Tales for Tots- "I am Small"

This month's momstown theme was focused on Baby Animals. I was very excited  to read our Scholastic sponsored book "I Am Small" by Emily Dodd at our Tales for Tots literacy program since I knew the kids would instantly relate to it.

This story is based on a baby penguin and how he views the world. Everything is big, fast paced and at times scary.The only thing that this little guy can find solace in is the reassurance that he is the Biggest thing in his Mothers life and the love that she showers him with is what gives him the confidence to face all that comes his way!. This tender tale was very heart warming and you could hear the chorus of "awe's" as the last sentence was read.

The crafts we chose to do today to highlight our Baby Animals theme were lambs and chickadees for the infants. We used feathers and cotton balls for sensory exploration.

 Our toddlers and preschoolers had fun putting together their baby horses - otherwise known as a foal. They put their fine motor skills to use by cutting the yarn in order to make the mane and the tail. The final touch was the clothes pegs that made up the wobbly legs that foals have when they are first born.

Congrats to Erin and Ethan who are going to be adding "I Am Small" to their own personal book collection!

Out Tales for Tots early literacy event is just one of the many educational based programs that momstown Milton moms and tots enjoy as part of their membership. If you want to experience the fun click here to register to become a member!

Mom of the Month: April 2012 - Pamela Commisso

Momstown Milton mom of the Month

Name: Pamela Commisso

Age: 31
Born In: Toronto

Children’s name and age:  Olivia, 2.5 yr.

Childhood Ambition: To be a veterinarian

Fondest Memory:  I have a couple....         

• When Olivia was born
• My last family trip to Cuba with my parents and sister before I got married.
• Travelling to Italy with my Nonno.
• Being a MOH at my sister’s wedding.   

Wildest Dream:  To travel all over the world!

 

Proudest Moment: Giving birth to my beautiful daughter

Biggest Challenge: To find time to get everything done around the house and spend time with my family since going back to work.

Perfect Day: Hanging out with Olivia playing at the park, going shopping and eating cookies.

First Job:  Harvey’s, I was the garnish girl and cashier.

Indulgence:  Cheesecake and Cookies. I love to bake!

Last Big Purchase: I haven’t done it yet, but really, really soon... a new SUV.

Favorite Movie or Favourite Sport? Yoga! I love yoga! Also right now my favourite TV show is Game of Thrones

Win Babytime Show Tickets!

The Babytime Show is THIS weekend and momstown will be there! Win a pair of tickets to visit Canada's largest Baby and Toddler show!

14th Annual Spring BabyTime Show: The Ultimate Event for Pregnancy, Birth, Baby and Toddler.

Shop, learn and have fun all within one vibrant place celebrating parenthood.

• SHOP! TRY & BUY from over 200 Manufacturers, Retailers and Artisans.
• REGISTER for all your baby needs with Babies "R"Us.
• TALK TO THE EXPERTS behind your favourite brands and take advantage of great show specials.
• LEARN from Top Pregnancy and Parenting Experts. Click on the Speakers tab to read up on the experts.
• MEET AND GREET your favourite characters.

Visit the momstown Booth (#765) to enter to win one of our 3 fabulous prizes from Britax - contest open all weekend!!

• Britax Baby Carrier
• Britax B-Nimble Stroller
• Britax Boulevard Carseat

Want to WIN Tickets to attend the Show for free? We have a pair of tickets to give away. All you have to do is GO to our momstown Milton Facebook Fan page and TELL US you want to win Babytime Show Tickets by adding a comment on our Facebook wall Thursday April 26th. We will confirm the winner the morning of April 27th and tickets will be waiting for the winner at the Show. Good Luck! Hope to see you at the show!

Having a Bad Day!

It's not very often that you would ever hear me say that "I'm having a Bad Day". Not because I don't have them, because I sure do but I was always taught to put on a happy face and I really don't run into a lot of things consecutively that I can't handle. Well this past Saturday, was one of the most trying days I've had in a very long time.

It all started off with my phone being turned off and discovering that I had 10 voice mails and 7 texts about an event that was taking place that morning at 9am. I didn't even realize that I had the calls until 9:50am! As I was on the phone trying to figure out what went wrong and do some damage control, my darling little attention seeker decided to dump the blue bin in our kitchen. I was not aware that my hubby had emptied out our shredder the night before so you can imagine my surprise when I walked into the kitchen to this mess! I took a couple of breathes and laughed it off, grabbing my camera and taking some pics- couldn't resist and it put me in a better mood.




