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! :)

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!!!

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!!! 

Christmas Tree Ornament Making

Everyone loves homemade Christmas Tree Ornaments made by children! They are so sweet and give any Christmas tree a little extra love! momstown Oshawa - Port Perry children got busy at a full morning of ornament making. They made Silver Bells, Rudolph the Red Nose Candy Canes, and Glittery Snowflakes!

The Silver Bells were made by using the little cups of an egg carton, wrapping them in tin foil and then poking a hole in the top for a pipe cleaner to go through. Attach a little bell to the pipe cleaner and you've got a shiny little Christmas bell ornament for your tree that really jingles!

Next we made Rudolph Candy Canes. Start with a candy cane and wrap a brown pipe cleaner around the top and twist it so it stays put, then you can bend the pipe cleaners to make the antlers look just how you'd like them. Get a couple of googly eyes and stick them on the candy cane along with a red pom pom to make Rudolph's nose (an adult is required for this as you will need a glue gun to make the pom pom stick). Finally, tie a another pipe cleaner, or a pre-made little red bow, around the reindeer's neck and you are done!

Glittery Snowflakes were the final craft of the morning and likely the most enjoyed! We took a couple of glittery pipe cleaners and cut them in half so that they were not so long, tied three of the short pieces around each other at the middle to make a six pointed snowflake and then had the children put glittery beads onto the pipe cleaner. Children of all ages love this and it keeps them very busy as they pick out their favourite colour of beads and concentrate on their hand eye coordination getting them onto each point of the snowflake. A great craft for at home on a cold, snowed-in day!

 

For all those moms out there that were not able to join us on our Ornament Making morning, be sure to stop by the local dollar store and pick up a few supplies of your own! These ornaments will look great on your own tree and are perfect for attaching to a grandparent's gift! 

momstown Oshawa-Port Perry is always making fun crafts that are great for keeping preschoolers and toddlers busy. If you are already a member, that's perfect, sign up for the next crafting event on our calendar and you won't have to worry about thinking of a great developmentally appropriate craft or purchasing all the materials - momstown covers that for you - all you have to do is sign up and join in the fun!

Cookie Recipe Exchange

mmm.... It has to be one of the best things about the season! Christmas Baking is such a great tradition. It always reminds me of my childhood, and I love that I can now make wonderful childhood memories for my own children, or child as it is.

This Christmas season, momstown Oshawa - Port Perry thought it would be a good idea to get together for a morning with the kiddies and share some of our delicious treats with each other. We have all been super busy, as is everyone during this time of year, and so we decided not to do a full Cookie Exchange in the traditional sense where each attendee brings dozens of cookies (one for each of the other participants). No, instead we decided to each just bake one batch of our favorite holiday treat and bring it for everyone to share. We tasted several goodies and then simply exchanged our recipes!

There were several really, really good recipes! I wanted to post them all because a great recipe really should be shared. I've decided against it however, given that I too am very busy during this time of year and currently need to get back to the kitchen to bake up some more of these delicious new recipes that I've added to my collection. I will share just one with you though as it is very festive...

Candy Cane Fudge

2 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 tsp salt
1 can (300 mL) sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg (510 g) Pillsbury* Refrigerated Chocolate Chip or Chocolate Chunk Cookies, cut into small chunks
2 bags milk chocolate chips
3 tsp peppermint extract

• In 3-qt (3L) heavy saucepan, cook corn syrup, butter, salt and condensed milk over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until well blended. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in cookie dough chunks. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.
• Stir in chocolate chips and peppermint extract until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Cook over low heat 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is shiny. Spread in ungreased 9x13-inch (22x33-cm) rectangular baking pan. Top with crushed candy cane.
• Refrigerate uncovered 2 hours or until firm.

Please enjoy as much as I have!  For more tasty recipes to use for your holiday baking and throughout the year, check out the momstown meals blog! And, definitely be sure to remember to sign up for the momstown Oshawa - Port Perry Cookie Recipe Exchange in 2011. Not only were new holiday treats tasted, but new friendships were built as well!

'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.

The Mamas & Chicks Show

On Friday, October 22nd, momstown Oshawa-Port Perry and momstown Whitby-Ajax teamed up yet again to be part of The Mamas & Chicks Show!

