Product Review: bugalug holds hair tight!

Kudos to bugalug for keeping my daughter's hair in 2 ponytails - all day long! A first ever!

Bugalug creates cute (and practical!) accessories for our lil' darlings like the Hip Clip no slip barrettes and bows, Pony Loop elastic bands, Hip Headbands, and Soother Saver clips.

Lauren loved her adjustable Hip Headband which is a soft fabric headband with an adjustable toggle to make it tight at her neck. She thought it was very 'fancy nancy' and wore it all day without it slipping out.

Even at 4 years old my daughter has very fine hair and I've found almost everything slips from her hair. When putting in ponytails, I was tripling up elastics & barrettes and still the ponys would be half out by lunchtime.

Drum roll..... not with the Bugalug Pony Loops! The ponytails stayed in and with only the pony loops! Plus - they are made with sweet colour co-ordinated buttons to pretty up the pony. What little girl doesn't love a little bit of frill?

We are Mom Entrepreneurs!!

Moms who balance work with family are pretty standard these days but we all know about the growing trend towards the "MOM ENTREPRENEUR". Moms who have decided to start their own gig, generally, in the hopes that the fruit of their labour will allow them the flexibility to stay home/spend more time with their kids.

momstown.ca was founded by mom entrepreneurs 2 years ago. I'm not sure we truly understood what it meant to be a mom entrepreneur at the time but I will guarantee you that we certainly live & breathe it today!

Now via our licensing opportunities, we're helping other moms become mom entrepreneurs by helping them open and own their very own momstown chapter! We're thrilled to be able to expand in a way that allows other women to benefit and create a role for themselves that they couldn't find in the standard corporate world.

If you're curious about mom entrepreneurs in general and see just how many are out there, it's worth a peak at the lists & lists of us on Savvy Mom right now on their SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur Contest. Each business is described and it's utterly inspiring to see all the variety of companies out there spawned by ambitious mamas.

momstown.ca is listed in the Mom Entrepreneur Contest and we would LOVE YOUR VOTE. As cheesy as this sounds, it's a popularity contest like Idol, and the more votes you get, the better your chances at winning. There's even a vote-o-meter to check out the progress (I think we could be in the running but we definitely don't have the most -- YET!). We need your help!

Please help us reach our goal. Winning this contest would give momstown additional national exposure and help us open more momstown chapters, faster, across the country. Don't you think there should be a momstown everywhere??

Vote here!!

HUGE thank-yous from all of us at momstown for taking the time (it takes just 1 minute) to support us.

Breastfeeding Doll: a good idea?

What do you think about your child strapping on a vest with plastic daisy flowers meant to be pretend nipples? Then bringing her battery operated doll to her chest and latching onto her flower nipples?

I'm not kidding, such a toy exists in Spain and it may be coming to North America. Check out the video here.


A newspaper reporter called momstown today to get our perspective on this toy and feedback's been varied as we've posted up the topic on some of our message boards. Anywhere from "it's creepy and obscene" to "a Breastfeeding doll counteracts all the play bottles out on the market".

My perspective just comes down to the basics of imaginary play. It's meant to be simple and pretend with room for the child to create the scene and the actions. My daughter has mimicked me while breastfeeding her younger brother - but all it took was a simple doll or stuffed animal put to her chest to pretend. No batteries. No fancy vest with flowery nipples.

The doll is meant to help promote healthy attitudes around breastfeeding - which I agree is an important cause as I am incredibly pro-breastfeeding. But, I think the best way to promote healthy perspectives with children is to have first person experiences with breastfeeding, be able to ask questions and witness mommy (or friend or aunt..) feeding her child.

One momstown poster had a great point - she mentioned that her children pretend to be pregnant by stuffing pillows in their shirts but she isn't about to go out and buy a special pregnancy pillow to help create the perfect illusion of an adult experience for her kids. She likened the breastfeeding doll to this example as explanation why this toy would never grace her household.

Making a natural (adult) experience into a contrived, artificial one geared for kids just doesn't sound like a learning opportunity to me, just a marketing one.

( Link to the published article)

waiting for the coin to drop...

