Guest Blog: Basketball Road Trip - with Dad

Guest blogger: Marty (Lisa's husband)

Had a great opportunity to do some male bonding and have a fun outing with our 3 year old, Oliver, last Sunday!  We share Raptors season tickets with a couple of others and I made sure we got the only Sunday 1pm game so Oliver would get to enjoy a game with me this year.  Lisa and I haven't been able to take him, nor was it really practical, since he was small enough just to sit / sleep in our lap and to be honest, I'm not really sure he knows what's going on other than "those guys are playing basketball". But hey, it's all about the experience!

So, Oliver and I loaded up his back pack with some lunch, a change of clothes (for him, just in case) and some popcorn we made the night before.  I did the lame dad thing and found the cheapest parking I could find in downtown Toronto (ScotiaPlaza - $6) even if it meant walking an extra 20-30 minutes.  We made a quick stop at my office to grab the tickets, let Oliver pound a bunch of numbers into an Excel spreadsheet and then we were off to ACC.

Oliver was fascinated by all the people, the pre-game fireworks / music etc. and of course, the view from our seats (Oliver: "they have down seats, we are at the top" - thanks for the reminder big guy).

He was still pretty engaged at half time but after using his seat like a diving board and almost going over the railing I thought it best to take a walk during the 3rd quarter.  While I'm used to enjoying other cold, golden, delicious beverages during the game - I was quite content sharing a $5 apple juice with my new basketball buddy.  We enjoyed our smuggled popcorn in the 4th quarter and both didn't care that Kobe Bryant single handedly, without really breaking a sweat, beat the Raptors in the few minutes of the game.

We let the stands empty a bit before leaving and Oliver asked me "Is the basketball game closed?" - it sure is pal.....now let's build some character while we walk 30 minutes, up hill, to our van.....

Beating the February Blahs with Beach Day!

So the other night, we were out for our Mom's Meal Planning night at a local pub.  Some of us got to talking about Pinterest, and I mentioned that thanks to some "pins" I had found, it had been beach day the other day in our house.

I started describing what that looked like, and another mama friend said that I needed to start sharing those things more with the group.  I didn't take any pictures because I was totally lost in the moments, but here's a quick run down of how we do beach day at "Casa Beraldo" to get rid of the February blahs!

1. Dinner on the beach.
Lay out the beach towels and have a summer-y dinner.  Thanks to a suggestion on our message board from Jenn C, we had burgers with all the fixin's!  Harrison (15 months) would not sit on his beach blanket (I know, I was shocked too lol!).  I brought his booster seat into the family room, put it on his beach blanket and strapped him in!  Put a little table in front of him (if you don't have one, use a stack of text/cook books) and voila!  Two very content little boys!

2. Water play.
We gathered a handful of balloons, filled them with water, and put about an inch of water in the bathtub. The boys stood outside of the bathtub in their bathing suits and threw the water balloons in the tub, trying to splash the water and see if they could get the balloons to break.

3.  Digging
Oliver brought his digging trucks to the beach with him (and a water table full of oatmeal).  Harrison brought shovels and bowls.  The two of them dug and played in their water table while dinner was cooking.

4.  Beach music
Pulled up some calypso / island music and cracked out the shakers.  The boys danced and shook all around the house.  Quite a festive dance party!

5. More water play
When it came time for bath that night, I thought it would be a quick one and then off to bed.  The water balloons were still in the tub and there was no sneaking that one past the boys!  They were so excited to have a bath with their water balloons, and let's face it - it was the end of the day and I had to pick my battles.  Totally didn't have the energy to say no water balloons in the bathtub and deal with the crying.  Went over some quick rules, filled the tub and plopped the boys in.
Have to say, it was probably the best bath ever!  The water balloons were slippery and both boys were squealing with delight, having so much fun with them!

Overall a fun-filled afternoon with the boys.  Didn't notice the grey sky, naked trees and lack of snow.  Can't wait to explore Pinterest some more for some great ideas on how to enjoy these blah days and lack of snow!

How to pamper a mom!

Last week we celebrated Valentine's Day.  Here at momstown Burlington it was all about our moms at our Mom's Pampering Party.  It was nice to get away for the evening, feel pampered and spend some time with each other without having to chase anyone around, wipe a nose or change a diaper.

It reminded me that the simplest things really do make a mom feel pampered.  Here's the top four ways to pamper a well-deserving mama - all year round, not just for Valentine's Day! 

1.  Our Mom's Pampering Party took place at Venere Spa and Salon, where we were treated like royalty!  Our moms were able to choose between facial treatments and manicures.  This picture definitely speaks for itself about how our moms felt with these treatments...

So, if you want to pamper a mom, give her some time at the spa - a fresh mom is a happy mom :)

2.  Jewelery!  Especially personalized jewelery that reminds her of her beautiful children.  A local company - Make It Personal - sponsored our party and we were able to treat one lucky mom to a gorgeous personalized necklace. 

