Loving my new Toshiba Thrive Tablet!

Last week I attended our momstown National conference where we were all given the opportunity to try out 4 of the new Toshiba Thrive Tablets amongst our group. I was eager to get the opportunity to have the hands on experience since that's how I learn best. I was pleasantly surprised about how easy it was to navigate myself through it to get to my email account, face book, twitter, take pictures and of course look at our momstown Milton website!

Having had the opportunity to play with it helped to make me realize that working off of my phone was no longer a productive way of getting things done and that I really needed to add the Toshiba Thrive Tablet to my Christmas wish list as a must have item.

It didn't stay on my wish list for very long since I ended up being chosen by my peers as a lucky winner. I was going home with a Toshiba Tablet of my very own..unbelievable! Thank you to both my momstown teammates and Toshiba for this awesome prize pack!

Working with it more, I have come to appreciate the size of the screen ( I don't have to squint anymore looking at my phone), the touch screen keyboard ( bye bye mouse) and the fact that it is a lot easier to type on have been a value added bonus for me. I like the fact that it is light weight and portable which makes it easy to bring along with me since I'm always on the go. The grooved backing makes the grip more sturdier and stable which is a great feature to have when working around little hands that like to reach and grab.

The tablet was just too great of a prize to keep all to myself so I took it to our playgroup to see what our other moms thought about it. It was an instant crowd pleaser. Not only did the moms enjoy the ease of using it (one handed by some) and keeping connected, they also enjoyed watching their toddlers being able to navigate the touch screen with very little assistance.






Want to hear what our other moms are saying about the tablet. Check out the other winners blog - momstown Winnipeg, momstown Guelph, momstown.ca and momstown Edmonton South for their thoughts and opinions.

Want to win one of your own? You can enter here to win your very own Toshiba Tablet from our momstown contests blog or nominate a good Samaritan in your community to receive one by entering them in the Toshiba Holiday Hero contest. Good Luck!

Laugh and Learn Puppy from Fisher Price

momstown Milton was lucky enough to be chosen to review the new Laugh and Learn Love to Play Puppy from Fisher Price. When I opened it up, I had to do a double take since it looked very similar to the puppy that we already have and love! I was excited to see the upgrades that have been made and I was curious to see if my son would notice them at all.



I put out the new version for him to play with and waited to see what his reaction would be. He was startled at first since with this version the puppy actually wiggles, dances, claps and moves and my little guy wasn't expecting it all. After a few times of pushing the buttons and watching the movements (especially the ears going up and down) from a distance he warmed up to it and began engaging with the toy - singing, dancing,clapping and most of all smiling and having a good time.




The songs are upbeat and catchy with some childhood standards in the mix like if You're Happy and You Know It and Patty Cake. The instructions are easy to follow and offer your little one a fun way of learning the basics. Jaxon's favourite was the counting to 10 song that had him clapping along and counting out loud with the puppy.



We decided to take the puppy for a trip to our playgroup to see if the others might enjoy playing with him too. I should have known he would be a big hit! The kids gathered around him and couldn't wait until it was their turn to push the button. It was great watching them take turns, share the toy and act out the directions that were presented to them. I even picked up some new funky dance moves from the girls!





Overall the Laugh and Learn Puppy is a toy that will be well used and loved in our household. If you want one of your very own don't forget to enter our momstown contest to win!

Have you heard the exciting news....

momstown.ca owner Ann-Marie has won the SavvyMom mom entrepreneur of the year award!

All of us momstown mamas are so proud of Ann-Marie! This is definitely a result of all the hard work she puts into the momstown communities on a daily basis! She is a dynamic, charismatic individual who genuinely cares for us all and offers a lending hand whenever needed! I am so honoured to be a part of the momstown movement!

Read about how this award has touched our momstown founder Ann-Marie and what she plans on doing with it!



In celebration we want to thank everyone by giving each and every one of you a FREE month of membership! This applies to current members, trial members, new members and even former members to come back and experience all that momstown has to offer! Check out the details below and don't forget to sign up by Oct 28th!


