Monday, October 29, 2012

momstown Milton moms and tots had a Spooktacular time at our Fisher-Price Sponsored Halloween Boo Bash

Our momstown Milton moms and tots had a spooktacular time at our Fisher-Price sponsored Halloween Boo Bash! The Dance Shoppe was jam packed with little ghouls and goblins. Lucky for us we had use of the entire facility to accommodate the large number of members that showed up to our much anticipated annual event.








Having the three studios to work with made it easier to allocate the various activities and helped to keep the party exciting and fun. You had to make your way through each one in order to get the full experience of all that we were offering. The first studio was our "active" zone where we had a bouncy castle courtesy of the Dance Shoppe and a fitness circuit with the Monkeynastix Milton crew on hand to help guide and spot the kids as they attempted to try out the super cool equipment and test out their gross motor skills.




In the second Studio we set up our "dance" zone. Kids love to move n groove so we made sure to have a couple of demos booked to keep the party hopping!   Miss Lindsay from the Dance Shoppe and Miss Christine from Get Fit with Zumba did a great job getting out little dancers and mamas to bust a move.



The third studio was our featured "Toy" zone with loads of toys from Fisher-Price to keep our kiddos busy and engaged. You could hear the squeals of excitement as they entered the studio and caught a glimpse of each of the toys and realized that they were allowed to play with them. Too often are little ones told "don't touch" as they are tempted by the aisles of toys on the shelves. The moms were relieved that the toys were not just on display but that the kids got to have a hands on experience. It sure did give them some great insight as to what items to add to their Christmas List!





The Disney Baby Amazing Animals Sing Along Choo Choo got lots of use with our infants who enjoyed rolling it along the floor and playing with each of the Disney characters that are included as part of the set. The moms particularly liked that the parts were all large enough for easy gripping and put there minds at ease not having to worry about choking hazards.


The Fisher Price Cruise and Groove Ballapalooza came with 8 colourful balls that made there way down ramps and twisted through chutes keeping everyone guessing where the balls would pop out at the bottom. Extremely engaging!


Our kids had some competition when it came to bustin a move. The Master Moves Mickey had some insane hip hop steps that were totally outrageous!



The Little People's Disney Princess Songs Palace was a great cause and effect toy. Each princess figurine had their own tune that played when put on the magical dance floor. The kids were delighted to hear familiar tunes that they could sing and dance to.


Our next toy - Hero World DC Super Friends Voice Comm Motion Max Batwing logged in several air time hours with our little tikes. I don't think I saw it land once during the entire party!


What's a party without snacks! The Servin' Surprises Kitchen and Table had our little ones cooking up a storm to add to our already packed buffet table. This little guy perused the goodies and felt that a pizza needed to be added to the spread : )




The biggest hit with my darling son was the Rescue Heroes Fire Truck with Billy Blazes! He's usually good at sharing but this toy had him wanting to keep it all for himself. He had already had his eye on it from the get go and it took some convincing for him to give it up so that I could take it with me to the Boo Bash. Luckily he's got a birthday coming up in a month - shhh it will be our secret.

  
A special shout out to our friends at Milton Community Nursery School for sponsoring our spooky craft table. Footprint ghosts and tissue paper jack-o-lanterns were great sensory crafts that all ages could participate in.




We wrapped up the event by having Sherri from Circle Time Parties lead us in some Halloween songs and finger play including the all time favourite 5 Little Pumpkins. The kids really got into it and loved the bubble machine as the grande finale.


No one left empty handed. We had tons of door prizes courtesy of Shoeless Joe's Milton, Get Fit with Zumba, Simply Creative, The Cookie Mix, and of course all of the amazing toys from Fisher Price!





Thanx to everyone for joining us at our Halloween Boo Bash! The fun doesn't stop here. Check out our Indoor Trick or Treating event open to the public on Halloween night and don't forget to sign up for your 6 week FREE trial membership here! 

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Milton moms and tots enjoyed our momstown Nutella Buddies Event

You know it's going to be a good day when you're able to leave for an event still dressed in your PJ's and that's exactly what our momstown mamas commented as they arrived for our momstown Milton Teddy Bear PJ and Potluck Picnic sponsored by Nutella.



The spread of food was unbelievable - so much variety and choice that both moms and tots had to make their way to the potluck table several times to get a good sampling of all the delicious foods.



While we ate, we chatted about breakfast being the most important meal of the day and how the greatest challenge that moms face in the morning (according to the Canadian Breakfast Report funded by Nutella)  is finding the time to serve a complete and nutritious breakfast to the little ones in the busy bustle of the morning flurry. We shared tips on how to maximize on our limited time in the "am" by trying to prep lunches and lay out clothes the night before in the hopes that would allow for more quality time around the breakfast table every morning.



