Last chance to OWN momstown Oshawa

Last summer, momstown was over the moon with two chapters opening in August in Durham. With high hopes, momstown Whitby-Ajax and momstown Oshawa-Port Perry celebrated with a big launch party at Oshawa Place Mall in September 2010. One year later, we're disappointed with the current results of the 2 chapters. Small but active communities have been created but our current owners have been unable to stay and grow the businesses into those high hopes. Both former owners, Nicole and Nancy, would agree the territories are ripe for a momstown business with the right, focused owners. These two chapters will remain open FOR SALE for two more weeks until September 15th. The purchase prize is $3,000 per territory which comes as a complete business with website, business training, our strong momstown brand and network, established social media accounts, advertising/ sponsorship inventory, an active community of members and a subscription list of approximately 400 local families each. Our business model is unique and is working for 16 other momstown chapter across Canada. For more information, please see the licensing info here. momstown would like to redivide the territories into a more traditional Durham split to Pickering-Ajax & Whitby-Oshawa but this is up for discussion, If suitable buyers have not been found by September 15th, momstown will be closing both businesses. To protect our integrity and brand, membership fees will be returned at a pro-rated cost directly to active members and any outstanding advertising fees returned or transferred. In the interim 2 weeks, our memberships are FREE and OPEN for all to check out and register. Our events with momstown Whitby are OPEN and inclusive of all. Anyone whose membership is due to expire is welcome to extend it for free. This is a tough decision to make on behalf of the momstown company, but we are committed to delivering a consistent level of service, regular events based on our curriculum to our members and without a owners/operators in Durham, we are unable to offer that. We hope to find committed individuals by the 15th. Please pass this opportunity along to any aspiring mom entrepreneurs. If you have questions or concerns about the sale or pending closure, please reach out to myself or our momstown Team Leader Leanne at licensing@momstown.ca. Thank-you for your patience and support as we navigate through the coming weeks. Ann-Marie Burton Owner & Founder of momstown.ca

A little kindness goes a long way!

Yesterday afternoon, I went to Toronto to see the broadway performance of "The Lion King" at the Princess of Wales theatre. Being almost 8 months pregnant, by the time intermission came I practically had to run to the ladies room! Once there, I found a very long lineup of women waiting. I took my place in line and waited patiently and then out of no where came a woman working for the theatre. She looked at me and said, "Excuse me miss, if this line is too long for you, please do not hesitate to use the accessibility washroom". At this point I had already noticed how very quickly the lineup was moving and knew that I would be fine to wait it out anyway, but her kindness touched my heart. She very easily could have been too busy to notice the huge baby bump I'm sporting, or the fact that a very pregnant woman is sometimes desperate to get to a washroom could easily have not been considered. The fact that she saw me waiting in this long line, noticed my pregnancy, felt sympathy for me, and went out of her way to offer me relief, was in my opinion very kind. It put a smile on my face and made me feel good that there are such considerate people in this world.

Affordable Cloth Diapers!

Looking for an affordable cloth diaper that can be worn from birth to potty training and also at night without switching to disposable diapers?

At Kawartha Cloth / Revive Kidsignment we carry one size cloth diapers that adjust to fit babies 7 to 35 pounds so you never need to buy more sizes because one size fits most from birth to potty training!! They are comparable to brand name one size cloth diapers without the brand name price.

   

How many cloth diapers will I need?

A newborn goes through approximately 8 to 12 diapers a day, whereas a 6 to 12 month old goes through approximately 5 to 8 diapers a day and a toddler goes through approximately 4 to 6 diapers a day.

A stash of approximately 20 cloth diapers for a newborn would have you doing laundry every other day and would cost approximately from $200 to $240 (depending on the type of cloth diaper you choose) and you would be set from birth to potty training. The average cost of disposable diapers from birth to potty training is approximately $2,000.00 for each child who uses disposable diapers and the more children you have the higher the cost goes.

Do I need cloth wipes?

It's easier to use a cloth wipe, put the dirty cloth wipe in your dirty cloth diaper and put it all in your storage container until wash day than to change your cloth diaper with a disposable wipe and then try to find a garbage to dispose of it in. Wash your cloth wipes with your cloth diapers. 1 to 2 cloth wipes per dirty diaper change is all you need.

TIP: Buy a $1.00 spray bottle at the dollar store, fill it with water and add approximately 1 teaspoon of baby soap. If your little one has a dry bum you can add a few drops of baby oil. Spray a wipe until damp and use when on the go.

What is a wet bag?

