People in Your Neighbourhood - Glenora & Westmount

Welcome to momstown Edmonton's Glenora, North Glenora & Westmount edition of The People In Your Neighbourhood! Edmonton is a city made up of many beautiful neighbourhoods and it is our goal that this blog series will provide you with many great reasons to get out exploring the city, fall in love with Edmonton and the people in your neighbourhood!

Glenora, North Glenora and Westmount are some of Edmonton's most sought after neighbourhoods.  With large, mature trees, easy access to downtown and the University area, and wonderful facilities no wonder these are some of the most desirable areas of Edmonton in which to live. These neighborhoods have a rich heritage in the Edmonton community and are some of the first planned communities dating back to the early 1900's.

Location
This area is found east of 142 st to 124 st and from 111ave to the south edge of Jasper ave. It includes North Glenora, Westmount and Glenora.

What's A Mom To Do?

Cafe Tiramisu- Lift Me Up! is here to give you a lift me up experience in every way. Whether you start your day with their freshly roasted coffee or try the delectable flavour filled crepes or exercising in their classes! No parent is left out as they offer a supervised play area for those who need that time to energize and meet other parents in the community.

Glenora Indoor Playground runs Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00–11:00 at the Glenora Community Hall (10426–136 Street) For children, we have toys, crafts, stories & seasonal parties. For adults, we have coffee, adult conversation & community.  

North Glenora Indoor Playground is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:15 am to 11:00 am. Need a place to play indoors? Join us at North Glenora’s Indoor Playground. Located inside the North Glenora Community Hall at 13535-109A Avenue.

Quick Bites
Duchess Bake Shop - Located on 124th Street in the historic Westmount neighbourhood of Edmonton, Duchess Bake Shop has a mouth-watering array of world-class baked goods, whether you are looking for a morning latte & croissant, an amazing light lunch, or a selection of desserts for a special function.

Spa-aahhh

At Life Stiles Spa, enjoy an array of spa and wellness treatments including: massage therapy, skin care facials, body wraps and scrubs, advanced skin treatments like skin rejuvenation, and laser hair removal.

Shopping

With unique and interesting shops 124 street is an amazing place to find one of a kind items.  A great locally owned business is Bosom Babies who specialize in cloth diapering, baby wearing and breastfeeding. They also seek out some of the worlds greatest wooden toys and organic clothing.  Make sure to check out 124st.ca for a business directory!

Health 

Lion's Breath Yoga Centre believes in the power of yoga. We believe in the power the practice has to transform you, your life, your body, your stress and your challenges into what you want for yourself.

Meridian Health is a collaborative multi-disciplinary team of practitioners and therapists that can address pain and stress management from a variety of perspectives, ranging from physical rehabilitation to mind-body medicine. 

Heart of the Hood

Edmonton Community Leagues
Community leagues are truly the heart of the Edmonton neighbourhoods. We are so lucky to have these resources in our communities - they offer special events, soccer for kids and fun right on your doorstep! Glenora, North Glenora and Westmount all offer vibrant and active community leagues! Memberships to these community leagues are a great investment!

Check out this link to the Edmonton Community League Federation to find the community league for your neighbourhood - http://www.efcl.org/


Schools
This relatively small area has more than 15 schools, many more than some other densely populated areas of the city! There are so many options both public and catholic. This area is also zoned for the prestigious Victoria School of the Arts. 

Edmonton Public Schools - http://epsb.ca/
Edmonton Catholic Schools - http://www.ecsd.net

Want to live here? 

Check out the listings below for some great options!

This Blog Series is sponsored by proud momstown Edmonton member, Nicole Cooper of Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate. Nicole has no shortage of enthusiasm when it comes to helping her clients realize their home ownership goals and only jumps with two feet in when she is working a client. Whether it’s finding that perfect house to call a home or selling the property that has housed years of memories, Nicole will work with you to find you the best solution for your needs with service that'll move you.

Celebrate Mother's Day in Edmonton with momstown and Cafe O'Play!

We're hosting a special event on Saturday May 11th in honour of moms! Time Out Beauty Retreat will be on-site pampering our deserving mamas with free spa services while the kids play!



Snacks courtesy of proud momstown Edmonton member and realtor Nicole Cooper!

Coffee, Tea, Juice & Water courtesy of Cafe O'Play

10am-2pm

Saturday May 11th

5667 Riverbend Road 

Admission $3.00 per child 

(Children under 12 months are free) 

All proceeds donated to momstown's Team in Training! We have 10 momstown mama's running a half marathon with the goal of raising $40,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada! 

Family Mini Photo Sessions available by donation courtesy of momstown's resident photographer
Tara Wildgoose of Pinkstar Photography!

Mama Must Haves!

We are featuring our favourite local services available to Edmonton moms this Mother's Day! There will be prizes available from these following fantastic companies!

 

Fit Mamas: A New Perspective on Fitness

The goal of our Fit Mamas Challenge was to introduce this group of 25 moms to new kinds of workouts and to give these moms an opportunity to focus on their own health. What happened over these 8 weeks was so much more. We were so lucky to have Janelle from Mother Haven join us to facilitate a sharing circle at our wrap up event. 

