momstown Oakville Does Ballet with Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes

Earlier this week, momstown Oakville moms and kids got together for some dance and ballet fun at The Dance Exchange.  Celebrating the new Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes movie, everyone channelled their inner ballerina and spent the morning dressed in tutus and ballet slippers.

We made a ballet slipper craft, some ribbons for dancing and we gave away two awesome prizes!  One lucky ballerina went home with an adorable tutu from Instep Active Wear in Oakville and another lucky little lady won a copy of the Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes DVD!

Lucky winner of the Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes DVD!

Tutu from Instep Active Wear in Oakville

All the little ballerina's were thrilled to meet a real ballerina who taught them all some dance moves and showed off her pointe shoes and her beautiful costume.  Oakville moms and kids of all ages had a great time at this magical event!

It was a pleasure to have all the little ballerinas join us.  Amazing to see all the joy and awe in their eyes as they watched a real ballerina dance around the room!  A big thank you to Danielle Wilson Photography for capturing all the fun.

-->Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes is an exciting ballet movie in which Barbie™ stars as Kristyn, the hard-working dancer, who wows the big ballet company in her performance of Giselle and Swan Lake.  Through this journey Kristyn learns that when you dance from your heart – your dreams can come true.

Barbie has introduced a line up of dolls, accessories and a playset which allow girls to recreate some of their favorite scenes from the film. A must have is the Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes as Kristyn Farraday™.  Two in one, girls can simply twist the doll and her skirt reverses for a magical transformation!

Meet Danielle Wilson - momstown Oakville's 2013 Official Photographer

momstown Oakville is thrilled that Danielle Wilson Photography will our official photographer and will be around to capture the many wonderful moments Oakville moms and kids experience through momstown events and programs.  Danielle is a very talented Oakville family photographer and she will not only be taking photos at some of our events but will also be doing mini sessions for momstown Oakville members too!

I really encourage you to visit Danielle's website and take a look at some of the beautiful pictures from her portfolio.  I don't know about you, but looking at those images was a strong reminder to me to get some new family photos done.  We haven't had any done in almost 3 years...my daughter just turned 2 so we need to get new ones with her in them!

Here is a bit more about Danielle:

"My husband and I live in Oakville with our two beautiful and very silly, furry friends. I have a studio here, however, most of my sessions are done on location. My formal education (arts degree from Western) was completed in 1998 with a focus on french literature. During my studies, I spent one year in the south of France, this time influenced my love of photography greatly. The perfect weather, and unbelievable scenery inspired me and I haven’t slowed down since. My education continues as this art form is ever changing. Attending seminars and workshops help to keep me excited and up to date with what is happening in the industry so that I can offer you the best for your family portraits."

Danielle will be at our special Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes music and movement event on Thursday and I look forward to sharing all the adorable images she will take of our ballerinas!

If you are a momstown Oakville member, we'll soon be posting some information on mini sessions on the message board and calendar.  And of course, please contact Danielle for more information on getting family portraits, engagement pictures, baby photos or pet portraits done for your family.

Welcome to momstown Danielle!

2013 Easter Egg Hunt Events for Oakville Kids and Families

Easter is fast approaching and Oakville kids will be ready with their Easter baskets to hunt for eggs.  Have some community fun and pick an event or two to participate in, there is something for everyone! Here is an Oakville Easter event roundup.

Easter Fun at the Oakville Museum
Sunday, March 24, 1 to 4 PM
Fee:  $5.  All ages event, registration not required

Springridge Easter Festival Egg Hunt
Friday, Saturday or Sunday of Easter Weekend
10AM - 4PM, $11 a person

Easter Egg Hunt for Dogs & Their Families
Good Friday, March 29
Cost:  $25 per family.  Please note this is a fundraising event for National Service Dogs

Easter Egg Extravaganza
Mountsberg Conservation Area
March 29 - April 1st
11 AM - 3PM

And don't forget to have some Easter fun at home!  Tons of Easter craft ideas can be found here along with tasty Easter recipes and decor ideas too.

Happy Easter!

Handyman's Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

This kid friendly spaghetti sauce recipe comes with a really cute story.  A momstown Oakville mom was having her shower re-grouted and the handyman noticed that she was struggling with her three year old and getting him to eat his lunch.  The handyman had two boys at home and suggested she try the recipe listed below.  She took the advice, both her kids loved it and she now jokes that the recipe alone was totally worth what she paid for the work on the shower!

