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!!