Tales for Tots: We Share Everything

       Saturday we got to enjoy a classic by Robert Munsch, We Share Everything! A great tale of two children starting daycare and they are used to having everything for themselves. Amanda and Jeremiah learn that "in daycare we share everything". The characters go through a number of tiffs which leads their teacher to teach them a lesson over and over- that we share everything. It's then that Amanda and Jeremiah take her seriously and start exchanging clothing! The momstown kiddos thought that that was pretty funny! 

 

This months Winner!

        This month theme is Mix & Match and exchanging clothing fits very well into it. We had all the kids dress up in mixed and matched clothing. It was a fantastic day out at our local Indigo store, with tons of great company. At the end of our book reading adventure we had a draw for the book, and we are pleased to announce that Jahryd was this months lucky winner!

 Your momstown Edmonton North mama,


 Kandice

Free Positive Parenting Seminar With Amy McCready-Brought to you by momstown!

On February 21st, Amy McCready is partnering with momstown to host a free Positive Parenting webinar. The topic is discipline, and how to get your children to listen to you without having to nag or yell. Some of the momstown mamas and I were talking about it, and how great it is to be able to have these tactics up your sleeve when your kids are acting out. As our children grow, there will be (have been) times where we run out of ideas. We don't know what to say our do, and we have to figure out what, out of all the advice we get, is going to work for our family.

When my nieces were living with us, although they were only 2 and 3, they knew exactly who to listen to and when. In other words, they knew that I didn't know how to deal with their misbehaviour, so they walked all over me, but listened to their Uncle like angels. How great would it have been to have someone from the outside offer guidance, and a different perspective. Ugh, I wish. In hindsight, I can tell you exactly what I would've done differently. But as parents, we don't get the opportunity to sit back and examine the situation before dealing with it. So we have to use the good ol' Girl Guide rule: ALWAYS BE PREPARED.

This webinar will help us prepare, give us some perspective and some tactics to use when we think we're out of ideas. So I'll be doing what one of the other mamas suggested to me yesterday- I'm going to take notes and use them when my sweet little angel tests my limits, and I'm pretty sure I've run out of ideas. So if you haven't registered to join us, follow this link and register to join in!


http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown

Your momstown Edmonton North mama,

Amanda

Winter Wonderland Book Club at Indigo!

Today we had the pleasure of reading the Perfect Snow by Barbara Reid, our Scholastic book for the month. 

I hadn't had the chance to read the book before our Kids Book Club, so reading it with them was even more enjoyable as we got to experience it together. Barbara Reid is a fantastic story teller. We loved finding out how Scott and Jim started out working by themselves to make fantastic snow creations at recess, only to realize if they work together they can make the greatest snow creations as a team. Even the end of the book left it open for the kids imagination. Reading about snow forts and snowmen made me wish for a little bit more snow!

                                      Congratulations to our winner of this months book Paxton!

All and all we had a great time reading and playing at our local Indigo Store and cant wait till next month!

Your momstown Edmonton North mama Kandice

Fisher Price Space Saver Highchair!

We originally purchased a highchair for our son. To be honest we didn't put much thought into it. I started looking at the ones I thought looked the best rather than practicality. The one we ended up with is very big, and always in the way in our small kitchen. I cannot count the many times my DH and I have tripped, kicked and run into it. So when I got the chance to try out Fisher Prices' Space Saver High Chair I was super excited.

                Assembly was actually quite easy. The hardest part was fighting our lovely son for the pieces while putting it together. Before we attached it to our kitchen chair we sat him in the seat and tried out the seat and tray into the different positions that they sit in. The seat reclines which is great for an infant to just relax in the chair while you are in the kitchen or eating at the table. Also, if you have the seat reclined you can still have the tray on and move it to different positions, which is great! 

               We love the way that the seat is shaped like a bucket seat, it makes it harder for my son to try to climb out of or hang off the side, so I am noticing less food on the floor. The tray is also wonderful, it has deep sides so that food stays on the tray, even when our little one is swishing his food all over the place, and it wipes off very easily. 

            When the fabric on the chair got too messy, it was easy to remove and clean. I put it through the washer and hung it to dry, and it come out without a stain on it.  As mamas, who doesn't love something that doesn't stain easily?! Also we tried the chair without the fabric and it worked well that way, too. I would definitely recommend it to whoever is looking for a chair and wished we looked into this option before we got a huge highchair (which is now in the corner being used as storage). A great product, with so many great aspects!

Your momstown Edmonton North mama,

Kandice

Paper Bag Popcorn: Healthy Mommy Snacking Idea!

A while back I was discussing with a another mom about my family's love of popcorn. We use an air popper but once the baby is in bed it is a little loud and usually wakes him up. Then another mom brought this wonderful idea to light and we tried it last night and it is awesome! And for those of you who buy bags of popcorn, this way is just as easy and less expensive...and doesn't have anything added so it's healthier!

