momstown burlington

2012-01-30T23:24:00.005-05:00

IS YOUR BABY OR TODDLER NOT SLEEPING?
Upcoming Baby & Toddler Sleep Workshop
February 18 th
10 am – 1 pm
$175
ThinkSpot Burlington (FREE PARKING)
ONLY 20 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Momstown Discount of 15% OFF WHEN YOU REGISTER
www.weesleep.ca/seminars for DETAILS AND TO REGISTER
Your baby will be sleeping through the night (10-12 hrs!) in 10 days or less!

Lowville Games This Weekend!

2012-01-25T19:41:00.001-05:00

Come on out to Lowville Park on Sunday January 29 from 11am - 4pm for the Lowville Winter Games! There are activities for the whole family - even without the snow!

Look for these highlights at the Lowville Winter Games on Sunday:

New this year: the Human Gyroscope and Body Zorbs, presented by Elephant Thoughts
Challenge yourself on one of our two obstacle courses:
Momstown presents a parent / tot course
Gather your friends and try the LWG big foot challenge.
Recording artist Larry MacDonald will provide musical entertainment throughout the day
Marvel at the juggling talents of Johnny Toronto
Conservation Halton will be on hand with its Birds of Prey exhibit
Cedar Springs Health, Racquet and Sports Club will lead a Zumba class
Log sawing contest
Ceramic medal painting presented by Art Glazed Over
Plus great food from the Lowville United Church, Gorilla Cheese, Funnel Cakes and the Cupcake Diner

For more information contact Mike Mueller at 905-335-7600, ext. 7704

Shuttle Service: Parking is limited, so take advantage of Burlington Transit's FREE shuttle bus based at the Board of Education parking lot at Upper Middle Road and Guelph Line. Regular shuttles to and from the park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T13:37:00.000-05:00

This morning our moms, babes, toddlers and preschoolers, got together to celebrate the Chinese New Year!

We started off with a Chinese New Year and Dragon themed circle time. The little ones really seemed to enjoy hearing different versions of their usual circle time songs!

We then moved onto some crafts which were full of colour and could be modified for all ages (even the moms got into the crafts - sorry I didn't get a picture of your dragon masks Erin and Kathleen - they were great!!)

Making Dragon masks - download a printable version to do at home here!

Here's one of our little ones with her new fan! Here's how to make one at home!

We also made some beautiful lanterns - excellent for preschooler and toddlers to learn how to cut. For a step by step on how to make those, click here.

We finished the party off parading our dragon masks around the room and of course a colourful and energetic parachute!

How did you ring in the Chinese New Year?

Tales for Tots - The Perfect Snow!

2012-01-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

Scholastic Canada was kind enough to provide us with The Perfect Snow, by Barbara Reid for our Tales for Tots group this month. It was the perfect story for our curricular theme, winter wonderland.

January hasn't been very winter-y so far, and this story really got us in the mood for our snowflake craft. We also did some bubbles at circle time, which were a great hit, and pretended they were snowflakes falling all around us!

Just like real snowflakes - every one is unique!

Everyone working hard to make the Perfect Snow-flake :)

Congratulations to Justine and her little ones who won a copy of the story - thanks Scholastic Canada!

Thanks to Angelic Treasures Christian Childcare Centre for giving us the space to host this energetic group and allowing our little ones to play with all of your fantastic toys. As always, we appreciate it!

Join us next month, when our theme is Mix and Match, and our story is We Share Everything by Robert Munsch!

Calling All First Time Expecting Moms!

2012-01-12T22:15:00.000-05:00

Are you a first time expecting mom living in the Burlington area? momstown offers a FREE membership until 2 weeks after your due date.

Congratulations on that cute little belly bump! Check out all that momstown has to offer you and your expected arrival! Surf our message board, attend events, and meet other mommies. We can't wait to show you all the things mommy-hood has in store for you.

Go to momstown Burlington and register as a new member. In the "where did you hear about us" section, write Belly Promo and your due date. We'll send you an email when you're all set up.

Congrats again, we can't wait to see you around the neighbourhood!

If you have any questions about momstown, please don't hesitate to contact us at info.burlington@momstown.ca

Saying goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012!

