Zombie Moms

With baby's delivery expected to come any day, sleepless nights are becoming the norm. Moms out there know what I mean. The uncomfortable stage where you can't find the right spot, tired of always having to sleep on your left side (with the occasional shift to the right for a change of scenery). And let's not forget about pee breaks. I'm lucky if it's only once a night, but usually it's two to three trips to the washroom. Trying to walk there with my eyes close so I can quickly fall back asleep. Then there are baby kicks that keep you from sleeping, and lastly the anxiousness of waiting for baby to come.

Add to this my daughter, who at the week of turning two, seemed to get the memo of the 'terrible twos!" Who sent this to her? Lately my two year old hasn't been sleeping well. She was a perfect sleeper. Even when we first moved her to her big girl bed she had no issues. We've had lots of changes and I think she knows something is up.... baby is coming! Her naps have shortened and bedtime is a disaster right now. Her 7:30 pm bedtime has suddenly become 10:00 pm! Every time you tuck her in and walk away you hear little feet running to the door a minute later crying for mommy! Back to sleep training all over again!

Here's my daughter fighting nap time. Let her cry it out and we found her asleep on the floor!

Zombie Daughter! Lack of sleep is affecting her, but she still fights it.

Now I'm a work-at-home mom. So nap times and evenings are when I get my work done.  Cutting into my work time means I've been up extra late trying to get all my work done. It's not unusual for me to go to bed at 2:00 am anymore. I'm lucky if I get five hours of sleep a night. I've become a Zombie Mom! Wait until baby two comes!

The occasional day I do take off of work, I lie in bed tossing and turning. My body is so use to staying up late. What do I do? I'm not the kind of girl that has the glass of warm milk and reads a book. I'll admit, I check my emails, log on to momstown's message board to see 'what's up' and 'who's up with me', and check facebook and twitter. But facebook is pretty 'dead' at night. I usually rely on momstown 'cause there is so much to read and respond to on the message board, and there is bound to be another mom or two logged on while I am. It helps me not feel like I'm the only person awake in the entire city right now! Many of us have late night feedings and need someone to talk to while we're up in the middle of the night.

Now if you're not lucky enough to have a momstown in your community, check out twitter. Yes, I know not a lot of moms have bought into twitter yet. It's not just about following celebrities. I have connected with lots of moms from around the world. Try it out! I recently discovered a hash tag #zombiemoms. Those that don't know what this means, a hash tag is a way to follow a conversation on twitter. #zombiemoms was started by moms who were up a lot at night, either feeding baby or dealing with sick kiddies, etc. If they can't sleep or need some company they check out who's on twitter at night by following the hash tag. The topic of conversation usually revolves around how tired we are the next day. And we joke about surviving with such lack of sleep. It's my favourite new hash tag to follow. So if you are on twitter, check it out and join in on the conversation!

So next time you're up late at night, find me! I'll probably be up too. Either on the momstown message board, twitter, facebook or writing another blog post!

Wordless Wednesday - Prepping for Labour with a Pedi

Rice Krispies "Imagine & Make' Spring Contest

Want to win a $5,000 family getaway? Here's a simple contest that is fun to do with your kids. If you can imagine it, you can make it with Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal.  So go ahead, get creative with your kids and make a spring inspired treat using Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal and a sprinkle of imagination.

Don't worry if you're not a pro, they are looking for colourful, creative and fun treats that are perfect for making with a little helper.

There are lots of prizes including a grand prize of a $5,000 family getaway to the destination of your choice!  Also, the first 25 entries get a Rice Krispies prize pack.

If you were to win, were would you go? I'm thinking a trip to Disney World would be our family getaway of choice! Here's to hoping! 

Enter to win!

So check out the contest page of momstown.ca to see how to enter this fun contest! Your kids will love playing with the sticky Rice Krispies.

A Boring Mama

I'd like to think that I was a pretty fun mom with my daughter. I had her signed up in activities since she was 6 weeks old, and went to lots of playdates and events with my momstown Burlington mamas. But this last stretch of pregnancy has got me tired. We had a big move back home to Winnipeg. So lots of my attention went to packing boxes. Bella enjoyed attempting to tape boxes while I packed but I'm sure a playdate would have been much more fun. And now with this pregnancy, I'm getting more and more tired as the weeks go by. I'm at that heavy whale stage! And I feel like I'm now this boring mom.

Fun me took my daughter to the park! Snow, snow melt away.

One of our many play dates!