3.  Cupcakes!   Delicious, melt in your mouth cupcakes ... in a wide range of flavours!  Cupid's was a great choice for our mamas.  They had so many different flavours and we were able to indulge in more than one since we had a wide selection of mini cupcakes!

 4.  Get her a gift certificate to momstown!  That way, she can enjoy the benefits of being a member - from mom nights out to playdates with her little ones, and even a message board on where all the hot spots to get pampered are!

To become a member or inquire about a gift certificate, contact Lisa! And remember - it doesn't have to be Valentine's Day to pamper a mom - she deserves it all year round :)

The Handy Butterfly

Don't you just love the titles of these crafty posts from our friend Kathryn?  She's such a wonderful and crafty mom, and I'm not going to lie, when I get her posts in my inbox, I do a little happy dance!  Her crafts are always knock out hits around here!  My boys love painting and I think making this sweet little butterflies helps to get rid of the February Blah's we're all going through and helps us get ready for spring - I swear it's right around the corner!

If you love these posts as much as I do, be sure to check out Kathryn's crafty blog here!

The Handy Butterfly

Today Little Princess was a grumpy baby, with a surplus of drool, as has been the case for the last week or so and our family is all cheering for a tooth to pop through and give the tiny one some relief. She is the loudest member of our family at only 9 months old and when she suffers we all suffer!

Big Princess and I were truly hoping to get in some crafty time but Little insisted she be in arms for all of her awake time and I was scrambling around cooking, cleaning and attending to all the rest of the domestic Debbie joy. So with hubby teaching hockey after his regular job we had a limited amount of time to get our craft on today.

I put Little to bed with less than an hour until Big’s bedtime and hurried downstairs to do a butterfly craft with my lovely Big princess. I grabbed a piece of cardstock in favourite colour #2, I pulled out paint and told Big to roll up her sleeves. She pulled them up and then I told her to pick some paint colours. When she had them picked out I pulled out a paintbrush and painted each hand with the first colour, she giggled at the tickly brush and my heart melted as it always does when the wee ones laugh, there’s no better sound in the world.

I then instructed her to make a v shape with her hands and open her fingers (she didn’t make the v-shape so if your little one follows the instructions more closely your butterfly will look different) and then press them onto the paper and pretend her hands are making snow angels. Then we did it again with the second colour, just for fun and to make it prettier!

I then turned the paper upside down for the lower portion of butterfly wings, I told her to make a v but keep her fingers together and smush the paint around. We then brought the page right side up and I painted the body and antennae for her, as per her request.

When we were finished I asked her, as I usually do ‘what else does it need?’ and sometimes she will say it’s done and others she will have another great idea. Tonight she felt that ‘he’ needed eyes and a smile, so she picked out some pink googly eyes and a we used a pink Sharpie for a smile.

Afterwards I asked her if she would like to write butterfly at the bottom as we have been doing a lot of writing lately and she did. You might notice she is still transitioning from capitals to lower case with her writing but as it stands I love the little imperfections in her writing, this is such a short phase in her life and I love having these crooked-lettered keepsakes! 

So there you have it, a craft that can be done in 10 minutes or less! This craft can be done with almost any age, you just need to adjust your guidance level based on their skills. I love these types of projects as they are time stamps in a way, you’ll look back and marvel at those tiny hands someday or you can do one every year and see how much they change!

All you need:

cardstock, poster board or canvas.

paint, we used craft but tempra would be a great idea.

extra details: a marker, sparkles, pom-poms, googly eyes whatever you/they like.

All You Do:

paint childs hands, have them press them into paper with fingers apart, wave hands around to spread paint.

turn page upside down, keep kiddos fingers closed and spread paint around

Return page to upright position, paint a body and then add special touches from this point.

Special touches: paint circles as details on wings, create a pom-pom body or pom-pom antenna tips, put glitter on wings, make a happy face or add googly eyes!

I have seen an idea like this classic hand craft on pinterest before using feet, if you have a bit more time you might enjoy giving that a try! I couldn’t find a pin that led to any instructions but I’m pretty sure you can manage this one just by looking: http://projectbalancingact.smugmug.com/Children/Project-Balancing-Act-on/13273663_9TThng#!i=970442751&k=FGzr6&lb=1&s=A

Have fun, get messy and create smiles!

Thanks Kathryn for another great craft to put in our rainy day toolbox!  Looking forward to what you have up your sleeve for us next!

What to do for Family Day!

So here at momstown Burlington, we have a secret weapon.  Her name is Sarah.  She's amazing.  If we need to know what's going on in and around the Burlington / Halton / Hamilton area - she will supply you with everything you need to know.

