Crafty Mamas in Red Deer: Homemade Advent Calendar

The crafty Mamas of momstown Central Alberta got their craft on making their own Advent Calendars!

Such a fun project!
What you need
a 24 cup mini muffin tin
scrapbook paper
card stock
magnets
glue
embellishments - stamps stickers, accents, brads, really anything you can find!

1. Cut squares in your card stock to cover the muffin holes.
2. Make your squares pretty with scrapbook papers, stamps stickers and any embellishments you want

3. add small magnets to the back of your embellished squared so the papers stay in place

4. Fill your calendar! You can use small toys, messages, or my favourite CHOCOLATE!!

Such a fun project that can be re-done every year!

Junior Chef: Baking Bread Rolls with Kids

At momstown Central Alberta's monthly Junior Chef Program, moms and their kids got busy baking bread rolls!!

Recipe for Bread Rolls - Makes 16
(taken from Usborne Books Farmyard Tales Children's Cookbook)
4 1/4 cups of wheat flour or strong while bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise dried yeast
1 cup 2 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of butter
1 egg ( we used 2)
preheat oven to 425 F

We started the process at home before the event to save time, because the dough does need time to rise.

1. Shake the flour and salt through a sieve into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and yeast, then make a hollow in the middle.

2. Put the milk and butter in a pan and heat it very gently until the butter had just melted. Take the pan off the heat
3. Pour the mild mixture into the hollow in the flour. Stir until it is all mixed and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.

4. Sprinkle some flour onto a clean, dry work surface, Knead the dough by pushing it away from you with both hands.
5.  Fold the dough in half and turn it around, then push it away from you again. Fold and turn it then push the dough away again.
6. Knead the dough until it is smooth and stretchy. Dip a paper towel in oil, then rub it inside a bowl. Place dough in the bowl

7. Cover the bowl with plastic food wrap. Leave in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until the dough has risen to twice its size
8.Knead the dough again for about 1 minute to burst any large bubbles of air in it. Divide the Dough into 16 pieces

9. Roll each piece of dough to make a "sausage" about 10 inches long. Tie each one into a knot and put it on a greased baking sheet

10. Turn on the oven. Rub the plastic wrap with oil, then over the rolls. Put back into a warn place for ten minutes.
11.Beat the egg(s) in a small bowl then take the plastic wrap off the tolls. Brush each roll with some of the beaten egg(s). You can sprinkle Poppy or Sesame Seeds onto the rolls after brushing them with egg.

10. Turn on the oven. Rub the plastic wrap with oil, then over the rolls. Put back into a warn place for ten minutes.
11.Beat the egg(s) in a small bowl then take the plastic wrap off the tolls. Brush each roll with some of the beaten egg(s). You can sprinkle Poppy or Sesame Seeds onto the rolls after brushing them with egg.
12. Bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes, leave then on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then leave them to cool on a wire rack.

We had Parmesan cheese and Cinnamon Sugar to sprinkle on our rolls like they were baked in the mall at a pretzel shop. Yummy!!

Little Scientists : Slime Fun

Want an easy, tactile experiment for your preschooler to try out?
momstown Central Alberta met this morning for our Little Scientist Program and the kids and moms made "FLUBBER" or "GAK" or "OOBLECK"or just plain SLIME! It has many names, but what it certainly is if FUN!

Super easy to make, and not expensive and even though it looks really messy, it is a snap to clean up! HONEST!

What you need is
Borax
Glue - we used School glue, washable and non toxic! But you can use others
Water
Food coloring (totally optional, but does increase the mess factor)
Mixing Bowl
Small Bowl or cup

First you empty a bottle of glue into the mixing bowl.

(We used a 4 ox bottle but most recipes call for 8 oz. Just makes more!)
Fill the empty glue bottle with warm water, replace lid and shake!
Add this water to glue, and Start stirring!

Then take a 1/2 teaspoon of Borax to a 1/4 cup of warm water and stir.
Slowly add the borax and water mix to the glue and watch what happens!!