"Coins go in your piggy bank, not in your mouth!"

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... and I've made sure coins are just not sitting around here. Well, my monkey did just that last night and swallowed a solid rogue nickel coin. A firm, round peice of metal is in the process of making its way through her body to hopefully back to the light very soon.

We had an x-ray at the emerge last night which confirmed the coin was in her tummy and not stuck anywhere - phew - and were told "it will pass".

Great...what am I doing while waiting? Feeding her tons of fruit smoothies, peaches & berries, whole grains and water - we need to encourage this sucker out of there! Then, picture this delightful task, after a BM in the baby potty to collect the evidence, it's mommy's job to sift through it with popsicle sticks searching for the foreign matter.

Today, mid-search, I threw up in the sink. Yes, did I mention, delightful?

On poop alert - will let you all know when I find it. I have been informed it will be the shiniest coin I've ever seen after being scrubbed up by the internal organs...

Yehaw.

PS: I know this is my 2nd poop post in a month and usually my life is not so focused on this crap (literally) but apparently, these days it is... apologies in advance if TMI...

And the Winner is...

April Norcross-Love...

You've won a momstown SIGG bottle from our momstown store!

Thanks to everyone who entered and don't forget to enter our contest and win a custom mural this month sponsored by MURAL MOM!

Product Review: Slow Melt Popsicles makes less sticky treats!

There's aren't many things that this mommy can describe using these words:

Yummy.
No Mess.

Brilliant.

Kudos to Popsicle for coming up with a solution that drives most moms crazy -- the dripping, sticky, oozing summer's day Popsicle. Now, the summer treat we all grew up with has been new & improved!

The smartie pants at Popsicle added gelatin to the recipe to avoid the melting mess and it really helps the Popsicle retain its shape and stay dripless, even in the 40 degree weather my family taste tested them in.

All I can say is Totally Brilliant. I didn't need to pull out countless wipes or hose down the deck! (insert happy dance here).

Since I knew there was gelatin I could tell the texture felt different but it wasn't unpleasant, but required a retraining about how a popsicle 'should' feel since I expected a popsicle to melt in my mouth and fall apart.

Our "momstown minds" panel of 50 momstown moms across all our chapters were given coupons to try the Slow Melt Popsicles and spent last week testing and chatting about the features and benefits online. The overall theme was both kids & moms loved them and would buy them again.

Our moms raved about the smaller size which was perfect for young kids and also for those concerned about empty calories and high sugar content. Good news is these frosty treats have real fruit juice (and high up on the ingredient list, not just for description!) and are only about 30 or 40 calories depending on the flavour. Almost feels like guilt-less!

Also noted were the cool gummies in the Ice Age popsicles and the great flavours. All the moms were happy about gelatin being the ingredient to prevent melting as some assumed it would be a chemical adjustment which they were not keen on.

With all the varied reviews, the only negatives we heard were a few murmurs about a short stick (which I didn't find a problem with my kids since their hands are small); that the Popsicles weren't as nutritious as homemade 100% juice popsicles (but that's comparing apples to oranges...) and about the lack of availability as these versions were not available in all stores yet (maybe the retailers aren't as convinced as our panel that these are truly perfecto!?).

My own kids (& me!) loved the flavourful 'Swirlwinds" and the fruitbased Minis as our favourites. My 20 month old son has learned a new word "Poppy-Sick-Acle" since we've been making our way through a variety of flavours to try 'em out to blog! They will definitely be on our shopping list in the future.

momstown minds gives the Slow Melt Popsicle the momstown approved stamp with 4 out of 5 momstown mamas.

seriously, 4 years old?

What is it with birthdays but they make me reflect and a little sad? Here I am today, wishing for time to stop, or at least, slow down some. I can not believe that 4 years ago, a mini 4 pound, 11 oz baby girl was placed in my arms and now this Saturday, that baby is going to turn 4 years old.

Oh so cliche I know, but where has the time passed? Our nephew turned one yesterday and I felt a lump in my throat as I cheered on his cake eating ability - wasn't my firstborn just eating her first cake? As I'm prepping for this weekend's birthday extravaganza, I've been trolling the past birthdays of my baby.