The other day, someone asked on our message board what there is to do for Family Day this weekend.  Did Sarah ever come through for us on this one!  Here are some ideas for you and the family this weekend:

1. Family Day with the City of Burlington 
Loads of activities at Tansley Woods, swimming at Angela Coughlin/Aldershot Pool and skating at Appleby Ice Centre. Check out details and times here!

2. Give blood with the Canadian Blood Services 
We've got a group of our mamas heading over to Canadian Blood Services.  Sign up here!

3. Make Your Move Family Day  
The Town of Oakville, Oakville Public Library and the YMCA of Oakville are presenting their fourth annual family day event.  So much to see and do for the whole family - from children's entertainers to library programs.  Click here for all the details.

4. Hamilton KidFest
KidFest is Central Ontario's largest indoor inflatable show.  It's held at Hamilton's Warplane Heritage Museum and promises to be fun for everyone!  For more details and a discount coupon from momstown Hamilton, click here!

5. Burlington Kids Day at Corpus Christi High School in Burlington
Pancake breakfast and activities for everyone!  Check out all of the details here

6. Prestige Circus and Gymnastics School 
Come out for some free classes!  Looks like so much fun for all ages - click here for times and location

7. Royal Botanical Gardens
Chocolate the Exhibition continues at the RBG.  My boys went there a couple weeks ago and had a FANTASTIC time!  They loved the chocolate story, the hunt for the cocoa beans and watching chocolate made before their very eyes!  Click here for all the details!

Let us know what you're up to this weekend - are you staying in or checking out some of these awesome events?  We'd love to hear about it - post on our Facebook page, or fill us in on our message board!

Getting Kids to Listen!

momstown.ca is excited to partner with Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, to offer a FREE live training webinar: Get Kids to Listen without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling!

We have 2 options for you to attend - Tuesday, February 21st from 9-10 PM EST or  8 – 9PM PST (11 - 12 PM) EST!!

Amy promises that we’ll walk away with concrete tools we can use the next day and see results. I know you'll be especially interested in learning the 5 R’s of Fair and Effective Consequences. You can watch, listen and even interact with Amy. Participants are not required to have a webcam, only a computer with speakers.

Webinar seating will be limited so learn more and RSVP now!

Please share this on your FACEBOOK page (friends of friends welcome) by clicking here!

momstown is now offering even more events, discounts, and interactive features than ever! Join our membership for just $45/year for 20+ events per month!

Whoooo Loves Owls?

This week's crafty guest post comes to us again from the fabulous Kathryn!  She's given us a Valentine's Day post to get us in the mood for this romantic holiday! Whooo else thinks this is a cute little craft?  You can check out Kathryn's crafty blog for this and other Valentine's Day crafts here. 

This is my daughter’s favourite Valentines day craft. Ever. The year we made these (2010) we had made cute turkeys with footprints and handprints (I’m sure I will share this when the time of year is right) and Big loved it. So I set out to make some owls with her for Valentines day.

I found a printable template somewhere online and then discovered our printer was out of ink and we also thought the owl wasn’t as cute as he could be so I decided to freehand a little guy, not something I usually do as I’m not exactly an artiste extrodinaire!

So I just cut out an owly-looking shape, a large heart, a shorter, skinnier heart and some wee little heart eyes. I let big (who was only 2 then) help with some glue stick work and when the little family was made she said ‘um, mama, these owls need feet.’ Ah yes, my little stickler for details was right, I had forgotten feet, so we cut out a heart with a long stick shape and turned them upside down for feet. You could make the leg portion really long and crimp them to make silly legs if you wanted to.

Basically this is a fun, unstructured craft and each year it looks a little different. We have made small owls and glued them on to a homemade heart-shaped card for an adorable valentine. 

Please excuse the crummy old picture but it’s the only one I had on hand: 

What you need:

Construction paper

safety scissors

Glue

What to do:

Cut ‘owly shape’

Cut out various sizes of hearts for face, eyes, beak, legs

Ways to make it more fun:

Add googly eyes, feathers, sparkles, crimp legs so that they’re springy, glue on to a card or give as a card and add a clever line such as ‘whooo loves you?’ or ‘owl always love you’

Older kids can use safety scissors and cut this out themselves and write a little note on it.

Younger kids could stamp or colour on the body to brighten it up and help with gluing. 

Best tip ever: add a popsicle stick and turn your owl into a puppet, this adds hours of fun to an ordinary craft!!

You will find that this craft is a bit unstructured and has a lot of possibilities, if you’re not sure how you want your owl to look ask your little one for input, I know my daughter LOVES getting to be involved in the process and having a say in what to do next! Adjust the instructions to suit your child’s needs or your craft box inventory, make it fun for everyone!

Big is someone whooo will owl-ways love this craft…

Hehehe, sorry, it had to happen ;)

Shared from Kathryn's blog:http://thecraftyimpostor.tumblr.com/

Thanks Kathryn!  We LOVE your posts and hearing about all of your crafty adventures with your little ones!