After stirring for a while it is time to get your hands dirty! Don't worry if there is leftover water in the bowl. The more you work the "Slime" the better it will get to play with.

Want to save your experiment for later? Just place your "Slime" in a sealed plastic bag for later play!

Want to know the Science behind this playtime? It is all about Polymers*! The mixture of Glue with Borax and water produces a putty-like material called a polymer. In simplest terms, a polymer is a long chain of molecule. (SOURCE*)

How a new baby affects your Family Dynamics

This is my fourth pregnancy, and at the end of each of my pregnancies, I get a little nostalgic about how much our family will change with the addition of the new little person into our lives.

OK maybe Nostalgic isn't the right word. GUILT. That is a good word.  When my water broke last September, I hugged my 2 girls and thought, this is the last time I am the mom of two girls!! And was almost in tears...pregnancy hormones right??

I feel guilty about our littlest little girl no longer being the littlest, thinking is this fair to them? How jealous will they be? Will I ever have enough time to give them the attention I was able to give my first, who was the ONLY for 6.5 years!!

Of course this feeling has left very soon after the arrival of each baby, and I cannot imagine our lives without them... but at the same time, here is it again. I look at our youngest daughter and I think just how much this baby could rock her world! She didn't get very much time to be "the baby" in the house... and all of a sudden she is VERY CLINGY, and I am worried!! In 5 or so weeks (or less!) she will no longer be the youngest...

I know this will pass. I know when we finally get to meet this baby, all will be fine. BUSY, but fine.

With all the complications that this pregnancy has presented, this has not been a easy pregnancy. Now I am just trying to enjoy the last weeks of being the mom to three beautiful Daughters, and prepare to become the mom of 4 children.

Tales for Tots: Crafts and Storytime for Preschoolers

momstown Central Alberta had a wonderful morning at Chapters Red Deer with our Monthly program Tales for Tots! It is a great program for moms and kids as it combines story time and crafts, two things all kids love!

Of course having a train table set up to play with is also a big hit at this event! 

This month our theme was ALPHABET SOUP!

We had a wonderful book supplied by Scholastic Canada called I Spy Little Letters!

 

The the kids got to work on creating their own bowl of Alphabet Soup!

Each month one of our members wins a copy of the book of the month sponsored by Scholastic Canada.

Our Member Ainsley was the lucky winner of this great book!

momstown Fall conference 2012: WOW!

Since I became the owner of the momstown Central Alberta Chapter in August 2011, I have been lucky to attend 2 amazing conferences. The conference this past weekend was to be my third. I didn't get there. Not because I didn't want to be there, and certainly not because I thought I didn't need to be there!!

Nope I was "grounded" by my doctor. Given strict orders not to leave the province. It is getting close to the "no fly zone" in terms to how many weeks pregnant I am, but also because of some complications that are starting to appear at the end of this Pregnancy. It just wasn't a good idea to travel that far right now, on a plane!

I have never felt so out of the loop, and this is BEFORE the conference started. I knew all that I was missing. The camaraderie, the learning, the team work, the bonding, and did I mention the LEARNING?

My amazing team did their best to keep me IN THE LOOP! Via Skype and Twitter I was still apart of the team! It was amazing! We are all independent business women, running our business, and they could have left me in the dark. Not their problem I couldn't be there. They have their own businesses to work on. But not the momstown team. We are a force for a reason!! They skyped me in, made sure I could hear, engaged with me on twitter, sent me the files I needed and the power point presentations I needed to see.

If I had to pick what was the one thing I leaned this weekend? It would be that momstown is the largest mom focused Event and Media Company in Canada. What else? I own the largest Event and Media Company in Central Alberta!

So no I didn't get to experience the Fern Resort first had, which I know is amazing because I had so many of my team tell me why! I didn't get to ride in a swanky new Honda, and no I didn't get to have all the fun team building that was done at the bonfire, at the casino, over a board game and in the Dining room, but I was there!