A wet bag is used to hold dirty cloth diapers on the go.

TIP: Wet bags are also great for putting your wet swim suits and towels in, as lunch bags (new ones of course) and library bags (when your older child spills their lunch in their school bag the library books are safe inside the wet bag).

What detergent do I use with cloth diapers?

We recommend that you avoid detergents with added enzymes, brighteners, dyes and/or phosphates. Using detergents with the above noted will also void your manufacture warranty. We use Eco Sprout detergent for our cloth diapers and for us it never causes ammonia smell or residue build up and rinses thoroughly. If you are not having success with one detergent, you may need to switch to another.

Can these cloth diapers be used for swimming also?

Yes! Just remove the inserts and use the outer shell as a swim diaper. Swim diapers, both disposable and cloth are made to hold the solids in and not the urine. By taking out the insert your diaper will not absorb the pool water but will keep any solids inside. We recommend keeping one cloth diaper for swimming only as well as using the regular or print cloth diaper and not the minky cloth diaper as the chlorine is very harsh. Please note that diapers used for swimming are not covered under the manufacture warranty.

My little one is already almost one, is it too late to start using cloth diapers?

It's never too late. A lot of parents start using disposable diapers but once they have their baby and take time to do some research they decide to make the switch or try it.

 

Where can I get this fantastic product?

 

or visit www.kawarthacloth.com

Get Out and Vote!

Who would have thought when this election began that the election race would have been so tight, and not by who pollsters would have thought. Things sure are tight, and every vote will count!


So mamas get out there and vote! Make your voice heard and shape the world that we will live in. All you need to vote is proof of address and a valid Canadian ID. If you have just moved and your ID has not been switched bring a piece of mail with you that has your current address on it.

Not sure where to go to place your vote click here Vote.ca it is super easy. Enter your address and voila it will give you a map of where to go. It even lists who the candidates in your area are and links to their personal sites.

You can also find out where to vote at the Elections Canada website.

So get out there and vote! Polls are open from between 7:30 and 9:00 pm and most are open for 12 hours, no excuses!

For some around the house voting activities to get the kids involved check out "Get Out the Vote with Your Kids" here at the momstown arts and crafts blog site.

Lil' Bunnies Easter Party!

On the Thursday before the long Easter weekend, momstown Oshawa - Port Perry celebrated the coming holiday with a "Lil' Bunnies Easter Party!" We got together for a fun morning with Easter crafts, an Egg hunt and some delicious Easter cupcakes made by the host of our party, Sammy!

We hope you all had a great Easter with your family and that the Easter Bunny had a sweet treat for everyone!

Picasso's Flowers!

Okay, okay. Those of you who are a member of momstown Oshawa - Port Perry know that we did not actually have an event named "Picasso's Flowers!", as I've titled this blog post, but we did however have two fantastic events in a matter of a couple of days and so I thought I would share the fun we had at both events all at once! :) Our "Picasso's Party" and our "Flowers" themed "Circle & Craft!"

At our Picasso's Party, we rolled out a giant piece of paper down the perfect hallway for this type of thing and got out pretty much every art material a kid could want. There were markers, crayons, glitter pens, and paint as well as glue and pom poms, feathers, pipe cleaners, sparkly beads, stickers, and sequins! The kiddies all had a blast decorating our large sheet of paper and also making some personal masterpieces to take home. Some of them made beautiful bracelets as well! A couple of the kids also tried out some really cool new crayons for the windows! It was a great time for all of the kids and the moms who got to socialize while the children were all so busy creating! I personally love this event (which we do on a monthly basis) as it gives the children an opportunity to be truly creative. There are no cut-outs or rules (other than no paint on the walls!) and the only expectation is that they have fun! The children can create like true little Picasso's!

At this month's Circle and Craft event, our theme was Flowers! We started out with a couple of stories about how flowers grow, then we sang a couple of songs and made some pretty flowers, and a vase to put them in!

The song that was the biggest hit this time was "I'm a Little Daisy", which is sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot".

I'm a little daisy

Tall and slim (stand on tiptoes)

Here are my petals (place hands on side of head & wiggle fingers)

Here is my stem (hold arms down at sides of legs)

When the sun comes up (make sun with arms)

And the rain comes down (flutter hands to floor like rain - end in crouching position)

I grow, grow, grow - up from the ground! (slowly raise up bringing hands over head)

The flower craft that was completed afterwards was a lot of fun too! First we took a piece of contruction paper and folded it in half, decorated one side, and then rolled it (and used staples to hold it) into a "vase". We then filled our vases with flowers! The flower was made with a coffee filter coloured with bingo dabbers (markers would work too) and the stem was a simple pipe cleaner pushed through the centre.

