Tales for Tots: Exploring Apples With Oakville Moms & Kids

momstown Oakville's monthly Tales for Tots program welcomed lots of Oakville moms and kids this week at The Little Gym to explore our theme of the month - apples.  Our craft got the kids glueing and letting the creativity flow with the creation of their own tissue paper apple.

We used paper plates as the apple base. Red tissue squares to fill in the apple, green construction paper for leaves and brown card board for the stem- an easy, adorable apple craft for kids! After our apple crafting fun we sat down to read a wonderful story called Fox and Squirrel. The book is all about appreciating differences in others. Since September is also back to school month, this story was very fitting as there is so many new people at school to get to know and each of us are unique.  As always, we gave away a copy of our Scholastic Canada book to one lucky Oakville mom.  Congratulations to Melissa and her daughter Emily, they were the big winners this month.

Every month we give away a Scholastic Canada book at our Tales for Tots and our Rhyme, Rhythm and Read program.  Come and join us next time!  Click here to purchase your one year membership for just $45. Membership includes all of our programs, a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine and so much more!

StageCoach Theatre Arts Offers Quality Programming For Oakville Kids In Singing, Dancing & Drama!

StageCoach Theatre Arts Oakville provides quality training in singing, dancing and drama - all three in one program! As part of the longest running and most successful children's performing arts schools network in the world, StageCoach Theatre Arts Oakville is more than just another theatre school or dance school. They are proud to offer a full and rounded education, teaching life skills to build confidence and stretch imaginations through the performing arts. Skills for Stage=Skills for life!

Two program options:

Main Stage - ages 6 to 16. Students are divided into groups by age and rotate between an hour of acting, an hour of singing and an hour of dancing. Our highly trained, exceptional teachers, small class sizes, beautiful venue ensure that each child's unique potential is fostered and nourished.

Early Stages - ages 4 to 6. This gentle but invigorating introduction to the arts is a 90-minute fun-filled class with roughly 30 minutes given to acting, singing and dancing, along with lots of games to get those little imaginations buzzing. Small class sizes with two teachers per class.

Stagecoach Theatre Arts Oakville is having an Open House on Saturday, September 21st at 1pm at MacLachlan College.  Come learn what makes Stagecoach the longest running and most successful performing arts program in the world. Meet the staff, see the venue and you can complete your registration on site. Refreshments and theatre craft making too so bring the family! Call 905-808-0669, visit our website, or simply show up.

The Fall, Winter and Spring terms are 10 weeks long and both programs perform for family and friends twice a year.

More class times have been added due to growing popularity - the word is spreading, StageCoach Oakville is the region's premier centre for the performing arts for children and teens. No experience necessary, come play with us!

Fall term begins September 28th! To register, call 905-808-0669 or enrol online by visiting our website.

LifeClass in Oakville: Passion, Purpose & Possibilities

For more info on the LifeClass Starting in Burlington on September 18th or Oakville on October 8th, visit www.lifeclass.ca Our momstown team has a chance to experience the incredible coaching of Jen Bodenham - we highly recommend this insightful program!

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run For The Cure Needs Your Support

On Sunday, October 6th the annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run For The Cure will be taking place in communities across Canada.  Last year was my first time participating.  I'd recently had a momstown colleague diagnosed with breast cancer and our momstown community rallied together to run for her and the many other women affected by this disease.

When someone you know is diagnosed with breast cancer you can't help but have the 'what if that were me' thoughts float through your mind.  Who would be there to help?  How would I explain things to my kids (even writing that sentence made my stomach drop)?  Research suggests that one in nine women is expected to develop breast cancer in her lifetime.  That is not a great statistic. Its time we all do our part to change the negative impact that breast cancer is having on the lives of women, men, children and families.

So what can you do to make a difference?

• Make sure to visit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run For The Cure website and get the details of the event in your community.  
• Register for the event.. There is a 1KM and a 5KM option and many people we saw last year did it as a family with little ones in strollers.  What a great, active way to spend a morning as a family!  
• Make a team and then recruit friends, extended family, co-workers and neighbours to join you.  All teams with the minimum of 10 people will qualify for a t-shirt printed with your personalized team name.  I wear my t-shirt from last year frequently and it reminds of my 5KM race accomplishment (was my first!) and of how it important it is to continue to support this cause that can make such a positive difference in the lives of women.  

