momstown Milton Kickboxing Demo with Oxygen Pilates

Blogger Down – My experience of getting my butt kicked and feeling really great!

When I was asked by momstown Milton to blog about the kickboxing class at Oxygen Yoga and Pilates, I thought,  “how bad can it be?”  I used to do Tae Bo and take cardio kickboxing classes … about 10 years ago. Lately a work out for me is lifting my 8 month old (come on that is 18 lbs of solid baby), blow drying my hair, and emptying the dishwasher with the rare trip downstairs for a quick workout in my basement.

As it came closer to the day of the class I started to panic, reality was starting to set in that things are not quite what they used to be before I had my daughter. What if I run out of steam? What if I pass out? What if we have to do push-ups? I suck at push-ups. What if I throw up? How red will my face really get? What if I cannot get through the class? Have I been doing enough kegels for all of the sit-ups we are about to do… come on ladies you know that things are different down there!  I feared the unknown, but about to face my fear and give it all that I had left after a full 14 hour day with my baby.

When I showed up to Oxygen Yoga and Pilates for the class, I have to say that I was intimidated, there were a lot of fit ladies ready to kick some ass, what I didn’t realize, was the ass about to be kicked in the class was literally mine. We had to start the class by getting into pairs, I was the lucky one without a partner, I looked at our instructor Lynn and said to myself  “this woman is going to be my partner, please do not let her be my partner, she looks like she could lay a serious smack down on someone, I am going to die”… well Lynn didn’t end up my partner, Lori-Ann did.

Let me begin by saying Billy Blanks ain’t got NOTHIN’ on Lori-Ann, she may be tiny but she is a hard-hitting, hardcore, tiny robot of workout muscle, and I should mention she is the owner of the studio and often teaches the class. I also have to say she did NOT go easy on me in any way, if anything I had to work 100% harder than everyone in the class just to keep the sparring gloves from hitting me in the face. She may be tiny but she packs a hard kick and an even more explosive punch.

It was comforting to look around the class and see some of the faces of other moms that I have met and become friends with through momstown Milton. We were all in this together, supporting each other and giving each other the same looks of fear, exhaustion and encouragement. 

After getting over my personal fear of being punched in the face, losing a tooth, breaking my wrist, finger or what ever other body part was in the direct path of the mighty warrior I was paired with, I realized I was the lucky one because I had my own personal trainer for the class, cheering me on, getting me pumped up and making me work a hell of a lot harder than I would have if I had another partner. I credit this to my fear of looking weak and having something to prove to myself.  Strong fighters prey on the weak – you would know that if you had seen Bloodsport a million times growing up like me. For those of you who do not know what Bloodsport is, Google it, and if you are too lazy I have two words for you, Van Damme.

I knew the workout was going punish all of the body parts I have not worked out in a decade, and all of the other ones I did not know I had, when after the first sparring segment my hands were shaking so bad I could not take off my boxing gloves, could not open my water bottle, and I couldn’t even raise my arms to take off my long sleeved shirt.

All of the things you take for granted like taking a shower, removing your contact lenses and writing your name were now almost impossible to do with hands that were shaking uncontrollably. Everyday activities like picking up your baby and putting her down in her crib were now a work out in itself.  Don’t get me wrong it hurt…. but it was the good hurt, the hurt that makes you say, “Hell ya, I rocked that class and held my own”.

I got through the jab cross punches, lead leg snaps, upper cuts and donkey kong sit-ups… well not the donkey kong sit-ups … sadly that was the one thing that caused this blogger to collapse and yell “blogger down” in class.  My advice is pace yourself, and work at your own speed and comfort level, this is encouraged in the class, as no one wants an unnecessary injury.

Would I take the class again – Yes! It made me feel strong, confident and it really felt good to be in control of my body again. Lynn and Lori-Ann are amazing, do they scare me, YES but that is what you want in someone who is going to take your post baby body and turn it into a body that you love as much as your little one.

 New members are welcome so register here to join us next time! 