After our tummies were filled, we got busy with our infants creating adorable foot print bears while our toddlers / preschoolers worked on making their fuzzy wuzzy bear puppets.

 
 



In keeping with Teddy Bear theme we read "Bears on the Stairs" by Julia Jarman and Lynne Chapman. This was a cute story about how creative our little ones can get in order to delay going to bed. We then got everyone involved with our reading of "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. This interactive story had us swishing through tall grass, splashing through a cold river, squelching through thick oozy mud and tip toeing through a dark damp cave. What an adventure!






We ended off the event with our raffle draw. Congrats to Molly for winning the Nutella Knap sack prize pack, Jennifer for winning the Bear Cookie Bouquet from Cookie Munchsters and Amy for winning the GC from our very generous host Maribeth from Scribble n Splatter! No one went away empty handed. We all received swag bags that included our very own jar of Nutella to enjoy at home!




If you would like to join in on the fun or just want more information on what momstown is all about please visit us at momstown Milton and click on the register tab to try out a 6 week free trail membership.






Sunday, October 7, 2012

Wishes come true at our momstown Milton Scholastic sponsored Tales for Tots program.


Our  momstown Milton monthly Tales for Tots was a magical event! It started off at Indigo Milton with our  Scholastic Canada sponsored book “Wishes” by Jean Little and was a perfect fit for our early literacy focused program to help set the mood for a very special gathering. The rhyming format immediately captured their attention and the illustrations used soft colours with reference to an array of items that a child could easily relate to.  
 
"If wishes were ice cream,
our cones would be doubles.
If wishes were soapsuds,
we’d blow shining bubbles"








 
Our craft was Shooting Stars, to go along with the book. The kids got to practice their hand / eye coordination weaving the thread through each hole. It also helped to improve on focus and patience to complete the weave around the entire parameter. We were able to practice our counting as we threaded each hole  They turned out so beautifully!
 
Supplies needed:

•   star hole punch (or another type will do)
•   Foam Stars
• shiny thread - for weaving
•  streamers / crepe paper
• glue
• scissors

 
After making our craft, we gathered in our circle and sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and we recited the poem “Star Bright, Star Light”. We went around the circle and had each child recite their wish out loud. This was a great activity that encouraged everyone to use their imaginations and to take the time to day dream including the mamas. It was a real eye opening experience to listen to the simple things that each child wanted  and it got me thinking of what my hopes and dreams were and how many of them I had achieved to date.  
 
I do  know we fulfilled one wish that day by sending home our sponsored book with this lucky winner! Congrats.
 
 
I wonder how many other wishes  will come true?
 
Thanks everyone for coming out! Be sure to join us next month when we will be celebrating fall! All you need to do is sign up for a momstown Milton membership which is only $45 for the entire year. You even get a 6 week free trial membership to check us out first!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Does My Child's Behaviour Reflect on Me?

Does the child's behaviour reflect on the parents?  As I peeled my 2-year-old son off of the floor to talk him through his third tantrum of the day, and filed his tenth incident report from his daycare,  I thought to myself, "I certainly hope not". 

I admit it.  I'm not a disciplinarian.  Whenever, I reprimand my son, or do the dreaded count to three, I feel like an impostor.  I read Dr. Karp's, "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" and I'm trying his techniques with limited success.  I've attended workshops, discussion groups, and I've tried several different strategies, all with the same result- sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. 

When I watch other mom's disciplining their children, they appear to know exactly what they are doing, and their children seem to respond.  I must be missing something. 

My hope is that it will suddenly all just click.  All the workshops that I've attended, and the books that I've read will kick in, and I'll be able to negotiate these situations like a pro.  My son will get a little older, will be able to communicate better, and will turn into the little angel that I know he can be. 

In the meantime, don't judge me too harshly if you see me dragging my kicking and screaming toddler out of the supermarket...I'm trying my best. Join in on this discussion on our momstown Milton Message Board and see what our mamas are saying about this topic.

This post is written by Karen Bivand, a momstown Milton member who has a 22 month old son, Eric.

