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!

momstown Winnipeg's Halloween Boo Bash!

This past Saturday was our first annual momstown Winnipeg Boo Bash. Babies, toddlers, big kids, and even some parents dressed up in the very adorable and creative Halloween costumes.

 

It was a packed event, with close to 200 people in attendance. We had crafts, games, toys and an animal show! Not to mention loads of candy!

Steve from Prairie Exotics was there with a fabulous show! The kids got so see all sorts of reptiles. snakes, spiders and lizards! I even got the courage to touch the snake!

We also had an area set up from Melinda at Discovery Toys where the kids could play with toys! It kept them very busy!

There were some mystery boxes set up with some scary and gross stuff for the kids to touch and feel. They had to guess what was inside! And every family went home with a gift bag!

Of course we had prizes! Door prizes and awards for the best dressed parents and mom!

And what's a party without cake and candy. I put some fruit there to keep a healthier option available! :)

Winnipeg moms are very generous! We had a food drive collection for Winnipeg Harvest and the boxes available for our Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box collection event that is coming up.

These boxes were filled to the rim by the end of the day!

Not an empty box was left by the end of the event!

A special thanks to all our sponsors: Prairie Exotics, Melinda from Discovery Toys, Lindsay from Creative Photojournalism, Velma from Norwex, Jen and Erin from Tupperware, Penka from Arbonne, Cosette from Fit 4 Two Winnipeg East, Dana Baxter from Investor's Group, Purely Baby, Discovery Toys from Jen, and Sunflower Girls Boutique.

Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Laugh and Learn Puppy from Fisher Price

I was super excited when I received a package a few weeks back that had Fisher-Price right on the box. I knew instantly it was our Laugh and Learn Puppy. I immediately opened it and gave it to my 6 month old son.  I sort of assumed this toy would be for him as my 2 1/2 year old daughter has a ton of toys, and I actually thought she was past this stage.

Well was I wrong! My son looked at the toy and wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first. It was his first time seeing a toy that moved and talked. He has since warmed up to it but it was cute to see his initial reaction. You could see the wheels turning in his little head wondering how this toy moved on it's own.

My daughter on the other hand snagged the toy and hasn't given it back to her baby brother since. She dances with it and interacts with the puppy. This toy gets 2 thumbs up from my toddler!

I also had a chance to have some of our momstown mom's children play with the Laugh and Learn Puppy during our infant playdates. The toy was a hit with all the babies. I think this toy would be great for a baby over 9 months old. If it is their first time hearing a singing, moving animal then maybe turn it on far away from them. They may get a little startled at first. But in no time they will be moving along with the puppy. My son now giggles and laughs to the puppy.

If you want to win a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Puppy you can enter here. Good luck!

Pumpkin Carving

Last weekend some of us moms, dads and tots got together to carve pumpkins.

It was even one dad's first time carving a pumpkin! Look at this masterpiece he did. His is the cat. I don't believe he was a pumpkin carving virgin!!

The kids got side tracked and started to play and we set up some crafts for them, so not surprisingly us parents did most of the carving.

We tried to get the kids to pose with their pumpkins. It took a while....

Wait, one is still missing!

There she is! Quick before one of them runs!

This was the best group shot we could get before they escaped!

Never the less, we had a blast! I'm thinking a pumpkin carving contest may be in the works for next year, so mama's get practicing!

Kids Book Club - Scarecrows!

This month at our Kid's Book Club we headed to Chapters Polo and read Story County by Derek Anderson. Story County is a story about a farmer and his animals building their farm together, including a very pretty scarecrow! Read more about Story County on the momstown Book Review page.

 After story time we made a scarecrow craft. I'm not sure if something was in the water, but all the kids were super well behaved and did the entire craft on their own without mom's help. We were all in shock!

And let's not forget about the babies.....

We had lots of fun sipping on our Starbucks while the kids heard a story and played. Can't wait until we meet again in November!

Is Time Out a Waste of Your Time?

Discipline decisions are tough.  Every expert out there seems to have a somewhat different take on what method is best, and how it should be used.  Add to that the fact that what works on one child may not work on another, and it's easy to see why so many parents are uncertain about what what discipline strategies to use. 

momstown and Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, have partnered again to offer a free live training webinar session that will hopefully clear up some of the confusion.  In "Why Time Out is a Waste of Time!",  Amy has vowed to provide attendees with concrete discipline tools that we can use the next day and see results with, including one of the all-time “parent favourite” tools for stopping any power struggle in its tracks. 

The best part is that you don't have to hire a babysitter and leave the comfort of your home to participate. All you need is a computer with speakers and the internet.  You will be able to watch, listen and even interact with our host, Amy.  You will see a LIVE video image of Amy in the upper left corner of your monitor the whole time. As she talks with you, you'll watch her PowerPoint presentation that is packed with valuable information. She will stop to answer our questions about difficulties and needs when it comes to getting our kids to listen. You will even have the option to write in specific questions and she’ll address them, right there for you!

In order to attend, you just need to RSVP to http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown (due to limited space you MUST register on positive parenting) and then log on at your selected time to learn the proven strategies to get kids to listen without nagging, reminding or yelling.

There are two time slots to choose from, so you can sign up for the session that suits your schedule best:

Option One: Thursday, October 20th from 1:00 PM -2:00 PM Central

OR

Option Two: Monday, October 24th from 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM Central

Have a friend(s) that are not momstown members that you think could benefit from this training? Please invite them too! Just share this registration link http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown.