CrossFit South Oakville Workouts Are Worth A Busy Mom's Time!

Have you heard of CrossFit yet?  Chances are you have, but you may not know exactly what it is or if its something you might enjoy.  CrossFit is a training program that builds strength and conditioning through varied and challenging workouts.  CrossFit is suitable for people of all shapes and sizes to improve their physical well-being and cardiovascular fitness.  It is intense but is also fun and full of encouragement.

CrossFit South Oakville was a perfect addition to the momstown Oakville fitness challenge.  This popular workout is something that moms should check out - it offers a tough workout in a one hour period.  I know from experience that moms often find it hard to carve out workout time, I found CrossFit to be worth it! You can really push yourself and you certainly feel like you accomplished something once the workout is done.

We visited CrossFit South Oakville on three separate occasions.  Our first group was our moms and babes. Would you be surprised to know that they are very baby friendly?  They have jolly jumpers that you can hang in the door frame and baby can jump away as you get your workout in.  They also have baby friendly areas so if you have a mover, there is still a way to get your workout in too.  In chatting with some moms who have been doing CrossFit on a regular basis for the last few months, they were adamant in saying that this was the only workout that finally helped them get off that last ten pounds of baby weight.  That is a pretty compelling endorsement!

Here is a look at our workouts using a Tabata training format (a Tabata is high intensity interval training that improves aerobic systems as well as anaerobic systems):

• Wall balls (throwing medicine balls at the wall)
• Kettlebells
• Rowing machine or bikes for cardio
• Burpees
• Overhead presses
• Lunges

CrossFit South Oakville has class times at all times of the day and also does personal and group training.  If you are looking for a workout to kick start your fitness again, CrossFit will do it!  I was sore for several days after the workout I did there but felt empowered!  CrossFit will get you to push yourself and that feels good on so many levels.

Here's what some of our mamas had to say about their workout with CrossFit South Oakville:

"Definitely a workout! I feel everyone of my stairs from my multiple squats!"

"Consider my butt kicked. CrossFit was intense!"

"I liked the workout at Cross Fit! I am feeling it everywhere :)"

For more information on class schedules and workouts, please visit their website.  You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter to learn more workout tips!

Taste Of Downtown Oakville Celebrates And Showcases Local Oakville Restaurants

Chicken parmesan, braised short ribs, harvest soup, grilled calamari, frog leg beignets, linguini alla moda di daniela...these were just some of the delicious foods I tasted last night as part of the Taste Tour to kick off the Taste of Downtown Oakville that runs from Wednesday, February 19 to Tuesday, March 4.

This year's event includes 14 restaurants that will be offering priz fixe lunch and/or dinner menus (generally from $15 to $45 for a three course meal).  The Taste of Downtown Oakville is an excellent opportunity to try something new or to re-visit a favourite restaurant and enjoy delicious food that can be found right here in our community.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy food from six participating restaurants last night (and shuttled between locations by Mercedes Benz Oakville - thank you!):

Paradiso
Piazza Bistro
Salvatore's
Ristorante Julia
De Stefano's
Jonathan's

I can say without a doubt that the food at each location was outstanding.  I loved learning about the restaurant's background (three restaurants on our tour, Piazza Bistro, Salvatore's and De Stefano's, are relatively new to Downtown Oakville), their specialties and seeing the food presentation and effort that went into each dish.  It's pretty impressive to think about the culinary excellence that can be found in the Town of Oakville.  I really encourage you to take advantage of the Taste of Oakville event and head downtown to eat! Click here to view the menus being offered.

It's been a long and cold winter so far but this event is reason enough to come out of hibernation and enjoy a great night out.  Book that babysitter (I've got one booked!) and make a reservation for the Taste of Downtown Oakville!

Sensory & Discovery Play With Momstown Oakville: Shaving Cream Painting

Sensory and discovery is always such a fun time for kids - they love trying new things, getting messy and moms love that momstown Oakville deals with all the mess!  Miss Amanda got very creative this month running our Sensory & Discover Play program and figured since we have tons of snow on the ground, why not build it into a sensory event all about ice and snow?

Snow & Ice Sensory Bin:
Freeze cars ahead of time in coloured water and provided the kids with spoons to see if they can break the cars out of the water. The kids discovered the cars were frozen solid and needed a bit more muscle to break them so then we got a hammer, tried again and had little success! Finally we poured table salt onto the ice blocks and finally it started to melt! By the end of the event the cars were still frozen and colourful slush started to form in the bin. The sensory bin was a rainbow of colour!

