momstown Milton invites Milton moms to our FREE Tropicana Tropics Picasso's in the Park!

Nothing like a theme party to celebrate summer!  momstown Milton moms and kids will be meeting on July 25th for an extra special Picassos in the Park event with Tropicana.

There will be messy fun painting a mural, cool tropical crafts and best of all, a juice stand with Orange Strawberry Banana, Orange Peach Mango, Paradise Blend (pineapple, mango, and passion fruit), and Orange Tropical Fruit (pineapple, orange, mango, and passion fruit) for everyone to enjoy. No need to worry about any "extra" sugar - Tropics is made with 100% juice and puree blend and contains NO added sugar!

To learn more about tropics please visit: http://www.tropicana.ca/EN/products_tropics.php

   

Pack a picnic and join momstown on an exotic journey this summer with a refreshing taste of paradise! Dress in your best tropical colours, or island inspired outfit - there will be giveaways for the best dressed mom / dad  & tot tropical outfit and one for the most colourful outfit!

Not a momstown Milton member? No problem! This event is open to the public- so come and try out or signature momstown summer Art & Play activity -Picassos in the Park!

Membership to momstown is only $45/yr for the whole family and includes great events like this all year long! Email info.milton@momstown.ca to RSVP to this event or better yet, sign up for a free trial membership on our website.

momstown Milton Junior Chef "On Top of Spaghetti" Event sponsored by Barilla Canada was oodles of fun!

This month we were thrilled to have Barilla Canada sponsor our  monthly Junior Chef event with their new line of Barilla PLUS®!  This new multi grain pasta contains 14 grams of protein, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids AND 24% of your daily recommended fibre!

Not only is this pasta jam packed with nutrients, it is super easy to make in a short amount of time which is PERFECT for  our busy on the go mamas! In fact we were able to make a complete healthy spaghetti and veggie meatball lunch for over 30 mouths in less then 30mins - WOW!  

 

Upon arrival our momstown Milton moms and kids got busy in the kitchen at this hands on event helping chop and dice the veggies, grate the cheese for our garlic bread, pour the Barilla Tomato and Basil sauce and brown the Yves meatless precooked meatballs.

 

We were lucky enough to have Sheena our student helper and Ginny - head of the community services department at Longo's Milton help us out in the kitchen heating up the sauce, sauteing the veggies and cleaning up as we went.

While we waited for the pasta to boil, we decided to have some fun playing with our food by creating some abstract masterpieces with rainbow spaghetti. The kids were inspired by the vibrant colours of purple, blue, green and red. This is a great tactile craft for all ages to enjoy. Be warned that 1 out of 3 kids WILL taste this colourful temptation made with food colouring and oil.

 

We then had a quick lesson on how to eat spaghetti with a spoon and fork. The kids watched with amazement as I twirled the long strands around and around. Our helpers announced that lunch was ready to be served - perfect timing!

We honoured our meal with a rendition of  the song "On Top of Spaghetti" before we dove in. Some tried to mimic the demonstration once served their pasta but most opted to slurp and shovel the yummy goodness into their mouths instead.

 

 

The moms watched intently as the first bites entered their little ones mouths. Would they be able to detect the difference of the added ingredients like lentil and chickpea flour, flax seed, egg whites and oat fibre? I had already been warned that a few of our guests were picky eaters and not to be offended if they did not eat. The results were unanimous - Barilla PLUS® was a win with EVERY child and mom clearing their plate right down to the very last noodle! Some moms had to do a double check and one even looked under the table convinced that her child must have hid his under there while she was not looking.

After the event several of our participants could be seen wandering the isles looking to stock up on the Barilla PLUS® pasta and the sauce to have on hand. Click here for a variety of recipes to help with your meal preparation.  

A big Shout out to Longo's - Milton for hosting our moms and kids for this fun event. Also, huge thanks to Laurie Goodman Photography for the spectacular pictures as always. We have LOTS more pictures of our kids cooking in the kitchen on our Facebook Page.

Did you know that we run a Jr. Chef program every month? It's all included in your $45/year annual momstown membership! Sign up here: http://milton.momstown.ca/user/register to join in on the fun and be a part of our Milton Community Group!
 

