momstown Christmas Party at Dazzle!

The grandparents will be fighting over these Christmas tree trivets, designed by our littlest members :).

This year, momstown Oakville held our Christmas Party at our partner Dazzle Art. We started with some crafts, some playtime, Christmas treats of course, and no party would be complete without a visit from the North Pole! Santa did his part in bringing lots of smiles to this gathering (and only one set of tears but one member who wasn't so sure about the big bearded man:).

Thanks to all that came. Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas!

Cookie Exchange = Ready for the In-Laws

Why haven't I been doing these my whole life?!

For the second momstown year in a row, I've participated in this fantastic cookie exchange concept and I can't believe how great it is. You bake a big batch of your favourite tried and true cookie, package it up into 1/2 dozen portions, and then trade your goodies with whoever else is up for baking up a storm!

I've now got a freezer full of beautiful treats to pull out when the in-laws or the neighbours stop by. As I write this, the snow has started falling, wow, the holidays are truly upon us now, think I'll heat up some cider, throw a log on the fireplace and cuddle up with my little munchkins today, oh yeah, and eat some cookies (which we all know taste way better when someone else has made them:).

Thanks to all who participated yesterday, looking forward to sampling them all!

Need some recipes for your Christmas cookie exchange? momstown meals has lots of perfect holiday treats!

Other chapters hold cookie exchanges too!
momstown Milton - cookie swap
momstown Oakville - last year's cookie exchange
momstown Burlington - me love cookies

G is for Gingerbread!

Gingerbread Field Trip to Springridge Farm!

Wow! There was a whopping 42 momstown kids rolling out their own gingerbreads at Springridge Farms yesterday. Don't know about you guys, but our gingerbreads didn't make it home, they must have been good, because we enjoyed a pretty quiet ride home :).

The hour was a bit of a blur for me, but my kids assured me they had a blast. We'll be doing this again next year for sure, and with one trip under my belt, it will be just a wee bit more organized. Thanks to those that were able to join us! Click here to read about momstown Milton's trip to Springridge with us!

momstown balloons a site @ Santa Parade!

Oakville Santa Parade was great fun today!

momstown Oakville was handing out balloons from our perch on Jet Baby's front step.It was as though I started throwing out $20 bills! As soon as the helium tank was unleashed, they swarmed. Line-ups of children waiting for a balloon.

Thank goodness for my father-in-law and helpful little 5 year old elf (3 year old was not quite as helpful, good thing she's cute:). We got into a balloon blowing/tying groove and before long, the street was awash in orange, green and blue.

HO HO HO, Merry Christmas momstown mamas!

1 Bead, 2 Beads, 3 Beads... more!

We enjoyed a good beading session at Haberdashers last night in downtown Oakville. Great selection of beads and of course, good company :) We all walked out with some nice necklaces, some for Christmas gifts, some to adorn our Christmas outfits, but the night did turn out to be a tad more expensive than you would think making something on you own might be........next time, we're beading at my place, we have a couple of veteran beaders now and I'll dig out the needle nose plyers. All you have to do is BYOB (beads, not booze :). Although, a little wine never hurt the creative juices either!

Oakville mommy baby playgroup

Okay, I won't lie, seeing little babies does make that little doubt creep up of "are we done having babies yet"? But then my little people come home from school and I snap out of it :). So, to get my baby fix, I'm just going to meet our new moms at our own momstown Oakville Baby Playgroup on Mondays (held at Sharkeys)! If you're new to momstown and new to mommyhood, don't miss this opportunity to get your adult interaction for the week, plus, there's a Starbucks around the corner, and the Superstore is down the street to satisfy your Joe Fresh fix. See you there!!

momstown pumpkins in the pumpkin patch!

momstown hit the Pumpkin Patch!

Parkside Farms was the destination today, we filled up two wagons with kids, moms & grandparents too, as "Farmer Ben" took us on a wagon ride through the "Storybook Forest", after attempting to recite the names of the seven dwarfs to my confused three year old (come on, do you remember them all? :), we were dropped off at the Pumpkin Patch, the notion of this is a wee bit more romantic than the real deal.