I hope everyone has fun singing and being creative at home too, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our next Picasso's and/or Circle & Craft event(s)!!! Check out our chock-full calendar and sign up! :)

Public Potty's with a 2 year old!

I have been very fortunate to have my daughter interested in potty training at quite a young age! At about 18 or 19 months she started to show great interest in the potty and the whole process of sitting, wiping, washing hands, etc. that she watched mommy and her friends at daycare go through. By 21 months, after only a couple of days of really trying to teach her how to use the potty herself, she was completely daytime trained. Now, 3 months later, we still use pull-ups at nap and bedtime but otherwise we are very lucky to not have to even worry about an accident during her waking hours (even on the recent 2 day drive to Florida!).

Unfortunately, having a 2 year old who is potty trained is not quite as easy when out in public as it is at home! I find myself always aware of where the closest washroom is and planning trips to the toilet before leaving anywhere to go in the car, no matter how short the drive is going to be. My daughter also seems to be very aware of the closest washroom as she ALWAYS wants to give each of them a try. As time consuming and unappealing as going into every public washroom in sight is, I remind myself that at least I don't have to change diapers or worry about accidents.

Then, there is the issue of cleanliness. We all know that a public washroom, even at it's cleanest, just is not the same as the washroom at home or at a friend/family members home. They can be pretty nasty sometimes. When my daughter was toilet trained I purchased a portable potty seat that folds up and fits right inside the diaper bag (inside of a ziploc baggy first). It's perfect as my daughter feels much more comfortable sitting on it than the over-sized toilet seat and I know it's clean! So after a few outings, the cleanliness worry was behind me.

Finally, and my biggest on-going concern, is that when a 2 year old has to use the potty, he or she has to use it NOW!!! There is no waiting. We have a fairly limited window of time in which we NEED to reach a potty! I'm talking less than 5 minutes at the best of times. Which normally is not a problem because, as I said, I've already scoped out where the closest washroom is. However, sometimes there is only one stall. And sometimes, there is a line-up for that stall! So far, touch wood, we have been lucky and have been able to hold it and make it to the toilet just in time. But it is still my greatest worry.

Today, while out grocery shopping this was the scenario we found ourselves in. With a shopping cart half full of groceries, my daughter suddenly announces that she has to go potty. Stupidly hopeful I ask, "Do you have to go potty right now, or can you hold it for a bit?" Of course, we all know the answer to that question, so I reluctantly headed toward the one and only (unisex) washroom in the store. When we got there it was not only occupied but 2 other people were in front of us waiting to use it as well. Okay, I think, maybe I can distract her while we wait by talking about what we are going to make with the things in our cart to take her mind off having to "go". I say, in my most animated voice, "When we get home later, would you like to help me wash the carrots? We are going to cut them up to put into a stew! Do you like stew?". Her response is, "Mommy, POTTY!!! RIGHT NOW!!!" Crap.

So this is when I explain to my 2 year old that there is a line-up for the washroom. There is someone in there right now, and we have to wait our turn. Then I suggest to her that we sing her favourite song while we wait. Nope. That doesn't fly either. The minutes that follow were filled with begging, pleading, more explaining, and even tears. Through all of it, the other people waiting for the washroom, who could clearly see and hear all that was happening, just continued to give me sympathetic looks. I guess you could say that it was nice that they were giving me their sympathy, and really I have no idea how urgent their trip to the washroom was, but I couldn't help but feel frustrated.

Prior to having a toddler of my own requiring the washroom "RIGHT NOW!" I can remember on more than one occasion letting a mom and her child go ahead of me. Sure, I had to go (why else would I be there, waiting to use the public washroom) but it was clear, at least to me, that a child in need of the toilet took precedence! Luckily, we did make it to the toilet in time today. Thankfully, I didn't have to change her clothes due to a pee accident right there in the grocery store. But sadly, my poor daughter wasn't sure she would make it. She was unbelievably upset, completely stressed out, and likely very uncomfortable as she did her very best to "hold it".

All I can think now is, why did I not ask for those people to let us go first? I was so consumed with trying to comfort and encourage my daughter, and so angry that they did not offer to let us ahead of them, that I didn't think at the time to ask. So now, I'm writing this blog to share with all of you my experience in great hope that the next time you are waiting in line for the washroom and a child comes up behind you who is clearly in desperate need of the toilet, if you can hold it, just long enough for them to go ahead of you, please, please let them go first!!

