Christmas Party

momstown Central Alberta did the last big event of 2010 with a bang at our Christmas Party last week!

We got crafty with some Christmas ornaments & picture frames, and enjoyed some snacks provided by some of our mamas and our friends at Rice Krispies.  Congratulations to Kayleigh B. who took home the fabulous Rice Krispies prize package!

The big highlight of course was a visit from Santa Claus!  We saw all sorts of reactions to jolly old St. Nick - but overall the kids were so excited to meet him.  He brought each kid a present to open and everyone had a chance for a quick visit and a picture with him.

We had a fantastic morning filled with wonder and made some warm holiday memories!  A big thank-you goes out to Twitchy Finger Photography for helping us capture all of our festive moments!

Join us in the New Year for more great events and help us make some new memories!

A Morning With Santa!

momstown kicked off our holiday celebrations on Friday with a Morning With Santa courtesy of Kelly Tibbets of Professional Mortgage Planners at Parkland Mall.  The idea was to teach our kids all about the true meaning of Christmas!

The kids each brought a gift for a child in need to be donated to the Christmas Bureau and a donation to the Food Bank and learned that giving to others can truly be as satisfying as receiving.  In exchange for their generosity, each child received a special star to hang on their Christmas trees and a certificate acknowledging their donations.

They then got to have their faces painted by June from Candy Faces

Decorate (and eat!) gingerbread cookies

Listen to stories read by Mrs. Claus

And of course spend some time with the big guy himself!

It was a heart warming morning - and the kids had so much fun learning all about giving to others at this special time of year!

Congratulations to all of our door prize winners:

• Shawna B - 1/2 Christmas Day Camp JDFT
• Melanie N - chocolate gift basket
• Jenn P - $50 gift card from Studio Pilates (donated by Dustin Henfrey of Remax Central Alberta Real Estate)
• Melissa R - $50 gift card from Parkland Mall
• Lani V - $50 gift card from Parkland Mall
• Tanya V - $50 gift card from The Bay
• Amanda A - 10 pass punch card from JDFT
• Arlene M - 1/2 Christmas Day Camp JDFT
• Erin S - 1/2 Christmas Day Camp JDFT
• Krista B - 10 pass punch card from JDFT
• Amanda L - set of nails (donated by Barbilicious)
• Robin T - $25 gift card & body lotions and lip gloss from Tangles Hair Salon

A Night Out!

The mamas of momstown Central Alberta took a night away from the kids last week at Hot Pot Studio!

We each got to pick one or two pieces to paint - and let our imaginations go wild!  Some of us created Christmas gifts for our kids or other family members and some of us enjoyed the time by creating something special for ourselves!

 What a great night away from it all!  Some good friends, a little wine & a lot of fun!

Wine, Cheese and a little help for The Girls!!

We had a great night out for the moms last night at The Bra Lounge!  We sipped wine, munched on some yummy treats, visited with friends - and did some shopping! 

Sheena and Cortney really know their stuff!  We learned that bra sizes do indeed rise above the traditional range of DD - and that this is in fact NORMAL and doesn't mean that you are some kind of mammoth creature.  They took the time with each of us to find the bra that was just right - and suited our individual needs and taste.

I loved the experience (its so refreshing to see what TRUE customer service looks like!) and will definitely be back!  I was too busy having fun to remember to take pictures, so you'll have to remember to use your imaginations!!

12 Days of Toopy!

momstown is thrilled to announce another fabulous contest compliments of Koba Entertainment! Looking for a great family gift this Christmas? How about a Family 4 Pack of Tickets to the January production Toopy and Binoo and the Marshmallow Moon in Red Deer?

Toopy and Binoo and the Marshmallow Moon brings to life these two fun-loving and adorable characters, whose antics are driven by their out-of-this-world imagination. Entertaining and whimsical, this family favorite incorporates music, theatre, dance, puppetry and innovative multimedia technology to weave a story that will tickle the imagination of the entire family.

Join us for some fun in the 12 Days of Toopy Contest.  Visit momstown Central Alberta daily for the next 12 days to find our Clue Word of the day.  Simply Click to Enter!