Art Table:  Printed Shaving Cream Pictures Using Paint & Shaving Cream

Grab a shallow tray, spray shaving cream to cover the bottom (or the size of your canvas), then add small drops of paint in different colours (the more colours you add, the more colourful your print will turn out).

Grab a fork and gently swirl around the paint being careful not to mix too much (otherwise you end up with brown glop--yuck).

Press a piece of canvas onto your swirled shaving cream/paint mixture, press and hold firmly  for 10 seconds, then lift.

Let dry completely then display! The shaving cream and paint combination creates a beautiful dimensional piece of art that is perfect for the mantel.

Interested in joining in on momstown Oakville programs?  Click here to get more information on how to sign up.

Music & Movement: Sea Deep In Adventure With The Backyardigans

The Backyardigans live show, Sea Deep In Adventure, is coming to Toronto in April and we were so excited to be able to give away a four pack of tickets to the April 19th show!  momstown Oakville held a special music & movement event at Annex Dance Academy where we drew for the lucky ticket winner but we also had a very fun morning making an sea themed craft, colouring and singing and dancing as part of our own sea deep adventure.

Our sea themed craft was a very colourful jelly fish that looks beautiful hanging in a window.  Here's how to make your own jelly fish:

• Cut out two jelly fish shapes using contact paper (also called Mac Tac).  
• Peel of the back of one piece of contact paper and add your colourful insides of the jelly fish.  We used bright ribbon, sequins and some sparkles.  
• Add as many tentacles as you like to the bottom of the jelly fish using curling ribbon
• Peel off the back of your second piece of contact paper and stick on top to seal in all the insides of the jelly fish and to keep the ribbon secure.

After we did some crafting, we put on some Backyardigans music and played freeze dance and also did some warm up movements (stretch your hands to the sky, bend down and tickle your toes) to be ready for parachute and circle time.

Here is a song that worked well as everyone knows the tune (Wheels On The Bus) and there are fun movements to make that went along with our sea theme.

The Sharks in the Sea
The sharks in the sea go chomp, chomp, chomp! (open and shot hands like mouth)
Chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp!
The sharks in the sea go chomp, chomp, chomp!
All through the day!

The fish in the sea go swim, swim, swim (wave hands back and forth sideways)
The crabs in the sea go pinch, pinch, pinch (pinch with thumb and 2 fingers)
The octopus in the sea go wiggle, wiggle, wiggle (wiggle fingers)
The dolphins in the sea go up and down (jump hand up and down)

When we took out the parachute, we shook fish and The Backyardigans and sent them high in the air, we made small and big waves and also let the kids run under and have a turn riding on the parachute.  Add in some Backyardigans colouring sheets and a bit more dancing and it was a busy morning!

Of course before we ended the event, we drew for the four tickets to the April 19th live Backyardigans show and Julie and her daughter were the lucky winners.  Not to worry, tickets are on sale now for the Sea Deep In Adventure live show - click here to get yours!

Barre Life Workouts Tighten and Tone Muscles Making Oakville Moms Stronger!

The 2014 momstown Oakville Fit Mamas Challenge is underway!  Our first workout was at Barre Life located at 427 Speers Road.  We had 16 mamas try out the class tonight and have another group doing a class on Thursday night.  Barre workouts are relatively new (although rising in popularity very quickly) and can be classified as a dancer's workout…but without the dance. Barre Life sums it up as "Barre workout is a fusion exercise that combines Pilates, yoga, ballet and strength movements while using the ballet barre, resistance bands and weighted balls".  Barre workouts are suitable for any fitness level and you don't need to have a dance background (speaking from experience on this one)!

What I loved about this workout is that it focuses on tightening and toning your body while increasing flexibility.  I felt strong doing this workout.  I have never been an overly flexible person but I know as I get older (gah!), this is something that I need to take into account so that I can remain active for years and years to come!  I also liked the movements - took me out of my comfort zone (trust me, I am no dancer...soccer, hockey and skiing were my sports as a kid) and challenged me at the same time.  And are you ready for more great news about Barre Life?

Left:  Child care room.  Right:  Change room area

They have a lovely change room with showers, lockers and lovely bathrooms so you can freshen up post workout.  And while you workout, they also offer FREE (yup, you read that right) childcare every day from 9:30 -10:30am 7 days a week in their childcare room so you can bring your little one (6 months to 6 years) and get your workout in first thing in the morning.

