'My House, Your House' Circle & Craft

November's theme 'My House, Your House' gave us an opportunity to discuss all kinds of different homes! We read some stories about types of homes and the various locations of homes! A momstown Oshawa - Port Perry favourite... The Three Little Pigs!!!

The children that came to this circle and crafting event were not so interested in talking about this topic but rather getting a little more hands on! So we skipped ahead and built some houses and apartment buildings with blocks, drew some pictures of homes, and made a house out of "straw, sticks, and bricks"!

 

 There were just 3 little "piggies" in attendance at this event, which would have been perfect for making a house built of straw, a house built of sticks, and a house built of bricks as in the famous children's story, but our little piggies used all three to make these fun (and tasty) homes!

To make these at home, all you need is a few yummy ingredients!

               waffle bowl

               icing

               shreddies (the straw)

               pretzel sticks (the sticks)

               licorice nibs (the bricks)

Just turn the waffle bowl upside down, and give the materials to your child! For younger children, spread the icing on the waffle bowl for them and let them do the decorating! Another cute alteration to this is to make igloos using mini marshmallows as the momstown Newmarket/Aurora chapter did at their playgroup!

After the kiddies finished their masterpieces (which they took home to show off to Daddy and older siblings before eating), we all enjoyed a delicious masterpiece from the kitchen of Boston Pizza! That's right contrary to our theme, we did not host this event at someone's house but at this fabulous restaurant where we are always treated like we are at home! From the chef, came this yummy cinnamon delight with caramel and ice cream that isn't even on their menu but was made special just for us momstown members and was brought out to us free of charge along with some tea/coffee for the moms and chocolate milk for the kids! Thank you Boston Pizza for hosting us again and treating us all so well!

 

I can't wait to see what the next circle time and craft will bring us! With the Christmas season upon us, the fun activities and the yummy treats are sure to continue! Make sure you get on over to our momstown Oshawa - Port Perry calendar and sign up for the next "momstown music & movement". December's theme is All That Glitters!

Parenting Seminar with Nanny Robina!!!

Parenting Expert Nanny Robina, as seen on "The Mom Show", NBC and CityLine, is going to do a seminar for momstown Oshawa - Port Perry members as well as sleepless non-members! The main topic? You guessed it - SLEEP!!!

Here's what Nanny Robina has to say about this seminar:

"Hi Moms, come and join me for a chat on how to get your baby to sleep through the night...

This class is very informative and sprinkled with lots of fun. Listen on how a few small changes to your day time schedule could be the answer to the gift of sleep, or how a little patience and perseverance could have your baby sleeping unassisted! How to transfer your baby from crib to bed and how to keep that run away toddler in bed! Need to know how to soothe, then join my class and learn with a few simple techniques.

I am here to teach you how not to be defeated!

This class is approx 90 minutes with Q&A period to follow."

The date of seminar is Sunday, November 21st from 1-3 pm. The fee is just $20/mom. momstown members can pay via paypal right from the event listing on our calendar, but if you or a friend have not yet joined momstown but would like to attend the seminar, please email info.oshawa-portperry@momstown.ca and directions to the location will be given to you and payment arrangements can be made! All registrants must pre-pay for this class!

Nanny Robina has done presentations for other momstown chapters as well! Here is the testimonial from Barrie:

momstown Barrie
Feb. 2010
Topic: Sleep - covering all the reason on why your baby will not sleep through the night and much more.
From sleep to bullying, picky eaters to potty training, we talked about it all.
· How do you get your toddler to stay in their own bed?
· Was it normal for their child to prefer to sleep on a cold floor rather than a warm bed?
· Is it ok if their child prefers to snack all day instead of eating meals at the table with the family?
· How do you discipline a child that finds joy in pushing their sibling down?
· How do you get your child to poop on the potty? And the questions went on from there!
Each question came with an informative and insightful answer, coupled with a witty and often hilarious anecdote from her years of experience.
The moms all left with ammunition on how to tackle their unsuspecting children.
Thank you Nanny Robina!
Karrie - barrie.momstown.ca

Ladies, you won't want to miss this!!! There are only a couple of spaces left, so act quickly!

Email: info.oshawa-portperry@momstown.ca

momstown will provide light snacks and refreshments.

This is a babes in arms only event! No mobile infants/toddlers/children. We want to be able to focus on learning all Nanny Robina has to offer!!!

momstown Fun at Airzone!!!