2012-01-10T07:26:00.000-05:00

Welcome to 2012! A new year, a fresh start, a whole new set of goals to tackle! I've been doing a lot of reflecting and planning lately and I am really so excited for everything 2012 has to offer. I'm writing lists and charts and making a plan with both my momstown business and my own personal life.

2011 taught me a lot and there were a number of lessons I walked away with.

1. Never take a single moment of your life for granted. We have no idea what's around the next corner and what's in store for us. I'm a huge planner and definitely learned in 2011 that there are some things you just can't plan for.

2. Sometimes life is fair, sometimes it's not. I always say that everything happens for a reason, but waiting to find out just what that reason is can be pretty frustrating.

3. Use your support networks and accept help when it's offered. With a personality like mine, you feel like you're swallowing your pride and admitting that you can't handle everything. Surprise! You can't handle everything!! In the end you're admitting you're human :)

4. Be there. Live in the moment and be present in your interactions with others, especially your family. The quality time you spend with others is only quality if you're fully there and fully present.

5. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable and put yourself out there. I've always been afraid to ask questions because I don't want to look silly. I've learned it's ok to look silly :)

So there's my list of life lessons I've learned over the past year. It's been a year of ups and downs and I'm looking forward to a new year, a fresh start and making new memories.

What to do on New Year's Day!

2011-12-28T07:26:00.000-05:00

Wondering what to do on New Year's day to keep the kiddos busy?? The City of Burlington is transforming Tansley Woods into Suessville! From 12:00-4:00pm on Sunday January 1st 2012, there will be activities and fun for the whole family! Click here for all the details!

There will be free swimming (pool capacity rules will be in effect), open gym, performances from Centre Stage Productions at 12:30 and 2:00pm, crafts from Art Glazed Over and momstown Burlington, story times from momstown, wii games room, and balloon art and face painting!

When you come out for all the fun, be sure to pop into the preschool room and say hi - we'll be making fish from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and elephant masks from Horton Hears A Who!

See you there!

Ring in the New Year with the City of Burlington!

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Looking for something fun to do with the little ones this year for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? The City of Burlington is transforming Central Park and Tansley Woods into Suessville and you're invited!

On New Year's Eve, the festivities will be happening from 6:00-10:00pm at Central Park in Burlington. There will be free skating, courtesy of Tim Horton's, throughout the evening, but please remember that maximum capacity (160 skaters) rules will be in place. Skates will be from 6-7, 7-8, 8-9, and 9-10. You can receive colour coded bracelets for all skate times when the arena opens at 5:30pm. For all the rules and regulations, click here.

There will also be activities and fun for the whole family at Central Auditorium and the Senior's Centre, a viewing of The Cat In the Hat at the outdoor bandshell at 8pm - be sure to bundle up - and of course, the countdown to the new year! The countdown will happen at 10:00pm, followed by fireworks so that we can all get our little ones home to bed and enjoy the real countdown at midnight!

A Little Mom Fun!

2011-12-20T06:52:00.000-05:00

At such a busy time of year, we often find ourselves taking the time to slow down and breathe. Last week, our members got together to celebrate the season, momstown style!

Of course we had a pot luck. Who doesn't love potlucks?!?! Our friends at Kraft supplied us with some yummy treats, and there were some delicious apps, desserts and punch!

We had a cookie exchange. The premise of this is that you make six dozen of the same kind of cookie, then bring them to the party and trade them off with your friends. You end up with six dozen different kinds of cookies to take home, and when you're entertaining over the holidays your friends and family think you baked all these glorious creations! "Where did you find the time?" "Wow, you're super mom!"

Then we had a mom's speed dating - if anyone can come up with a better name, I'd love to hear it! Essentially what we did was sit around a long table, ensuring that you're sitting across from someone. We were given two (or ten) minutes to chat with the person across from us and get to know them a little better. When time was up, we moved down to the next seat and got to know the person across from us there. One thing that's really important is to have a buzzer that works ;)

Finally, we had a gingerbread making contest. All of our mamas got a mini-gingerbread house to decorate and assemble. Some creations were gorgeous. Some were not, haha!