 

If you would like to showcase your fitness program or health services to our members please contact info.milton@momstown.ca
 

 

 This Blog was written by Jacqueline Bellmore- momstown Milton member and mother to an adorable baby girl.

Stay Cool this Summer with Milton Splash Pads!

Looking for ways to beat the heat and humidity this summer?  Why not check out one of the many cool and refreshing splash/spray pads in the Milton area? Here are some of our momstown Milton favourites! 

 

 

Beaty Neighbourhood Park - 670 Bennett Blvd.

Bristol District Park - 920 Kennedy Circle

Clarke Neighbourhood Park (South) - 1170 Laurier Ave.

Coates Neighbourhood Park (North) - 776 Philbrook Dr.

Dempsey Neighbourhood Park - 187 Dixon Rd.

Lions Sports Park - 77 Thompson Rd.

Optimist Park - 881 Savoline Blvd.

Scott Neighbourhood Park East - 143 Scott Blvd.

Rotary Park Spray Pad - 100 Garden Lane

NEW - Milton Community Park: Grand Opening Saturday July 27- 805 Santa Maria Blvd

momstown Milton hosts a park hop every Monday through the summer months. Moms and tots meet at a predetermined park each week that is posted on our events calendar to enjoy each other's company and participate in parachute circle time.

New members are welcome so register here to join us next time!  

All one year memberships purchased in 2013 will receive a BONUS Today's Parent magazine subscription for 12 months!

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

Is An Eye Exam On Your “Back to School” List?

Backpack… ✔  Lunch bag… ✔  New running shoes… ✔   Don’t forget the most important tool you can give your children this year – healthy vision!

1 in 6 children have a vision problem significant enough to impair their ability to learn.  80% of learning is visual, so if a child cannot see properly, they will not learn properly.  Vision problems affect literacy, and a child’s ability to copy, print, read, and track objects.  It also affects their ability to participate in play, the development of good hand-eye coordination and their self-esteem.   

Undiagnosed vision problems are one of the major causes of learning difficulties in school-age children. Unresolved eye issues can lead children to exhibit a lack of attention, make them seem fidgety during the school day and can often be misinterpreted as behavioural issues or learning disabilities. Monitoring your children's vision will help them succeed in the classroom!

Can you ALWAYS tell if a child is not seeing well?  NO!  Some children exhibit obvious signs like squinting, holding reading objects close to their face and rubbing their eyes but others show absolutely no signs at all.  You may believe that your child sees well, but in fact, they may not. 

Why take a chance? Your Optometrist can tell you for sure. 

For Junior Kindergarten (JK) students in the Halton Region, the Eye See…Eye Learn Program provides OHIP insured eye examinations and a FREE pair of prescription glasses (if necessary).  The program is funded by the Ontario Government to raise awareness among parents of the importance of having their children’s eyes checked before they start school. Milton Optometry is a proud supporter and participant in the Eye See, Eye Learn Program! 

Milton Optometry recommends that children have a comprehensive eye exam annually starting at 6 months of age.  Early identification of a problem is the key to successfully correcting a child’s vision.  Set your child up for success in the classroom and have a comprehensive eye exam done by an Optometrist today!

We welcome infants, toddlers and children of all ages to our family-friendly office!   Visit www.miltonoptometry.ca or phone 905-636-9500 to reserve an appointment for your family.

 

Le Soleil: momstown Milton French Tales for Tots sponsored by Scholastic Canada

On a bright and sunny Wednesday morning, the momstown Milton families gathered together for a delightful Contes pour les bouts d'choux - French Tales for Tots at Indigo Milton sponsored by Scholastic Canada. 

The sun outside could not have been more symbolic of the feature book: "Quel temps fait-il? Le Soleil by Christopher Hernandez. 

momstown Milton mama Sam Kassam-Macfie explained that the group was going to create their very own sun to take home. Unleashing their crafty selves, the group got busy working on their very own vibrant soleil (sun). Little hands, with the help of their families, enthusiastically pasted colourful rays to make a radiant sun of jaune (yellow) and orange. 