As sponsors of the show we were very excited! We arrived very early to get our table all set up for big day! We had the opportunity throughout the day to meet many new moms and moms-to-be and tell them about all the wonderful things momstown can bring them!

We accepted payment for membership as well as took many new registrations for our four week free trial! It was a great day! Thanks Mamas and Chicks!

If you missed the show, you can still get on our site and register! We will still be honouring the four week free trial period until the end of the month! Beginning November 1st, our trial period will be reduced to two weeks!

momstown music & movement - Spiders & Bats

On Tuesday morning, momstown Oshawa - Port Perry gathered at the Port Perry United Church for another great momstown member exclusive event! "momstown music & movement" is a monthly themed event at which we sing some songs, read some stories, and get busy making crafts all while having fun and making friends!



This month's theme was a fitting "Spiders & Bats"! We talked about Hallowe'en, what we'd like to dress up as, where we'd like to go trick or treating, and what creepy things scare us!



The children really enjoyed story time and the book "The Busy Spider" by Eric Carle. This isn't actually a Halloween story, but it has a spider in it and that was good enough for the kids!

It wouldn't be a momstown event without some great art activites to keep the kids busy! After circle time, the children made some Halloween decorations - creepy crawly spiders and oh-so-cute handprint bats!

The mommys loved that the kiddies were busy and that they were all wore out by the end of the morning! Ready to head home to decorate the house for halloween before settling down for a nice, long nap (hopefully)!

Want to sing momstown Oshawa - Port Perry's favourite Halloween song at home?

If you'd like to join in the momstown music & movement fun, you need to first make sure you've joined the momstown Oshawa - Port Perry neighbourhood!

Oshawa Centre FUN!!!

On Thursday, October 14th, momstown Oshawa-Port Perry went to see Toopy & Binoo from Treehouse Live at Oshawa Centre!!! This was a free family event for all and WOW did the community LOVE IT! There were actually four shows Thursday at 11 & 2 and Friday at 11 & 2. I'm not sure if it was because we were at the very first show, or if Toopy & Binoo always pull in this size crowd, but it was packed! We knew ahead of time that it would be busy, so we arrived an hour before the show with lots of toys and snacks to keep the little ones happy and we waited. It was tough, but finally the hour passed and the show started! The kids all dropped their jaws in amazement and admiration and the fun began!

This is just one of the many great family events at Oshawa Centre. There seems to always be something fun going on and momstown Oshawa - Port Perry is sure to be there for all the excitement! momstown members have also been regularly visiting the mall for monday mall marathons to keep us active even on cool and rainy days, book club meetings to help moms socialize and work on getting rid of that "baby brain", and new member meet n' greets to get moms out of the house and meeting new moms, and that's just to name a few!

Night Safari at Northwood Zoo and Animal Sanctuary!

Last night, a good number of momstown families went out to the zoo for a Night Safari! We had arrived at 6pm and shortly after it began to get dark! There must have been something in the air because the animals and the children were all extremely excited and active! It was impossible to capture the whole group in a photo as the children ran from animal to animal! The running was definitely a good thing to help keep the little ones warm and it certainly didn't hurt in tuckering them out for a good night's sleep! The little ones who were too small to run, cuddled up with mom or dad or had a snooze under some warm blankets in the stroller. All in all, everyone had a great time!

As the evening progressed, the tiki torches that lined the pathways were all lit and the african drummers began to play! Some of us adults were enticed by the BBQ and hot drinks but the children (who were old enough) just wanted to DANCE! It was so sweet to see all the great dance moves that the little ones had! Unfortunately at this point in the evening, my camera had drained its battery and I wasn't able to get any photos of the great drummers or dance party that all the momstown babes started! That's ok though, with the event being such a hit, we will be sure to do it again next year!

It was a perfect night out with the kids and a great way to spend Saturday night of the long weekend! Thank you to Northwood Zoo and Animal Sanctuary for such a memorable evening and for the great discount that was given to momstown members! Being a momstown member definitely has it's perks!

If you are not already a member and would like to meet other great moms and benefit from a fun night out and great member discounts, sign up at momstown Oshawa - Port Perry!