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...

'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!

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!

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!

Grand Opening Launch Party!

The big day finally arrived and our Grand Opening Launch Party was a great success! With all the excitement in the community leading up to the event we drew in quite a crowd! There was stroller parking, but as you can see by the stollers in the picture there was a while there when the space allocated for strollers just was not enough! But, that didn't stop anyone! Moms with babes that ranged from 2 weeks to 5 years all came in to see what momstown was all about!





momstown Oshawa - Port Perry was celebrating with momstown Whitby - Ajax the opening of the two newest chapters of momstown.ca and Durham Region was SO ready for us! Nicole (left) from Whitby - Ajax and I from Oshawa - Port Perry were able to meet so many great moms and explain to them what makes momstown so fantastic! The response that we received was pretty much the same across the board - "When and where can I sign up?!"

While the kiddies got busy playing with blocks, puzzles, books, manipulatives, and a variety of art materials, moms had a chance to sit back and relax and talk to other moms!

Then, Keri-Ellen Walcer from MusiGo came!!! Everyone was very happy to see her! The kids loved the music and movement program that she was doing with them and were especially happy when she brought out some of her props! The children were able to wear animal masks and use musical instruments, there was ball play, 'Roll Play' (of course) and a whole lot of dancing!!!

Throughout the whole morning, our very special guest Bellybutton the Clown made the children and adults alike smile and laugh! She did some fabulous facepainting, made lots of children very happy with balloon animals, and told lots of jokes! Even children who thought they might be afraid of clowns, warmed up very quickly to Bellybutton! What's not to love?!

At the end of the day, all of the children went home with some homemade playdough and a recipe card so that they could make more at home with mom! Homemade playdough is the best because it's fun to make (and it doesn't take too long), it's all natural (so even the littlest babes who put everything in their mouths would still be safe to play with it), and it's an excellent fine motor, creative and sensory activity that's suitable for all ages (a perfect thing to get out when you want to get children of different ages to be able to play together)!

It wasn't just the children who went home with something, there was stuff for mom too! We did a contest for a bouquet from Bobbi's Cake Lollipop Shoppe, and gift certificates from FitMom, Once Upon a Child Ajax, and of course, momstown!!!

What a wonderful day! Thank you to all of the people who made this event the success that it was, and a very big thank you to Oshawa Centre who made it all possible! momstown Oshawa - Port Perry and momstown Whitby - Ajax are both so happy to hear that so many moms were able to enjoy their morning out and were given the opportunity, if they hadn't already done so, to sign up to become a momstown member so that they could get out like this more often!

If you missed the launch party, that's okay! There will be plenty more events coming up! Each chapter offers over 30 events per month to help get moms out of the house and connecting with other moms! There is always a wide variety of events on the calendar to suit every schedule and interest - but if there is something that is not on there that you would like to see happen, we are always more than happy to hear your suggestions and will do our best to accomodate them!

If you are the type of mom who just cannot seem to find the time to get out to events, we have a 24/7 online message board just for moms! This offers you the ability to connect with local moms right from your own home!

We also offer great member discounts and privileges that are momstown exclusive so that your membership will pay for itself, and then some!

If you are not a member yet, check us out now for your free 4 week trial membership! This offer is only good until the end of October and then we will be going back to the standard 2 week trial. So now is a great time to join the neighbourhood!

Hope to see you soon!

Lucky Winner of FREE One Year Membership!!!

Yesterday morning, we reached 50 members!!! Very exciting for momstown Oshawa - Port Perry and also for dtmitchell who was the lucky winner of our FREE One Year Membership! momstown loves contests, prizes and free stuff! That's why we won't be stopping here! Every month there will be a new contest posted up for momstown members, and every month another winner of a great prize! So if you`re not already a momstown member, be sure to register now!

Grand Opening Launch Party!!

momstown Oshawa -

Port Perry

&

momstown Whitby - Ajax

are celebrating together! Both chapters of momstown.ca just opened in the last few weeks and so we are teaming up to throw a Grand Opening Launch Party together!



Where is this exciting event taking place? Oshawa Centre's Centre Court!!!





Make sure you get down to Oshawa Centre on Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 from 9:30am - 12:00pm. There will be a ton of exciting momstown activities and crafts for the children and a special momstown MusiGo presentation with Keri-Ellen Walcer! Keri-Ellen is a children's fitness consultant and the founder of MusiGo! She has been getting children everywhere active and enjoying music through her live performances, "Roll Play" Treehouse TV series, and community programmes! Click here for more information about your local community programmes, and for registration information!



As exciting as that is, that's not all!! momstown is also bringing you Bellybutton the Clown! Bellybutton the Clown will be making us laugh and painting all of the smiling little faces!!! Bellybutton the Clown has been making the world a funnier, happier, and more wonder-filled place for many years and does all kinds of parties, everything you can think of, just check out her site!

There will also be contests and giveaways at the event! Something you just have to see is the lovely cakepop bouquet that will be up for display and contest! Check out Bobbi's Cake Lollipop Shoppe for a glimpse of some of these extremely delicious treats!

momstown Oshawa - Port Perry and momstown Whitby - Ajax are extremely happy to be bringing all of this excitement to you at our Launch Party! Although, really it's just the very beginning! Each chapter plans over 25 events/month and offers many opportunities for moms to connect with other moms in their neighbourhood for conversation, support and a whole lot of fun!!!

Make sure you make it to Oshawa Centre and join us in Centre Court on Wednesday, September 29th 2010, from 9:30am-12:00pm - IT'S ALL FREE - you don't want to miss it!

Apples, Apples, Apples!!!

There are apples everywhere! We love it! After going to Archibald Orchards yesterday, momstown mama's and their babes definitely know what they will be having for snacks! There was a great variety of apples available for picking and they were all so big and juicy! We couldn't get enough!

The little ones were great at throwing the apples into the bags - it's a good thing our apples are going to be primarily used for baking!

The ones who were old enough to pick apples, took great pride in showing them off to their moms and to the littler members in our group! Nice sharing!!

After we had our fill of apples (at least for the morning) we headed over to the children's play area where the little ones played in the sand with large toy trackors and excavators, on horse tire swings, and in giant tractor tires!

Once everyone was good and dirty - and tired out, ready for a nap - we went home with our apples to eat some more!

momstown Oshawa - Port Perry has many more exciting field trips "in the works" that will be posted up on the calendar very soon! It is so nice to get out with other moms and to see the sweet little friendships that the children are developing. Can't wait to see you all again next time! Enjoy those apples!