Navigating through mud and rotting pumpkins with a toddler didn't actually prove to be that easy! But everyone found a pumpkin, some for carving, some for decorating, no one left empty handed. The trip was complete with a visit to the chicken coop and friendly nod from Farmer Ben. He's running the show on his own these days as the harvest season comes to an end.....but we'll be back next year.

Great way to spend the day and not too hard on the wallet at only five bucks a kid!

Moms love poker!

Poker Playin' Mamas! momstown mamas had a blast last night at Poker Night, with a great turn-out too. Thanks Ladies!!

As a first time poker player, the pre-game jitters were quickly abated with a glass of wine, a quick catch up on all the kiddies, and then a nice and easy open hand introduction to the game. Then the fun began!

And the chips disappeared quickly on my side of the table, both playing chips and tortillas :). Beginners, don't be shy, cause it was our newbies who ruled the roost last night! See you next month.

Mama's Game Night is something momstown plans in other chapters too! We love mama's night out! Check out momstown Edmonton North's poker game night!

Turkeys on the loose!

Gobble Gobble! Enjoy the Thanksgiving Weekend and all the feasts and festivities.

And just in case you haven't had enough by the time Tuesday rolls around, join us at the momstown Oakville Crafty Kids playgroup on Tuesday morning for momstown fall type crafts and adult chit chat, turkey, bats and maple leaves!!!

Don't worry, I never leave home without the wet wipes!! Make sure your little ones have their craft clothes on :)

Fall Apple Picking field trip to Frootogo Farms

Make the Most of Fall!

Well, if you haven't been to Frootogo Farms in Waterdown, this is the place for outdoor orchard fun, meet your fellow momstowners in the giant (and free!) play area, take a tour through the corn maze, grab a wagon and a bushel and get your kids to do the apple picking!

And of course, don't forget to pick up some cheddar biscuits and pumpkin loaf on your way out, the baked goods are sensational. Now, I just need more apple recipes....... maybe my momstown Oakville moms will share some on the message board?

Frootogo has become a momstown favourite field trip! Check out our other visit blogs from momstown Burlington, momstown Hamilton & momstown Milton.

Apple Craft Playgroup

Apples Apples Apples! September is here! momstown Oakville had barrels of fun at the Little Gym party room during our Crafty Kids playgroup last week. We had crafts for varying ages and toys for our youngest members :) Panic ensued when I brought out the paint and apples for "apple stamping", but nothing a little wet wipe or maybe seven couldn't fix!

Next month join us for our Turkey themed Crafty Kids playgroup for more fun and more craft-time!

momstown has been nominated for a 2009 Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award!
Those who are familiar with this award realize it's just like a Canadian Idol thing - it's all about the number of votes! One vote per email per nominee. Please spread the word to family, friends asking them to vote for momstown. They need to be Canadian citizens with a Canadian postal code though. Use email, facebook whatever... to spread the word.
To vote you go here:
http://momentrepreneuraward.ca/MomBio.aspx?momID=190
One vote per email (so use all your email accounts to vote).
People can vote for more than one nominee, so if you have already voted for anther person - you can still vote for momstown!

Thank you!

How to make a homemade Mailbox

Mailtime! If your kids love to receive mail, they will love this craft!

momstown Oakville moms met at Coronation Park with empty boxes and toddlers in hand. We let the kids go at it with paint, stickers and decorations until they were satisfied with their creations.

Bonus: this craft continues when you get home, now you have to create mail!

Flowers and Dancing in Oakville!

The kids had a ball at StudioTime this week. This time, Michelle, a fabulous and engaging dance instructor (and incredibly energetic, had to have three espresso shots to keep up:) kept the kids dancing and laughing and finished off with a some parachute games.

momstown Oakville does this party with a slight variation on the theme every month. It's a great opportunity to do something a little different and tucker your little one out at the same time. Plus, if you can manage it, there's an amazing shoe sale right now across the street!

Glitter Alert!

momstown Oakville had a blast at "What a Mess!" art centre. It's truly wonderful to not have to chase your toddler around with a dustbuster! All the mess stays there, all except for the glitter which has found its way home and is now mingling with the dust bunnies (sigh).