For more pictures from our fun night out, click here. To get a free two week trial and have some fun with us, click here!

A great night out for our members, and a little reminder to slow down and take some time to enjoy the holiday season! Already starting to plan next year's party ... stay tuned!

A Porcupine in a Pine Tree!

2011-12-19T14:09:00.001-05:00

At our monthly Tales for Tots group this morning, we read the book "A Porcupine in a Pine Tree" by Helaine Beckar that was generously given to us by Scholastic Canada. A copy of the book was given away and this month, our winner was Jack and his dad Shane! Jack's mom is a momstown member and while she wasn't able to make it this month, she didn't want Jack to miss out on our great group and seeing his friends - dad's are always welcome!

Everyone loved the book - we sang it during circle time! The Canadian-ness of it was great and the illustrations were fun!

Along with our fantastic story, we did some reindeer crafts and had a great Christmas-y circle time!

Thanks to Angelic Treasures Childcare Centre for allowing us to host our Tales for Tots group at your facilities! Looking forward to next month's book - The Perfect Snow!

Winter Solstice Activities

2011-12-18T08:04:00.000-05:00

The other day, I realized that for me, December is very Christmas-centric. I put it out there on our message board and asked our momstown Burlington members what else they celebrate in December.

There were some really neat traditions that I hope to put on the events calendar for next year, like St Lucy's day, St Nikolaus Day, Winter Solstice and Hannukah. I was really excited to hear how people celebrate these special days and what it means to them. Great traditions and neat to hear what and how other people celebrate different holidays!

Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, and the sign that the days will now start getting longer.

I started looking into events around the community for the Winter Solstice (December 21st) and found the following:

- Royal Botanical Gardens has a Family Winter Solstice Celebration

Come on a guided hike through the woods at night, and then join us by a roaring bonfire to welcome the sun back and share stories that explore the turning of the season. It’s the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year but after December 21, the days do begin to get longer — and that’s worth celebrating! Click here to register

- Rayhoon Persian Eatery will be hosting a Winter Solstice Celebration with food, festive atmosphere and traditional Persian music!
Click here for more information.

Whatever you celebrate I hope you enjoy yourself and get to spend some time with family and friends. I hope you can make memories, celebrate life, love and health and enjoy the spirit of the season.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Big Action Construction was a Big Hit!

2011-12-16T15:22:00.000-05:00

This month I was lucky enough to receive the Big Action Construction Set from Fisher Price to review.

To say that my oldest son, Oliver was thrilled when he saw it would be an understatement. He's three years old and loves anything and everything to do with trucks. We go for regular walks and drives around town where we know there is some form of construction going on.

Back to the Big Action Construction set! A giant box arrived and of course, Oliver was trying to figure out what it was. I knew what it was, and knew that I only had 45 minutes until dinner would be ready. I opened the giant cardboard box, and revealed the Big Action Construction box. Oliver looked stunned. He quickly asked if this was for him or for the children we're sponsoring through momstown Burlington for the Compassion Society this holiday season. He's getting used to people dropping off gifts for the sponsorship program, and knowing they aren't for him.

I told him the set was for him and he was over the moon with excitement. "Mom, let's set this up now please!". So away to work we went. Oliver grabbed the truck and the remote control right away, and started chasing his younger brother with the truck. The giggles were out of control! I was able to assemble the whole thing in about 15 minutes.

When it was all set up, Oliver was a little skeptical about how he would be able to maneuver the truck around the ramps and use the elevator, etc. Once I showed him how it worked - he couldn't get enough of it! He kept talking about the crane taking the boulders, the boulders being dumped into the bins, and the dumper riding the elevators. He was in truck heaven!

I loved that the remote for the truck was colour coded. We have another remote car and Oliver always gets confused with which arrow to push to make it go which way. With the Big Action Construction Set, the arrows are colour coded and match the truck. So when Oliver is trying to figure out which button to push, he just needs to look at the colours on each side of the truck and how they match the remote. If he wants it to go left (blue) he pushes the blue button! It gives him some independence without me always saying, "No that button, no that one....want me to help?".