Discover Milton - Family Day Trips Close to Home!

Looking for fun and exciting ways to keep the kiddies from going stir crazy this summer?  There are a ton of fun activities you can do and all close to home.  Here are just a few to start your summer right.

For Active Kids:

Conservation Halton Parks - The Halton region has some beautiful conservation parks.  Hilton Falls offers amazing scenery to go with your biking or hiking.  Looking to go to the beach or maybe some fishing for trout?  Check out Kelso Beach.  Are you a little more adventurous?  Why not try rock climbing at Rattlesnake Point?  Become a Halton Parks member and enjoy the 7 parks in our area all year round!



Springridge Farm - The Fun Farm Yard is a playground like no other.  It includes the Spiderweb Climber, Farm Yard Pipe Slide, Giant Sandbox, Farm Animals, Antique Tractors, a NEW Singing Chicken Show and so much more.  Don't forget to take a wagon ride and enjoy the view of the Niagara escarpment as you learn about the farm.  Check out the Harvest Calendar when you go so you know what yummy treats you can go home with.



Andrew Scenic Acres - This fun farm offers a scenic view, a beautiful picnic area, a large creative playground, a farm animal corral and free hayrides.  Family fun for all ages.

For Animal Lovers:


White Rock Ostrich Farm - Visit a real working Ostrich Farm.  Learn everything there is to know about these amazing birds.  Don't forget to try an ostrich burger if you attend on a weekend!

African Lion Safari - Get closer than you ever imagined to all your favorite exotic birds and animals.  Drive through the park and marvel at the majestic lions, giggle at the monkeys and enjoy the cheetahs.  Just remember to keep your windows closed;)

For Discovery and History:

Hamilton Children's Museum - an exciting and interactive destination for young children.  Keep your children's imagination going this summer with fun events planned.

Halton County Radial Railway - Since the beginning, the vision of the HCRR was to inform, educate and inspire the public about the electric railway history of Ontario and Canada. Today, the museum displays and operates a variety of historic streetcars, radial cars and work cars, and maintains a collection of photographs, memorabilia and archival materials. The oldest rail car in the collection dates from the late 1800s.*


Whatever you plan to do, remember to have fun and enjoy the time with your family.  The summer will go by quick and before you know it, it'll be back to school!  Stay cool this summer:)

This Blog was written by Angela Hickman - mother of 2, momstown Milton member and blogger - Mommy TimeOut.

*Taken from website

Celebrate Canada Day with this fun kids craft!

Hard to believe that Canada Day is already upon us!  We live in such a wonderful country and I am excited to show our patriotic spirit with this fun craft!


What You Need:

 

 

 

Foam Sun Visor - white

A variety of Canada Day Stamps

Red Paint

Paint Brushes

Red Felt

Glue

Canada Day Stickers

Any other materials you happen to have around the house.

 

We had heart scrap paper that we used that fit in perfectly.

 

What You Do:

Cut felt into strips and glue on each side of the visor.

Paint child's hand with red paint and then "stamp" in between the two stripes

Embellish with stamps and stickers

 

 

Modify for Infants:  

If you are doing this craft with an infant who won't hold open their hand, use their foot instead! Check out how creative our momstown Milton members were at our Canada Day Party. The kids were proud to wear their creations.

Happy Birthday Canada!

 

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here

 

This Blog was written by Angela Hickman - mother of 2, momstown Milton member and blogger - Mommy TimeOut.

Canada Day Family Events and Fireworks in and around Milton!

Looking for something to do this Canada Day?



©iStockphoto.com/Karen Massier

Here is a listing of some great family events and fireworks in and around Milton.



Milton Canada Day Celebrations at the Milton Fairgrounds - admission is free (but donations are appreciated).  This is an all day event that will be fun for the whole family.  Opening Ceremonies begin at 12:00pm..  Special attractions include: West Coast Lumberjack Show, Reptile Store, Petting Zoo, Pony Rides, bouncies, Steam Era Display and so much more! Stick around until the sun goes down and enjoy the spectacular fireworks display ( scheduled for 10pm) .