Join us every month for this field trip, momstown members receive $1 dollar off the art fee. Happy crafting!!

If you want to get messy and have some fun at home with your kids, check out these great ideas on the momstown arts and crafts blog!

Messy "Mud" Painting
Baby's First Painting - Oatmeal
Body Painting
Shaving Cream Finger Paints
Kool-Aid Painting

and the monthly contest winner is....

Tracey Adams,

Congratulations, You've won a one year memberhsip to momstown!

All momstown mamas can enter the monthly draw once each day, so don't forget to check out our home page!

Dinosaur Exploration with momstown

Dino Day at StudioTime! It's hard to find a kid who doesn't like dinosaurs :).

After some free play and crafts, momstown kids were invited to join in a modern dance demo (this went over about as well as you would think with numerous toddlers of varying ages).

We ended on a high note though with a dino-mite Itsy Bitsy Yoga demo from Lisa. Ahhh, relaxation....sort of an abstract thought at this point in time.

Want to find a cool volcano activity to do with your dino lovers? Check it out here on momstown arts & crafts.

Next month's Summer Flower party will feature a dance demo from StudioTime's new Kinderdance instructor! Stay tuned.....

mamas finished triathlon!!

Well, we did it! Nervous tension mounted as we pulled into the park and I watched the athletes walking around with bikes. Turns out, these were the competitors from the more serious competitions that took place before the try-the-tri (thank goodness).

I soon found my fellow momstown mamas and we proceeded to the chilly water. Any nerves were eased when my little cheerleaders (my kids), ran into my arms and started poking at the swimming cap :) The swim was tough, the bike was pretty hard too and by the time we hit the run, my legs felt like tree trunks and it was mind over matter.

momstown mamas all crossed the finish line within minutes of each other, and even got to celebrate over a beer and plenty of bbq'ed protein at Linda's house. Thanks Linda! And thanks ladies, it was fun, and I would do again anytime (okay, not anytime, maybe next summer!).

the big day has come

Tomorrow is race day. Many weeks ago, I joined a fledging group of fellow momstowners in the idea that we would train and complete a mini-triatholon. The perfect motivator I thought...get in shape, get to know some more moms in the process, all with a deadline so I couldn't weasel out of it! Well, the get in shape part is what it is, I had the liberating experience of finally getting rid of the shorts and pants in my closet that are one size too small, I have finally admitted that those days are gone and not coming back:). And for getting to know my fellow racers? We had many well intentioned attempts at getting together to train, but with crazy schedules and unpredictable little people, I trained solo. But I knew they were there, we gave each other updates on progress, ideas for training and if that wasn't motivation enough, now my kids and husband are coming, and they were practicing their cheering today. So, tomorrow is the big day. I'm meeting my peeps somewhere in the transition area, and while I don't know if we'll cross the finish line together, we're most definitely having a beer afterwards together. Good luck girls!! Perhaps more of you will join us next year, I feel a tradition coming on....

Happy Anniversary! Happy Anniversary!

We're celebrating our anniversary on August 29 at Lowville Park from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm! This family event will be open to public and we welcome you to bring a friend along and introduce her to momstown. The juicy details will be leaked closer to the event....stay tuned....thanks for making momstown such a great community to be a part of.

Book Swap/Movie Night at Encore

We must do this again. The movie is priced right and what a great way to clear off our nightstands and get some new books for free. Really nice to get personal reviews on books you may have wanted to read but not sure about, or perhaps to pick up a book you never would have thought to read before. Thanks to Encore for use of the party room, great night!!

Teddy Bear Party at StudioTime

Good times at StudioTime once again! Kids were encouraged to bring their favourite teddies today, my children took this to mean favourite animals and showed up with their toy iguanas, strange but true :). We glued, we checked our teddies heart beats, we danced (okay, a few kids danced, I was flailing around trying to get my little people excited, dancing apparently does not run in our family, and as the grand finale, we snacked. Thanks to all for contributing to the potluck snack table once again!