We tried a Barre Classic class (recommended for beginners) but Barre Life offers a wide selection of classes such as:

• Barre Sculpt
• Barre Cardio
• Upper Body Burn

Check out a full listing of all the class types here.  Read what some of our mamas has to say about their Barre Life experience:

"I liked that it was not your usual cardio type workout, but more of a focus on posture and strength and stamina and stretching."

"Fantastic class. I didn't think I could get my legs up so high. I felt great after - much more relaxed and not so tight."

Visit their website or Facebook page for more information on how to get your barre on!

Celery Heart Paint Stamping Valentine's Day Craft

I loved this craft!  It's not often that something so easy produces a work of art that looks like it took much more work than it did.  These celery heart flowers are so pretty and require very little effort.  The bottom of the celery is the perfect size for little hands to grab and no matter how they put the stamp down when there is paint on it, it produces a very lovely result.

What You Need:

-As many celery hearts as you'd like (one per colour, although the wash easily and you could use the same one for a different colour).
-White paper and a coloured piece of construction paper for the flower pot
-Scissors & glue
-Crayons or markers
-Red, pink or purple paint

What You Do:

-Wash the bunches of celery and let dry
-Cut off the bottom of the bunch, leaving a few inches
-Pour some paint on a plate to use for the celery stamps
-Cut a flower pot shape and glue onto the white paper
-Stamp your flowers
-Draw stems and leaves on the flowers
-Personalize your picture as much as you'd like!

Police Car Hand Print Craft & Story Time For Oakville Mom And Baby Program

momstown Oakville's theme of the month is Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  Last week at our mom and baby program at Ellephysio we put those cute little baby hands to work making adorable birthday card that each mom took home (envelope included) and can give out to a special someone on their birthday.

In addition to spending some time being crafty, we read our Scholastic Canada baby book of the month "I Am A Train" by Ace Landers.  This book was one of my son's favourites so I was happy to be able to give a copy away to one lucky mama to take home and enjoy.

momstown Oakville's mom and baby program (Baby Basics) runs weekly and includes either a craft project or a guest speaker.  Take a look at our schedule for the next few weeks:

January 27 - Feeding Your Baby (Guest Speaker, Beansprout Nutrition)
February 3 - Baby Picassos
February 10 - How Physiotherapy Can Help After Giving Birth (Guest Speaker, Ellephysio)
February 24 - Infant Massage

Click here to join momstown Oakville and participate in our mom & baby program as well as the 40+ other events we have on our calendar each month!  Your one1 year membership also includes a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine!

Using Books To Celebrate Holidays With Kids

Momstown's partnership with Scholastic Canada enables us to give away two books a month to some lucky mamas.  I loved the books that we got to read in December, both were perfect for the time of year and the holiday season.  Books about any holiday or season seem to become special favourites at my house as my kids look forward to pulling them out year after year.

For our December Tales for Tots program, our book of the month was called The Night Before Christmas by Barbara Reid.  Our winner, Sarah, will have so much fun reading this book with her children each Christmas season!

We give away a Scholastic book each month at our Tales for Tots program and our Rhyme, Rhythm and Read program.  To join momstown Oakville and participate in our programs, click here.  Our January Tales for Tots book is called Superworm  and you can enter here to win a copy!

Experienced Mamas Share: What You Need For Your First Baby

Let's face it, babies seem to come with a lot of stuff.  Once you find out your pregnant, there seems to be nine months of not only growing a human but of also accumulating items for this new tiny being.  It can certainly be overwhelming to determine what are essentials, nice to haves and gimmicky items (like the pee teepee in my opinion) that are probably better left at the store.

Recently we posed the question on the momstown Oakville Facebook page about what new moms consider essential items and we got a wide rage of honest, funny and helpful answers.  Here are the top four things that were listed.  Interesting to see that none of them are even baby gear related!

1.  Ipad
Some type of tablet or smartphone will allow you to read emails, surf the internet, even watch your favourite tv shows while you nurse or hold the baby.  If you don't have a tablet, a tv works well too.  I always made sure the tv remote was in my 'circle of reach' (along with the phone and a glass of water) when I sat down to nurse my newborns as you could be stuck in one spot for a long time!