Overall, this set was a HUGE hit at my house. Oliver has honestly played with it every day since we received it and has not gotten bored yet! Harrison and our cat also love it, as Oliver chases them both around the house with the truck. Love the giggles and smiles this toy set has brought to our home.

If you have a truck lover - this is a great gift for them!

Teaching our little ones the spirit of the holidays

2011-12-14T07:14:00.000-05:00

How do you teach your little ones about the "spirit" of the holiday season?

My older son, who is three, is just starting to "get" Santa. He thinks it's pretty cool that he has an elf named Buddy who is a close personal friend with the big man in red. He dresses up like an elf and makes toys, helps his little brother do the same, and tells me when the toys are ready to put in the sleigh so that I can deliver them to the boys and girls.

A few weekends ago, we went to the Royal Botanical Gardens and saw a real live reindeer - it knocked his socks off! One morning last week, there was a light dusting of snow on the rooftops and trees when I opened his curtains and he said "Oh mommy, it looks like magic". Insert my heart melting here :)

I've also been lucky enough to be organizing our members in sponsoring SIX local families this season through the Compassion Society. Wow! Six families will have presents for all of the children, the parents and some grocery gift cards to go towards perishable items for their dinner. When people started dropping off the presents, Oliver was so excited that there were presents in our house. "Mommy", he kept saying, "Are these all for me??". I explained to him, as best as I could, that no, these gifts are for some people who can't afford gifts for their families this year, and we're going to help them and help Santa to make sure they get some presents. Now when someone drops off a present, he says "Mommy is this for a little boy or a little girl?".

Overall, I think my little guys are starting to get the idea of giving and celebrating that comes with the holiday and Christmas season. I keep talking to Oliver about how on Christmas day we're going to get up in the morning, exchange gifts, and enjoy a special breakfast - just the four of us. Then in the evening, we'll have a house full of people and we'll celebrate Christmas with a big, noisy dinner that will be so much fun. We'll be celebrating everything that we have - health, happiness and family.

HO HO HO!

2011-12-12T07:33:00.000-05:00

Our members and their families gathered today for our annual momstown Christmas party! There was food, toys, music, dancing, crafts, pictures, and a visit from our friend Santa! There was a little something for everyone and the smiles on everyone's faces - kids and parents - told us that everyone had a great time!

No Christmas party is complete without food. Our friends at Sweetness Bakery in downtown Burlington, supplied us with cupcakes for our guests - and were they ever good! They were gone pretty quickly, and there were definitely no leftovers. For the adults, we were able to wash those cupcakes down with some fresh coffee from our friends at Tim Horton's! It really hit the spot, and helped us keep up with the little ones! Delish!

A really big hit with our families was our friends at Toys Trunk. This company rents their toys to you for either a two or four week period - what a great idea! So many of our moms were commenting that this is going to save them a lot of money and a lot of space! It's also a good idea if you're looking to try out a toy before you buy it for your little one!

Our friends at Crafty Corner provided our little ones with a letter to Santa and a craft to help them decorate their tree! So many great ideas and the crafts were a huge hit with our kiddos! Crafty Corner is great for helping out with party planning and providing the activities!

Lorry from Kindermusik from the Performance School of Music and Dance, did a wonderful job providing sound, atmosphere and movement to the group! The singing, music, dancing and exploring were all so much fun and kept the little ones so engaged!

Michael, owner of Michael Armstrong Photography really knew how to stay patient and focused with our kiddos - some of them really didn't feel like it was their day to pose ;) He was so creative though, and had two different sets for the parents to choose from and his outgoing personality really helped draw out the 'real' personalities from our cuties!

Santa stopped by for a visit with everyone and took the time to talk to each and every one of them! Was so nice to see the smiles for *most* of the kiddos when they got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas!

We were able to decorate a Christmas tree with loads of mittens and hats to donate to the Compassion Society, as well as bags and bags of non-perishable food items for the Partnership West Food Bank. Thank you to everyone who contributed and donated to these amazing causes.

Overall, it was a fantastic party, and families from our Burlington community were able to come together in one place, connect and celebrate the holidays together! Thanks everyone!