And the Winner Is....

Thera....

Congratulations...You've won a My First Keepsake Book from Zaida Baby!

Don't forget to enter our monthly contest every day in July to win a Teach My Toddler Gift Pack!

Sum, sum, summatime @ the splash pad!

momstown was out at the Coronation Park by the lake today with a super spot under the shade. Babes sitting happily on blankets under the trees and big toddler/preschool kids in full force on the playground/water park. It was great to meet some new faces and let the kids explore and enjoy the water, sand & general merriment!

Look for the regular & rotating splash pad dates on the Oakville calendar all summer long! Our next Splash Pad Day is July 7th at Pine Glen Park at third line/ Dundas.

Oakville Baby playgroup a saviour for moms!

Each Monday, moms with little ones, and I mean little ones, meet at our partner Sharkey's Cuts for Kids for playgroup on their plush carpet.

Yes, we realize that at age 3 months the babies aren't really "playing" but the two hours that moms are out of the house and with other moms who are the same stage in motherhood as you - well that exciting enough to be a giddy as 8 year old who just go let out for summer vacation!!

momstown hearts baby playgroup! An opportunity for peer to peer support and conversation is a golden opportunity for our new moms in momstown Oakville.

and the winner is....

Samantha Tkachuk!

You've won a one year membership to momstown for you or a friend!

Don't forget that everyone can enter once daily to win the monthly contest brought to you this month by Zaida Baby!

Stop - Drop - Roll!

We had so much fun visiting the fire trucks! We all learned very important safety measures that we need to take incase of fire. This was a great outting and we are looking foward to doing it again!

boing boing boing...

What a fun Playdate. Thanks to Sue for hosting the bouncy castle playdate. Everyone had a great time and there were no trips to the hospital!!

HEY! Who made this big mess??!!

... oh well doesn't matter because WE DON'T HAVE TO CLEAN UP!!

momstown visited What A Mess - A new drop in craft center. We all had so much fun!!

If you want to get messy and have some fun at home with your kids, check out these great ideas on the momstown arts and crafts blog!

Messy "Mud" Painting
Baby's First Painting - Oatmeal
Body Painting
Shaving Cream Finger Paints
Kool-Aid Painting

Photos from Kelly Clancy life event photography

We had this super great photographer at momstown mania at the begining of the month. She was so awesome with all the kids!

We are so impressed with her work we need to share it!
http://kellyclancyphoto.com/blog/?p=85

To see the full day coverage - http://gallery.me.com/kellyclancyphoto#100589

I had to share a few though...

Mania Insania!

WOW - WHAT A DAY! - WHAT A DAY! WHAT A DAY!

We had lots of moms and tots come out to the 1st Annual momstown mania! In Oakville alone we hade 100+ moms and 150+ tots! The weather could not have been better. We are so grateful to all our wonderful sponsors - without them this would not have happened. Also A huge thank you to our momstown member volunteers - Jeanine, Elena, Maggie - you girls were a gift to have on our team! Thank you so very much!

April's contest winner is....

Elena Thibideault !

Congratulations!! You have won a copy of the Jason Mraz's new CD 'We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things."

(great title huh?)

Don't forget to enter the monthly contest for May! You can enter once per day! :-)

Oakville MANIA -- 6 short days away!

You're INVITED to momstown MANIA!
Mania will offer moms and tots a chance to sample activities that provide sensory, creative, physical and social experiences for both mother and child. FREE, charitable event for all!!

Wed. MAY 6th: 9am - 1pm
Oakville Soccer Dome
1520 Pine Glen rd, Oakville (Dundas/3rd line area)

Ongoing Activities from 9:30-1
Picassos in the Park Painting by momstown
Toddler Olympics by the Little Gym
Mama Coffee Circle by momstown
Breakfast by Kelloggs MultiGrain Krispies
Mother’s Day Planting by momstown
onsite Photography by Kelly Clancy / Life Event Photography

Rotating Activities:
9:45-10: momstown Welcome Circle (Parachute & Bubbles)
11-11:30: The Magic of Scott Dietrich
11:30-12: Mom & Baby Fitness by Salsa Babies
12 – 12:30: Music demo with Capstone Music
12:30-12:45 momstown Parachute & Bubble Circle
Great door prizes! Bring a friend and get an extra door prize ballot!