2.  Lactation Consultant
Lactation consultants are fabulous resources.  Don't be afraid to ask for help and seek out a professional to provide guidance and assistance.  I was at the lactation clinic at least once a week for the first few weeks after my first baby and their encouragement really helped me stick with breastfeeding and eventually we found our way with it.

momstown Oakville's mom & baby program (Baby Basics)

3.  Friends Who Have Recently Had Kids
Peer to peer support is so key for new moms.  Sometimes going to a mom and baby group was my life line after a hard night or day and is exactly why I joined momstown as a new mom in 2009.  Did you know that joining a momstown community has been medically proven to improves mothers' mental health?  Click here to read more.  To join momstown Oakville, click here.

4.  Help
Whether its grandparents, a doula, a nanny, other family members or friends, you will need some help. Don't be afraid to ask for it and try not to be too proud to take it or admit you need it.

Some of the other items listed were large swaddling blankets (muslin blankets), a good nursing pillow, the best breast pump you can afford, a good monitor (they have some you can connect to your cell phone!) and the funniest comment "a good detergent for "poo-namis" (meaning those poops that explode out of the diaper and sometimes even out of the clothes!

2014 Fit Mamas Challenge!

Registration Fee* Includes:

• Option to participate in 8 Fitness Classes
• Tracking of initial and final weight and measurements
• Nutritional Support
• Access to an online network of moms completing the challenge, where you can discuss progress, get advice and share ideas

Opportunity to WIN CASH prizes for the top two winners and other prizes to help motivate and encourage along the way!

¨
*Registration fee is $20 for momstown Oakville members, $25 for non members.

Workouts with our fitness sponsors include:

momstown Oakville's Noon Year's Eve Party At The Niblick Pub

While many people may be getting ready to celebrate the New Year tonight at midnight, momstown Oakville got a head start on the celebrations at our Noon Years Eve party earlier today at The Niblick Pub in the Upper Oakville Shopping Centre at 8th Line & Upper Middle Road.

We had a full house with families who came to make paper plate shakers, enjoy some yummy food and visit with friends before we rung in the New Year at noon.  With noise makers, bubbles and black and silver leis we did a countdown on the front tv screen and shouted 'Happy New Year' when the clock struck noon.

For most of us who will be at home (and probably asleep by midnight!) it was a nice way to ring in the new year.  A big thanks to The Niblick Pub for their great service!  They had crayons and paper on each table, self serve drinks and snacks ready to go when we arrived and served us all quickly too!  They've got a great menu for all ages and tastes.

Where ever you ring in the New Year tonight, momstown Oakville wishes you all the best in 2014.  We are ready for an amazing year ahead and we hope you are too!

Top 5 momstown Oakville Blog Posts Of 2013

It's been a fabulous year in momstown Oakville! Our supportive community has nearly doubled in size, as has the number of people reading this blog. Each month thousands of individuals read our posts! That's amazing and makes us proud to know that we're providing you with content that you find valuable from both a parenting and a community perspective. Thank you for continuing to come back.

We look forward to continuing to provide this to you in the coming year. Watch for more parenting, crafts, activities and community events to be published here on the momstown Oakville blog.

Take a look at our most popular posts for 2013.

1) What To Do & Where To Go In Oakville Series:

Whether it's a long weekend, March Break, Easter or another occasion momstown Oakville is your source for local events. You can always look to us to be a resource for family friendly activities in Oakville and the Halton Region for you to enjoy. Our top blog of the year, "Places To Go For Mother's Day Brunch in Oakville" is just one of MANY of our holiday focused listings:
http://momstownoakville.blogspot.ca/2013/05/places-to-go-for-mothers-day-brunch-in.html




2) Family Fun With momstown Oakville

Information about our 6th Birthday celebration event was our second most popular blog for 2013.  We were thrilled to celebrate with so many Oakville families at this free, open to the public community event.  Mark your calendars for April 13, 2014 for our next big community celebration!  We couldn't wait until August 2014 to celebrate with all of you again so you'll only have to wait four more months!

If you didn't make it to our 6th Birthday event, check out our second most popular blog to read more.
http://momstownoakville.blogspot.ca/2013/06/momstown-oakvilles-6th-birthday-bash.html

3) Resources For Kids

Oakville families are looking to momstown Oakville to find out about the best programs and resources for their kids.  Our third spot was taken by our "2013 Summer Camps For Oakville Kids".  Half day and full day, sports or art - we had a long and comprehensive list of options.

