Holiday Shopping & Swarovski Sparkle at the Eaton Centre

We love Oakville and we know you do too. But - have you ever planning a day trip into the big city to celebrate the holidays with your kids?

Why not jump on the GO train one weekend this season, check out the holiday windows and lights, plan a trip to the Eaton Centre, and perhaps the Nutcracker ballet?

Each Saturday from November 19 to December 10, Swarovski is hosting the Stars for Wishes Workshop at the Toronto Eaton Centre! There will be glitter and sparkle and do-it-yourself ornaments the kids get to take home in addition to contributing to a great cause and holiday memory.

Best of all, proceeds go to the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. So you’re not only getting creative with your kids, but it’s for a good cause! Ornament kits are $20 each.

To register and purchase your kit, visit the Swarovski Gallery Store at the Toronto Eaton Centre or call 647-439-8584.

Swarovski Stars for Wishes Workshop
Where: Toronto Eaton Centre (In front of the Swarovski Crystal Wish Tree)
When: November 19, 26 and December 3, 10th from 10 am to 12 pm

Make this even better? Are you a YummyMummyClub fan? Each Saturday one of Erica Ehm's bloggers will be there crafting away with you and your kids - join in for a photo op and chat with other mummies!

Guess what? 3 outta 4 weeks the YMC mummies who are there are Oakville moms too! What a small world - travel downtown to mingle with other local moms in an event that's beyond your average Saturday!

November 19 - Caroline Fernandez, Activity Mummy
November 26 - Sarah Gunn, Wall Candy
December 3 - Lisa Thornbury, Party Mummy
December 10 - Sharon DeVellis, Inside Scoop & YMC Editor-in-Chief

Check out this great video about why you should head down!

Coffee for moms and music for kids!

We found the perfect playdate combination! It was a rainy day in Oakville, and our mamas headed to CJ's cafe. Moms enjoyed a coffee and the kids were entertained by Suzanne Brown (Suzie Sunshine) a music teacher and entertainer!



Suzanne had some great ways to get the kids up and moving and really enjoying the music.


She was pulling out props every few minutes, the kids were dancing with scarves and shakers.


Even the youngest in the audience was jumping to the beat, waving his arms, and playing with shakers.

This performance was great for all ages, and really kept the kids moving and interested. They so excited to hear what the next song would be, and to participate.



Thanks Suzanne! We will be back again soon. Momstown will be heading out again for coffee and music. To see more pics of the fun we had, check our momstown Oakville facebook fanpage, or Suesings facebook fanpage. If you'd like to join us, please email sarah.mclaughlin@momstown.ca or register for a free 2 week trial membership - you'll love what we have planned for the fall.

Summer Fun!

Today was the first official day of summer vacation, and momstown Oakville started off bright and early with Picasso in the Park!
Our kiddies created some amazing art, and then headed straight for the splash pads and sand.
We had a few new faces join us today - lots of fun. We even had a couple of artists painting for the first time:)
My 5 year olds plan for the day was "i'll wear my bathing suit to paint, then i don't have to waste any time getting ready for the splash pad!"
Momstown Oakville has more Picasso in the Park events, and lots of other fun pool parties, park playdates, and craft get togethers. Want to get your kids out of the house this summer? Email Sarah, for a free 2 week trial. Momstown also has loads of great craft ideas that you can do right in your own backyard! Check out our momstown arts & crafts for some inspiration!

Rock Critters!

Our friends at Dazzle Art inspired great creativity with my son this week as he made a 'rainbow beetle'!

What you need:

• Foam for the base (cut out in 'beetle' shape)
• Rock
• Paint
• Googly eyes
• Glue
  

There is something about painting rocks that seems to have universal appeal! Painting a rock and adding googly eyes just brings it to life. Then, glue onto the foam bottom, and you've got a rock critter... or rainbow beetle!

momstown's next Dazzle playdate is coming up on June 27 - be sure to check the calendar and don't miss out! We're also doing lots of fun crafts at the Crafty Kids playgroup each month - we'll be making some great Father's Day gifts!

Paper plate butterfly craft!

From our friends at Dazzle Art, this simple but beautiful butterfly craft is easy to make!

What you need:

• Paper plate
• Tissue paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Ribbon to hang (optional)

Fold the paper plate in half, and make scissor cuts to create a design - kind of like snowflake-making! When you unfold the plate it will be symmetrical, just like a butterfly.

