May Tales for Tots - Early Literacy Program for Oakville Moms and Kids

momstown Oakville moms and kids gathered at The Little Gym for our monthly early literacy program sponsored by Scholastic Canada.  This month's Tales for Tots book was called 'Split! Splat! by Amy Gibson. The book went very well with our theme for May which was all about getting wet, wet, wet!  And as much fun as water can be, the best way to keep dry is to make sure you have an umbrella so the kids made their own!

Here is what you need to make these cute umbrellas:

-Coloured foam for the umbrella base
-A pipe cleaner for the handle
-Plenty of sticker shapes, pom poms or whatever you have on hand to jazz them up!
-Glue stick
-Tape to keep the handle in place

Congratulations Alex!

We admired our creations during snack time and then read 'Spilt! Splat! which is a really great story about celebrating and enjoying a rainy day.  As always at our Tales for Tots program, we gave away a copy of the book and Alex was our proud winner this month-congratulations Alex!  The kids also enjoyed some free play time which allows Oakville moms a good chance to connect and chat.  We'd love to have you join us next time!

Oakville Moms Get Their Game On With A Mattel Games Night!

I have lots of fond memories playing board games and card games.  And when we posted a Moms Night Out Game Night on the momstown Oakville calendar, others must have similar memories to me as we had many moms anxious to get playing!

We were lucky to have Mattel Game On send us several games to choose from -  Mad Gab, Apples to Apples, Blockus, Uno Power and Angry Birds as well as some dice games, which would be really great for travel.  Not familiar with these games?  Make sure you check out Mattel's new Gameology App that will help you find the perfect game to fit your gaming style.  Are you an Activus, a Socialies, a Wittian or a Strategicorn, click here to find out!

As we opened the games and started to play, it was fun to hear everyone's stories about family games nights or memories of games they liked to play as kids or up at the cottage.  Playing board games or card games is a really fun way to spend an evening!

My favourite part of this event was how much laughter there was!  Good for the soul for sure.  How can you not laugh playing Mad Gabs and trying to figure out what  'Abe Lackey Leg Tricked Host Her' is supposed to be?  We also had a blast playing Apples to Apples...from Norman Rockwell to Salsa Dancing to Rust...how can all these things be part of the same game??  Well that is just part of what makes it so fun to play!

Starting the love of games early with this little one!

Thanks to all the momstown Oakville moms who came out to play last night.  By the end of the night, we were already picking what games we would play for the next Games Night!  We ended the event by giving away a few games so that the fun can continue at home.  Don't worry, if you didn't join us last night, you still have a chance to win some fabulous games as we're giving away a Mattel Game On prize pack - enter here!

And We're Out Of The Baby Phase?!

I had a lovely Mother's Day weekend complete with a pedicure, a delicious breakfast, a spin class and some adorable hand made gifts from my kids.  This was my fourth Mother's Day and as I reflected on motherhood in general, I was left with the realization that we seem to be all of a sudden out of the baby phase?!

I know its not really 'all of a sudden', my youngest is two and it did take two years for her to get there of course, but lately my baby days seem to be far behind me.  I just bought the sheets that will go on my daughter's big girl bed and we will soon be moving the crib out into the garage and trying to figure out what to do with it.  I will be sad when we move it out, but am also really happy - we finally feel like we're not in crisis mode all the time!  I use the word 'crisis' with humour - we were never really in crisis.  But the sleepless nights, the nap time/feeding time routines are behind us, in fact, most of the time I don't even take a diaper bag out with me anymore as the list of what we need to leave the house has gotten a lot smaller.  Both kids can drink from cups, sit in regular chairs and eat regular foods, etc.

No more diaper bag!

We are also having a lot of fun!  Babies are cute, don't get me wrong, but kids are fun!  I love playing games with them, watching their creativity and their interests develop.  I love seeing them develop real friendships, ask questions and be curious about the world around them.  There are also a lot more things that we can do together, which I love.

And there there is the perk of feeling a bit more like myself.  While my kids are always on my mind and by no means self sufficient yet (when does that happen?  8 or 10 years old?) I do feel like I can focus a bit more on me and things that I used to have more time for.

I will miss my babies being babies (although getting a new niece at the end of July will satisfy my need for baby sweetness) but am also looking forward to a great summer!  Last summer we seemed to be divided a lot as my daughter was still having two naps so my husband was out and about with my son and I stayed close to home with her.  This summer, we are ready to explore all kinds of adventures as a family and I can't wait!