Take a look here - http://momstownoakville.blogspot.ca/2013/04/2013-summer-camp-options-for-oakville.html






4)  Apple Wreath Craft

Crafting is right in the heart of momstown!  We made these apple wreaths at one of our Fall momstown Monet programs.  Crafting is such a fantastic way to get children to learn through play.  Did you know that momstown has a theme for each month as part of our teacher developed educational curriculum?

Find out how to make this wreath here - http://momstownoakville.blogspot.ca/2013/09/apple-wreath-craft-for-kids.html

Don't forget, momstown has activities almost everyday for moms with babies, toddlers and preschoolers to get out and find fun & friendship. Join us!



5)  How To Make A Race Car Birthday Cake

momstown.ca is an amazing source for birthday party ideas. Whether you are putting together a theme for baby's 1st birthday or stuck for ideas for the 5th, you'll find lots of party inspiration with us. This race car birthday cake has been very popular!

Here's how you can make this cake: http://momstownoakville.blogspot.ca/2013/01/how-to-make-race-car-birthday-cake.html

Quick and Easy Christmas Tree Ornaments For Toddlers

momstown Oakville's monthly Art & Play program at the Oakville Soccer Club combines crafty fun with some free play.  Kids go home with their own craft creation and also get a chance to burn off some energy and be social while they play with other Oakville kids.

This month's craft provide kids lots of materials to get creative and make quick and easy Christmas tree ornaments to add to their tree at home.  We made popsicle stick Christmas trees, gingerbread men and snowflake ornaments! Kids had the option of using bingo dabbers, colourful foam stickers and shiny cut out pieces to really let our trees, gingerbread men and snowflakes sparkle.

As always there was still plenty of Christmas magic to burn off so we headed on to the soccer field for some soccer play, followed by the reindeer hokey pokey and frosty and Santa parachute games!  Join us in the New Year for Art & Play or any of our other monthly events you can find on our jam packed calendar. Your one year momstown Oakville membership includes a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine, member discounts and access to our active 24/7 message board.

Christmas Scavenger Hunt For Kids At Oakville Place

Winter time brings along with it so many fun outdoor play options, but parents also need to get a bit more creative with indoor activities too as there can be days that are too cold, harsh or wet to be outside. Arranging a scavenger hunt for kids is pretty simple to do and the kids love it!  momstown Oakville moms and kids headed to Oakville Place this week to do a holiday themed scavenger hunt.

We handed out a Christmas tree shape to each child and a sheet of 12 stickers along with a list for moms to read.  The items on the list ranged from a singing snowman to penguins, to Christmas trees, etc.  Each time a child found something on the list, they put a sticker on the tree.  Once they found everything, they headed back to the food court to meet Miss Amanda to collect a prize which was home made reindeer food and a candy cane!

momstown Oakville has got tons of fun events over the winter to keep your kids busy and active in the winter months.  Visit our website to check out the calendar and to find out how you can join us.  A one year momstown Oakville membership is good for the whole family and includes a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine.

Peppermint Meltaways Cookie Recipe

The momstown Oakville annual moms night out holiday cookie exchange took place last night and we had an amazing assortment of delicious baked goods.  One of the hits of the night were Peppermint Meltaways (they just melt in your mouth) and I knew the recipe needed to be shared!

Cookie Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla

Frosting

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup crushed candy canes (a blender works very well for this!)

Directions

1.  Cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and cornstarch; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

2. Shape into one inch balls. Place two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.


3. For the frosting, start by beating the butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cookies.  You could add a small piece of candy cane on top of the frosting if you wish. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

Getting Rid Of The Soother With Susy the Soother Fairy

Getting a child to stop using a soother can be a daunting task.  Soother attachment is a tough habit to break and sometimes help and reinforcements are the only thing that will do the trick.  momstown Oakville was so pleased to welcome Susy the Soother Fairy to our music and movement program today and read her new book about helping kids give up their soother in positive way by helping them celebrate the milestone.

Before Susy was set to arrive, the kids got busy making magic wands.  We used glow sticks from the dollar store and then added some foam hearts for the top of the wand.  Each child decorated their wand using glitter, markers and foam stickers.

When our magic wands were ready, we sat in a circle for story time and read the 'Susy The Soother Fairy' book to learn all about Susy's magic sac.  Susy's book comes with a magic sac that children can leave their soothers in for Susy to come and take away one night and leave a present in return! To read more about how Susy's book and  magic sac work, click here.  Finally it was time for Susy to come and sing with us!

We sang lots of great songs like Old McDonald, Jingle Bells and Sleeping Bunnies but best of all was the Susy the Soother Fairy song.  A very catchy tune (my daughter was singing the song all through lunch after our visit with Susy!) that goes something like "You're getting so big, you're getting so tall, you don't need a soother at all!"  Susy was lots of fun and the kids all enjoyed her visit.

Susy the Soother Fairy was written by local Oakville author Laura Page-Hamelin who came up with the concept after trying to rid her own daughter of her soother attachment.  Using Susy worked like a charm for her three year old so Laura was inspired to bring the concept to life and help other parents end soother attachment using a positive and rewarding method.  Click here to read more about Laura and click here to buy the Susy the Soother Fairy book.

Sensory Activities For Kids Using Snow

Too cold to play outside in the snow?  Bring the snow inside and play!  Momstown Oakville's recent sensory activity brought snow indoors for kids to explore by way of using cups, spoons, and food colouring so they could build snow castles and explore the texture and temperature of snow.

We also had  frozen paint popsicles (get the recipe here) which were a huge hit with the kids.  Add in a fun, snow themed craft where each child had the chance to decorate a snowman cut out using tissue paper, googly eyes, cotton balls and jewels.

Sensory plan can be a great winter boredom buster.  Check out these other great sensory play ideas we've tried:

DIY Silly Putty
Sensory Rice Bins
Rainbow Magic Snowballs

Sound like fun?  momstown members love having sensory fun at our events and don't have to worry about the mess!  Click here to become a momstown Oakville member and find out how to join our next sensory event.

Tips For Ending Food Battles With Your Kids

This week momstown Oakville moms had an informative moms night out as we got together to speak with Jennifer Buccino, owner of Oakville's Beansprout Nutrition.  Not surprisingly, we had a ton of interest from moms for this event as pretty much every parent will have questions about food and nutrition at some point. Jennifer's approach is very realistic (probably because she has two young kids herself!) and she is easy to talk to, our time with her flew by!

We took questions from our Facebook page and also had many, many questions from the moms who attended the evening and there were certainly some common themes that we all had questions about.  Based on our chat, here are some top tips for ending food battles with your kids and for making meal time more pleasant for everyone.

1.  Remember the final goal of heathly eating. Healthy eating is about teaching your kids about balance and what nourishes their bodies.  Jennifer referenced The Feeding Relationship by Ellyn Satter – adults provide healthy nutritious foods and opportunities for kids to eat that food and kids decide what to eat. Its a really good reminder about not forcing them to eat and respecting their cues more.

2. Not eating dinner.  This problem came up quite a bit.  Jennifer's suggestion was to ask kids to do the 'lick test'!  They don't even have to take a bit, but lick the food so they can at least get the taste in their mouth. And you can certainly pull out dinner again if they didn’t want to eat it at dinner time but are asking for a bedtime snack. It can take up to 18 times before a person may decide they like a food so stick with it!

3.  Healthy eating is not about food at all.  It’s the relationship if you have with the food you have.  Its about the values that meal times represent - family time, sitting at the table together and having conversation, being together, creating rituals, etc.  Jennifer's suggestion was to not talk about food at all at the dinner table!  Asking kids repeatedly to 'eat your dinner', 'take one more bite', 'eat your carrots', makes them less likely to do so.  Would you want to eat if someone was saying those things to you?  Present the food on the table and if they don't want to eat, they still have to sit and participate in meal time but no one should be forced to eat.

4.  Remember to think of the bigger picture.  And that means not just over the course of the day, but over the course of a week.  Kids appetites can fluctuate a lot (no surprise there I don't think!) so look at their food intake in a larger chunk and you can determine if they are eating well or not.  Bigger picture thinking can also apply to things like the holidays.  Treats are in abundance (advent calendars bring on chocolate once a day!) but remember to think of that over the course of the year.  A few weeks of indulgence is not going to ruin good eating habits or have a negative effect on growth.  Its a short period of time when you think about it so try not to stress too much over holiday treats.

5.  Give kids the chance to learn to trust themselves.  They need to be able to decide 'I am full, I only want a bite or two'.  Listen to their cues and trust when they want to eat and when they don't.  In the end, those are cues you want them to have as older children, teens and adults.

