Birthday Cakes!

With momstown celebrating our 5th birthday in August, everything birthday has been on my mind.  I love birthdays, I think everyone should feel special on their birthday and it should be made into a big deal.  That doesn't mean huge parties and lavish gifts, but just extra things to show the birthday person that they are important.

One of the ways I try to make birthdays special for my kids is by making their birthday cakes.  I love thinking up the theme and figuring out what to use to make my creation.  It's become a ritual that the night before their birthdays (or birthday party) my husband and I are putting the finishing touches on their cakes and making last minute additions or changes.  It's fun!

My daughter had her first birthday this year and we went with an animal theme for her.  We picked up these really cute cupcake toppers with matching cupcake papers/wrappers (what's the right word for those anyway?)

Here is the lion.  We also had elephants, giraffes and tigers

When my son turned one, his favourite toy was a Thomas train that he carried everywhere so we decided on a Thomas cake.  The wheels are made of large marshmallows cut in half and dipped in chocolate.  The coal at the back is made from black jelly beans.

When he turned two, he was into everything trucks so we did a construction theme.  I used chocolate cookie crumbs for the dirt in the dump truck and the front loader is moving chocolate chips!  You can't really see them in this picture but I also bought road sign stickers and stuck them on sucker sticks to add a 'Stop' sign and a 'Hazard' sign onto the cake.

When he turned three, we did a fire truck cake with wheels made out of mini chocolate cookies and the ladder made out of rope licorice.  The fire truck was cut out of a sugar sheet.

If I had to guess what the next theme's will be, I would say a butterfly for when my daughter turns two (we have stickers of butterflies on her wall in her room and she just loves them) and either Spiderman or race cars for my son's fourth birthday.  We still have a ways to go since we've gone through their birthdays for this year, but I have already tucked away a bunch of ideas in the back of my mind.

Looking for other birthday cake ideas?  Here is another great train theme birthday cake and lots of other themed birthday cake ideas can be found here.

And don't forget to come and celebrate with momstown Oakville on August 14th - we've got a major party planned to celebrate turning 5!

Cooking with Kids: Easy Peach Cobbler

Ontario peach season is upon us!  I love taking my kids to the Farmer's Markets so they can see all the wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables and pick what catches their eye.  This time it was peaches and while we have been enjoying them 'au natural' I always make this peach cobbler recipe during peach season.  This time, I had a Junior Chef to assist me!


What you need:

6 large peaches, cut into thin slices
3 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cornstarch

For biscuit topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 + 2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water


How to put it all together:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Toss thinly sliced peaches with sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in a 2 qt, non reactive baking dish in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes.

You can make the topping while the peaches bake.  I had my helper assist with measuring and stirring together the flour, sugar and baking powder.  Blend in small pieces of butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.  My son liked putting in all the small chunks of butter but was not a big fan of mixing in the butter with his hands - "too slimey" is what I heard!

Stir in water just until combined.

Remove peaches from the oven and drop spoonfuls of the topping over them.  Bake in the middle of the oven until topping is golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Topping will spread as it bakes.

Serve warm all on its own or dress it up with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  The perfect dessert for a warm summer night.

When were your Olympics?

The 2012 Summer Olympics begin on Friday in London, England.  Will you be watching?  Whether you are cheering for a particular athlete like Alexandre Despatie, or are looking forward to a favourite sport or only tuning in to see the athletes uniforms from each country, the summer Olympics will have something for everyone.

Olympic Torch

They say the odds of becoming an Olympian are 1 in a million.  Wow!  It really is a special group of people that have committed themselves to this journey and have the dedication to succeed.  But I think that if you think about it, you'll find a time when you competed like an Olympian or at least competed in your version of the Olympics.

When you watch an athlete win a medal or have a personal best, you can see the excitement, the passion and the gratitude that passes over their face.  It's heart warming and it brings tears to your eyes.  You can feel their joy through the television screen!  Have you ever been in a situation like that?

When I was in high school, I played on the girls hockey team.  In grade 11 we were having an exceptional season and made it to the city finals.  It was a best of five series.  We got to game five.  At the end of game five, it was a tie game.  We went into overtime.  First it was 30 minutes of regular play, still tied.  Then it was 4 on 4, still tied.  We went down to 3 or 3.  I was lucky enough to be on the ice.  I was physically exhausted but adrenaline had kicked in.  We all had our hearts in our throat.  Three minutes in to the 3 on 3 play...