Burlington Canada Day Festivities - Water ski shows, dog show, concerts, yoga in the park and a firework display.  Shows vary between 3 stages.Strawberry Social by the lake - Games, festive crafts, activities, museum tours, special performances and live entertainment.  Don`t forget to try the gourmet strawberry treats and fresh strawberries and ice cream.

Canada Day Fireworks at Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park - Food, entertainment, shopping and lots of activities for the kids.  There will be a spectacular fireworks display at dusk off Bronte pier.  Be sure to tune into 102.9 K-Lite for the full fireworks experience, as our fireworks will be set off to an amazing music remix!

momstown Milton wishes EVERYONE a wonderful and safe long weekend.

Happy 146th Birthday Canada!

 This Blog was written by Angela Hickman - mother of 2, momstown Milton member and blogger - Mommy TimeOut.

How Safe Is Your Home?

I haven't met a person yet who doesn't want to keep their family safe.  The question is "How do I do that?"  Well, step number one could be making sure your home is "burglar resistant".  On June 14, 2013 a few of our mamas learned about making our homes safer.  The Halton Regional Police Service offers a program called Project Safeguard.  We had the pleasure of meeting two Auxiliary Officers who presented us with some simple things we can do to improve the security of our homes.

The first step begins with taking away opportunity by using the 3 D's:  Deter, Detect and Delay

Deter - Check the outside of your home.  Make sure your outdoor plants are trimmed no higher than 12" above the ground.  It is also good to keep any high plants away from all windows and doors.  A good choice might be to plant hostile vegetation.  Good examples of these are rose bushes, juniper plants and gooseberry plants.

Rose bush

Juniper

Gooseberry

Remove any potential entry tools.  As pretty as river rock and decorative rocks are, they can be used to break windows so consider removing them. 

Make sure all ladders and garden tools are locked up.  This includes inside your garage.  If someone happens to get into your garage they can use your tools to break into your home.  Also, if you have a fence around your property make sure it is open fencing.  For example, chain link or a picket fence.  This way there is openings for your neighbours to see if someone is trying to hide behind it.  You need to be able to think like a criminal.  If something around your house gives you privacy, it will give a criminal concealment.

Keep your property well maintained.  By having your grass cut and free of weeds, it shows that you take pride in your home.  Keeping it landscaped actually makes a criminal think twice before hitting your home.  Use signage.  If you have an alarm system, make sure you use the signs that the company gives to you.  Got a dog?  Put up a Beware of Dog sign.  In fact why not put one up even if you don't have a dog? 

Keep the sight lines of your home open to your neighbouring properties.  If you go away, you want your neighbours to be able to see movement around your house.  They will normally be the ones to report something fishy if you give them a chance too.  Also, use lighting to protect potential target areas but make sure it is not too bright so that it blinds potential witnesses.

Detect - If all these precautions don't work and the criminal succeeds in getting through, it is a good idea to have a home alarm system.    Ask for one that has an outdoor noise maker or strobe light.  It will help catch the attention of potential witnesses.  Also, speak to the alarm company about where the siren is going.  Many place it in the basement which will not attract any outdoor attention.

Get to know your neighbours.  They can monitor and challenge any intruders.  If they see someone sitting in a car for too long or scoping out your home, they can confront them and ask if they can be of any help.  If you are going away on vacation, they can take out your garbage, move your cars or park in your driveway or pick up your mail/newspapers. 

Delay - Lock all your doors and windows to delay the intruder.  A lot of our mamas often worry about being home alone with the kids.  There is a new product available that will help make them feel a little safer called the Nightlock.  It helps barricade the door from getting kicked in.  It will also make it difficult for your little ones to open the door.

Install door chains and viewers so you can see who is at the door prior to opening it.  A dead bolt will also offer extra support.  It should have a double barrel and should be on an angle so it is harder for someone to grab on to.  The barrel should extend at least an inch into the frame.  It is NOT suggested that you use a double keyed lock.  It makes it difficult for you to get out of the house in case of an emergency.