MEMBERS win when we win! Free one month membership to NEW members and a free month extension for EXISTING or EXPIRED members. To redeem, please register on your local site and complete the form* at http://momstown-moments.momstown.ca/node/372. Available between Oct 21- 28th. Memberships will be extended the first week of November.

PLUS, are you an ONLINE MOM ENTREPRENEUR? momstown wants to share our success by offering Online Mom Entrepreneurs exposure with a FREE national contest & member discount listing! Details, rules*, and entry at http://momstown-moments.momstown.ca/node/372. Available from Oct 21-Oct 28 for ad activity Nov – Dec 2011

Looking forward to connecting with all of you!

Sam Kassam-Macfie
your momstown Milton mama

Having a Hay Day with Scribble n Splatter

Our momstown Milton moms and tots had a great time decorating scarecrows at our monthly visit with Scribble n Splatter. We started off by using water coloured paints to make the backdrop. The kids had fun dipping their brushes in the water and swirling it around the paint to get the colours they wanted. Some of them discovered that they could create new colours by mixing two paints together!





Once the backdrops were completed, we gathered around to have circle time. We weren't sure how many in attendance actually knew exactly what a scarecrow was so we decided to read our book "Story Country" by Derek Anderson that was provided by our awesome partners at Scholastic Canada. This was a cute story about building a farm from scratch and all of the components that are necessary to make it complete including a very pretty scarecrow! We then sang a few songs to go along with our theme including the Floppy Scarecrow where the kids got to role play how a scarecrow guards the crops.





We then gathered around the table to finish off the craft by dressing up our men with patches of fabric and straw. Once they were glued on to the water colour backdrops, the mural was complete! What a colourful masterpiece! To see all of the great pics from this event click here.






Join us next month when we learn about the wild west - Yee Ha!
Register for a FREE 6 week trial membership by signing up here.

Another fabulous resource brought to you from momstown!

Title: Is Time Out a Waste of Your Time?
Location: Webinar (virtual training)

Date: Thursday, October 20th from 2PM -3PM EST
Date: Monday, October 24th from 9PM – 10PM EST

Description:
momstown is excited to partner again with Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, to offer a free live training webinar to our members!

The session is…Why Time Out is a Waste of Time! Amy promises that we’ll walk away with concrete discipline tools we can use the next day and see results. In fact, you’ll learn one of the all-time “parent favourite” tools for stopping any power struggle in its tracks. You can watch, listen and even interact with our host, Amy. Participants are not required to have a webcam, only a computer with speakers.

You'll love the way this webinar is structured. Amy is right there LIVE, a video image of her is in the upper left corner of your monitor the whole time. As she talks with you, you'll watch her PowerPoint presentation that is packed with valuable information. She'll also stop to answer our questions about difficulties and needs when it comes to getting our kids to listen.

You will also have the option to write in specific questions and she’ll address them, right there for you!

All you have to do is RSVP (sorry due to limited ‘seats’, you MUST register on positive parenting) (http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown) and then kick back and learn the proven strategies to Get Kids to Listen without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling!

Have a friend(s) that are not momstown members that you think could benefit from this training? Please Invite Them Too! Just share this registration link http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown!!

About Amy McCready:

Parenting expert Amy McCready is the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, which has empowered thousands of parents worldwide to correct their kids’ misbehavior without nagging, reminding or yelling. Amy is a frequent guest on the TODAY show and has also appeared on Rachael Ray, CNN, Fox & Friends, MSNBC, and elsewhere. A regular contributor to the TODAY Mom’s blog, Amy lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons.

Kellogg's PJ Party - Breakfast is served!

Last week our momstown Milton moms and tots had a fabulous time getting together to enjoy a quick and nutritious breakfast courtesy of Kellogg's cereals! The kids were super excited to actually be allowed to leave the house in their pyjamas and the moms were thrilled at the fact that breakfast was being provided for everyone. You see for a majority of moms, breakfast is one of the most dreaded meals since it takes place first thing in the morning when the entire family is scrambling to get to work, school or an event. Factor in multiple children or a fussy eater and the anxiety and stress doubles! Our Kellogg's PJ Party was a great opportunity for momstown to provide the learning tools to address the above challenges and providing suggestions on how to keep breakfast simple, relaxed and fun without compromising on nutrition.