Mania is WHERE???

On the bright side if you haven't been to the new Oakville Soccer Club your in luck because it is impossible to miss! Just south of Dundas on Third Line is the big and brilliant facility. This is where you are going to find MANIA!! We will be inside and outside - just look for all the kids paying with paint and potting flowers and a bunch of moms sipping coffee!

This is the biggest event that momstown has done in our 3 year history! You DO NOT want to miss it. Come on - free food, free entertainment and activities AND after all this - A GOOD afternoon nap!

I WILL SEE YOU THERE! - Oakville Soccer Club - 1520 Pine Glen, Oakville, ON L6M 4P4.

map - http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=oakville%20soccer%20club&rlz=1W1ADBF_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

They Came! They Saw! They BOUGHT!!

After months of preparations the momstown mom-to-mom sale finally came all together on Saturday, April 18! We had a great turn out of members and an even greater turn out of non-members!

Everything went smoothly and there was very little left over. Can’t wait till the Fall Sale!!

A big thanks the Chrissy who was the brains behind the entire operation.

Fanatical - Uncontrollable - Insane - IT'S MANIA

In three short weeks all momstown across Ontario are going to be hosting the biggest party YET!

AND

EVERYONE IS INVITED

and I mean EVERYONE!

This is the day to see what actually goes on it our world

"A month in a day the momstown way"

Fantastic interactive activities will run throughout the day including:

- Toddler Olympics
- Mom & Baby Fitness
- Baby Sign Language
- Music demonstrations
- Planting station with child-made Mother’s Day gift
- Educational make & take craft for moms
- Coffee Circle for mom & baby
- Special children’s entertainer mid-day
- Picasso’s in the Park
- momstown circle times with parachute, songs and bubbles.

Questions?? No problem - Send us a email!!

katie.mcintosh@momstown.ca

A Steal of a Deal!

Its all coming together ladies!! Thank Goodness. Tonight with the team stuffed bags for the first 100 moms. It will be so great to unload my baby clothes. It time for a new bundle of love to enjoy them - or a new mom...lol

Our spring sale will be easy to shop with tons of gently used, brand name items (clothes, toys, books, baby equipment). All items will be pre-priced and organized by size & gender and merchandised together versus on individual seller tables. Be prepared for a huge quantity of incredible goods! Come early!

Saturday, April 18th, 2009
8am - 11am
11am - noon * 50% off Sale *
@ Fern Hill School, Burlington Campus
801 North Service rd (QEW just west of Brant st)
$1/door or FREE for momstown members
Cash Only

The Bra Makeover

Is it possible that I've been wearing a band size 6 inches too big for 10 years?

The girls at Change at Oakville Place set me straight and I came home with some beautiful new undergarments that actually fit and do their job right.

Our momstown Oakville bra fitting event was fun and informal and not too hard on the wallet, we got some great deals and got caught up, Change even supplied the appies and champagne. Perfect! Now that's my kind of shopping.

Now, if they could just readjust our bodies back to pre-baby that would be even more spectacular!

And the monthly contest winner is....

Tracey Adams...

Relax and let your house be cleaned! You've won a 1.5 hour clean from Merry Maids!

Don't forget to enter our momstown monthly contest and your april oakville contest once each day!

Spring Fling Party!

We had a great time at the Spring Fling portrait party hosted at StudioTime (http://www.studiotime.ca/) in downtown Oakville. The kids started with crafts and playdough and then moved on to the dance studio with Francesca. It was all smiles when the parachute came out, and even more smiles when we finished off with butterfly cupcakes! This was all captured on Kelly Clancy's amazing photos (http://www.kellyclancyphoto.com/). It was great to see some new faces and new members. Only one thing, you guys have to eat more cupcakes next time, I brought too many home (and I ate them myself!).


For more flower craft ideas for your next home playgroup:
Paper Plate Flowers
Footprint Flowers