Glue tissue paper squares on to decorate, and add a ribbon to hang your beautiful butterfly!

momstown Oakville thanks Dazzle Arts for their craft inspiration! Check out their website for information on birthday parties with a crafty twist!

momstown Oakville also holds a monthly playdate at Dazzle for moms and kids of all ages. Join us - it's a great way to experience the momstown community and also try a local kids' entertainment venue!

Hopping ideas for Easter in Oakville

Would this darn snow melt so we could finally move into spring in Oakville? Please?!

momstown Oakville is already talking about Easter plans and how we're going to celebrate. Our educational curriculum for the month of April is Flowers - so let's hope those crocuses and tulips start to raise their little heads in our gardens soon!

April 12th momstown Oakville will gather for our Crafty Kid playgroup and explore our spring flower theme.


Our littlest members are super excited for the annual momstown Easter Egg Hunt on Sat April 23rd. Bring your baskets and come ready for a great race for eggs! It's perfect for all ages because each age gets a different colour - even wee ones will have a chance to fill their basket too!

momstown also features Easter crafts perfect for your toddler or preschooler to create at home with you. Visit our arts and crafts blog to find pictures and instructions for these ideas and more!!

Fuzzy Baby Chicks in Egg Carton Shell
Cotton Ball Bunnies
"Stained Glass" Egg window hanging
Old Fashioned Egg Painting
Easter Egg Mosaic
101 Uses for Plastic Eggs

Looking for some other great local for Oakville events to celebrate spring and the Easter season as a family? Here's a quick listing of some our favourite spots!

Mountsberg Conservation has an Easter Egg Extravagana on April 22-24, 2011.

Springridge Farm is opening for the season with their Easter Festival April 22-24, 2011.

Royal Botanical Gardens hosts a seasonal Easter Brunch on April 24, 2011.

The Oakville Museum is holding a Family Easter Event on April 23, 2011.

St. Patrick's Day Fun!

Our Crafty Kids playgroup met at The Little Gym last week to make some funky hats for St. Patty's Day!

Check out their new hats!

momstown Oakville Crafty Kids playgroup meets every month and is a great event for all ages. Not only do we have crafts for the older kids, we also set up mats for babies to lounge on. And we have a potluck table so we can all chat over some snacks :)

If you'd like to attend our next Crafty Kids playgroup, register here for your free two week trial or contact Holly for more information.

For more St Patrick's Day ideas, check out momstown Barrie's blog for their event recap and click here for momstown arts and crafts blog for a long list of St Patrick's Day crafts and instructions.

momstown loves Christmas!

momstown Oakville was busy this past Christmas season - so many activities and opportunities to have fun with our friends!

We joined forces with momstown Burlington and momstown Milton and pulled a few strings to book an entire day just for momstown at Mountsberg Conservation's Christmas Town - what a treat!



There as Elf Academy to explore, then a horse drawn wagon ride through the forest, the busy Elf Workshop. Mrs Claus' kitchen with crafts and snacks and finally, a personal visit with Mr Claus himself!


It wouldn't be Christmas in momstown without our annual Christmas cookie exchange! This year's was just as delightful as in the past with mountains of cookies and squares for every one!


We took another field trip over to Crockadoodle to create ceramic and pottery holiday gifts - the kids made some terrific handprint ornaments and other special keepsakes.




Our "All that Glitters" holiday event was a lot of fun as well. We love the space at the Little Gym which lets us spread out for parachute fun, circle and crafts. The kids made sparkly snowflakes to bring home to hang on their tree or window.



Thanks for making our holiday season so merry and bright! (Thanks Joanna for being our photographer along the way!)

Oakville Baby Playgroup!!

What does a baby do at a momstown mom & baby playgroup?

They giggle and gurgle, lay on the floor, listen to the chatter and generally enjoy their time in a new place. Mama on the other hand, loves her time out of the house chatting and commiserating with other mamas!

Maybe it should be called a mama playgroup?!?!

Every week momstown Oakville meets up on Wednesday mornings in a perfect setting (Sharkeys Cuts for Kids) for non-mobile babies up to one year old. It's relaxed and casual environment to connect with other neighbourhood moms and children. We welcome all momstown moms to pop in and enjoy!

Check the momstown calendar for more details and reserve your spot on Wednesday mornings!

momstown Oakville loves baby playgroup - it's just a perfect time to gather and find peer to peer support with other new moms.

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!

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!