GOAL!  I had passed the puck to my team mate and she put the puck in the net!

The three of us on the ice were hugging and jumping up and down and what felt like only seconds later were being mobbed by the rest of our team mates.  I had never felt so good!  It was incredible to feel such a high after accomplishing something we had worked so hard for.  It's still one of my best memories.  That was my Olympic moment.

I trained and practiced for eight months for that win.  The Olympic athletes train for years for their shot at a medal.  I can only imagine the pressure, the anxiety and the nerves are a million times more than what I felt but that the flood of emotions that come after a good performance would be overwhelming and all consuming to a level that far surpasses what I felt.  The whole country would be celebrating with you!

Whether it was an athletic performance, a business experience, a travelling experience or something else, have you had an Olympic type moment in your life?

My heart goes out to all the athletes as they start to compete.  There will be some big wins, but some big losses too.  It's hard not to feel all the emotion either way but perhaps that's why the Olympics draw such a crowd.  It's inspiring to see such heart and determination and can serve to remind us all about setting goals and having dreams.

Here's to all our Canadian athletes - Go Canada Go!

Kindermusik with momstown Oakville!

momstown Oakville kids were jumping and clapping at Kindermusik today with Miss Lorry from Performance School of Music and Dance!

We had a "family time" class which is geared towards children between the ages of newborn and up, so it was perfect for our group.  Our youngest participants were 4 months, and our ages ranged right up to 5 years old.  Miss Lorry has a fabulous way of integrating all the children into the class, and being able to adjust activities to each age.

Our kids explored with rhythm and instruments.  We even got to play with some balls.  The music ranges and keeps the kids on their toes!

We are excited for our next class scheduled in August.  If you are interested in joining us for our next music class, or other momstown Oakville events, register for a FREE 4 week trial.  Don't forget to check out more great pics of this event on our facebook fanpage.

Now hiring an Event Coordinator for momstown Oakville!

momstown.ca is an on-line network for real moms wanting to connect for support, conversation and just plain fun! With a fantastic event calendar and lively message board, momstown.ca is a great way to get involved with your community while having a blast with your kids! They say it takes a village to raise a child, we say it takes a town!

Are you looking for a way to channel your creative energy? Are you a positive, out-going person inspired by parenting, early education and community? Are you looking for a fun, part-time supplemental income? Then joining the momstown team could be the answer for you!

Job Description – Event Coordinator

momstown Oakville is currently seeking a creative, self-motivated, and energetic individual for a rolling 6 month contract position as an  Event Coordinator. In this exciting role you will co-ordinate & execute fun and educational events and field trips for parents and young children aged 0-6 years old.

This part-time role requires approximately 6-8 hours per month. We’re currently looking for one Event Coordinator for our momstown Oakville chapter to run fun, family-friendly events, such as our Baby Basics, Alphabet Play, Tales 4 Tots, Junior Chefs, Little Scientists, Discovery Field Trips and more! This is the perfect role for a SAHM or mom on maternity leave. Where else can you run events and work with your kids in tow!

Responsibilities:

• Event Coordination
• Creating and customizing events from designated momstown curriculum
• Personally running & attending up to 4 events per month: prepping supplies and running activities.
• Act as a membership ambassador and liaise with members

Qualifications:

• Outgoing, dynamic leader who is creative, organized, highly self-motivated
• Strong communication & interpersonal skills
• Vested interest in children and parenting
• Comfort with leading circle/storytimes and craft activities for children
• Must have a reliable computer and internet access
• Event planning experience
• Must have reliable transportation
• Need a camera to take event photos

Pay Structure:

• Independent Contract work – 6 month rolling contract
• Per event rate

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please submit your resume and covering letter, no later than Sunday, August 5 to info.oakville@momstown.ca.

A few safety tips for summer time fun!

*This is a guest blog post from Dr. Michelle Peris, Naturopath. Dr. Michelle has a special interest in women’s and pediatric health care, including perinatal care.*

Summer has arrived and what a beautiful summer it has been so far! There are so many great things about the summertime, such as: being outdoors, BBQs, splash pads and the sun. Here are some tips on having a wonderful summer, naturally!

1) Coconut water: Nature’s perfect electrolyte! On extra hot days or prolonged adventures outside, you will likely be getting your sweat on, so you need to ensure that you are replenishing the lost electrolytes. There are so many electrolyte / sport drinks available, but often times, they are unnecessarily high in refined sugar and artificial food colourings. A great way to prevent sunstroke from developing is to ensure you are replenishing your electrolytes, especially while playing sports outside.

