traffic poles are very hard).   I wasn't wearing a seat belt (I know. I swear we were only 20 feet from the parking lot) so my head hit the rear view mirror and broke the windshield.  Besides a mild concussion and some really sore muscles we are thankfully okay.  Clifford was not injured either, I know you were probably concerned.  We've been graced with unbelievable amounts of support in this recovery.  I feel completely overwhelmed with the kind acts and prayers that have come our way.  

Ouch. 

Being 34 weeks pregnant, the magnitude of the accident really hit me hard.  The whole situation just seems like a metaphor for my life.  I am always rushing.  I rush from place to place from thought to thought.  Until something (in this case a traffic light) forces me to slow down.  In July alone I was in a parade, won a scavenger hunt, planned a city wide Birthday Bash, attended an overnight birth, hosted countless events, attended 3 birthday parties, all while working part time and trying to be the attentive (32 week pregnant) mother of 2, not to mention running this thriving small business.  

Whoa. Can you say overload?!? 

I know I'm not the only one running at this crazy pace.  I need to learn from this unfortunate accident and slow down.  How do we as mothers (and business owners) do this? I'm so used to being pulled in a thousand directions that this one week of forced peace and calm felt like torture.  My goal with the rest of this pregnancy and the month after this little one arrives it to take the time to enjoy the moments.  Enjoy these last kicks that I could have lost as a result of the accident.  Enjoy the time I have left with my kids being a mom of two.  And enjoy all the precious moments after this baby is born - those I cannot repeat.  I hope you can learn from my experience and a traffic pole doesn't have to hit you to make you slow down. 

Our Little Scientists Discovered the Pond

This month for Little Scientists, we decided to head to John Janzen Nature Center for an exploration day.  Before exploring the pond, we read the story “In the Small, Small Pond” by Denise Fleming to get an idea of what things we might find. 

After reading, we headed over to the pond where our scientists searched for four different things and then drew them on their scavenger hunt sheets. We saw so many neat things—dragonflies, caterpillars, insects, flowers, and even a snail! Our little scientists were all so interested in the pond.

After we were done exploring, we headed inside for a surprise—an animal encounter of the slithering kind!  Most of the children were so excited to see and be able to touch a snake. After they all got to meet the snake, we headed over to the Tegler Discovery Zone for some playtime. It was a perfect end to a fantastic morning! 

Want to find out more about momstown's great children's programming?  

Sign up for a free trial or send us an email! 

My First Step to Being a Healthy Happier Mommy

When my daughter was born I started talking about losing the baby weight (who was I kidding 90% of the extra weight had nothing to do with my pregnancy).  Regardless, I was focused on my health and wanting to make a change. I was adamant that I never wanted my daughter to hear me talk about my weight. I did not want her to see me struggle with my body image, self-esteem or pant size. 

Fast-forward 5 years. Still struggling. That's 1825 days of being unhappy with myself. Countless diets, programs, shakes, pills and bootcamps and I'm in the exact same place.

Recently at my daughters immunization appointment the community health nurse pointed out that my healthy and active five year old is landing in the overweight category on the BMI chart for children. BMI chart for children? I didn't know there was such a thing. The nurse talked about obesity and children while my daughter listened intently. I felt angry and confused when I left the appointment. My daughter looks completely 'normal' to me, she isn't visibly bigger than any other kids her age. I would never have guessed she was falling in the overweight category.



Source: babydustdiaries.com

Sarah, a registered dietitian at Simply Yours Nutrition weighed in on the reasoning behind the BMI charting for children who are so young. She explained that more than anything else, it's an indicator for obesity in adulthood. She said something that really hit home for me.  As parents, we are modeling relationships with food for our children. They learn to eat by watching us. Crap.

So feeding my kids fruits and veggies while I inhale McDonalds doesn't cut it? [Insert mommy guilt here]. I've always said that if I just fed myself as consciously as I feed by kids, I'd have no problems with my weight. I've decided that maybe that's not even good enough.

I'm not concerned with being skinny, fitting into a certain size or weighing a certain amount. My sole goal is to be healthy, to be a good role model for my kids as they grow up. I'm starting the Team in Training half marathon training program in November to help raise money for a fantastic cause and get healthy at the same time!

momstown Edmonton has organized a team of twelve amazing mamas who are raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and training for the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 5th, 2013! Our goal is to raise $40,000 before the marathon in May! Click here to make a donation - every little bit helps!



Today's Parent Subscription Bonus!!

 

We are often asked - what makes momstown different from a mom's group? Usually I would list our 6 Program Pillars which define our event curriculum. Our focus on the whole child, the complete family and early education. I would mention the fact that our $45 membership grants you access to 20 or more free family events every month. But now, for the months of August and September we have another amazing benefit to add to the the list...

 

 

There’s never been a better time to join momstown Edmonton South ! When you purchase or renew a full year momstown membership in August or September, you received a BONUS 1 year subscription to Today’s Parent!

 

For a limited time, included in your membership to momstown is a one year (12 issues) subscription to Today’s Parent! This includes all new memberships as well as existing membership renewals, and applies only to full year momstown memberships ($45). This special offer is available from August 1st, 2012 to September 30, 2012 inclusive.


 

Already receive Today’s Parent? Then your subscription will be extended one additional year!

Click here for full details and mark your calendars to renew or sign up soon!

Thank You For Celebrating With Us!

On Saturday August 18th hundreds of Edmonton families joined us at Rundle Park to celebrate momstown.ca's 5th year connecting and supporting local moms!

Thank you to the sponsors who made this day possible!

     

Mama's lining up for the Today's Parent Swag Bags!

The Fisher-Price Playzone was full all day with kids checking out the fun new toys! Some lucky kids even got to take them home at the end of the day!

Champions Gymnastics brought their little gymnasts to do a demonstration for us! They did a fantastic job!

Walters Music Studio shared their love of music with a Music for Young Children Demo!

Simply For Life provided a healthy spin on ice cream with fruit filled cones & light whipped cream! They have fantastic ideas for helping busy families get the nutrition they need!

Two little cuties enjoying the pudding supplied by ConAgra Foods!

We love to pamper our mama's! Electric Cherry NailZ painted nails for our busy mama's!

The kids made their own binoculars and examined specimens with our fantastic Science & Discovery sponsor Tiny Labs - Scientists in Training!

Delicious cupcakes provided by Crave!

Thank you!

This day wouldn't have been possible without the help of our many volunteers!