Meeting with Premier Dalton McGuinty

2011-12-09T13:43:00.000-05:00

Last week, I received an email from the Premier's office casually asking for a meeting the following Tuesday with Ann-Marie Burton and me in Burlington. I was in shock. Things like this don't just happen, or do they?

I thought about it over the weekend and couldn't help but feel excited about this opportunity. I would be meeting the Premier of Ontario at his request! What an honour!

I started preparing for the meeting as best I could. Who else would be there? I envisioned a room full of people and Ann-Marie and I trying to make sure we could be seen. What questions did I have for the Premier and would I get the opportunity to ask them in this large crowd? Would there be a question period?

I reflected on the Premier's latest bills and his hot topics - I viewed this video about bullying that he had recently posted and loved the message that it shares. Before having my children, I was a Child and Youth Counsellor and I ran countless anti-bullying programs and worked with so many young people who had been bullied. What a great message that the Premier is getting out there.

A few emails were sent back and forth to arrange the meeting, and it started to sound more and more like it would just be myself and Ann-Marie meeting with the Premier. I kept telling myself that wasn't possible. Sure enough, we walk into Pepperwood and it is suddenly very clear that it will just be us and Premier McGuinty.

Shortly after meeting with some of the Premier's wonderful staff, Mr McGuinty arrived and we were introduced to him. Our conversation was so laid back, it was honestly like speaking with a neighbour. We were able to tell him all about the amazing business we have connecting real moms in our community. Premier McGuinty shared with us a bit about himself and we were able to discuss topics surrounding anti-bullying, kindergarten and technology in the classroom.

As quickly as the moment had arrived it was over. I was so honoured to have this opportunity and that the Premier of Ontario took the time out of his schedule to connect with local entrepreneurs and actually listen to what we are doing in the community.

I am so proud to say that I am the owner of momstown Burlington. I'm proud of where we've been, where we are and where we're headed. What an amazing company to be part of. We've had some amazing opportunities and there are so many more that lay ahead. Thank you Ann-Marie for all that you do xox

Santa Claus is Coming to Burlington!

2011-11-29T22:31:00.000-05:00

The City of Burlington and local Rotary Clubs are hosting their annual Santa Claus Parade this weekend! For all the parade information and a link to the parade route, click here!

After the parade, head down to Spencer Smith Park to check out the Festival of Lights that will be lit up throughout the park! Hope to see you there!

There's a New Sheriff in Town!

2011-11-27T00:02:00.000-05:00

Our momstown theme for the month of November is "The Wild West" and did we ever have a good time at our Tales for Tots group! We had an energetic circle time and even cracked out the shakers! Then we slowed it down and read the fun story by Andy Rash, called "Are You A Horse". The kids seemed to enjoy it! Special thanks to Scholastic Canada for providing us the book selection and a copy to give away to one of our members - Jocelyn!

After circle time, we headed over to the toddler/preschool sized tables at Angelic Treasures, where we made some fancy sheriff's hats! Yee-haw! Then we came back to circle time, where we had parachute, more songs and ended the group with some free play! Thank you Angie for letting us play with all your toys!

Interested in joining our Tales for Tots group next month? We'll be reading "A Porcupine in a Pine Tree" by Helaine Becker and there will be a copy to give away to one lucky member! Sign up here! Many thanks to Scholastic Canada and Angelic Treasures for helping us make this group happen each month.

Not a member yet? Click here for your two week free trial!

Ho Ho Ho! Guess Who's Coming To Town!

2011-11-26T07:18:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is upon us! For everyone it means something a little different, and chances are activities, smells, sounds and events spur on memories of Christmas past.

One thing I remember fondly about the holidays is the parades. I loved standing out in the cold, all bundled up, watching the magic stroll past me, the music playing, candy canes tossed to the crowd, all building up to the final float. Santa.

If you're in the Halton or Hamilton area this weekend and next, you're in luck and you'll get to experience some of this magic!

If you're close to Flamborough, you'll want to head out to the Flamborough Santa Claus Parade. It's a nighttime event, starting at 6:30pm - you'll want to get there much earlier for a great spot to see all the action! Click the link above for the parade route, and ideas on what to expect! The weather is supposed to be amazing, so this is one you won't want to miss!