Once the pieces of tissue paper and paper plates had been made into soleil masterpieces, it was time to gather round in a circle for story time by Madame Liz. Summertime adventures delighted the group as they thought about being at the plage (beach), eating a crème glacée (ice cream), and making funny silhouettes (shadows) thanks to the rayons du soleil (sun’s rays).

After the story reading, we talked about handy essentials to have during été (summer) such as a chapeau (hat), écran de soleil (sunblock), sandailles (sandals), mailhot de bain (swim suit) and lunettes de soleil (sunglasses).

And then we had the group go on an exciting search through the kids section of Indigo Milton looking for items that are great for the summer.  Les enfants (the children) found amazingly fun items: un jouet de cible de tortue (turtle game), un jouet des boules (bubble set), un jouet de sable (sand toy set), un jouet pour le petit jardinier (toy set for the little gardener), and une balle (a ball).  

We then sang some of our favourite tunes en français (Alouette, Petit poisson) and also sang a new one in honour of the sun: “Si tu aimes le soleil” (If You Love The Sun, which was sung to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It.” )

The event ended on a very exciting note as we drew the name for the winner of the book. A very excited little girl smiled brightly as she clutched her brand new “Quel temps failt-il? Le soleil” book courtesy of Scholastic Canada. 

As always, new members are welcome so register here to join us next time!  All  one year memberships purchased in 2013 will receive a Today's Parent magazine subscription for 12 months!

 

Written by Liz Marques Kogan, a momstown Milton member and mother of two children. 
You can check out her site at: OrchidaWords.

Baby Basics Picasso's - Cactus Footprint Craft

Once a month at our momstown Milton Baby Basics Program we get a little messy creating keepsake Picasso masterpieces with our infants. This month our theme is the desert so cactuses were the first thing that crossed my mind. Typically the infants are the only ones who participate in the creations but not today - I decided to get the mamas involved as well. After all leading by example the best way to teach your child.

The moms were game and wasted no time painting their feet to get the project started. We worked in pairs so while one mom was painting her foot, the other mom would keep the babies occupied.

Once we worked our way through the assembly line we started bringing up the infants for their turn. Again working in pairs, each person helped to paint, stamp and wipe up the mess. We matched the "seasoned" moms with the newbies to help keep down the stress levels. Words of encouragement could be heard if the little ones began to cry. Remember that crying IS a normal reaction to something that is new and not to let it prevent you from introducing it again and again to familiarize!

After putting on some floral embellishments our little masterpieces were complete. The moms were so proud of how great they turned out and appreciated that BOTH their prints were incorporated in the final product. Some even chatted about how to go about getting them framed!

As always, new members are welcome so register here to join us next time!  All  one year memberships purchased in 2013 will receive a Today's Parent magazine subscription for 12 months!

Healthy Freeze Pop recipes to stay cool this summer

It has been a HOT summer so far!  With the temps rising, it's important to stay cool.  What better way than to have yummy freezer pops!

Here are some tasty treats and best of all they are all around 100 calories!

 

Watermelon-Blueberry Ice Pops

Makes: About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes

          

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups chopped seedless watermelon
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preparation

        

1.  Puree watermelon, lime juice and sugar to taste in a food processor or blender until smooth.

 2.  Divide blueberries among freezer-pop molds. Top with the watermelon mixture. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

 

Banana Pudding Pop

 

Makes: About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3-1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups diced bananas, (about 2 large)

Preparation

1. Whisk sugar to taste, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan. Add milk and whisk until combined. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
2. Put about half the pudding in a food processor or blender and add bananas. Process until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Stir the mixture back into the remaining pudding.
3. Divide the mixture among freezer-pop molds. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

Vanilla-Orange Freezer Pops


Makes:  About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time:  6 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Whisk orange juice, yogurt, sugar to taste and vanilla in a medium bowl.
2. Divide the mixture among freezer-pop molds. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

Chocolate-Raspberry Frozen Yogurt Pops

Makes:  About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time:  15 minutes
Total Time: 6 1/4hrs