Easy Kid Friendly Spaghetti Sauce

-1 can condensed tomato soup
-1/2 can of milk
-Grate in lots of cheese (cheddar and parmesan)

Pour over spaghetti or whatever kind of pasta (our momstown Oakville mama used whole wheat noodles and threw in some steamed broccoli and both kids gobbled it all up!)

I need my kitchen floor re-grouted.  Will definitely be giving this handyman a call as he seems friendly and who knows what other recipes he may have to share!

Oakville Moms Book Club - The False Prince

momstown Oakville loves supporting literacy and reading for all ages and so we were thrilled to have Scholastic Canada provide our members with a book to read for our Mama Book Club.  The book was called 'The False Prince' and it got positive reviews from all the Oakville moms that read it.  'The False Prince' is the first book of three by Jennifer A. Nielsen and had our momstown Oakville members intrigued and loving the mystery and deception that flowed through the story.

The Mama Book Club host pulled together some discussion questions and the group had quite a dialogue about the story that started off as a potential rags to riches tale but soon turned into a tale about royal sacrifice and secrets.  There were plenty of twists and surprises that lead to a very edge of your seat ending that we discussed throughout the night. Since this is just the first of the trilogy we all agreed it was a great set up to the next, which we all cannot wait to get our hands on!

Thank you Scholastic Canada for such an action filled adventure that we had a very hard time putting down! momstown Oakville moms love getting together for mom's night out events and in addition to book club we also have craft nights, poker night and nights out in Oakville as well.  Would you like to join us for a night out or for all of our daytime programs for Oakville moms and kids?  Sign up here for your trial membership.

Oakville Mom and Baby Program Reads 'My First Hockey Book'

momstown Oakville's mom and baby program Sing, Rattle and Read held at Little Sprouts Cuts for Kids is always very popular.  Its so great to see the babies getting so excited when they get to use bells, shakers and of course, bubbles!  And thanks to Scholastic Canada, each month an Oakville mom and baby get to take home our baby book of the month.

Bells and shakers!

Bubbles!

We sang some songs and had fun with bubbles before setting down to read a few stories including our book of the month for babies, "My First Hockey Book", by Ian Crysler.  Congratulations to Jacqui and baby Acadia who were the lucky winners this month.

Are you an Oakville mom who has recently had a baby?  Sign up here and give momstown Oakville a try. We offer a weekly Baby Basics program as well as our Sing, Rattle and Read program and many other events each month all for just $45 a year.

St. Patrick's Day Spinach Cupcake Recipe

This morning momstown Oakville had a St. Patrick's Day party and one of our members brought some delicious cupcakes that certainly fit the occasion.  The night before the party she was thinking of ideas on what to bring as a snack to share with the group and got creative to come up with this recipe for St. Patrick's Day Spinach cupcake recipe.  While the name may sound a bit odd, the results were delicious and of course Oakville moms loved them even more since they had spinach baked right in!

Here are the directions:

1 box Betty Crocker lemon cake mix
2 cups baby spinich
1/2 cup boiling water (approximately)
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs

Puree baby spinach and boiling water. Add enough boiling water so that is is a baby food consistency and blends easily. Replace the 1 cup of water required in the recipe on the cake mix box with 1 cup of this spinach puree. Then simply follow the directions on the box, which in this case were to add all ingredients and mix on high for 30 seconds, then mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Pour into lined cupcake tins and cook for 15-20 min, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Lemon icing

1/4 cup  butter (room temperature)
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups icing sugar (approximately)
1 tbsp milk (approximately)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
3 drops green food colouring (optional)

Blend butter and salt for 30 seconds. Add half of icing sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and a splash of milk, also add any optional ingredients now. Blend until well combined. Add the rest of the icing sugar and mix. Drizzle in milk until you have the right consistency to spread on cupcakes.

Junior Chefs: Rocket Dogs Recipe

momstown Oakville's educational theme of the month is outer space and so when our junior chefs got together to explore this theme, rocket dogs was the perfect recipe to cook up.

Here is how you can make your own rocket dogs:

-Wrap hot dogs in crescent dough
-Bake them at 375F degrees for about 13 minutes.
-Once the dogs are done, stick bamboo skewers in one end
-Decorated them with ketchup and/or mustard

While we were waiting for our rocket dogs to cook, we created a starscape on our plates using star shaped cookie cutters and fruit, veggies and cheese.