While I was cleaning up the kitchen, I had sent Jaxon into the family room to play so that he would be out of my way. Bad idea. He came running into the kitchen pants and diaper removed yelling "poop mommy poop!" Oh my! Took another breathe and ushered him into the bathroom to wash him up. I put him down beside me to wash my hands and the next thing I hear is "uh oh". You've got to be kidding me. Not even a a foot away from the potty yet he decides to pee all over the side of the counter and on the floor. Great - Breath in, Breath out. Ok, run to the kitchen to get the my tough and tender spray from under the sink and of course I return to the bathroom to a not so "helping hand" with my son pulling at the roll of toilet paper, dabbing at the puddle and dumping the wads of paper in the toilet. Found the bright side by reminding myself that he was only trying to help and was taking responsibility for his actions by cleaning up. Gave a quick prayer to the porcelain gods - please don't clog toilet, please don't clog! Flush - phew... all is good.



Time to get out of the house. Being a member of momstown Milton has it's perks since it's pretty easy for anyone to pick up the phone and get in touch with at least a dozen moms that you can lean on for support pretty much whenever needed. Trying to get Jaxon out of the house was a challenge. Struggles to get his wet clothes off and into dry ones, a battle on getting his coat and shoes on and a full on tantrum from not wanting to be put in the car seat. I checked my watch thinking that I could justify his behaviour to being close to nap time - not a chance. It was only 10:45am! It's going to be a very long day!

Picked up a pizza on my way since I knew I would need at least an hour of venting to feel any better about my day. Pulled into our destination and realized that I had left the sippy cup on the driveway at our house and that the marinara dipping sauce had fallen down the side of the seat by the door. Opened the door very slowly and was able to catch the container before it splattered. Things were already turning around. Got inside. plopped Jaxon down with the the other kids around the trains and was offered caffeine right away! Thank goodness for mamas that know what to do in a melt down situation. Got the listening ears that I needed and felt so much better once I let it all out. Being a part of momstown has allowed me to let down my guard, share my REAL feelings and not be afraid to be judged for not being the perfect mom 24-7. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm having a bad day any longer.

Tales for Tots - Exploring our Senses

What a terrific turn out momstown Milton had this month at Indigo for our Tales for Tots program! It was an equal division of infants and toddlers which created a healthy environment for learning where the little ones could watch the older ones and practice a wee bit of modeling.

This months theme was My Senses so we raided our craft box and came up with a variety of sensory materials that the kids could explore while creating their spring pieces. The craft today was a visually stimulating bright Spring landscape with clouds made out of soft billowy cotton balls, flowers made with great smelling Fruit Loops and flower stems made of colourful pipe cleaners. For the grass we used strands of shredded paper that felt like straw to the touch. I think of all of the supplies provided the Fruit Loops were the biggest hit since it seemed to double as a tasty snack!





While the older ones were creating their crafts, the infants enjoyed the freedom of exploration, crawling around on the colourful parachute. They became quite excited by the fuzzy pig and fluffy quacking duck puppets,shiny glittering butterflies, and cloth textured books that were scattered about their play area.Giggles and thrills of excitement could be heard through the store as some of them saw these furry creatures come to life for the very first time.





For circle time we sang a modified version of "I've got two hands" and went through all of the five senses highlighting the importance of each one in making our world come to life. Our book selection was How Do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies? By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague donated to us by Scholastic Canada. What a great book for sensory awareness!Not only did it talk about cookies, which we all love to taste, but it had a scratch and sniff component that had our little ones amazed that a book could smell like chocolate chip cookies or lemon drops!Hannah - our lucky winner was thrilled to add this tasty book to her collection at home!

Easter Events around Milton 2012

Are the kids getting excited about Easter? Are they asking where the hunt will be? New to Milton and just not sure what's going on around town? Here's a few suggestions of what you can do with the family during the Easter Long Weekend.

March 31-April 7: Presented by Milton Mall

Hippity Hop! The Easter bunny is making an appearance at the Milton mall. Dress you little ones in their bonnets with baskets in hand and capture the moment with an adorable picture that will melt your heart for years to come! For photo session times and cost please click here.



April 6, 7 & 8: 10-4pm- Presented by Springridge Farm

Springridge Farm Easter Festival includes, Egg Hunt with the Easter Bunny, Eggcellent Easter Show, Face Painting, Pedal Tractor Track and more! For more information, please click here.

April 6 - 9, 11- 3:00pm - Presented by Halton Conservation Area

An Easter Egg Extravaganza at Mountsberg Conservation Area

Easter Egg Hunt - East side of Discovery Centre - 11am-3pm
Scavenger Hunt(Children 10 & up)-East side of Discovery Centre-11am-3pm
Colouring Book Station - Hummingbird Room - 10am-3pm
Candy Jar Guess - Giftshop - 10am-3pm
Barnyard Visit - Barnyard - 11:30am and 1:30pm
Bubble Station - Playbarn - 12noon and 2pm
Easter Jeopardy - Dufferin Room - 1pm and 2:30pm

For more information, please click here.