There are plenty of options for a person to install on sliding doors and windows.  Try using door pin locks, loop locks, foot pin locks or a security bar.  If you have a crank window, remove the handle when the window is slightly open to remove any opportunity of having someone reach in to open the window further.  For sliding windows use thumb screw locks to keep the window being slid further.

Want to learn more about keeping your home secure and Project Safeguard? 

Book your appointment to have a Halton Regional Police Service Auxiliary officer visit your home to give you some additional tips.  They will come to your home and perform a one hour inspection.  Homeowners will receive a written report with recommendations for improving the overall security of their home.  Best of all, it is free of charge!  Call 905-825-4747 ext 4705 or email ProjectSafeguard@haltonpolice.ca. 

This Blog was written by Angela Hickman - mother of 2, momstown Milton member and blogger - Mommy TimeOut.

Five tips for crafting with your kids from Crafty Kids

Want to craft with your kids?  Here are five great tips for creating with your little one.

1. Be prepared – it’s going to get messy!  Keep old newspapers or an old vinyl tablecloth on hand to protect your table and desk. Wear old clothes and a smock.  An old adult t-shirt works great as a smock.

2. Have all of your materials together.  To help things run smoothly, before I start a craft I make sure that I have everything I need to do the craft.  This eliminates the problem of getting half way through and realizing you are missing the googly eyes or pompoms.  Trust me, this leads to major disappointment!  This is made easier if you are using a Crafty Kids Kit.

 

3. Let go of perfectionism.  Let your child lead the craft.  If he or she wants to have a purple sheep, then that is perfectly fine.  Crafting helps to develop imagination and imagination fuels creativity.  It does not have to turn out exactly like the picture!

4. Use craft time as teachable time.  Doing crafts about farm animals?  Sing Old McDonald had A Farm.  Read a book, sing a nursery rhyme, and learn about colours and shapes.  It is all there in a simple craft.

5. Be proud of your child’s creation.  Let your child tell you about it – there is invariably a story behind it that your child is bursting to tell you.  Display the creations on the fridge or bulletin board.  Kids love to see how much you love their art work.

 

Do you love doing crafts with your kids, but are short on time and inspiration?

Crafty Kids delivers monthly craft kids to families with children aged 3-6. These kits come with everything you need to make eight crafts - paint, glue, paint brushes, and simple instructions included. These fun crafts are kid tested and encourage creativity. With a four month subscription, the kits are $40/month with postage anywhere in Canada included. A limited number of individual kits are also available for purchase. We make spending quality time with your kids easy.

For more information visit www.funkidscrafts.ca or visit our Facebook page  

Messy Fun! momstown Milton Babies Used All Five Senses Playing With Pudding Paint!

Our momstown Milton Baby Sensory Exploration program set a whole new record for messy fun this week at our Painting with Pudding events!  This was definitely a "strip down to the diaper" type of activity.  We are including photos from each of our Baby Sensory groups - Friday and Tuesday.  

This is a fun and simple sensory activity.  We added two drops of food colour to each pudding container, put a plastic tablecloth on the floor, and used flexible plastic cutting boards as canvases (though we fully expected that the "art" would not be restricted to the boards!).  

The babies LOVED getting messy with the pudding paint. At one of the events, the babies were lined up while the pudding was getting set up and it looked like they were starting a race to get to the paint.

 

 

Initially, the girls were more "dainty" and dabbed very neatly with their painting and the boys dove right in.  Before long, most were trying to swim in it!  The babies liked the texture of the pudding and squished it in their fingers and toes and a few babes enjoyed tasting it too!  

 

The babies enjoyed rubbing the paint on their legs and arms, and also enjoyed rubbing it onto their friends' backs.  They were very messy, but they had such a great time that no one seemed to mind!

After the painting, it was clean up time!  The fun continued as the babies had a blast washing up in the kitchen sink, splashing in the water and catching the stream of water flowing from the faucet.  

Today our babies used all five senses when exploring the colourful, tasty and squishy, slippery pudding paint. This is a great rainy day activity for little ones, as long as you are willing to clean up a bit of a mess!  Thanks to all the moms and babes for being very good sports and having so much fun with our Sensory activities this week! 

For other baby sensory activities to try at home, click here!

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and

 mother of two children.