When our rocket dogs were ready and cooled, we sung "zoom zoom zoom, we're going to the moon" and blasted our rocket dogs up into space and into our mouths!

To the moon!

This was an easy recipe to make and the kids really enjoyed them.  For more space themed snacks, click here.  momstown Oakville's junior chef program is just one of the many programs we offer to our members.  Interested in joining us?  Click here!  All one year memberships purchased in 2013 will also receive a BONUS 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine.  Feel free to visit our Facebook page to see more pictures of our great events.

Alphabet Theme Birthday Party for Kids

My daughter is turning two this week (taking a moment to pause in disbelief that she is two already).  This past weekend we celebrated with family and decided on an alphabet themed birthday party for my little girl who loves letters and books.

She decided on a chocolate cake with white icing which I then dressed up with all the letters of the alphabet in pink and purple.  I made the letters using melting chocolate (you can purchase these wafers in all sorts of colours) and a mold.  After melting the chocolate, you pour it into the mold and then just leave it out until it hardens.  The chocolates popped out easily and turned out really well.

Alphabet themed birthday cake

I also wanted to add some decor to the house.  I took the birthday girl to pick out some special foil balloons and then I also added cut out letters to our dining room light fixture by hanging them from pieces of ribbon.

Alphabet chandelier (with birthday balloons in the background!)

A quick project with black construction paper and stick on sparkly foam letters made over our dining room hutch.  I put the letters on first and then taped the paper (letters facing out of course) to the inside of the glass doors on our dining room cabinet.

Alphabet birthday party decor

Once all the party guests had arrived (her cousins), we kept the kids busy with a letter craft project.  Each child got their initial on some construction paper and we provided markers, crayons, foam letters to stick on and a variety of stickers for them to use to decorate their page.

It was a great afternoon and I love that all her cousins live close enough that they could come and celebrate. We didn't give out loot bags but books would be an obvious choice or a gift card to a local bookstore or to Chapters so that party guests could go and pick out a new book themselves.

Since both my kids are winter babies, my birthday party planning is done for the year!  That means I have a whole 10 months to come up with themes for next year although my son is already telling me he wants to do a race cars theme again!

A Heavy Heart This Week - Dealing with Grief

This post has been rattling around in my head all week.  This week marks the two year anniversary that one of our head momstown mamas lost her son Zack.  I have only known Heather since September but her positive outlook on life and her ability to really embrace the present have resonated with me.  I don't know what to say to Heather this week as I know that there really are no words that can take away her pain, but I have let her know that I am thinking about her and her family.

I lost my Dad suddenly almost 16 years ago.  My family was devastated and we were forever changed in a way that would impact us for the rest of our lives.  I know first hand that losing a parent is hard and I think I can say with certainty that losing a child would be harder.  I think the saying goes - "lose a parent and you lose your past, lose a spouse and you lose the present, lose a child and you lose your future."

Like any situation, you can choose how you handle things.  Grief is awful.  It has mental, spiritual and physical effects and everyone grieves differently.  There can't be a prescribed way for people to grieve and you can't expect others to react that same was as you might.  One of the things I admire about Heather is her choice to turn her sadness and grief into something positive.  You can read the story of Zack's Dream Room here.

I remember attending a funeral for my good friend's father when I was in my early 20's.  It had been about 3 years since my own father had passed away and funerals were still really hard for me.  I remember just sobbing at this one in particular and not over the loss of my friend's Dad (he was a great man, but we weren't close) but because I knew the road that lay ahead for her and how awful it was.  And I think that is why I am feeling sad this week as I think of Heather, I know how much it can hurt and how hard it can be to find your way to a new normal.

Unfortunately, I am sure many of you know parents who have lost a child (or even a parent or sibling) and it is always hard to know what to say or do in these circumstances.  Tips on helping others through pregnancy and infant loss can be found here and here as well as some suggestions on what not to do when helping someone through the loss of a loved one and some ideas that may be helpful.

Spring Mom to Mom sale in Oakville - Because Kids Grow!

momstown Oakville is thrilled to be partnering with the spring Because Kids Grow Sale in Oakville at St. Cuthbert's Anglican Church Hall.  momstown Oakville moms are always looking for great deals and appreciate being able to pick up gently used items not only to save money but also to reduce waste.