When you click on the clue a new email will be created.  Email us the clue word for that day in the subject line!  Enter once to per day and you might win this fabulous prize, just in time for Christmas!

PS - most of these clues will be EASY to find - but a few will be hidden inside the site in the member only sections.  If you haven't yet signed up for a free 2 week trial membership - you can do that now & gain full access to the site for 2 weeks.  If you have already enjoyed your free 2 week trial, what better time to purchase a membership and start enjoying all of the benefits momstown has to offer?

Contest ends: December 17th, 2010

November Winners!

Congratulations go out this month to:

Melanie N. - who won a 3 hour Jin Shin Jyutsu program for her, 3 friends & their kids from Energy Effects.

Mandy W. who won a fantastic gift pack from Lush at our Pampering Mama event - thanks for braving the bad winter roads to join us!

Mandy W. & Lisa I. saw a movie for free at our Moms Night Out at the Movies event this month courtesy of Galaxy Cinemas - we do this every month - so join us in December for your chance to win your way in!

A (Fun!) Trip to the Dentist

Despite the cold weather we had an excellent turn out for our Dental Happy Visit at Dr. McCue's Office with our very own Robin last week!

We started off with an information session.  The mamas learned about how to brush their child's teeth, how to floss properly and the importance of flossing baby teeth. We also learned about the purpose of baby teeth.

 All the kids got a ride in the dental chair - what a treat!  Some loved it so much they went for a second ride!  The older kids got to learn about all of the different dental tools as well.  Each child received a goody bag to take home with them.

Join us for future great events just like this - we're more than just a playgroup (but we're that too)!!

Girl Power!

We had our monthly meeting of our Get Fit Club today, and I left feeling so inspired by this strong, amazing group of women that I have become a part of!  We meet once a month to workout together, once a month to discuss our successes and failures and in the mean time we support each other and talk about how our goals are coming on our message board. 

This is not a competition (although we do challenge each other), its not a weight loss group (although that is a goal for some) and its not a whine & moan session (although that happens too - and its okay, because we're all going through the same things).  Its a group of women coming together to support each other in our own personal goals (whatever those might be) - and we have some amazing built in professional help since one of our members is Jo from Jo Dumont Fitness Training!

What struck me today, was the sheer power in the room when women come together with a common goal - to make our lives, and our families lives healthier.  We talked about what our successes, failures and challenges had been over the last month, what we wanted our goals to be over the coming month, and how we are going to make them happen.  We made suggestions for each other on how we can jump the hurdles we face, and yes, we complained a bit about our kids, husbands and lives as supermoms.  I left with the feeling that "I can do this!  I can make changes in my life that will lead me to be healthier and teach my children how to lead healthy lives!"  I think its amazing - I mean people pay big bucks to be involved in weight loss support groups, and here we have built our own little group of amazing women - and I think we are so much better!

You're invited to join us next month - or any month.  If you're not a member yet, sign up for your free trial membership - free participation in The Get Fit Club is only one of the many benefits you'll enjoy as a member!

Discover the True Meaning of Christmas

Join Kelly Tibbets of Professional Mortgage Planners, Candy Faces, momstown Central Alberta & Parkland Mall in our quest to teach our little ones all about the true meaning of Christmas.

Friday, December 1, 2010

Parkland Mall Food Court

9:30am - 12:00pm

 
In lieu of a gift exchange with their friends - the kids can bring a gift for a child in need to be donated to the Christmas Bureau and a donation to the Food Bank and learn that giving to others can truly be as satisfying as receiving.  The kids will then have a chance to have their faces painted, have story time with Mrs. Claus and of course have a visit with Santa Claus.  Each child will receive a gift bag to take home and mom will have the chance to enter in some great door prize draws from our sponsors:

•  Jo Dumont Fitness Training

The Christmas Bureau has the greatest need for toys for kids aged 10 - 16.  The Food Bank has requested canned fruit, canned meat, rice & pasta.  Drop boxes will be on hand for both organizations.

Give the Gift of Fun, Friendship & Support!

Do you have a mom of little ones on your Christmas List this year? 