Yesterday morning, momstown Oshawa - Port Perry members spent a morning out at Airzone Party & Play Centre!!! It was the first time that any of us had ever been. Most of us had never even heard of Airzone! It is tucked in behind the back of a building on Bloor Street in Oshawa, where none of us had ever noticed it. But through a desperate search to find an indoor playground in the area, to give the kids something to do over the next cold couple of months, we stumbled upon it and we're so glad we did! The second we walked in the door, we could feel the excitement building in the children! With all the bright colours and endless amounts of things to do, they were all just itching to go play!

The children played for hours in the many jumping castles, the blown-up maze, the balls, the arcade, and with the many floor toys that were available for little ones and for those who shy'd away from the bigger fun! It was fantastic because us moms were able to sit and relax while enjoying a delicious homemade muffin and bottomless coffee or tea (which was offered for the low price of $2). Everyone had such a great time we are definitely sure to return on a regular basis!

momstown Oshawa - Port Perry members are going to receive a discount at Airzone that can be used not only at momstown events, but also when you want to go as a family or just need to get out of the house for a change of scenery! Although, if you'd like some company, just mention on our message boards that you are going to make a trip and you're sure to have some other moms wanting to meet up with you! You will need to show your member ID card and some conditions will apply! Please check out our member discount directory for more information!

Picasso's at My House or Your House?

"Picasso's in the Park" is a famous event held at all 18 chapters of momstown.ca that involves, you guessed it, art activities in the park! It is so much fun for kids of all ages to be given the chance to get creative, make beautiful masterpieces, and sometimes, get a little messy! Children work on many areas of development including cognitive, fine and gross motor, and social emotional (a big one for the kids and moms)!


With this cold weather we are now getting, and with the end so very far in sight, momstown Oshawa - Port Perry decided to bring "Picasso's" inside! In the spirit of November's theme, "My House, Your House" momstown members were given the opportunity to host the event! momstown brought all of the art supplies including paper, paint, markers, crayons, modelling clay, scissors, pipe cleaners, pom poms, sparkles, stickers, glitter glue, foam letters and numbers, feathers and glue.

The kids got busy, and yes - a little messy! But they all had fun, including some of our younger members who watched from the sidelines with a huge smile!

After the little "Picasso's" were finished creating, they did a little role playing, building with blocks and worked on a couple of puzzles! The hostess' home was one of all girls, but even the boys enjoyed the princess stuff! ;)

"Picasso's at My House or Your House" was so much fun, momstown Oshawa - Port Perry will be sure to put it on the calendar monthly until our beloved "Picasso's in the Park" returns!

Boston Pizza Field Trip!

Boston Pizza Oshawa North opened up their doors early, exclusively for momstown Oshawa - Port Perry!!! Not just for lunch but for a fun filled morning! As we arrived, we were greeted with a hugely warm welcome and offered complimentary coffee or tea - a MUST HAVE in every moms morning! The tables were all set up for us with colouring sheets, crayons, and balloons! The children all kept busy with these items and watched some cartoons that were so thoughtfully being shown on the TV's throughout the restaurant that are typically on the sporting channels. Then out came Lionel, that "rumble in your tummy when your hungry" mascot!



The children's jaws dropped and their eyes were like saucers! They were in amazement for quite some time and then couldn't get enough hugs, hand shakes and high fives! Lionel was kind enough to give us a full tour of Boston Pizza and the children had a blast on our little parade! The most popular stop on our tour? You guessed it! The kitchen!!!

The children all lined up and one-by-one they got to make their very own personal pizza!

The kids got to put on their own sauce and spread it around with the big spoon, then sprinkle just the right amount of cheese on it, and pick their favourite toppings to finish it off! They each carried their pizza over to the big oven and watched as it went in to be cooked.

When we got back to the table, the pizzas started coming out right away and the fantastic staff at Boston Pizza took all the kiddies drink orders! They all ate for free at this special event courtesy of Boston Pizza Oshawa North, and as they were eating mommas got a chance to look through the menu!

Most moms stayed to order lunch for themselves too, so that they could take advantage of our great momstown Oshawa - Port Perry exclusive member discount of 15% off!!! Just another great perk to being a momstown Oshawa - Port Perry member! So the kiddies ate their dessert while mommies ate their lunch and started planning their next visit to Boston Pizza Oshawa! As we were leaving, the children were offered the balloons to take with them and given a colouring and activity book courtesy again of Boston Pizza!!! WOW! What a fantastic morning at a truly fantastic restaurant!!!

Halloween Boo Bash!

Our little goblins couldn't wait until the 31st to start celebrating! The day before Halloween, all the little momstown ghosts and goblins came out! Actually, there were no ghosts or goblins but lots of cute animals, a couple of witches, a sheriff to keep us all in line and a pumpkin, of course! :)



Other than when the kiddies got over-heated and sick of photos, everyone had a great time! It was so nice to see all of the children playing so nicely together and all the moms chatting.