The Variety Heritage Adventure Park is now open and it's spectacular!

The Variety Heritage Adventure Park is a world class, one-of-a-kind adventure park whose play elements are based on the natural and human history of The Forks (and, by extension, Manitoba and Canada). Children and their families can see, touch and experience 6,000 years of Manitoba’s history through hands-on play, and on top of that, the adventure park and its play elements were designed to be accessible to children of all abilities. Access to the Variety Heritage Adventure Park is free, making this an affordable activity for all families! 

The adventure park features seven distinct play zones: The First Peoples, the Fur Trade, the Métis, the Settlers, the French Quarter, the "Iron Horse" and the Metropolis, each encompassing a distinct period in the region's history. Kids can climb on fort walls, take a slide out the back of a Red River cart, blow a train whistle and "row" a York boat. There a large musical instruments, an historic French streetscape, a tipi and a trading post. 

There is also a special river area featuring water spray pop-ups which operates from mid-June to September 3, which will be flooded and frozen in the winter to form a skating rink.  

What is great about this park is that it's a new and innovative way of getting kids interested in our history by combining learning and active play. momstown members be sure to check out the calendar. We've set up a few playdates at the park on August 12 and 26.

You can find out more information at http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/mb/forks/activ/papv-vhap.aspx.


All images are copyright to Parks Canada. Use of these photos without Parks Canada's permission is forbidden.

Playdates Around Town

What a week it's been. momstown Winnipeg is in full gear now and we've had lots of events over the last two weeks. This is just the start! We've had playdates, met up at the park, visited the Manitoba Museum, had a breakfast date at Cora's and went to cheer on the babies at Four on the Floor baby crawling races at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre.

Here's a look around town.......

Park Playdate at St. Vital Park

New Member meetup at Cora's. 13 moms came on out!

Toddlers came on over to wash their cars!

Playdate for the 0 to 12 month babies.

momstown moms meeting up at the mall.

Cheering on the babies crawling at Four on the Floor races at KP Mall.

Proud daddy of the fastest baby in Winnipeg!

 Moms are flocking to momstown. Word is getting out and the group is growing by the minute. Want to come on out and play with us? We have a 4 week trial going on until July 20! You can check out the interactive message board and join in on the fun events going on during your trial. Register here.

A Messy yet Fun Picasso's in the Park Event

momstown Winnipeg had our first playdate event this past weekend at Kildonan Park. How could our first event not be Picasso's in the Park. After all, it is a momstown standard! It was great to see so many families come on out. And we couldn't have lucked out more with the beautiful weather.

The kids had a blast getting messy. This month's theme is construction, so we had trucks or as my daughter calls them "mighty machines" there too for the kids to use as painting props.

It was great to see dad's come on out too.

I always love to see baby's getting messy too. What a cutie pie she is!

The kid's helped paint murals, and then made their own masterpieces to take home. We had a drying station for their masterpieces to dry off while they ate their picnics or played in the park.

We also made sure we had goodies for the kids, as well as juice and water to help cool off in the heat. And let's not forget the coffee for the parents courtesy of Tim Hortons. After all, momstown isn't just for the kiddies!

A special thanks to Lindsay Wollard from Creative Photojournalism for taking these amazing photos of the event. If you're looking for a photographer to take photos of your kids, check out her website to see her wonderful work.

We had a blast and we hope those of you who made it out did too. We have another Picasso in the Park scheduled in August for momstown members, so if you haven't signed up for your 4 week trial, please do so here and join us this summer at many more events just like this!

Wordless Wednesday - Nature's Playground

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!

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