The overwhelming feeling within this group was a sense of confidence that was gained with each class. One participant shared that through this challenge she began to see her body for what it is, rather than what it is not. Many of us were able to finally see past the stretchmarks and a shape that is forever changed to recognize the strength and beauty our bodies possess. What a profound change. Janelle, the facilitator of the sharing circle was also impressed with this group of strong women. Here is what she thought:

"Earlier this month, I had the honor of facilitating the wrap up for momstown fit mamas challenge. I was truly inspired by the mothers who took on this challenge and in just a short time, how much they accomplished. This group of mothers challenged themselves physically, mentally, and even emotionally. They made a commitment each week to not only get out of the house and attend each class, but a commitment to take time out for themselves. 

And as a mother myself I know it is not easy to always make that commitment, simply getting out of the door is often a struggle, knowing the dishes have piled up, we didn't switch over the laundry, we never returned that phone call to our girlfriend and now our two year old is crying and hanging onto us as we are trying to leave. Let’s face it, having little ones is not an excuse, it can and does take time away from us to do the things we know are good for us. 

At the end of their baby’s first year, or even eighteen years later, too many parents realize they gave up the things they loved to do and they neglected their needs. This is especially true for moms. Often times as mothers we not only give up the things we love, but we lose ourselves and our identities. 

Becoming a mom is an all consuming commitment and it is intense, especially in the early years. We have very little time, it is no wonder that we lose ourselves in the early months of mothering. But too often it is not just the first couple of years, it extends beyond that. 

Becoming a conscious mother requires sacrifice and it requires modeling for our children how to live creative and balanced lives. We do this by not neglecting ourselves. And that is just what this group of moms did for eight weeks. I am sure there were days they had to push through it, but in the end they not only participated in an exercise class, they took time to nurture themselves which is so vital as a mother. 

Despite the messy kitchen, the screaming toddler, the unreturned phone call, and all the other things that pile up, this group of women actively pursued their self care. They pushed themselves physically and mentally, they increased their confidence, they became stronger and more fit, and they all learned something in the process. But the most invaluable lesson was simply embarking on this journey to begin with and taking the time out from the frantic daily routine as a busy mother to nurture themselves. By doing so they became role models to those around them and most importantly to their own children."

Thank you again to Janelle Schmidt for facilitating another wonderful sharing circle. Through Mother Haven, Janelle hosts weekly and monthly sharing circles to empower and bring mothers closer together. Mother Haven strives to create an atmosphere where you feel comfortable to share what is going on for you. We support mothers to express their true emotions. During the circle mothers are free to share whatever is moving through them. Whether you feel like crying, laughing, or expressing frustration, we are here to listen, support, and empathize with you. Please see her website for more details and join one of these amazing groups. 

Little Scientists: Planting Vegetables

After a very long Winter, Spring has finally sprung at momstown Edmonton! We decided it was the perfect time to do some planting with our little scientists! Kids love getting dirty, and planting is all about getting dirty. With a little help from the mamas, momstown's little scientists planted both radishes and beans in clear plastic cups. We made sure to plant the seeds close to the edge so that we could watch the roots grow! Make sure to poke small holes in your cup if you do this activity with your children so that the water can drain out.

With a little water, sunshine, and a lot of love, momstown Edmonton is watching to see how plants first stretch out their roots before shooting upwards. We can’t wait to see if our little plants will actually grow us some vegetables! 

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Alphabet Play: The Letter "K"

We love playing with the alphabet at momstown Edmonton! There are just so many fun activities you can do with your kids to help them learn the letters and the letter sounds. This month, we looked at the letter K. We talked about what sound a K makes, and the kids brainstormed so many words that start with K! We heard kite, kids, kick, kangaroo, king, key, and even koala! At momstown Edmonton, we love to sing so we made sure to sing some songs that had the letter "K" in them! The favourite had to be this one:

Koala Bear

Koala bear, koala bear, turn around, (Turn around)

Koala bear, koala bear, touch the ground (Touch the ground)
Koala bear, koala bear, dance on your toes, (Dance on tip toes)
Koala bear, koala bear, touch your nose (Touch your nose)
Koala bear, koala bear, give a little clap, (clap)
Koala bear, koala bear, take a nap (Put head on hands like sleeping)

After our circle time, we made a “K is for King” craft. The kids each colored a K and a crown. Once done, they cut them out and glued them onto a piece of black paper.  After crafting, we played a few games to get some energy out! The kids sure LOVE playing “What Time is it Mr. Wolf” and “Red Light, Green Light!" I think they ask for those ones every month! It's so much fun to play games that I remember playing as a child.

Want to get in on the fun? Check out our programming here!

Music and Movement

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

I Went to Visit a Farm

I went to visit a farm one day

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

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

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

 

Slippery Fish

Slippery fish, slippery fish, sliding through the water,

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

Oh, no! It’s been eaten by an… 

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

Oh, no! It’s been eaten by a… 

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

Oh, no! It’s been eaten by a… 

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

Oh, no! It’s been eaten by a… 

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

Gulp! … Gulp! … Gulp! … BURP! 

Pardon me!

 

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