All you need is:

Popcorn Kernels

Brown Bag

Tape (to keep it shut)

Put about 1/4 cup of kernels in the unopened brown bag. Fold the end over and put a piece of tape to hold it closed.

Place the bag in the microwave so the bottom is facing up, so that it can expand. Time varies for every microwave. Start with 3 minutes and listen for the popping to decrease to two or three seconds in between pops.

Open carefully, it will be hot. Add popcorn toppers if you like them or eat it plain!

We will be doing this if we feel like popcorn while the baby is in bed. Another interesting idea that I will be trying will be popcorn french toast.  Brilliant! Another great idea shared between momstown mamas!
Thank you momstown member Vicky for passing this idea on!

Your momstown Edmonton North mama,

Kandice

Making a Crown with momstown!

Over the weekend the new Java Mama in St. Albert opened up and we were invited to host a craft on the Saturday morning. We had some momstown members join us and a few hopefully soon to be new members join us in making crowns! The crowns were simple to make and fun to wear. Here is a guide to make them at home.

Supplies:

coloured paper

scissors

glue stick or tape

foam stickers and jewels

Once you have decided on the colour of paper you want for your crown. Cut the paper down the middle with the design you want for the top of your crown.

Then match your two pieces together and cut a strip off the bottom. This will be for the inside of your crown so it doesn't slip down your head.

Now you will glue or tape both sides of the crown together, make sure you measure on your head so it is not too big or too small.

Then you will put on one of the strips that you cut off the bottom on the inside of your crown.

Now your crown is ready to be decorated!

For more crowns that you can make with momstown click here.

7 Signs of Mommy Aging

Since I got pregnant I’ve noticed that my body had changed quite a bit. Last week while I was watching T.V at my moms house, I noticed this one commercial played continuously about anti ageing creams and started wondering if it would fix all my mommy aging. By mommy aging I mean all the stuff I have really noticed that have changed since getting pregnant and having a baby. Now I am by no means considered `old`, only being 24, however some days I feel like I am falling apart at the seams. These are some of the signs of mommy aging:

1. My brain has left the building, I really wish it would come back! It is really needed. Simple tasks now elude me at the worst of times. I am really embarrassed to admit but more than once I have left the house with my clothing on inside out or completely backwards or inside out and backwards.
2. My bladder is faulty. Laughing, coughing, sneezing, cold weather, running water, even thinking about one of these has me running to the washroom. For the first time in my life when I go somewhere one of the first things I scope out is the bathroom, cause I sure don’t want to be caught in public doing a frantic pee dance looking for the washroom. So many times I have pulled up to my place, ran around the truck grabbed the baby and his seat and ran full tilt.
3. My tear ducts are leaky. I am sure there is a constant leak somewhere in there. There is no way a person should tear up as much as I do. I never know what is going to set me off. It is quite irritating, someone is telling me a funny joke and I start crying. Haha I swear what you are saying is funny even though my mascara is running down my face, tears of joy, tears of joy. There are many things that are a no go in my thinking process, baby, happy baby, sad baby, something sad, something happy, something hilarious (because then I will also have to find a bathroom), pretty much anything that causes me emotion.
4. My breasts hang low(er). My breasts came in quite fast when I was younger so they have never really been overly perky and now they definitely wont ever be perky again. This past week my much younger sister pointed this out to me in front of everyone including her much younger boyfriend. This didn’t embarrass me so much as remind me that I cannot leave my room with out a bra on. Every time she pointed this fact out to me I felt like belting out Do your boobs hang low do they wobble to and fro....
5. I snap, crackle and pop. In fact I snap, crackle and pop in places that I didn’t know made those types of noises. In public I am scared to move when it is quiet, you can hear me from a mile away. Hide and seek is definitely out of the question, the person who is `it` will know exactly what direction I am going.
6. My hair as seen better days. This is more me not putting any effort into my hair, but it counts right? Most days I can not even get a brush all the way through with out my little man going into hysterics. I have started relying heavily on pony tails and headbands. Which only makes me look younger than I am. Right now you are thinking how is that bad. It`s bad when I am asked where my parents are when I try to get a sample at the supermarket.
7. The worst of it all for me, major stretch marks. I am not talking about the those who only get a few, I am talking about my whole stomach looking like a saggy spiderweb. That last month of my pregnancy when the doctor said “wow, you have a lot of extra fluid” still rings in my head when I look at myself in the mirror. I will now never be able to wear a bikini. Not that I have ever worn a bikini, but now I don’t have that option available to me, it makes the potentially skinny me sad. Oh well I will just have to wear a normal one piece... what am I complaining about I am one of those people who put a shirt over my bathing suit.
   
   The list can go on and on, but I wouldn’t change anything. I love my little man and all the laughter he brings to my life!