Real Moms. Connected.

2011-11-25T06:59:00.000-05:00

What is momstown?

To me, it's all about connections. As the owner of the Burlington chapter, I'm able to connect with my members and see them connect with each other. I also connect with local organizations and businesses throughout the community, connecting them with people who could use them most - real moms!

A couple weeks ago, our 18 momstown licensees (some with their sweet little babes!) and five national reps came to Burlington from all over Canada and had one amazing conference! We talked about everything from branding our business to how to forecast for the future and everything in between. We were able connect with each other like we never have before - it was the first time that all 22 of us were together in the same room!

We stay connected regularly through the magic of the internet, but in all honesty, it's nothing like what happened at our conference. We were able to put faces to names, have real conversations with one another and brainstorm new ideas for our chapters! It was like any momstown event that's held on any given day in one of our chapters, but with the chapter owners! We all knew each other from our online chats and skype calls, so when we actually met in real life, no one really thought twice about it - hugs all around!

Sometimes I forget about the awesome support network that comes built in as being part of the momstown team. I have 22 amazing women to connect with at any given time, who are all doing similar things in their communities - connecting real moms. How awesome is that?! Most entrepreneurs don't have an amazing support system like this. On those really tough days when I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall, and don't know which way is up, all I have to do is turn to my team and know that someone out there understands what I'm going through, or is at least ready to help me brainstorm a solution!

This conference was huge for me and for where I am in my business. It helped me refocus, begin developing some plans and have a new direction for the coming year. Looking forward to 2012 and all that is in store for us! Especially our Spring momstown conference ;)

Preparing for the Holiday Season

2011-11-20T14:28:00.000-05:00

A little while back, I wrote about breaking family traditions that were part of my family and how I wanted to make new traditions for my own family. With the holiday season fast-approaching, my husband and I are starting to talk about what we'll do for Christmas this year and if we'll be starting any holiday traditions of our own.

So far, here's what we've come up with!

Traditions we'll be continuing:

1. Christmas Eve at Marty's grandma's house - Estonian blood sausage and all!

2. On our drive home from Marty's grandma's house, we'll get hot chocolate and drive or walk around our neighbourhood looking at all the lights, trying to find Santa flying through the sky!

3. One present can be opened before bed on Christmas Eve - a set of Christmas jammies to be worn that night!

New traditions we're going to be starting this year:

1. Elf on the Shelf!!! We bought this two years ago from our friends at JetBaby and we're so excited that our oldest son is finally able to grasp the concept of Santa, his elves and all the fun that comes with the Christmas season! If you haven't heard of this before, check out the link and learn about the magic of the little elf that hides around your house! I want ours to show up at the house now, but Marty is insistent that we have to wait until December 1st.

2. Cozy Christmas morning with our family. We're going to *try* to slow down and really enjoy Christmas morning with our boys. Just some Christmas music, presents, breakfast in the slow cooker, cozy cuddles and kisses, and enjoying every minute of the magic that Christmas brings.

3. Santa is going to bring a movie for the family to enjoy while mommy works on prepping the turkey and fixin's for the big family Christmas dinner!

4. Big family dinner at our place :) I love to cook, and hosted my first Christmas turkey dinner two years ago. Last year I had a one month old, and really couldn't figure out which day was Christmas let alone pull off a big dinner for guests!

So there's our list of new and old Christmas traditions. We'll see what works and what doesn't and hopefully we'll be able to slow down this year and enjoy the season. What traditions do you have? How long have they been around?

Mastermind Toys Be A Star Campaign

2011-11-19T14:17:00.000-05:00

Do you love Mastermind Toys? Do you want a chance to win a $1000 shopping spree at Mastermind Toys AND help them donate money to the Make A Wish Foundation Canada?

Mastermind Toys will donate $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation Canada for every new Facebook fan they acquire! Their goal is to raise $10,000 for this amazing cause and they're half way there!

Follow this link to Mastermind's Facebook page and be sure to "like" their page. It's that easy! The program runs until December 23rd, so be sure to share this with your friends and family - spread the word for a great cause!