2) Natural Vitamin D: It is becoming very prevalent, especially in our northern location, to supplement vitamin D to prevent deficiencies. But when the sun is shining we should take advantage of getting our daily dose naturally! So how much is too much? Depending on your pigmentation, the amount of direct sunlight you require will vary. If very fair, you likely only need a few minutes. Medium to dark skin requires anywhere from 15-20 minutes of sun daily or longer without sunscreen.

3) Sun protection: My favorite natural sunscreens are by Substance, Weleda and Green Beaver. Don’t forget that a big hat or clothing provides adequate protection from the sun.

4) Bug off: Citronella candles and essential oil are very effective at keeping mosquitoes away. Keep them stocked for your cottage or backyard and keep some essential oils on hand for when you go to the park or go camping. Lemon scent is also a natural bug repellant so keeping boiled lemon water nearby can be helpful. Another great way to protect yourself from those mighty little pests is by using screened tents around your picnic table and on your patio.

5) Cooling foods: What better way to beat the heat than by eating foods that help you feel cool internally. Just like when you crave a hot soup in the winter, nothing is more refreshing then something chilly in the summertime. This style of seasonal eating ensures your body stays in balance according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. My favorite cool foods are watermelon, salads, sprouts, cucumbers, apples, lemons & limes.

Now, get outside and play!

Delicious Orzo with Roasted Veggies Recipe

I discovered this  orzo recipe a few years ago while watching the Food Network.  I have made a few changes based on my family's preferences, the original recipe comes from the cookbook Barefoot Contessa Parties.  This recipe is colourful and keeps well over several days, in fact it only gets tastier!  I have served this both as a main dish or a side dish.  It's great at potlucks too.

It's a perfect summer dish and you can even just use leftover grilled veggies from the BBQ if you have that on hand.  Feel free to swap out the veggies I've suggested and add your families favourites instead.

What you need:

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4 inch diced (I just guess the right size!)
1 red pepper, 1 inch diced
1 yellow pepper, 1 inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1 inch diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (you can use regular salt)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 pound of orzo pasta (about a cup)

Dressing:
1/3 lemon juice (2 lemons squeezed)
1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp pepper

Toppings:
4 scallions, minced
Diced feta cheese (not crumbled) - as much as you'd like!
8 basil leaves, cut into strips

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, peppers, onion and garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper on a large sheet pan.  Roast for 30 minutes, until browned, turning vegetables once at the halfway point with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender.  Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.  Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the bowl.

For the dressing, combine the ingredients and pour on the pasta and veggies.  Let cool to room temperature then add the toppings.  Serve at room temperature.

How to eat sand the right way!

Yesterday momstown Oakville's Junior Chef's gathered at Coronation Park to make edible sea and sand.  A big thank you to Miss Sherri from Circle Time Parties for leading the kids through this activity.

So how do you make sand and sea taste good?

You'll need a small, clear plastic cup to create your scene.  First you take some chocolate cake (or chocolate cookies) and crumble it up to make the bottom of the sea. Then you add the 'sea' (blue jello) and some fish of course!  We also added some cut up fruit such as strawberries and grapes to mimic other things you may find in the sea.

Next comes the sand.  The kids had a great time smashing graham crackers to make their sand.

Once the 'beach' was ready, we finished off our creative snack by adding some animal crackers on top and an umbrella to keep them protected from the sun!

All of our Junior Chef's did a really great job and had lots of fun!  Our Junior Chef program runs once a month. Next month we will be doing something birthday themed since we are so excited to be celebrating our 5th birthday with a big party on August 14th.  


Do you think your little ones would like to be Junior Chef's?  Join us for a 4 week FREE trial to learn more about our Junior Chef program and all the other 40+ events and programs we run each month.

It's going to be one heck of a party!

momstown Oakville is so happy to be working with so many wonderful sponsors for our August 14th Birthday Party.

For More Information About Our Premier Sponsors, Visit Their Website

AAR Automotive Repair

CAA Oakville

Cupid's Cupcakes

Fitness On The Go

Little Rascals Indoor Playground

Par-T-Perfect

SupperWorks

Loot Bags filled with goodies for the first 100 families!

Cheers! To A Big Glass Of Water! Tips For Keeping Kids Hydrated

Keeping kids hydrated and healthy during these hot summer days is so important. While we are so busy jumping in pools, lakes and running through splash pads, it's often easy to forget to stop the kids for a quick drink of water and a break to rehydrate. Keeping kids (and mom) hydrated during these busy and hot summer months is key to keeping the family healthy.