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 2 cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, preferably Greek-style (see Note)
• 3-5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Puree raspberries, yogurt and sugar to taste in a food processor until smooth.
2. Divide the mixture among freezer-pop molds, stopping about 1 inch from the top. Evenly divide chocolate chips among the molds. Stir the chips into the raspberry mixture, stirring out any air pockets at the same time. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

Chunky Peach Popsicles

Makes:  12 popsicles, 2 ounces each
Active Time:  15 minutes
Total Time:  2 1/4 hours

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds ripe peaches, (3-4 medium), halved and pitted
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Coarsely chop peaches in a food processor. Transfer 1 cup of the chunky peaches to a medium bowl. Add lemon juice, orange juice and sugar to taste (depending on the sweetness of the peaches) to the food processor. Puree until smooth. Add to the bowl with the chunky peaches and stir in vanilla.
2. Divide the mixture among twelve 2-ounce or eight 3-ounce freezer-pop molds (or small paper cups). Freeze until beginning to set, about 1 hour. Insert frozen-treat sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 1 hour more.

Tip:  Dip the molds briefly in hot water before unmolding.

Check out some more yummy recipes from Eating Well.

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

Easy Desert Themed Kids Craft - Coyote at Sunset

We had a howling good time at our Picasso's in the Park this month. To keep with our momstown theme (The Desert) we decided to introduce the kids to a common desert animal - the Coyote!  Kids of all ages could participate in this simple yet engaging craft. Warning - be prepared to get messy!

Materials Required:

 

Red and Yellow Paint

Paint Brushes

Construction Paper cut outs - Coyote and the moon

Glue

What to Do:

 

1. Put globs of red and yellow paint sparingly onto a "heavy" paper.

Learning Aspect - Talk to your child about mixing colours and what colour will appear when red and yellow paints are mixed together.

Green Tip - save cereal boxes - open and cut along the seam. Turn over for a great inexpensive paint canvas!

Sensory - let kids use their hands to mix the paint instead of a brush.

2. Let paint dry and then glue on coyote and moon cut outs.

Complete the lesson with this:

The Animals In The Desert (Sung to: The Wheels On The Bus - courtesy of  Perfectly Preschooler )

Cuff hands and howl

 

The coyote in the desert howls Awwww, Awww, Awww
The coyote in the desert howls Awww, all night long

 

 

 

 

Did you know that we run a Picasso's in the Park all summer long and an Art & Play program once a month all year long? It's all included in your $45/year annual momstown membership!

CLICK HERE to join in on the fun and be a part of our Milton Community Group!

Enter to Win 1 My Little Pony Equestria Girls Doll!

Introducing My Little Pony Equestria Girls!  A magic mirror connects the world of My Little Pony to Canterlot High, where some things change, but true friendships remain magical! The mirror is a portal to a magical new land with high schools instead of castles, and where six pony friends become real girls with a love for fun and fashion. Rainbow Dash is sporty chic, Rarity shines with girly glamour, and Fluttershy dazzles in her own graceful style. Playful Pinkie Pie wears outfits fit for a party, while Twilight Sparkle shows off her smart style, and Applejack loves to look country chic.

Straight from the halls of Canterlot High, the My Little Pony Equestria Girls dolls are best friends with a flair for fashion and fun!  Each doll in the collection comes stylishly dressed in an ultra-chic look and features her signature ‘cutie splash,’ a unique design similar to the cutie marks on their pony alter egos.  Each doll sold separately.

Coming soon to DVD:  My Little Pony Equestria Girls movie on DVD August 6th at major retailers across Canada.

Keep checking the My Little Pony Equestria Girls website for upcoming information and fun activities.

ENTER HERE

 

 

By entering this Contest, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accept the terms and conditions below.

No purchase necessary. Contest closes August 6th, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec), who are of legal age. Limit one submitted entry per person/email address. Odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received online by the contest closing date.  One winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by August 10th, 2013.  Winner will not be able to select specific doll characters.

 © 2013 Hasbro. MY LITTLE PONY Equestria Girls is a registered trade-marks of Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.