Wed Apr 4, 10-1130am - Presented by momstown Milton

Easter Egg Hunt at Kidz Korner!

Bring your little ones out for a morning of hunting for eggs, story / circle time, activities, Easter crafts and indoor playland fun! Don't forget your basket and bunny ears! For more information, please click here.



Friday Apr 6 2012, 11-1pm - Shoeless Joe’s lunch with the Easter bunny!

Come join in the fun with a special guest appearance from the Easter Bunny! Magician and crafts too!For more information, please click here.

Saturday Apr 7, 10am-12pm- Presented by Downtown Milton

The Annual Easter Parade, 123 Main Street East

Participating businesses will be inviting families into their stores with all kinds of goodies for children 5 and under.For more information, please click here.



April 7,2012 at 9am - Presented by Sheridan Nurseries.

Easter egg hunt,colouring contest,in-store specials and plenty more! Georgetown location. For more information, please click here.

April 7 & 8, 2012 - Presented by The Royal Botanical Gardens

RBG’s famous Easter Brunch returns, this time with added chocolate features. Take a stroll through the Gardens and catch some early blooms, then join us in the Café for a delicious spread. Reservations required For more information, click here.



momstown Milton wants to take this opportunity to wish all of our mamas and munchkins a Happy Easter and we hope that the Easter Bunny brings you a basket full of goodies!

Wheelies Stand 'n Play Rampway is a Big Hit in our household!

momstown Milton was lucky enough to be selected as a product tester for the Fisher Price Little People Wheelies Stand 'n Play Rampway.I was super excited when I found out that I had been chosen since I knew that my son would be over the moon about anything to do with cars and speed! The rampway was very easy to assemble and once together, this 2 foot high rampway was nearly as tall as my son!



As soon as he laid eyes upon it, my little guy wasted no time in collecting all of his little people cars that he owned and grabbed daddy's hand yelling "Race Daddy, Race!". You could just hear the excitement in his voice and see the eagerness of wanting to play by the way he tugged on my husband's arm.They would line up all of the cars at the top and then watch in anticipation to see which car would make it down the rampway first.



After a few runs, they would make a pit stop to fill up the gas and get a a quick tune up completed. The sound effects enhanced the experience and made it even more real for this curious toddler. He wanted to test out every aspect of the toy. They loaded the cars on the lift and watched it go up and down, pulled into the drive thru for some burgers and fries and of course had to stop at the donut shop for dessert! Next they took a spin over to the zoo to check out the animals and a stop in the park to play some soccer. Then the fun began all over as they returned to the top of the track to start racing again.





Thank you Fisher Price for making such a great toy that engages my son on an ongoing basis. Each station opens up a entirely new conversation and takes us on a new adventure! The Wheelies Stand 'n Play Rampway is a Big Hit in our household and I'm sure it will be in our momstown mama's homes as well! Don't forget to enter to win one of your very own during the month of March!

Kellogg's raises hunger awareness on National Breakfast Day!

Yesterday was National Breakfast Day and to celebrate it momstown Milton invited the entire community to come join us for a complimentary breakfast courtesy of Kellogg's! Did you know that 1 in 10 Canadian children live in poverty and are at risk of starting their day without breakfast. That works out to be 637000 empty tummies per day - Unreal!

We wanted to help build awareness to these shocking stats and so in true momstown style we put together an Art and Play program focused around food and sharing so that we could educate our little ones in a fun and creative manner. Maribeth from Scribble n Splatter was kind enough to offer her Expressive Play Studio as the meeting point for our event. There was standing room only as the moms, tots and infants got right into making their keepsake place mats. Words of encouragement acknowledging that they were "taking their first steps towards fighting hunger!" and pictures of healthy foods were on hand to create a magnificent collage.


After all of their hard work, the group was invited to sit down and enjoy a complimentary bowl of Rice Krispies. Not only were we able to enjoy a tasty treat at the program, Kellogg's had also supplied us with 192 boxes of cereal to take home and distribute to friends and family in order to "pay it forward" and amplify the message. What a brilliant idea!

The kids could hardly contain their excitement when I brought out the "tons" of boxes that they would be taking home to share. We also had a special visit from the cookie monster who taught us about what good foods we need to consume to maintain a healthy balanced diet - not just cookies : )



We ended the event by dropping off the extra kits to the Halton Womens Place here in Milton. It felt great knowing that we were able to lend a helping hand locally!If you would really like to help stomp out hunger but were not able to make it out to today's program, you can still participate by visiting the Kellogg's site to share their video or purchase a specially marked box of cereal with a pin code. Kellogg's will donate up to $50000 to Breakfast for Learning and Breakfast Clubs of Canada.



A big shout out to Jamie Contarini for taking the pictures today and Rhonda Ursulak for lending a helping hand. You ladies ROCK!