Maple Syrup Festival!

Saturday, March 12th momstown Oshawa - Port Perry went to Purple Woods Conservation Area for their annual Maple Syrup Festival! It was a beautiful day for a nice walk through the sugar bush. The children had a chance to explore a shelter made from branches, see how maple syrup is made, and go on a horse drawn wagon ride through the woods!

We learnt that it takes 40 litres of sap to make just 1 litre of maple syrup! Seems like a lot of time and effort, but those pancakes sure were delicious!!!

Nursery Rhymes Circle Time and Craft!

This morning we braved the snowy roads and headed out to Boston Pizza Oshawa for our Circle & Craft event! This months theme is Nursery Rhymes so we started off by reading the classic "Humpty Dumpty". We then had an egg on a spoon race and talked about how eggs are fragile and will break when they fall. For the race we used plastic eggs of course and the children had a great time walking back and forth trying to carefully balance their eggs.

We then read a few more nursery rhymes. Did you know that there are a lot of nursery rhymes with sheep in them? There's "Baa Baa Black Sheep", "Little Bo Peep", "Little Boy Blue", and "Mary Had a Little Lamb"! Can you think of more? There may be some...

After reading all the nursery rhymes about sheep, we made our own sheep! The children were given a cut out of a sheep that they covered with glue and stuck cotton balls and googly eyes to.

This is a quick and easy craft to prepare and children of all ages can participate. The picture of the sheep craft below was done by my 2 year old daughter. She also made another that had about eight eyes, but hey - creativity is good! :)

After our crafting was complete we all enjoyed a delicious Boston Pizza lunch! The kiddies who were old enough all went for the "Bugs 'n' Cheese"! mmm...

Are You an Expectant Mom? Did You Know...

Did you know that if you are a first time expectant mom you can start enjoying your momstown Oshawa - Port Perry membership right now!? Completely FREE until 2 weeks after your due date!

SIGN UP NOW to start enjoying all the online conversation about parenting, pregnancy, venting about the hubby, and much much more! You can also start enjoying all the great member discounts which is perfect for helping you get that nursery all set up and you can even get out to some events including our mom's nights out where you can start connecting in person with some of your future playdate friends!

Valentine's Day Party!

On Valentine's Day morning, momstown Oshawa-Port Perry celebrated by throwing a special little party for the little ones! The children decorated Valentine's Day boxes with markers, stickers, glitter and lots of love! Then they filled their boxes with special Valentine's cards and treats from their friends!

Once the Valentine's were exchanged the children (and mommies) enjoy some delicious cupcakes and cakeballs provided by Bobbi's Cake Lollipop Shoppe!

They were thoroughly enjoyed by all and so was the socializing!

From everyone at momstown Oshawa-Port Perry, we hope you all had a very Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Love Your Cereal with Kellogg's!!!

On Friday, February 11th, momstown Oshawa - Port Perry enjoyed a delicious breakfast provided to us by our friends at Kellogg's!!! There was Rice Krispies, Mini-Wheats Little Bites, Froot Loops, Raisin Bran, Strawberry Mini-Wheats, Corn Pops, and Frosted Flakes all enjoyed with some milk, yogurt, fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee and tea! It was served up buffet style so that everyone could try a little bit of everything throughout the morning in between crafts and socializing!

 

Everyone really enjoyed being able to sample a little bit of everything and it was heard more than once that "this cereal is a little taste of my childhood". The children definitely had their share of cereal to eat too and they also got inspired to be creative with the cereal and made beautiful pictures, designs, patterns and bracelets out of various cereals, but primarily using their fave, Froot Loops!

At the end of the morning every mom went home with a very generous gift bag from Kellogg's which contained 5 different boxes of cereal, a coupon for more cereal, and a children's book! One lucky mom also won a prize pack containing cereal bowls, Tucan Sam, a soccer ball, a children's book and lots of cereal!

This momstown exclusive event was also a little educational for us moms! Here are some of the things that we learned about cereal:

• Cereal is the #1 contributor of iron intake in children
• Only 5% of children's sugar intake comes from "sugary" children's cereal
• People who eat breakfast have a better metabolism
• To calculate the amount of fibre your child should be getting on a daily basis, start with 5-10g and then add the child's age
• "Whole grain" does not necessarily mean lots of fibre
• The sugar found in cereal makes it a satisfying choice for a snack as it is not addictive and will not leave you wanting more such as with salty or fatty alternatives

To learn more about cereal and to see how it compares to some of the other breakfast choices you make, go to www.loveyourcereal.com.