Children can become dehydrated easily.  Some of the early signs to watch for are irritability and fatigue.  Late stages of dehydration can result in symptoms like heat cramps, exhaustion and heat stroke.  It's important to keep kids hydrated starting first thing in the morning (and throughout the day) to avoid any of these symptoms.

The best thing to prevent dehydration is water!  So, always have water on hand for your kids.  During the hot summer months kids should be drinking water at least 6 times a day.  For active kids who are running around outside, and sweating, try for small sips of water every 15-20 minutes. 

Momstown meals also has some great refreshing snack ideas to offer a tasty alternative to water!  Try these Fruity Frozen Yogurt snacks as a great way to stay cool.

Have fun and stay safe this summer!

Travelling with kids?

*This post is written by momstown Oakville's Community Manager, Sarah M*

We try to travel often as a family and the most popular question I get from other moms isn't "where are you going?" but "how do you do it?" with three young kids.  We may make it look easy in the pictures of smiling faces on the beach or kids jumping in the hot tub for "apres ski", but there is an stressful and sometimes unpleasant side to travelling with little ones! We've learned along the way and have been able to really make things easier on ourselves.  We are able to enjoy more and stress less!

With summer vacation upon us, so many families are taking off on vacations together.  I thought I'd share a few things we learned along the way:

1. We've learned that our kids are really the happiest with the simple things!  Yes, a bucket and a shovel on the beach, or a popsicle pool side.  It doesn't have to be days filled with adventure (although we like those too).  We learned to put many relaxing days into our vacation, and just enjoy spending uninterrupted time with our kids.

2. We also don't put stress on the kids (or our wallets) with too many restaurant meals! We try to always stay somewhere with a full kitchen and cook most meals in.  A place with a washer and dryer sure can lighten the luggage load too!

3. We travel with as little as possible as far as "baby gear" goes!  We have managed (thanks to google) to find baby gear rental places.  We rent extra strollers, cribs, we even rented an exersaucer and bouncy swing.  These are all things that make you feel like you have the comforts of home, without dragging too much with you!

4. We focus on making memories with our children, and enjoy seeing the excitement in their eyes!  We've certainly given up on the idea of coming home from a vacation feeling rested and relaxed!  We often come home more exhausted than when we left.  We do however have the memories that are priceless.  Our kids are only young once - and we figure we'll catch up on sleep when they are older.

Safe travels this summer:)

Tales for Tots: Clifford at the Circus!

This month momstown Oakville is all about the circus!  Our books, crafts and programs are all based around this exciting theme that has the kids eager to learn and participate!

Today, momstown Oakville hosted Tales for Tots where we made some great circus crafts (Clifford on a tight rope), and we shared a book from Scholastic Canada "Clifford at the Circus".  The kids loved the book, and really enjoyed hearing about Clifford getting into trouble as well as helping out at the circus. Many of our momstown kids are BIG Clifford fans!

Thanks to Scholastic Canada, we are able to give away a copy of this book!

We are also really excited about Clifford this month because he will be joining us for our momstown Oakville 5th Birthday Party!  This is a FREE community event in Oakville, you won't want to miss.  For details about the party, click here.

To join us for our monthly Tales for Tots event, register for a FREE 4 week trial.

Milestone: Baby's First Haircut

This morning I took my 16 month old daughter for her first haircut.  We went to Little Sprouts Cuts for Kids as they do a really cute first haircut certificate, before and after pictures and give you a lock of hair in a little keepsake bag as well.  My poor second child has not had nearly the same amount of pictures taken and milestones documented as my first child, so I wanted to make sure I captured this milestone.

Cutting a little girls hair for the first time is different then cutting a little boys hair for the first time.  As our main  momstown mama has said, hair drama starts early!  When I took my son in, I knew he would come out with shorter hair looking like a little boy with a standard little boy haircut.  I didn't want my daughter's hair cut too short and she's got cute curls in the back and on the sides and I didn't want to loose those completely.  But cut it short in the front and keep in long in the back??  That's called a mullet and not really the look I was going for!

Our hairdresser at Little Sprouts Cuts for Kids did a great job at cleaning up her hair and making sure it was no longer in her face but still leaving some length at the back.  She looks very cute if I do say so myself.

The before picture:

Lots of flyaways!

The cut begins

What is going on?

All done with a  little clip and everything!