A mom to mom consignment sale is a great way for you to rid your home of the things your children have outgrown and earn some money. The Because Kids Grow Sale is not like a garage sale and you do not have be present during the sale to sell your items. Your items are consigned for two days and we sell items on your behalf and handle everything from the venue & advertising to merchandising and shopper payments.

Interested in being a seller?  Click here for more information and to register.

Date:   April 6, 2013
Time:   8:00 AM - 11:30 AM
**Discount Sale Hours - most items 50% off!! 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

St. Cuthbert's Anglican Church Hall
1541 Oakhill Dr.
Oakville, ON

Admission is  $2.00
Proceeds from the door are being collected by and donated to Hands4Hope to benefit the children of St. Edwin’s Orphanage in Kenya.

You'll also get a chance to see adorable products from hipstork, 2 cute 4 school and health and wellness products from Advancing with Us at the event!

If you are selling items at the sale or you volunteer to help during the sale, you will get a chance to shop on Friday night!  Get the first pick on all the awesome items at great prices.

Attention momstown Oakville mamas!  Are you going to register to sell items? Mention that you heard about the sale from momstown and get an extra month added to your membership and entered into a draw for a coffee gift card!

Do you run your own business?  We have limited vendor spots available as well.  Take this great opportunity to tell Oakville moms about your great products or services!  Email info.oakville@momstown.ca for more information.

See you at the sale!

momstown Oakville Mom And Baby Event - Fisher Price Baby Basics!

momstown Oakville moms and babies packed the community room at the Oakville Soccer Club today for our special Baby Basics event sponsored by Fisher Price.  Fisher Price has toys suitable for each stage of a baby’s development from sensory toys to thinking and problem solving toys.  Fisher Price recognizes the important of play in a child’s development and creates fun toys that will entertain and stimulate little minds. momstown Oakville was lucky enough to have four wonderful  Fisher Price toys for babies to play with then raffle off to the 30+ moms in attendance.

Having a tea party with the Laugh & Learn™ Say Please™ Tea Set

 

We gave the babies lots of time to explore and play with the four toys we were going to give away and then broke out the paint to do some footprint flowers and the moms chatted while enjoying a few snacks.  The parachute also came out for a little bit and our babies loved sitting underneath or lying on top of it, looking at all the bright colours.

Then it came time to draw the four lucky winners who would take home the Fisher Price toys!  While only four lucky babies got to take home the toys, all the babies in attendance had fun checking out the different items.  Thank you Fisher Price!

Winner of the Ocean Wonders™ Aquarium with remote control

Winner of the My Little Snugabunny™ Cradle ’n Swing

Winner of the Laugh & Learn™ Click 'n Learn Remote

Winner of the Laugh & Learn™ Say Please™ Tea Set

What a great morning!  Did you know that momstown Oakville's mom and baby program - Baby Basics - meets once a week to connect moms with babies 0-12 months?  Interested in joining us?  Purchase your membership here for just $45 a year.  All one year memberships include a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine too!

Tales for Tots at The Little Gym in Oakville - 'Goodnight Canada'

momstown Oakville's educational theme for the month of March is space.  Oakville moms and kids gathered at The Little Gym for our monthly Tales for Tots and we explored space and did some learning about where we live. The morning started off right with a space themed craft using white crayons to draw stars and space shapes onto white paper. Then a 'space' coloured paint was applied onto our crayon creations and like magic all of the crayon space shapes appeared! This is a super fun and easy craft, so much so that we made many more to take home to show our friends!

Space themed Tales for Tots

After all the space shape crafting, momstown Oakville moms and kids got busy playing with friends and chatting about upcoming end of winter plans, including finding Easter eggs soon! We ended the morning reading about all the provinces and territories of Canada with a story called "Goodnight Canada". This sweet little book was won by sisters Isabella and Gabriella! Thank you to Scholastic Canada for the fantastic books each month too!

Tales for Tots and all of our other mom and baby and mom and child programs are included in your momstown Oakville membership for just $45 a year.  Purchase your membership here and join us next month!  As an added bonus, you will get a 12 month Today's Parent magazine subscription too!

Forest Grove Preschool in Oakville: Where the Smallest Voice Matters.