Is this the beginning? I know the heavy stage will pass once baby is born. But then will come late night feedings and the exhaustion of running after two kids. Will this 'boring mom' stage continue? I sit and watch her play. I sometimes lay on the couch watching her play. And her new line has now been "mommy tired, mommy sleepy." Walks are non existent right now.... waiting for the snow to melt but am I just making excuses for myself? Playdates have drastically been reduced, as well as visits to drop in centers. I don't even take her to the malls for a walk right now. And I love to shop. This was our thing to do on those rainy days! The thought of carrying her and lugging the stroller all by myself sounds exhausting enough. And grocery shopping! I can't lift her in and out of the carts any more. So now I send my dear husband to the store with a list or wait for him to come with us. My daughter must be going insane! I know I am!

Fun mom took Bella for walks in the park.

Fun mom did crafts with Bella on a daily basis. Between 9 and 10 was craft time. 

I did sign her up for her first gymnastics class next month. But with baby due any day, I know it will be daddy joining her in class for the first while. I'm a little sad that it won't be me sharing that experience with her. I'm nervous that my attention will focus on this new little boy and I'll unintentionally ignore my baby girl. So moms of 2 (or more), what's the secret? How can I make sure she won't get ignored and how can I work on being that fun mom again?

Here's to hoping this boring mom stage will disappear along with the snow. I know that momstown.ca was a great kick in the butt to get out there and socialize when I was feeling down. So I can't wait to start up momstown Winnipeg and get out there and meet other moms. It's the kick in the butt I need!

Wordless Wednesday - Playmates Before Birth

My Growing Family

Welcome to momstown Winnipeg! I'm excited to start this new venture and bring to Winnipeg a fantastic resource that was truly a life saver for this mama. I'm not only growing my family with a new bundle of joy expected to arrive any day, but I'm growing my family with other moms and their families across Winnipeg!

When my husband was transferred to Toronto for work, I was mixed with emotions. Our daughter was only six months old and we were going to be leaving behind all the family support. But I was excited in some ways because there was so much to see and do in the 'Big City'! When we were looking for a house, we stumbled upon Burlington. It was a beautiful town far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Toronto, was right on the lake, had a small town feeling but with the big city amenities. It was perfect. But I was bored and lonely. I didn't know anyone, and I was at home alone with my daughter while my husband worked long hours. So I Googled 'mom groups' and stumbled upon momstown!

I quickly joined with my two week free trial and tried to make it out to as many events as I could. I was hooked! I met so many wonderful moms and my daughter made so many friends. Our schedule was jam packed and I didn't have to spend a fortune. In the year and a half that I lived in Burlington I met so many wonderful moms, made great connections with other mompreneurs through momstown and learned so much more about motherhood and the challenges that we all go through. Not to mention all the great craft ideas and activities that were introduced to me.

But with baby #2 on the way, and the crazy commute my husband had, we decided it was time to move back home. I was so excited at first. See all my family and friends again! This is great. But the closer moving day came, the sadder I got. I couldn't figure out why at first. This was a decision we both made and I was so sure it was the right decision. But then it hit me. I was sad to leave all these wonderful friends I made. And I was having so much fun there! Winnipeg is a great city but I remember being so bored when I was on maternity leave. I went to a few activities in Winnipeg, but it cost a fortune! None of my friends we're off work, so who was I going to hang out with during the days?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Winnipeg just needed a momstown. A place were neighbourhood moms can connect. I'm doing this not only for my own sanity, but for the hundreds of other moms out there that just want to get out there and meet other moms, and get out of their house with their kiddies without spending a fortune. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, on maternity leave or work full-time, there will be activities throughout the week, during evenings and weekends. Not to mention the message board! Need advice on how to handle going back to work, or where to find daycare? Post it on the board. Want to sell your crib, or need to borrow a play pen for the weekend? Post it on the board! You would be surprised how many moms out there would love to help you out! After all, they've been there too.

These are just some of the great things that you'll see when you join momstown. So stay tuned as I get ready to launch momstown in Winnipeg. Our website is in the works, and I'm busy planning some great events while trying to juggle becoming a mother of two! Check back often as I will announce in the coming months some great projects, and details of our launch party. Hope to see you there!

Looking forward to meeting you!

Your Winnipeg momstown mama!
Ester

Welcome Ester to momstown!

We've got one heck of a leader in Winnipeg who's bringing momstown to neighbourhood moms! Ester Raftis is launching momstown into a brand new province and has more excitement for this venture than I can describe.

Ester is not just prepping to deliver momstown to the moms of Manitoba but also to give birth in a few weeks to a new baby boy! Very excited to follow along on Ester's journey into mom of two and as a momstown mama! The whole momstown team from Ontario & Alberta are here cheering for you!