Dedicated wet mamas at the Santa Claus Parade

Sacrifice for your child's happiness... that's really what it's all about isn't it? The length we mamas go thru so our kids have the best in life experiences? This happens everyday and in such a way we don't even notice -- the kids eat well rounded full meals when we quickly nosh on a piece of toast while sweeping the floor, or their wardrobe is full of the latest styles while we wear the same yoga pants day after day...

I was reminded of these regular sacrifices - and encouraged - by what I saw today. I was out at the Oakville Santa Claus Parade with a momstown Oakville Community Manager, Janet, handing out http://www.momstown.ca/ info for our launch party coming up this week (Oct 19th FYI!). There was lots of weary parents out there at 9am this morning standing in the streets with keen kids just waiting patiently for Santa -- IN THE RAIN.

It was so wet and so cold.

An ugly type of day.

But these parents were there creating this experience for their kids - and impressed I was. It's not the huge sacrifices that matter but the effort these moms & dads had put into this morning. Warm mugs of cocoa, rain shelters, snacks under the only umbrella while mama is soaking...

Those kids were so happy! Nothing could ruin the day - even the rain - for they were bursting with excitement from under their umbrellas. I was talking to one mom and we were complaining about the weather and saying it was a bad day. Her daughter who was about 3 or 4, said to me "Oh no? It's a bad day now?" and I was stunned into recognition that for her it was nowhere close to being a bad day. She was having a fun family morning, she was excited and well, Santa was coming. She changed my perspective and I actually closed my umbrella and (kinda) jumped over puddles and made the best of the rest of the morning.

Oh & PS: That launch party I was out talking about.. it's for the Oakville chapter of momstown. This Wednesday Nov 19th from 10:30-12:30 hosted at DASH Sports on Iroquois Ridge in Oakville. All welcome. FREE! Check out www.oakville.momstown.ca for more details!