Give her the gift that lasts all year with a momstown membership.  She'll get a full year of fun, friendship and support with full access to our 30+ member exclusive events each month, our 24/7 online message boards and our member only offers and discounts from local businesses.

momstown memberships make great gifts!  Just $45 per year, or $30 for 6 months.  Order your momstown Gift Certificate now and receive the actual certificate in the mail in time to give for Christmas this year.

Psst. already a momstown mama?  Pass this on to someone you love and they just might top up your membership for another year this Christmas!

There's something fishy going on around here!!

I received an email last week about a woman loading groceries and being approached by a creepy man in Red Deer, I just had a feeling about it - that it wasn't just another email scam.  The details were too real and specific to Red Deer.  I posted it up on our message boards to spread the word & increase awareness.  There has since been 2 more accounts of similar things happening to others posted up on our message boards.  So - its time to start spreading the word & making sure that as many people as possible are aware and on the lookout.

First Incident: (Anders) Woman was loading her groceries into the truck of her vehicle. A van pulled up beside her and opened the passenger side (rear) door. The woman noted that there was a blue handicap sign hanging from the mirror and she at first wondered why he was parked so close to her. She also noticed that he was looking around and might have seemed nervous. Her gut feeling told her that something wasn't right, so she went into the nearest store and told the clerks what was going on - when he noticed her in there talking to other people, he closed the door and left.

Second: (Rocky Mnt House) A woman was running stairs and she noticed a taxi (van) pull up next to her car, windows rolled down and door open. She said that this was in no way an innocent situation - and she had never been so scared in her life.

Third: (Downtown Safeway) Some girls were outside on their break and they saw a mini van pull up, windows down, door open, with the blue handicapp placard on the mirror. They noted that he was extremely nervous looking and watching all over the parking lot. He pulled up next to a woman who was loading up her groceries - one of the Safeway girls walked over so she could keep an eye on things - when he realized she was watching he moved on to the Scotia Bank parking lot. He did the same thing, opened the passenger side (rear) door and leaned back in his seat, this time talking on a phone. His licence plate was noted and the police were called - when he was questioned he said "he was trying to find somewhere quiet to do what he needed to do".

All three incidents happened in fairly busy parking lots, during the day. The van is said to be a SILVER CARAVAN with plate #:ZRS - 792. The man is described to be about 6ft, 200lbs, dark hair and wearing dark sun glasses. Please be careful and be aware of your surroundings, ladies!!


Please spread the word about this - awareness is the key to preventing someone from getting hurt by this creep.  BE CAREFUL and follow your instincts!!

Come on over to My House!

We celebrated all kinds of houses today at our My House/Your House craft theme party today.  Lynne from First Steps & Beyond came out to give us a hand with our craft and give us a taste of what they do in their Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten programs for 3 and 4 year olds.


We started off with a craft - the kids had a great time learning about shapes, and fitting them into their respective places on our 'house puzzles'.  Even the younger kids had fun - with some help from mom of course.

Then we enjoyed a snack and the older kids joined Lynne for a story and more learning about houses and shapes!

We ended the day with some playtime with the parachute.  Always a big hit - the kids had a blast playing under our 'house' and having a ride on top.

Join us next month for more crafty fun at our Christmas Party!  If you're looking for a fantastic pre-school program to keep your 3 or 4 year old busy, check out First Steps & Beyond Instructional Centre.  They're taking enrollment now!

October Winners!

Congratulations to all of our prize winners in October!

Jamie S & Erin L each won a Family 4 Pack of Tickets to see Caillou's Greatest Skate of All in Calgary in November.

Four lucky mamas were treated to a movie courtesy of Galaxy Cinemas - congratulations to Jamie S, Lisa I, Mandy W & Mel M.  Join us in November for our monthly Mom's Night Out at the Movies when two more lucky ladies will see another movie for FREE!

All the moms that came out this month to our Mom's Night Out/New Member Meetup had a chance to win two great door prizes.  Congratulations to Erin S who won a $25 gift certificate to Bo's Bar & Grill and Mandy W who won a free body wrap from It Works by Karlee Barr.

We gave away some more great prizes at our Halloween Party.  Congratulations to Jan S, who won Best Adult Costume and a $50 gift certificate to Original Joe's.  Congratulations also goes out to Jamie S, Robin P & Amanda L - winners of the door prizes courtesy for Discovery Toys by Jill Kohlman.

Bats, Spiders, Dragons & Witches - Oh My!

We celebrated Halloween yesterday with our Bats and Spiders Party.  Moms and tots alike dressed in their Halloween best to come out and celebrate with us.

We played with Discovery Toys, made a bat handprint craft, decorated pumpkins and made spooky Halloween shapes with playdough.

Followed of course by a fabulous potluck lunch!  If you haven't attended one of our potluck lunches yet - you really are missing out - these mamas have skills!!

 

Congratulations goes out to Jan, our Paper Bag Princess who won our Best Adult Costume contest and a $50 gift certificate to Original Joe's.  Also to Amanda, Robin P & Jamie winners of the Discovery Toys door prizes!

We don't need a holiday to have a theme party!!  At momstown we do them once a month!  Join us in November for Your House/My House sponsored by First Steps & Beyond.  If you're not yet a member, register now for your free 2 week trial!

What would you do?

If you found yourself in a confrontation that unexpectedly turned physical?  A situation where you needed to defend yourself?  Or worse...??

These are not situations that any mother likes to think about.  We like to focus on our nice little lives, and assume that it will never happen to us.  But it could, it can - and to some, it does.  Thinking about it, planning in your mind what you would do, and learning about how, when & where to strike someone - to defend yourself - and buy the time you need to find help can save your life.

These are the reasons that a group of us mamas took an introduction to self defense course this weekend.  We learned (first and foremost) about how to evade potentially bad situations - simple things like walking in groups, being aware of your surroundings & making eye contact with people as you walk by them.  We learned about the different levels of threat, and their appropriate responses.  We learned about the different areas of vulnerability on the body - everyone's body, regardless of their size or strength.  And we learned, and practiced where possible, some techniques for how to respond to threats and get yourself out of danger as quick as possible and with the least amount of force necessary.  Then we got to punch things :)

Not only was this an afternoon of learning some very valuable information - it was very empowering & alot of fun!! 

Join us for more events that will teach, inspire & entertain by registering for a Free Trial Membership with momstown Central Alberta!

Strike!!

momstown mamas and their little ones hit the lanes at Heritage Lanes last week for some Mom & Tot Bowling.

What a great time the kids had trying out this new activity!  The bumpers automatically raise and lower when it's the tot's turn to bowl (nifty!) and they even had some handy dandy ball ramps on hand for the really little bowlers among us!  We enjoyed hot dogs for lunch & an afternoon of great napping due to tired out kids!!

Heritage Lanes has Mom & Tot Bowling every Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings from 10 - 11am.  The cost is $5.00 per mom and kids 5 & under bowl for free.  For the month of October - you can find a coupon here that will let you bowl for FREE!!  

If you're not yet a member - join us for a free 2 week trial membership now!

Another month... more momstown winners!!

Congratulations to September's prize winners!


Jordana & Shawna were the lucky winners of a Family Pack of tickets to see The Wiggles live in Calgary & Edmonton in October.


Niki was the much deserved winner of the Grand Prize of Round 1 of our Get Fit Club.  She won $172 plus a fabulous spa package from Inner Radiance Day Spa.  Join us for Round 2 for another shot at some great prizes!


Susan won the Big Brother pool with her pick of Hayden to win!


Arianna took home a $25 gift card from Sobeys in our Park Hopping Playdates draw for September.

Fall Fun!!

Fall is in full swing here in Central Alberta, but we haven't let that slow us down!  We celebrated the arrival of Fall earlier in the month with a Fall Craft Party & Playdate.

We started out with a craft - first we traced the kids hands on brown construction paper for the trunk.

 

Then, we glued the trunk to a blue background, added some green grass & some red, yellow & orange leaves...

 

And, voila!  A beautiful fall tree to take home and enjoy!

All this work was followed up with a snack.  They're supposed to be pumpkin faces made out of rice cakes, orange cream cheese & rasins.  Some were rather creative interpretations however...

We finished up with storytime

And playtime - with the ever popular Rubbermaid bins topping the list of favourite toys.

We have a craft party with a different theme each month - so join us now for a free trial membership!

Fun with musical learning!

momstown had fun last week exploring our options for fall programming with some Kindermusik demo classes courtesy of Kindermusik Korner.

It was amazing to watch the kids enjoy the different activities and movements - all based on music.  You could just see the little imaginations flourishing as we hammered, swam, flew & even washed the laundry!

You can check out all that Kindermusik Korner has to offer this fall on the Red Deer look n book under performing arts - child.  Join momstown Central Alberta for more fun activities all month long by signing up for your free trial membership!

Farewell to the Summer that Wasn't....

at do you get when you combine Picasso's in the Park with a Potluck Lunch?  Picasso's & Potluck of course!  We celebrated our final Picasso's of the "Summer that Wasn't" in Rotary Park and mother nature finally smiled on us with some beautiful weather!

After the kids were finished with their masterpieces they enjoyed some time in the playground followed by a great potluck lunch in the sun!

A great way to end the season - but fall is not going to slow us down one bit!  Check out our September calendar to see all that we're doing this month!

Teddy Bear Stuffing

momstown tots had a great time this week at Candy Kingdom & Friends in Sylvan Lake creating their very own new furry friends! 

First they got to pick out their new friends - and what a choice!  There were so many cute new friends to choose from, we had a hard time deciding!  Then we stuffed them, gave them a heart and made a wish.  And of course, chose a fabulous out fit to dress our new friend in and gave them fitting names.  We also did some colouring & craft time and had a snack.

Teddy the Dog & Ribbit the Frog are such cute new additions to our family - my boys love them, and they have become the new 'must have' stuffies at bed time.  Candy Kingdom & Friends is a great place to hold your little one's next birthday party - it's definitely on the top of my son's list!!

Sad you missed out on the fun?  Don't be - we're doing it again in a few weeks!  Sign up now - and if you're not a momstown member, you can register for a free trial membership and join us!

And the winners are...

Congratulations to our winners for the month of August...

Jilene was the lucky winner of our August contest.  She'll get whipped into shape with a Modified Basic Training Course from Soldiers of Fitness Red Deer.

Niki won a Family Pack of 4 tickets to see Max & Ruby in Red Deer in September - it pays to enter every day!

Our Park Hopping Playdates winner for August was Jill.  She won a Pinotage Customized Facial & 3 Hours of Tanning from Headhunters Salon & Day Spa in Lacombe.  Come out for some fun in the park in September for a chance to win a $25 Sobey's Gift Certificate.

Cassandra was the lucky winner of a 5 Class Pass to Chair Tease Dance Studio at our event there in August.

4 lucky mamas got to see Eat, Pray, Love courtesy of Galaxy Cinemas - congrats to Angela, Mandy, Robin and Donna!  Join us this month for your chance at a free night out!

Fun on the Farm!!

What a great day we had out at The Jungle Farm on Tuesday!  The weather was perfect and the kids had a ton of fun spending the morning on the farm!

We started off the day playing on some of the farm's unique wooden play structures - the kids had a great time pretending to sail the 7 seas & go on an adventure by rail!  There was also a tricycle track for racing with each other.  The farm cats even came out for a visit!

We were then taken by hay ride to the 'other side' where there was a world of fun to explore!

 
A corn maze (some of the moms spent quite a bit of time in there!), a hay bale maze, a ball pit, jumping balls, farm animals and more play structures!  Cheryl from C.L. Photography was set up here to take some great fall themed pictures of our little ones - she did a wonderful job, and was so quick that the kids didn't even have time to complain about being pulled away from the fun for picture time!  We can't wait to see the finished product!

We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sun, just on time to be picked back up by Leona and her big red tractor and taken out to the Pumpkin Patch to pick our very own mini pumpkins to take home with us!

What a treat to pick our own pumpkins right off of the vine!  My little one was quite intrigued by these little round gourds!

We had a great day on the farm & look forward to returning next year!  If you're looking for a great place for family fun this fall - The Jungle Farm definitely fits the bill!  They're open until Thanksgiving on the weekends.

This is just one of the many fun things we've been up to lately at momstown Central Alberta!  Don't miss out on any of the things to come!  Join us now for a 2 week free trial membership.