Guest Blog: Just Dad and the Boys

2011-11-12T20:25:00.000-05:00

Guest blogger: Marty (Lisa's husband)

With Lisa off to the semi-annual momstown.ca National Conference (#momstownconf), that means its just dear ol' dad and Oliver and Harrison. I get very excited for Lisa when the conference dates are announced and also to have the opportunity to do some male bonding with the boys. But as the date roles around all I can picture is mommy gallivanting around Halton and Hamilton with the momstown crew, having a blast driving around in sponsored transportation and winning free stuff, while the 3-year old, 1-year old and I are scrounging in the backyard for grubs and berries, trying to nourish AND entertain ourselves. It's not like we've never spent two or three days together without mom before (see Blissdom Canada 2011), but this time, Lisa is so busy getting ready for the conference she hasn't had time to draft the requisite 8-page manual on "how to keep everyone alive and happy".

As I finally forgot about the work week that just was and began to plan what this weekend might look like (on Friday night of course), I thought, what would Lisa do?..............MAKE A LIST!! The following is my to-do list in preparation of the weekend. I'll get back to you over the next couple of days and let you know how everything went...

Day 1 - Saturday

Prep coffee for prompt brewing upon wake-up (check)
Ensure car seats are re-installed after Lisa returns from late night airport pickup of momstown Edmonton North owners and babes (check)
Prep lunch aka how are the white bread and peanut butter levels? - oh no! there's no bread!! (unchecked)
Tell Lisa we are going to grocery store - "see we aren't just going to watch Busytown Mysteries all day..." (check)
Ensure I have cash for on-the-road caffeine pick up (double check)
Prep and pack morning, after nap and night-time snacks (check)
Prep and pack morning, after nap and night-time snacks for Oliver and Harrison (check)
Shower (optional)
Shave (optional)
Find clean pair of comfortable pants (check)
Make "Marty's grocery list" (check)
Throw out "Marty's grocery list" - a grocery list was already made for me (check)
Review Tassimo T-disc supply levels for post-breakfast, post-grocery caffeine top-up (check)
Take Big Cook dinner out of freezer and put into fridge to thaw (check)
Call Grandma to make dinner reservations for Day 2 - Sunday (check)
Call Grandma back to casually ask what they are eating on Day 3 - Monday (optional)
Check DVR for to see how many episodes of Busytown Mysteries we have - there's 8, sweeeeeeettttt!!! (check)

Day 2 - Sunday

See list for Day 1

Well, this should get us off the ground and moving in the right direction. Despite all this tiresome planning, I can't wait to spend the next 3 days with my two favourite guys!

Standing on his own two feet

2011-11-11T06:55:00.000-05:00

I breastfed my first son, Oliver, until he was 11 months. At 11 months, I was still feeding him once twice a day. My plan was to continue breastfeeding him until he turned one. I wasn't sure what I was going to do after that, but I knew that I wanted to breastfeed for the first full year and nothing was going to stop me.

Well, nothing but a determined little boy who threw me for a loop on the day of his eleven month birthday. I went to feed him but he closed his mouth and turned the other way when I tried to feed him. I was a little taken aback, but sighed and decided he was just having an off morning and we'd be back on track that night. Same thing happened that night. I put him down in his crib, and figured he'd wake up hungry in the middle of the night and we'd have one of "those nights". He slept through the night.

He went on to reject the breast for the next three days after that when I offered it to him. I'm not going to lie, I was beside myself. What had I done wrong? What was wrong with me? Why didn't my babe want my milk anymore? I booked an appointment with my doctor and she assured me he would be fine, he had weaned himself and at the end of the day, maybe that was better than me trying to wean him and having an awful time with it.

It was just another reminder from my little man that he was in charge and I was just along for the ride.
I thought I was prepared for the possibility of my younger son weaning himself.

It turns out I wasn't prepared! My younger son, Harrison, completely weaned just after turning 11 months. When it happened, I kept thinking about how quickly Harrison is growing up - much quicker than his older brother, that's for sure! But having him not need me for food, well that was a tough pill to swallow. I went from being the only source of food, to the main source of his nutrition when he started solids to just mom now that he was rejecting the boob. I wasn't prepared for that.