Forest Grove Preschool Academy in Oakville as it is known today began as the brainchild of two educators, Alicja Podgorska and Karen Chaplin, who met in 1992, and worked as educators in Montessori schools in the Toronto area. Alicja and Karen knew what was missing in the education of young children, and they had a dream to open a school, where children’s imagination could flourish, where focus was on the potential of the individual, and where hands-on, nature-based activities ignited the children’s curiosity. They wanted to offer a more challenging curriculum that would take children to a higher level, emotionally, physically and intellectually. That dream became reality in June of 1999, when Forest Grove’s doors opened for the first time.

Working on art at Forest Grove Preschool

At Forest Grove, our Reggio Emilia-inspired program is founded on the recognition and respect of each and every child as a unique and capable individual. Through an interest-based and child-directed curriculum, we encourage their inquisitive nature and curiosity. As educators, we learn along with them, supporting and facilitating their exploration academically, creatively and socially. Collaboration is the cornerstone of this philosophy. Communication between children, educators and parents is essential in creating a space and a program that encourages a lifelong love of learning.

Forest Grove takes great pride in its mission to explore the best practices in education, and we welcome your child to join us on this stimulating journey.  Click here to book a tour or contact us at office@forestgrove.ca or 905-827-3085.  Interested in our summer camp?  We have full day and half day options!  Click here for more information.

Win 4 Tickets To See Monster Jam At Copps Colliseum From CAA South Central Ontario!

Monster Jam is a family-friendly experience featuring the biggest performers on four wheels; Monster Jam Monster Trucks! These twelve-feet-tall, ten-thousand-pound machines will bring you to your feet racing and ripping up custom-designed track full of obstacles to soar over- or SMASH through!

You and your family could win 4 tickets to see this action-packed event April 6 at 2pm.

Monster Jam tickets are 20% off with your CAA membership. With every CAA membership, you receive entertainment discounts on movie tickets, events and even Disney travel! We’re more than Roadside Assistance, We’re Life-side assistance®.

Click here for the full list of member discounts.

Here is how to enter:

Leave a comment about why you want to win tickets and attend the show. An email address must be included. One entry only. Winner will be selected randomly. Winner will be contacted directly. Must have reached age of majority and be resident of Ontario.

Contest Runs March 8, 2013 - April 1, 2013.

*tickets will be mailed 2 days before the event. Dates and times are not exchangeable.

Silly Putty Recipe - Make Your Own At Home!

momstown Oakville's February Little Scientist program had Oakville moms and kids making silly putty! Everyone really enjoyed playing, squishing, bouncing, stretching and shaping it once it was made. 

Silly Putty Recipe

Bowl #1

-1 cup of white Elmer's glue (the 225ml bottle)

-3/4 cup warm water. 

Mix well, then add some food colouring.  About 8-9 drops should do it. If you want darker colours, you could use more.

Bowl #2

-1/2 cup warm water

-2 teaspoons of Borax (Borax is a laundry powder booster, and it can be found at the grocery store in the cleaning products aisle) 

DIY - Silly Putty

Once both bowls are well mixed, carefully pour bowl #1 into bowl #2. This is where the fun begins! You can see the coloured glue mixture forming a ball in the water mixture. You can start mixing with a spoon, and then it's way more fun to use your hands for mixing. You need to really squish it and get all of the glue bubbles out. 

momstown Oakville moms and kids all had fun taking turns pouring and mixing all of the ingredients, and then rolling up their sleeves and getting hands right in the bowl. The mixture started off very watery, but the kids kept mixing and stretching and squeezing and squishing with their hands and worked the liquid into the putty and soon it was dry enough to take out of the bowl. The mixture was broken up into chunks and each child had a big blob to play with. 

The group made shapes, like green eggs and ham, or a big lollipop, or swing, or snake. We also made balls and and bounced them on the table. When the putty was left in a blob on the table, it started to lose its shape. It felt much more slippery and smooth and cool than playdough. Everyone went home with a bag of silly putty to continue to play with at home.

Interested in joining momstown Oakville for our mom and tot or mom and baby programs?  Click here!

Healthy Quinoa Pancake Recipe

I have been looking for ways to get more protein into my breakfast after our great nutrition seminar with Living Force.  This Quinoa Pancake recipe fits the bill and was recently posted on the momstown Oakville message board by a member.  Pancakes are a favourite of time so turning them into a protein packed breakfast sounds great to me!

Quinoa - a source of complete protein

QUINOA PANCAKES RECIPE


1 cup quinoa, cooked
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
               
In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.

Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit, fruit preserves, unsweetened applesauce or maple syrup if desired.