Thank you very much Kellogg's for teaming up with all of us here at momstown and providing us with a nutritious and fun breakfast!!!

Nanny Robina is coming back to momstown Oshawa - Port Perry!!!

Back by popular demand is everyone's favourite Nanny! This time she is coming to help those of us with toddlers to conquer those "Toddler Shenanigans". Here's the flyer with all the info you need!

 

Please email info.oshawa-portperry@momstown.ca to make arrangements for submitting payment in order to secure your spot in the class!!!

Love Your Cereal!!!

"Love Your Cereal" is being brought to you by Kellogg's and is going to be a fun event happening in many of the momstown chapters!

On Friday, February 11th come on out for a fun momstown social and enjoy a delicious breakfast supplied by Kellogg's, recieve a special Kellogg's gift bag, have a chance to win the Kellogg's Prize Package (which will be raffled off), and simply enjoy the company of other moms and their kiddies!

Breakfast will be offered to all those in attendance and so signing up in advance is particularly important for this event so that we will be able to arrange everything.

There will also be crafts and activities to keep the kiddies busy!

 

For more information, feel free to email
info.oshawa-portperry@momstown.ca

or

login to momstown Oshawa - Port Perry to sign up!!! 

Another Relaxing Mom's Night Out!

We do a lot of fantastic events! There are playgroups, educational circle times & crafts, themed parties, and we go skating and swimming and play in the snow, we always have a ton of fun with the kiddies! Last night though, was all about having fun with the mommies! No kids allowed! A wonderfully relaxing mom's night out!

We started out at Montana's in North Oshawa. What a great restaurant! The atmosphere is very warm and inviting, the staff are very friendly and welcoming, the service is quick and accurate, and the food is just unbelievably tasty! One of the mom's in our group actually works at Montana's and I asked her what she would recommend, what was really really good that I just HAD to order. After she named off more than half of the items on the menu, my decision wasn't made any easier. I ended up with the meatloaf, garlic mashed, and veggies all covered with gravy. It was to die for. Everyone else at dinner enjoyed their meals as well, without a single complaint. When our bills came, there was also absolutely no complaints as the prices are already very reasonable and momstown Oshawa - Port Perry also enjoys a discount of 15% off! A big thank you to Montana's for such a great experience!

After dinner, we all went over to the movies to see "The Dilemma". The movie was good and again, the company was great! The evening was a well-deserved break from a mom's regular schedule and routine, and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

If you would like to participate in our next mom's night out, or any one of our other events, be sure to sign up on our momstown Oshawa - Port Perry calendar!

Happy New Year momstown Oshawa - Port Perry!!!

This time of year is a fantastic time to reflect upon where we have been and where we are going. Many people use this time to make resolutions; changes to their lives that they feel will make them a better, happier person. It is a time of new beginnings and offers a fresh, clean, event-free calendar upon which we can happily begin jotting down all of the exciting things to come!

For me, 2010 was a very event-filled year! It started off with a countdown to the end of my maternity leave and my return to work. A very bittersweet time as I loved my workplace and was looking forward to the social aspect it provided, but was very sad to see the end my relaxing days filled with the perfect, smiling face of my daughter.

Then after a few months of working, I decided that that perfect, smiling face far outweighed my love of my job and my co-workers and I made the decision to find a way to create a better balance in my life.

I stumbled upon momstown...this fantastic community of moms that I had never even heard of. I quickly found out that the reason I hadn't heard of it was that it was not yet in my community and that by bringing it here I would also be given the opportunity to become a work at home mom! So now, I have a job that I love that I am able to do from home and I have something to keep me busy in my community with my little one (who quickly turned into a busy toddler over this past year as well).

Once momstown got started in Oshawa - Port Perry, moms from all around the region began to meet up and enjoy each others conversation on the message boards and each others company at events. We've had many events, well over 100 in just the last 4 months, and it has been amazing! The time has flown by even faster than it usually does in the last few months of the year, and here we are welcoming 2011!!!

There were many changes for me and my family over the past year, and also for this community. Surely 2011 will also bring many changes, which I'm positive will also all be very exciting. In terms of resolutions, I really can't say that I have any. The things that are going to change will do that on their own. As for me, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the wonderful ride!

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you all are as happy with the outcome of 2010 as I am and that you are all just as excited as me to be filling up those 2011 calendars (with family events and momstown events too, of course)!!!