Our new moment!

We have a proud moment to share as our new home page has officially launched! You can check it out at www.momstown.ca. We have more excited changes to come over the next couple of weeks to go right along with it, so keep your eye open for more exciting momstown moments!

momstown kids aren't couch potatoes!

Have you heard? Kids between ages 1-5 need at least 2 hours of exercise daily. Reported in the Toronto Star, Healthy Kids Canada says less than half of Canadian wee ones are getting that!

One thing I know, momstown kids are amoung the half that are active! Couch potatoes they are not!

momstown parents are keen on getting up and out of the house - both for kiddo and mama benefits. We're busy planning over 25+ events monthly in each of our 16 regional chapters meant to expand and explore social, cognitive, creative and physical behaviours.

momstown kids are busy running around at parks, playgrounds, indoor playgrounds, farms and conservation areas. We're exploring places on foot, bikes and strollers. We're movin' & grovin' in music classes, yoga days and "B is for Ball playdates!".

Isn't the way to raise a healthy, active kid to walk the talk? Our momstown mamas are also hustling on walks, in running groups, and at trial fitness classes. Monkey see, monkey do - right? An active parent reinforces an active kid.

I'm proud to know momstown is not raising couch potatoes and we're encouraging and enabling active Canadian families!

Learning limits with STOP!

How to make a 2 year old STOP on his Tonka bike? Make him buy into the idea.

My almost 2.5 year old loves his Tonka 2 wheeler with training wheels but he's a madman and wouldn't stop within his set riding limits. We live a friendly safe court where I wanted him (and me!) to feel confident enough with him to go around the court (6 houses) all within perfect viewing from my driveway and back.

Except, he never stopped at the 6th house to turn around.

Then I would be chasing. Which meant yelling STOP! DANGER! Which meant trouble and we'd have to come inside. Lots of tears. And it happened every time.

How to make him buy in? We made stop signs.

Literally a 5 minute art project. I cut out 2 octagons with construction paper and gave each kid one to colour. We taped wooden spoons to the back (sticks would make more sense if you had them) and VOILA - a stop sign to stick into the ground!

Proud as punch he stuck his signs in the beginning and end of the "track" and now he understands his limits!!

Now, we all enjoy that Tonka bike so much more!

lost in laundry!

I am lost in a sea of laundry!

I used to like this chore as it seemed easy. Ah ha, that was life BTK (Before Three Kids!).

In this house we have a newborn with explosive diapers, a truck-loving 2 year old with dirty worn out pant knees, and a very artistic 4 year old who thinks her body is the canvas. We create a lot of laundry. Mix in 2 adults who regularly get spit up on and you can see the mountains I'm referring too.

For good measure, throw in a case of the stomach flu last week and let's move the laundry meter to Overload! I know all you mamas can relate - laundry is a vicious cycle!

My mom tells me I need a laundry routine and instead of waiting for 'laundry day' I need to wash a couple of loads of day. This theory sounds reasonable. I look at the baskets every single morning and think about getting them downstairs. I always seem to have a newborn in my arms so I take a mental note to run back upstairs after I get her settled safely somewhere. Well, you probably know the drill - I never seem to get back up!

If I do manage to get a load into the washer, ahhh it's still there at the end of the day - a forgotten wet & now stinky load of laundry that never got into the dryer.

If by magic it did get to the dryer, the folding is the part I actually get done because I can do it on the floor along with the animals in the zoo. But put away in bedrooms????

My new mantra: who needs dresser drawers when we have laundry baskets?!!

If you have a great laundry secret - please share so can all benefit! Because the faster I get this laundry done, well, the more time I have... to clean the bathroom. ugh.

Introducing... our new girls!

Pssstttt..... here's a secret (sorta)! momstown is changing its look and adding some cool new elements! SOON!

For fun, we thought we'd introduce you to some of your new momstown icon friends. Have a look and then give us your guesses about what they represent. FILL our comment section up and chat it up! We know what these pics mean to us, but would love your comments - serious or silly!!

1.)2.)3.)4.)5.)
Talk & comment (below!) amongst yourselves! ;-)

Product review: Thought Provoking Thought Spots

I have many days that I could use a cheerleader. It would be nice to have a bouncing reminder to pick myself up, stay focused and give me a pat on the back.

As all moms know, we are our own cheerleader and motivator. We stick up sweet pictures on our fridge or desk to remind us of wonderful moments and those images can bring on a smile or encouragement. But leave it to a mom entrepreneur to develop that idea into a broader motivational package.
Called life tools to motivate, inspire, teach, praise and share Thought Spot sticky and reusable reminders are meant to be literally stuck on mirrored surfaces as positive encouragement. You stick these graphic messages up in your home with the plan to notice them and have them help develop your thoughts. It might sound a little bizarre but the visual reminder does work!

There are thoughts for everyone - adults, parents, big & little kids. I liked the Positive Parenting package with messages like "Practise being patient" and "Remember - this too shall pass" and the all important "Take three deep breaths before reacting". The 'Create a Smile' thought pack has messages meant to help encourage and support others.

We had fun with these at our house (the kids liked the basic "Make some Bubbles. Wash your hands" thought).

The only downside is the lack of stickability to non-mirrored surfaces - as I had a million places I wanted to stick them but not a million mirrors.

Easter antics with the Burtons

It's Easter Sunday and like many houses we have some bunnies with serious sugar highs hopping around!In effort to introduce our kids to more than just the Easter Bunny we headed off to church this morning. Getting 3 kids (and ourselves) looking somewhat presentable in time to get to the 9:30am service was a challenge.

Even crazier, we headed off UN-caffeinated.

The 2 big kids headed out to the van with Daddy while I searched for pants that actually fit. While outside Daddy scooped this sweet picture above. In those same 5 minutes, Lauren's white tights found mud & grass stains that I guess are unavoidable when you're all decked out in a brand new dress. Andrew (surprisingly) stayed clean.

As we pulled into the church hubby & I high-fived ourselves for arriving 10 minutes early. Whoo Hoo, they said it couldn't be done and we were early!

Guess what? The Easter service was changed to 9am. So classic.

In the chapel Megan fussed so came out of her carseat. Then spit up all over my dry-clean only shirt. Another high-five. Of course I should known better than to wear such an item, I'm not a rookie but I guess I was hoping today might be lucky or something.

I look beside in the pew and my 4 yr old daughter has her Easter crinoline pulled up to her shoulders and has her hand down the back of the grass-stained tights. Apparently she put her undies on backwards (claims it's backwards day) and declares (loudly) that she has a wedgie. Lovely church talk.

Back home, the Easter Bunny had held off the chocolate egg hunt until after church to avoid sugar puke in the chapel. Smart move because once all the eggs were found they ate all their findings in one sitting despite the "just one more" requests.

Maybe we should have removed the good clothes before the chocolate hands...but we were routing around for some coffee at this point.

One thing that was perfect though - the whole morning. Despite any ups & downs and mini crisis's a sense of humour keeps just about anything in check. Almost.

For the biggest chuckle we're gonna try to roast a turkey. Well, tomorrow now. It's still rock hard frozen. Back-up plan of spaghetti for Easter dinner doesn't sound half bad anyways.

From our busy household to yours, Happy Easter!