We started off the event at Cirque Du Play by letting the kids run around and play in order to build up an appetite. Alot of times the mornings are just so rushed that children go directly from bed to the kitchen table and are expected to wolf down something in a 15min slot. That can put a considerable amount of pressure on them and lead to an absolute refusal to eat. Allowing for a few minutes of play time might help to overcome the "rushed" feeling and you'll find that your child may actually ask you for something to eat alleviating the morning struggle all together.





After a little bit of bouncing around and checking out the crafts, everyone was ready to dig in to the amazing spread of cereals, fresh fruits, yogurts, milk, orange juice and coffee. The table was bright and colourful and the set up was staged intentionally to be very eye catching and inviting. I guess it worked because we had no problem filling the seats when I announced that breakfast was being served! The kids were thrilled that they were empowered to choose what they wanted and couldn't wait to try dig in. A few of the moms were surprised at what their little ones reached for and more importantly consumed.







As we ate, I shared some interesting stats and info that helped to clear up some of the misconceptions that our moms had about "sugary processed cereal". As we chatted, we all agreed that the concept of dining together should be the norm but in our ever so busy days, we find that it doesn't always happen. My biggest discovery which was no surprise to me (I'm guilty of this myself) was that although the moms were ensuring their children's dietary needs were being met, they were not taking the time to eat themselves. After some walking around and coaxing the moms to sit and pour themselves a bowl, I too was able to pull up a chair and snack on some blueberry mini wheats once Zackery gave them up : )





Once our tummy's were filled, we all gathered around for circle time where we sang some song and read a few stories. The kids loved listening to the book "The Underpants Zoo" that Scholastic sent us this month to go with our "At the Zoo" theme. The giggles and laughs were contagious and it was a great way to end such a wonderful event!






A big shout out to Kellogg's for sponsoring this event and giving our moms and tots a special day to relax, enjoy and learn that breakfast can be easy, fun and nutritious! Our moms loved their goody bags that included $25 worth of coupons to help stock their cupboards. I know at least one mom that will be serving up cereal for the next little while - Congrats to Kelly for winning the Kellogg's Grand Prize Pack!

momstown Milton Mom to Mom Fall Sale

Looking for a great deal? momstown is famous for its mom to mom sales! You'll be falling all over the Great Deals on gently used baby & children's clothing, toys, equipment and other goodies. Lots of brand names and like-new quality.

Our Fall mom to mom sale is being held locally in the heart of Downtown Milton so that we can get the entire community involved. We offer tables at a great rate to moms who need to declutter their homes, promote local businesses and mompreneurs through our goody bags and most importantly provide a GREAT Milton based event to our moms who are always searching for a great deal! momstown Milton is committed to getting involved!

Our sale takes place:

Sunday October 2nd from 8:00am - 11:00am

Cirque Du Play

525 Main Street East, Milton ON L9T 3J2

FREE Entry for momstown Milton members
$2 for non-member

Goody Bags for the first 50 people!

This is a CASH ONLY event.

For more details about the sale or to reserve a spot as a seller please contact:info.milton@momstown.ca

Fun with Fruit

This month our momstown Milton junior chefs had the opportunity to have fun with fruit by assembling fruit kabobs with dip. Our instructor Mary-Anne started off the program by stressing the importance of kitchen safety and demonstrating to the kids how to carefully spear the fruit onto the wooden skewers.




After the safety lesson was completed, we spent some time identifying each of the fruits that were cubed on the trays before us. What a tasty variety! The kids could hardly wait to get started. They were each given their own skewer and began to pierce each cube with parental supervision. It was a simple yet challenging task for our youngsters that helped to build on developing their fine motor skills. You can see the intense look of focus and concentration on their faces and how proud they were as they completed the task!





Once the skewers were completed, the dipping began. There was carmel, chocolate, vanilla yogurt and coconut to choose from. Most of us could not make a decision so we settled on sampling all of them! What a decedent, healthy treat!





Want to catch a glimpse of what we're up to in the kitchen next month? Register for our 6 week FREE trial membership and join us for the next momstown cooking adventure!