Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Collection Celebration

Last week was the National Collection week for the Operation Christmas Child boxes. momstown Winnipeg mom's got together to fill and decorate their boxes. The kids all enjoyed going out to shop for items to fill up their shoe boxes. It taught them all a great lesson of giving.

The enjoyed decorating the boxes just as much. And just like most of our craft events mom usually jumps in to help out. But we loved it and had a blast. And to top it off we had Christmas music playing and some treats to nibble on.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in this great cause! We had a very good response. As a result of our momstown mom's generosity, 18 kids will be blessed with a gift they otherwise would have never received! What a great way to start the Holidays with the true spirit of this Christmas Season!


A special thanks to our member, Penka Thompson, for putting together this great event!

Winnipeg Harvest Food Drive

At our Boo Bash last month, momstown mom's in Winnipeg had a food drive collection. Our moms are very giving and so were ecstatic about the opportunity to give to those in need.

I had the opportunity to go down to Winnipeg Harvest to drop off the food and met a great team of workers and volunteers. I even brought my son with me, as it's never to early to teach him about giving. I am happy to report that we collected 153.2 pounds of food!

Our mom group has lots of plans to continue this through out the year, from food drives, sponsoring families for the Christmas Hampers, Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Drive, and more to come.

A special thanks to our new Community Manager, Marla for setting up this food drive for us!

Are You A Horse?

November at momstown was the Wild West. I brought out my plaid shirts and did a lot of yee ha's! My daughter is now a pro at galloping like a horse too. At our Kids Book Club at Chapters Polo we read Are You a Horse? by Andy Rash courtesy of our partners Scholastic Canada.

Are You A Horse? is about a cowboy named Roy who got a saddle for his birthday. But he has no horse. So he's on the hunt to find a horse so he can enjoy the ride!  It was a funny book with a great twist at the end.

After we read our book, we had craft time of course! The kids gathered around and made sheriff badges. A simply craft for all age groups.

 And what's a visit to Chapter's without some playtime! Somebody might be getting that penguin for Christmas!!!

Join us in December as we read Porcupine in a Pine Tree written by Helene Becker.

Infant Massage

A while back our momstown moms were given the opportunity to have a private infant massage class by Christine at A Votre Sante. A few of us moms gathered with our babies to learn some basic massage strokes that will help our baby relax. We also learned how to massage our babies to help relieve them from common problems like colic, gas and constipation.

Christine not only showed us these basic moves, but went over the benefits of massaging your child on a regular basis. Benefits such us relieving colic and gas, strengthening their immune system and heightening their motor and intellectual development. It is a fun, relaxing and safe way to bond with your child.

Parents can learn the gentle art of safe nurturing touch in an intimate setting, offered in five one-hour classes of five consecutive weeks. For more details on A Votre Sante or on their infant massage classes you can visit their website at http://avotresanteinc.com. The next Infant Massage class starts March 2012. Contact them directly for more details on this wonderful course.

Thanks again to A Votre Sante for hosting this event for our momstown moms!

Enjoying My New Toshiba Tablet

Last weekend I attended the momstown National Conference in Burlington, Ontario. We had a weekend packed with training, brainstorming, strategic planning and loads of fun! We had a ton of fabulous sponsors, one being Toshiba. They sent us four Toshiba Tablets to play with through out the weekend.

As I was using the tablet I quickly realized how helpful it would be in my everyday work. I could bring it to client meetings to show them our interactive momstown website, display our site or photo slide shows at trade shows, and bring it where ever I go so I can be more productive at work. Perfect for this mama, who is big on social media sites like facebook, twitter and the momstown Winnipeg message board. And the entertainment is an added bonus!

Checking out the Kids CBC website with my daughter.

I was fortunate to be voted by my peers to win one of the tablets at the conference. I've been playing with my new tablet ever since. My husband and daughter have been enjoying it too. It's easy to use and light and compact.

My daughter loves touching the screen.

What I love best about the tablet is the ease of typing. The keyboard is the right size. The colour and graphics are sharp and the touch is just right. Not too sensitive to the touch. I also really like the grip on the back, which is perfect for not slipping off the table easily when those little hands get a hold of the tablet.

Want one of your own? You can enter here to win your very own Toshiba Tablet from our momstown contests blog!