Her first birthday was simple, we had just moved to a new town and a new house just days before her official 1st birthday. I made a cake from a mix and decorated it with blueberries and bought some party hats. Ever so daintily, Lauren did not mash her cake but picked her berries off and licked icing from her fingers. With only our immediate close family it was fun as we watched our baby girl scoot around crawling and ripping open presents.

Lauren's 2nd birthday was bigger affair with a Dora themed backyard party. I borrowed one of those shaped cake pans from my neighbour, bought from Wilton cake decorating tips and settled in to do all that individual tip icing to form "Dora". I consider myself somewhat crafty but that darn cake almost killed me. 3 hours in (it was midnight by then and I was 7 mos pregnant) with melting icing and the realisation that you can't 'make' black by mixing colours (note: you have to buy the special colouring) I finally finished a Dora cake with grey hair. Who cared if she looked like a Dora's Grandma, I was done with the cake dammit!

Party day all the toddlers and parents were led on a Dora adventure around the yard with their little Backpacks and had a grand time. Those toddlers loved the cake but didn't notice the work or the grey hair. Key Learning - save the special cake for the grown up family party and give the kids the cupcakes.

By the 3rd birthday, I felt I was getting to learn a thing or two about birthday parties, also with my momstown experience had gotten better at being able to keep large groups of young kids entertained. Lauren chose a Ladybug theme which was a lot of fun to plan.

We made red capes (well, actually my mom sewed those) & antenna headbands for the kids to wear, decorated red tambourines with black stickers, played 'pin the dot on the ladybug' and held ladybug races. Another backyard party with pretty simple ideas to keep the kids happy - but we were overrun by kiddie ladybugs here which made it a smidgen crazy. Key learning #2 - keep it small.

Cake wise I had sworn off the fancy icing dots - no way was I trying that again. Instead baked a cake in a bowl, flipped it over and iced it red with blackberry jube-jubes. Easy-smeasy. Getting red food coloured icing out of clothes & tablecloth - not so easy but the cake was darn simple. Kids got their own ladybug cupcakes though - learned my lesson and kept the pretty cake for the adults.

This year, our soon to be four year old has a hankering for Fancy Nancy. with Key Learning #2, we're going smaller - so there are 4 little girls arriving (likely sans parents which makes it even easier I find) for a Fancy Nancy tea party. We've got the crafts & activities down already - crowns & butterflies to decorate & Fancy necklaces to bead. Food will be all 'tea party' food with their own teacups - oh how dignified.

But the cake ... I'm tempted to take on a challenge that I may regret more than the fancy icing Dora one. I've got the kids cupcakes baked & in the freezer and have tons of colourful candies to fancy them up with as the kids chose. Since it's a la Fancy Nancy... the cake feels like it should be taller (baked a 2 tier one already) and fancier than my standard goopy icing... so I'm toying with the idea of making and rolling fondant myself. I've been warned against it, and I might be swearing at myself on Friday night as I finish the cake but I'm gonna try it. My baby girl is worth a challenge, no?

Worse case scenario - there will always be cupcakes...

PS: I'll post a picture so you can see the final "masterpiece

Updated post:

1st try on the fondant I totally ruined it and burnt it - it said cook until "soft ball stage" - I thought that meant into something like playdough. um, well, it actually means when the syrup is dropped into cold water and forms a ball. So I let it boil forever and totally burnt it. No time that day to try fondant again, gave up after discouraging start.

2nd attempt - moved to basic white icing with my mixer. Made up 4 batches for my 2 tier cake, coloured it bright pink & purple. Brought it out of the fridge at 7pn the night before to ice the cake. It literally DRIPPED off. The humidity? Or maybe my crummy skills? Scraped the remaining icing off the cake and almost cried.

3rd attempt -- last minute ditch to Longos at 8pm to buy premade frosting - Thank God for Betty Crocker. Coloured it at home, iced well, stuck to my cake, and tasted yummy. Decorated with butterflies feathers & jellybeans. WILL post picture cuz if I do toot my own horn, it did turn out well ... finally.