The run is about 5 weeks away which is still lots of time to train and prepare.  There are lots of great 5KM training resources online or visit the Running Room website for tips.  You can do it!

momstown Oakville's 2012 Run For The Cure Team

If you aren't able to participate in the run, there are still lots of other ways you can help.  To find out more about volunteering for the event, click here.  Ask around to find out if you have friends or family participation and make a donation to support them!  And finally, head down to the event on Sunday, October 6th and cheer on those who are running.  It was very motivating to have people with signs cheering and encouraging us as we ran the route last year, especially when we only had a 1KM to go and were feeling tired.  The community really came together and it was inspiring to see.

Women seem to have a really hard time putting themselves first (guilty!) and participating in this event is another step in the right direction for making healthy living a priority.  Exercise makes you feel good on so many levels (and is one of the key ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer) and how great would it be for your kids to see you run across that finish line?  And of course, as we band together to support those who have experienced breast cancer or are currently living with the disease, make sure you are regularly doing self breast examinations and are regularly being checked by a doctor. If you are in your forties, nearing them, or 50+  and not currently being screened for breast cancer, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation encourages you to learn about your breast health, breast cancer risk, ways to reduce your risk, and the benefits and limitations of breast cancer screening.  Please visit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation website for more information and be sure to visit their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter to join the conversation about women's health and breast cancer.

Mark the date for Sunday, October 6th and help wipe out breast cancer!

Apple Wreath Craft For Kids

Momstown's theme of the month for September is 'Apples'.  So far, Oakville moms and kids are loving this theme as there are so many fun Fall things to do that involve apples!  At our momstown Monet program this week, we got together to make festive apple wreaths.  This craft was so much fun as it involved apple stamping, as well as cutting and gluing too.

Apple Wreath Craft

Here is what you need to make your own apple wreath:

-green pipe cleaner
-large white paper plate
-green construction paper
-brown crayon or paint
-white paper
-red paint
-apples
-scissors
-glue

Steps to make the apple wreath:

1.  Cut out the middle of the paper plate so the remainder is a wreath shape
2.  Colour the back side of the paper plate ring using brown crayon or paint it with brown paint
3.  Cut an apple in half and paint the halfs red.  Stamp 7 good apple stamps onto the white paper and leave the paper to dry
4.  Put a small hole in the top and put the pipe cleaner through making a circle so you can use this to hang the wreath.
5.  Take the green construction paper and cut out stems for the apples
6. When the apple stamps are dry, cut them out.
7.  Glue the apples onto the brown paper plate ring and then glue the green apple stems on to the apples

Hang this cute creation in our outside your house to help celebrate the arrival of the Fall season!  Join us for our next momstown Monet program or one of the other 40+ events we have on our calendar each month.  A yearly membership is just $45 a year and includes a 12 month Today's Parent magazine subscription!

Tips For Running Your First 10KM Race

On Sunday, September 22nd I will be running my first 10km race as part of the Oakville Half Marathon. And before you listen to the voices in your head that say "I could never run a 10km race", just hear me out because you can run a 10km race too.  It all started in the Spring when my sister and I were lamenting over the lack of exercise we had been doing and wanting to make a change.  A few days later she called me up and said, I think I might sign up for a race as it would give me something to work towards.  My response?  Great idea!  She found a 10km race in Oakville that was in September, several months away so that we'd have time to train, and we both signed up as did a few other mamas I know.  Am I a runner?  No.  Have I ever done a race before?  One.  The 5km Run For The Cure in Burlington last year with not one pre-run completed before race day (not something I would recommend!).

momstown Oakville's 2012 Run for the Cure team

We're now only three weeks away from the big race and here is what I have learned and what I wanted to share with others who may be even remotely thinking about doing the same thing.

1.  My sister had a good idea, signing up for a race makes a big difference.  I never would be running as far as I am if I wasn't signed up for a race.  Once you sign up for the race, chances are you will tell people that you signed up and this is another factor in making sure you do it!  Race day is also fun - people cheering you on, maybe a t-shirt or a race bib, and usually some free snacks at the end.  I got a t-shirt when I did the 5km race and every time I pull it out of my drawer I still feel good that I did the race.

2.  Find a running buddy.  Without my running buddy I never would have run as often or as far as we have (thanks Nora!). We chat during our runs and naturally, you will push yourself more if you are running with another person. She says I improve her pace and she pushes me to do longer distances.

3. Keep it realistic.  There are lots of options for training such as signing up for a running clinic, doing an online program or just setting your own weekly goals.  Don't join a running group that commits you to 4 nights a week if there is no way that you will get there.  It will discourage you.  As a mom with young kids, its a constant battle to make time for myself to exercise so I have been running 1-2 a week, slowly increasing the distance.  We've also been running what is knows as 10 & 1's meaning we run for 10 minutes and walk for a minute.  In my head I always tell myself that I was in labour for longer than 10 minutes so I can certainly get through 10 minutes of running if I birthed two children!

4.  Try and enjoy it, but no pressure.  Not going to lie, losing weight is a nice by product of exercise but don't make it the sole reason that you commit to doing a race.  You may lose weight, you may not, depending on if you change your diet or how often you are running.  Remember that making an exercise program a priority is an improvement in your life if you haven't been doing that before.  You are also setting a good example for your kids, improving your overall health and wellness.  I have also enjoyed seeing different neighbourhoods during the course of our runs and now that the leaves are starting to change, the scenery is getting even better.

5.  Evaluate.  Overall, have I enjoyed training for this race?  Sort of.  I have enjoyed seeing my friend more often as we've been running together once a week.  I have enjoyed feeling my muscles work, accomplishing new things and challenging myself, but I don't think long distance running is for me.  I just don't enjoy it that much.  I've never gotten the runners high or felt like I could run for hours (apparently this really does happen to some people!).  I think a perfect race for me would be 8km and I'd rather work on getting faster for a shorter race than aiming for longer distances.  I have learned that there are tons of different types of races like mud runs, runs with obstacle courses, etc and I think these might be more my style.  I need to change things up so am also thinking about a mini triathalon as I think I would enjoy it more. The running has made me think about what type of activity I do like and has reminded me how much I enjoy playing team sports like soccer or hockey so I am trying to work that into the rest of my year.

So, after all that, have I convinced you that you too can run a 10km race?  You can, I promise you, you can. I encourage you to push yourself towards a fitness challenge that might be a bit of a stretch.  My guess is you'll surprise yourself just like my fellow momstown Edmonton mamas did when they signed up for a half marathon!  Read more about their journey here.  It's pretty incredible what you can accomplish when you push yourself outside your comfort zone.  Stay tuned for my post race blog post and wish me luck!

No Tears For This First Time Kindergarten Mom

My son starts Junior Kindergarten this week.  Its a gradual entry, so in my mind, he doesn't officially start until next week as his first full day won't be until then.  This time of year you see lots of blog posts, articles and media about sending kids off to school for the first time and the tears that may come from mom and/or dad. Last weekend my mother in law told me she bawled when my husband went off to kindergarten. Maybe the tears will hit me later, but right now I am so excited and so proud of my son, the tears are no where to be found.

My son, just one day old

My little boy is a sweet and social kid.  He's been in daycare so he's used to being in a group of kids, used to following instructions and being away from his parents.  I know he'll be a bit timid going to a new school and the transition will be hard as he leaves the daycare friends he's had for the past three years. But I also know that in a month or two he'll have new friends and thrive learning so many new things and getting more and more chances to be a big kid.  And that makes me so proud.  Proud that over the past four years we've done what we needed to do to get him ready for this next step.  Proud that he gets so excited over new accomplishments whether its learning the monkey bars or holding a pencil correctly or jumping higher than he could before.  Excited that he will continue to learn social skills like compassion, kindness and respect. Even the tough moments that he will face such as disappointment, losing and being left out are opportunities for him to grow and to learn that he can choose his reactions to those moments.  These are key moments in life and they shape the person you become.  I am here for him to navigate these challenges and help him thrive in spite of them.

I look at him and just can't help but be excited to see what he will continue to grow up to be.  To watch his interests grow and knowledge increase and his life become bigger as he starts school.  I guess there is a bit of sadness too, but its such a pleasure to watch this kid grow.  I've got a smile planted on my face and I watch with pride as my baby continues to surprise me, make me laugh and amaze me with the person he continues to become.  Looking forward to a great school year ahead!