I cried. I cried because I was sad that this beautiful bonding experience that we shared was now over. I cried because I felt like it was my fault again. I cried because my little baby is growing up and I can't stop it. I cried because I felt selfish for wanting him to stay a baby.

I reminded myself that I need to celebrate my boys growing up and becoming independent.

Two days after completely weaning himself, Harrison did something that was almost like him making a statement to me about growing up, becoming independent and my role in all of it. He was holding onto the couch, walking along and suddenly he let go. Harrison stood there, on his own two feet, not holding on to anything for about 30 seconds. He looked at me and he smiled. It was as if he was saying "Mom I'm going to stand on my own two feet one day. I need you to watch and be proud of me and of yourself for helping me get here."

Then he plopped himself on the floor, crawled over and gave me a slobbery, gooey, boogey filled open mouth kiss on my cheek - reminding me that he'll always be my little guy and and he'll always love me, no matter how much or how little he needs me.

November is CPR Month

2011-11-10T07:18:00.000-05:00

Did you know that November is CPR month at the Canadian Red Cross?
The Canadian Red Cross challenges everyone to get the training they need to help save a life. Momstown Oakville and Momstown Burlington are joining together for a fun filled and educational morning of learning. Whether it's your first time learning CPR, or just looking for a refresher course, this is a great time to do it!
Our moms will be learning some great skills: what to do if your child is choking, demonstrations of infanct CPR, plus some general first aid.

Story County Here We Come!

2011-11-04T21:16:00.000-04:00

Our momstown Burlington moms got together last week at Angelic Treasures for our Tales for Tots group! Scholastic Canada provided us with the book "Story County: Here We Come" by Derek Anderson for our story time. It was a hit! These funny farm characters got together to make the perfect farm - I think it was unanimous that our little ones liked the cow character the best!

One of our lucky members got to take away a copy of the book - thanks Scholastic!

After circle and story time, out little members took some time to make their own scarecrows - it was our curricular theme for the month of October. We used some toilet paper rolls, some fancy shapes, a lot of imagination and creativity and the results were fantastic! Way to go guys!

Looking forward to our November Tales for Tots group. We'll be reading the story "Are You A Horse?" by Andy Rash, which goes perfectly with our "Wild West" curricular theme. My older son gets a kick out of this story every time I read it to him! Looking forward to sharing it with our momstown Burlington group at the end of the month!

"It's in you to give"

2011-11-04T07:20:00.002-04:00

I've never met her, but her story moved me to tears. Shannon Clark is someone who's story has inspired me to give blood on November 10 with our momstown Burlington group.

I've always despised needles. I stick out my arm, look the other way and clench my teeth while I wait for the needle. Clench your fist.....and release. After reading Shannon's story, I can't believe that I've been afraid to donate blood - all because I don't like the discomfort while I get a needle. I honestly can't do the story justice, so please check it out by clicking on the link above. We're in the process of booking a talk with Shannon, and I can't wait to meet her.

I'm constantly looking for ways to help out the community. I have a background in social services, and it's just my nature to want to help. This year, for example, momstown Burlington will be working with the Compassion Society to provide families who are struggling with some Christmas presents from their wishlist and some food for their special dinner.

Why have I never seen donating blood as something that would fall into the same category? I guess in all honesty, it's a donation that I can't really see. I haven't ever thought about the people in my life who have needed blood, but after reading the Canadian Blood Services website, I realize there are a number of people in my life who may have needed blood at some point or another. Some who probably wouldn't be here without those donations.

So for 30 seconds of discomfort, I'm going to donate my blood next week and hope you'll do the same. Click here to sign up for your time slot. To make sure you are eligible to donate blood with us on November 10, click here for a list of eligibility requirements.

What has motivated or inspired you to donate blood?

Winner of our October Monthly Contest!

2011-11-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

The winner of our monthly contest for October is - Carey! Check your inbox on how to claim your prize! Congratulations on winning a $100 gift certificate to Mastermind Toys! Their new location is now open in Burlington!

Click here to enter our monthly contest for November - 11 free Zumba classes with Nicole from Feel the Party!