For the baby book :)

No tears for this little girl, in fact I think she quite enjoyed herself.  Give it a few years and I may be throwing a spa themed birthday party!  

How to make cloud dough

Our momstown Oakville Little Scientists got together today to make Cloud Dough.  This is a great sensory activity that allows the kids to mix the dough up themselves.  I would definitely recommend that this be made outdoors only as it is pretty messy, but that's half the fun, right?

Each of our Little Scientists had the following to make their Cloud Dough:

3.5 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup baby oil
A variety of sparkles

And of course we had Huggies Simply Clean wipes to help with the mess!

The kids got right to work measuring the flour.

Then stirred it up after they added the baby oil...

And the final touch, adding sparkles!

Playing with this dough actually makes your hands very soft, thanks to the baby oil.  But to get the excess dough off we relied on Huggies Simply Clean wipes to clean hands.

Cloud Dough has a really nice consistency, very smooth and fun to play with.  The kids made shapes and mountains and balls with the dough and it even packs up nicely into a container to be used again another time.

Interested in getting your little one to explore some science?  Sign up for a FREE 4 week trial with momstown Oakville to join in on our Little Scientist program as well as the 40+ other events we offer each month.

And did you hear we are turning 5 in August?  You're invited to our birthday party!  This event is free and open to the public, circle August 14th on your calendar, we'll see you there!

momstown Oakville's Baby Basics Program

momstown Oakville runs a weekly Baby Basics program for moms with babies 0-12 months.  The group meets every Monday at ellephysio.  The focus of the group is to help moms connect with other moms who have babies in their community and to learn about resources and information available to them.  We regularly have speakers from the community who cover topics such as early literacy, health for mom and baby, fitness and the ever important sleep!

When I joined momstown Oakville three years ago, the Baby Basics group was the first thing I attended and became a staple for me each week.  I specifically remember a time when I'd had a rough night with my son and was so thankful that I had my baby group the next day!  Throwing on clothes probably from the day before and grabbing a latte on the way, I breezed into the room with dark circles under my eyes.  Why did I still want to go to the program so badly?  Because once I got there I immediately felt better.  I got sincere sympathy and empathy.  I heard stories of how that was them last week or how they just got through teething or a cold.  Finding support from other moms who were going through what I was going through was invaluable.  I am still in contact with several of the moms I met through that group and all of us now have a second child born around the same time which is pretty cool.

Over the last few months, our Baby Basics group has had a wide array of speakers and topics.

-Naturopath - Taking Care of Yourself After Baby
-Field Trip to Whole Foods - Learning about Organic Eating for Mom & Baby
-Oakville Public Library - Early Literacy
-Precious Moments Babeez - Sleep Consultant
-Baby Wearing
-Itsy Bitsy Yoga
-How to Make Your Own Wipes

Learning about Early Literacy

Hearing from our Sleep Consultant

Yoga for Baby!

Interested in joining our Baby Basics group?  Sign up today for your FREE four week trial with momstown Oakville.  In addition to our weekly Baby Basics group we have Stroller Fit, Sip n Strolls, momstown music, bucket baby brunch and so much more!  All these programs and so much more is included in your yearly membership that's just $45 A YEAR.  

How to make your own granola

I love eating greek yogurt and granola for breakfast.  There are tons of granola options in the grocery stores but some of them are full of sugar, some of them actually don't taste all that good, and a lot of them contain nuts.  My son is allergic to some nuts so I figured it would just be easier to try and make my own granola. And I was right!  This recipe is easy to make and inexpensive in comparison to buying a box from the store each week.  I also love that I can customize it and change it up depending on what I have around the house.  I adapted this recipe from Rose Reisman's Family Favourites cookbook.  I usually double this recipe as it's very popular in my house and doesn't last long.  You can freeze the granola for up to 2 months.

What you need:

2 cups large rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp canola oil
1/4 apple juice
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

What you do:

Preheat oven to 300F, line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly with cooking spray.
Combine all except the last two ingredients, stirring well to combine.
Spread mixture on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing once to prevent burning.
Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Add the raisins and cranberries and stir. Store in an air tight container.

I have used dried apricots, dates and dried strawberries before and they all tasted delicious too! If you did want to add nuts to this recipe, add 1/2 cup of whichever nut you like and mix it in the the bulk of the ingredients so they toast up in the oven.

As mentioned, I love this granola with greek yogurt but my kids love it with milk. Also makes a great snack when you are out and about, tastes great all on its own!