Decadent Cookie Dough Dip Recipe

Last week I attended a pampered chef party hosted by a momstown Oakville member.  In addition to it being a very fun night out, there were also some delicious snacks to enjoy.  One that got my attention, as I hadn't seen anything like it before, was Cookie Dough Dip!  Sound decadent?  It is!  But its perfect for a party and will absolutely be a crowd pleaser.

Photo credit

Decadent Cookie Dough Dip Recipe

4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (or Sunbutter or WOW butter for a nut-free version)
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1.5 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 cup Oats (regular or quick)
1/2 cup Plain regular or mini sized M&Ms
1/2 cup Miniature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla and peanut butter until smooth.  Stir in brown sugar and powdered sugar, mixing well. Next fold in oats, M&Ms and chocolate chips.

Serve with something sturdy to scoop the dip like graham crackers, pretzels or pita chips.  This recipe is easily doubled if you have a large crowd.

Being a momstown member gets you to try new things

Last month momstown Oakville's crafty mama event was card making.  While I do consider myself pretty crafty, I had never made cards before but had been the recipient of some home made cards (which were really lovely) and wanted to try my hand at making my own.  I often hear from members that one of the many benefits they enjoy as a  momstown member is the opportunity to try new things or visit new places that they would not have done on their own.  This is exactly what this card making night was for me!

One of our momstown Oakville member, is a Stampin' Up representative and brought all of our supplies for easy assembly.  Each of us made 10 cards to take home.

Lots of tools to make our cards!

We had a mock up card for each type we were trying to make which I found really helpful.  And while we were following a template, there was still lots of opportunity to make the cards your own by choosing the stamp you used (happy birthday, thank you or something more generic like 'smile').  I have to say that I was really happy with how my cards turned out!

My first attempt at card making!

We had a great group for our crafty mama night.  Add in some snacks, drinks, good conversation and it was a fun way to pass an evening!  I will definitely be adding another card making night to the calendar again soon.  I love that I now have a supply of beautiful cards to use for many occasions.  

As always, new members are welcome so register here to join us next time!  All  one year memberships purchased in 2013 also receive a Today's Parent magazine subscription for 12 months!

Science for Preschoolers With Magnets

In April the momstown Oakville Little Scientist program for toddlers and preschoolers explored our theme of the month (Little Explorers) using magnets.  First we investigated a whole tray of objects and tested out whether each one stuck to our magnet wands or not.  Our scientists sorted them into two piles - magnetic (which we discovered were all made of metal) and non-magnetic (made of things like cloth or rock or elastic or plastic).

Then we made some caterpillars dance!  Using glass jars with little bits of pipe cleaners, we waved our magnet wands around the jars, the pipe cleaner bits or "caterpillars" moved around the jar. momstown Oakville kids even did some magnetic painting!  Each child got a paper plate filled with a blob of yellow, blue and red paint.  We placed a paper clip on our plate, and then used our magnet under the plate to move the paper clip around, through the paint and all over the plate.  The colours all mixed and we made green, orange and purple and our plates looked like beautiful works of art!

Finally we played with 5 different magnetic toys - a magnetic bar and ball set which we used to build towers and shapes, a magnetic person with magnetic clothes that we could change, a fishing puzzle with a magnetic fishing rod and magnetic fish pieces, magnetic vehicles that we zoomed all over a metal baking tray, and plastic fish that we turned magnetic by using a paper clip which we could "fish" for using our magnet wand.

What a fantastic time experimenting with magnets!  Little Scientists is just one of our Top 10 momstown programs.  Sign up for your free momstown Oakville trial today and learn more about our 40+ monthly events, message board, member discounts and more!

Places To Go For Mother's Day Brunch In Oakville

Brunch is pretty decadent so what better way to spoil a Mom for Mother's Day than to treat her to a gourmet feast...and of course keep her from having to cook!  The Oakville area has some fabulous restaurants and here are some of our suggestions for Mother's Day brunch.

Jonathan's Annual Gourmet Mother's Day Brunch

Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill

Glen Abbey Golf Club

Il Fornello

Symposium Cafe

The Crepe Kitchen

Stoney's Bread Company

The Glen Erin Inn

For even more yummy ideas, click here for momstown Mississauga's list of the best places for Mother's Day brunch in Mississauga.

Hope you enjoy a delicious meal in celebration of Mom!