Beansprout Nutrition offers a variety of services to suits your needs. Jennifer performs both individual nutrition assessments and nutrition plan, as well as family assessments. Workshops and small group seminars are also offered. Consultations happen in the comfort of your own home, or by email, Skype, telephone if those are more convenient. Contact Jennifer directly at jennifer@beansproutnutrition.ca to book one of her services or visit www.beansproutnutrition.ca for more information.

momstown Oakville's Rhyme, Rhythm & Read Program

momstown Oakville offers a few programs just for moms and babies as a way for new moms to connect and find support within the Oakville community.  In addition to our weekly Baby Basics program, we also run a program that focuses on early literacy and musical fun held at Little Sprouts Cuts For Kids called Rhyme, Rhythm and Read.  Each month we read a new book from Scholastic Canada and then one lucky mama gets to take it home to read it over and over again with their little one.

This month we read 'Kiss, Kiss Good Night' by Kenn Nesbitt which is an board book that tells the story of how mommy animals say good night.  A perfect snuggle up, bedtime book that shows baby bunnies, lambs, chicks, kittens, and cubs settle down for a good night's sleep while their mommies give them nuzzles, cuddles, and good-night kisses!

In addition to reading our book, we break out the parachute, let the babies shake and play with instruments and sing a few fun songs that gets the little ones bouncing along to the tune.  Join us next month by signing up on our events calendar!

Shop Local In Oakville For Holiday Gifts!

Oakville has so many amazing local businesses ready to help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list.  Whether you are halfway done your Christmas shopping or haven't even started yet, these local businesses have great ideas to help cross people off your list.

For Kids

Harlow's Perch has a wide selection of tutus, pajama pants, hats, leg warmers, diaper covers, headbands for ages 0 - 8 years and even handmade accessories designed for newborn photo shoots!  All of their items would make great gifts - my daughter loves her owl hat!

Local author (and a mom of two), Laura, from LPH Illustrations has recently published an adorable booked called 'Susy The Soother Fairy'. The book helps young children get rid of their soothers, once and for all with the help of Susy and her magic sac!  The book would make a great gift for soother loving kids who need to get ready to give up the soother. Susy has an easy 5 step process that makes it fun and exciting (and stress free for parents).  Buy the book here!

Experience gifts are great!  A gift certificate for Crock A Doodle (located at Third Line & Dundas) is a fabulous gift for the little budding artist on your list.  From piggy banks to race cars, a popcorn bowl or an animal, there is something for everyone to paint.  Kids aged 2 and up will have a great time creating something.

Live theatre can be such a treat for kids!  The Burl-Oak Theatre Group's production of Cinderella - A Holiday Pantomime would make a special holiday gift that also provides and opportunity for some great family fun.  The show is perfect for all ages with lots of humour and audience interaction.  Shows take place at the Oakville Centre For The Performing Arts on December 28, 29 and 30th.  Click here to get your tickets!

Pretty in Pink Spa & Studio for girls has an amazing selection of gifts and stocking stuffers for the holidays.  From Cupcake Bath Bombs, to robes, soaps and sleeping bags, you are bound to find a perfect gift among all they have to choose from. A gift certificate is also an option for a spa treatment that is age appropriate (and they have facials for moms too!)

Baby Borg strives to carry the best and most useful baby, toddler, preschool & little kid products!

Don't miss their one week warehouse sale from December 9th to December 15th (hours are 10-4pm except Sunday when the hours are 12-4pm)


For Moms & Dads, Grandparents & Care Givers too!

Gift certificates available for the local Oakville movie theatre!  Thanks to private funding, Encore is able to move to convert to digital and will be carrying all the latest Blockbuster movies!

Treat Yourself! This holiday season put a little sparkle in  yours or a loved one's smile with a 20 minute in office Spa Dent teeth whitening session for only $99 with Trafalgar Village Dental.  Call them today at 905-339-0404.

Visit Wee Piggies & Paws Oakville's website to learn more about their adorable fingerprint necklaces, ornaments and shawdow boxes.  Using your child's finger prints or footprints, you can create one of a kind pieces that will be cherished forever.

Offering Bio Sculpting Gel Nails, Victoria's work is second to none!  Bio Gel can give you beautiful nails that can last up to a month or more (and yes mamas, that is even with tons of hand washing, playing, cleaning, etc!)  Gift certificates available or treat yourself before the holidays to get nails that will last for all your events this season.  Promotional prices apply until Christmas.  Call today for your appointment, (416) 832-8555.  Momstown mamas are already raving about Victoria!