(Photo From: Clare Bloomfield/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Exploring Milton- Family Events in October

The leaves have started to change colour, and Halloween is just around the corner.  Make sure that you get out and enjoy those Fall activities.  Check out what is happening in Milton in October:

Every Weekend in October
Harvest Festival at Springridge Farm
10am to 4pm
Springridge Farm, 7256 Bell School Line
www.springridgefarm.com/harvest-festival.html
 


Oct. 6th – 8th, Oct. 13th & 14th
Fall into Nature
10am to 5pm
All Conservation Halton Parks- Crawford Lake, Hilton Falls, Kelso, Mount Nemo, Mountsberg and Rattlesnake Point
http://www.fallintonature.ca


Sun. Oct. 7th
Sukkah Mobile- Jewish Holiday
1pm to 2pm
Milton Sports Centre, 605 Santa Maria Blvd.
Chabad Jewish Discovery Centre
www.jewishmississauga.org

Thurs. Oct. 11th
Milton Talent Contest
8pm to 10pm
Milton Centre for the Arts, 1010 Main Street East
http://www.miltoncentreforthearts.ca/en/index.asp



Sat. Oct. 13th
momstown Milton’s Mom to Mom Sale
9am to 12pm
Wee Ones Childcare Academy, 409 Main Street East
http://www.facebook.com/events/278632202251011/


Sat. Oct. 13th
Milton Fire Dept Open House
12pm to 4pm
Milton Fire Department- Central Station, 405 Steeles Avenue East
fireservices@milton.ca


Sat.  Oct. 13th and Sun. Oct. 14th
Heritage Fall Harvest Celebration
10am to 4pm
Country Heritage Park
http://countryheritagepark.com/home/events-2


Sun. Oct.14th
Clockwork Mysteries Magic Show
3pm
Milton Centre for the Arts, 1010 Main Street East
www.miltoncentreforthearts.ca

Thurs. Oct. 18th
Family Tree Workshop
Milton Public Library, Main Branch, 1010 Main Street East
3:30pm to 4:30pm
http://www.mpl.on.ca/a_programs.php#ancestry



Fri. Oct. 19th & 26th
Murder Mystery Night for Teens
7pm to 10pm
Milton Public Library
http://www.mpl.on.ca/teen_inprint.php#murder

Sat. Oct. 20th & Sun. Oct. 21st, Sat. Oct. 27th & Sun. Oct. 28th
Spooktacular Halloween
10am to 4pm
Mountsberg Conservation Area, 2259 Millburough Line, Campbellville
mtsberg@hrca.on.ca

Saturdays, October 20th and 27th
Halloween Spooktacular Halton Radial Railway
6:30pm to 10pm
Halton County Radial Railway, 13629 Guelph Line
www.hcry.org/specialEvents.html


Sun. Oct. 21st
Celebrating Stories, A family festival
1pm to 5pm
Milton Centre for the Arts, 1010 Main Street East
http://www.celebratingstories.ca/

Sat. Oct. 27th & Sun. Oct. 28th
Milton Haunted House
Noon to 7pm
Milton Mall
http://www.miltonhauntedhouse.com/



This post is written by Karen Bivand, a momstown Milton member who has a 22 month old son, Eric. 
For more Milton community events, also check out www.exploringmilton.com

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

momstown Milton - Mom of the Month - Jennifer Sibbitt


Age:  34
Born In: Etobicoke
Children’s name and age: Adrian almost 3 & Laura almost 1
Childhood Ambition: I wanted to be a teacher or veterinarian. As an accountant, I still sometimes wish I had become a teacher or veterinarian! LOL

Fondest Memory: Summers at the cottage or camping were awesome! My sisters and I would spend hours upon hours playing outside, swimming, fishing or doing crafts on a rainy day. I want my kids to experience the same!
Wildest Dream:  I would love to go on an African safari and sleep overnight in one of those cool eco tree houses in the jungle.

Proudest Moment: Giving birth to Laura in the comfort of my own home.
Biggest Challenge: Most recently, juggling two sick kids on a rainy day.
Perfect Day:  It starts with sleeping in, then brunch with my hubby and kids before heading out to for an afternoon at the zoo. Having friends over for dinner and ending with us all laughing and eating smores around the fire pit.

First Job:  Scanning photos and adjusting their resolution for the real estate section of the local newspaper – this was long before digital photos!!
Indulgence:  Peanut butter cups mmmmmm……
Last Big Purchase: Booked a trip to Vegas! WOO-HOO!
Favourite Movie or Favourite Sport? Favourite sport would be volleyball! I love it and wish I could play more.
How long have you been a member of momstown Milton? 6 months
Anything else you want to share?  momstown Milton has been a lifesaver for us! We were new to the area and didn’t know anyone or where anything was. Not only did it help us transition to a new home, but I’ve met so many wonderful moms and little ones that are now good friends! We need to get out of the house so that the kids can burn off some steam and there are so many wonderful events on the calendar to choose from. Even stuff for the moms! The message board is  also a great place to ask questions or vent! There’s nothing better than getting a “me too” when you’re having a tough day!