Thank you to the best team I have ever had the privilege of working with!!

And I know I never want to miss another momstown conference.!

Max and Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite in Red Deer!!

This mom was fortunate enough to take her kids to see the Red Deer Production of Max & Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite.

A momstown Central Alberta family was also lucky enough to win tickets to the show!

My two oldest girls were so excited about going, they had planned their outfits ahead of time! My two year old also insisted that her outfit required a tiara for the occasion!

I was excited to share a production of a show they have both enjoyed, my nine year having seen a Max & Ruby Show about 5 years ago. Our family was ready to get into the Christmas spirit with Max and Ruby, this time with the Nutcracker theme, a ballet and story I have always loved.

I was a bit concerned how they would deal with the story of the Nutcracker, and would they be able to make it so that my two year old enjoyed it, and they did a marvelous Job! So much dancing and songs from the Nutcracker suite was included, but not too long and done is a fun way. All through out the theatre there were kids in the aisles dancing along! Even to the Ballet!

My three kids were enthralled with the music and dancing, even my 14 month old! She was sitting in the aisle dancing along with the music as well.

The end was a perfect fit, with the audience able to sing Christmas Carols with the cast!
We definitely left in the Christmas spirit!!

Art and Play: Alphabet Soup crafts for Preschoolers

momstown Central Alberta had a great time with our monthly theme of Alphabet Soup at our monthly Art & Play program!

The kids had a choice of 2 Alphabet Crafts

 L is for Lion

and Z is for Zebra

Some of the kids needed mom's help with the cutting, but most did it themselves. 

Cutting with scissors is an important skill kids need to learn for Kindergarten.

Once we had finished our Alphabet Crafts the momstown kids got to work on an Alphabet Puzzle. This is where we worked on letter recognition even more, 

plus a giant floor puzzle is always tonnes of fun!

Then it was time for our Circle time, where we read our Monthly Scholastic book I Spy Letters . This book is given away at our Tales for Tots event this month, sign up if you haven't already! We meet next Wednesday!!

The kids loved the pictures and looking for the objects as I (momstown Mama Tanya) read the story. the of course the kids loved to sing the Alphabet song!!

With all that activity it was already time to clean up and head home!

Join us next month at our Art & Play event when our theme is O is for Ornaments

Kids Activities in Red Deer in November

Looking for things to do with your kids this November in Red Deer and Central Alberta??

momstown Central Alberta - we have over 20 events every month for Moms, Dad and kids!! This November join us for crafts, cooking, playing, singing and of course lots of learning!!

Heritage Ranch new Winter Nights Lights Sleigh Tour

13196 Lights and Counting 

Starts November 15th, 2012
Rides begin at 4 pm Daily

Tickets: $29 per Adult
             $12 per Child
              $2 per Toddler
Nov 15 to 30th... $2 from every ride goes to Shalom Counselling

Festival Lights the Night - November 17th
Kick off the Christmas season with a Santa Claus parade, children’s activities, entertainment, hot chocolate, and the lighting of festival’s biggest Christmas tree.
A Festival of Trees free family event.

    Date: Saturday, November 17th, 2012 
    Time: 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
    Location: City Hall Park & Downtown Red Deer
                    *Free parking in Soresen Station Parkade

Santa Clause Parade - November 17th

 
Fairy Tale Family Ball - November 18th
Calling all Princesses, Princes, Kings and Queens!
You are hereby invited to a royal ball!
All princesses, princes, kings and queens are invited to wear their royal gowns and suits to the ball.
Upon arrival, each prince and princess will be adorned with a crown and jewels and will take home a special piece from the royal treasury.  At the ball you will be welcomed by a royal princess, dine on a delectable array of hors d'oeuvres (that's royal for light snacks and punch).  Twirl on the dance floor with fellow royalty (friends, moms and dads), capture this special day with a keep sake photo.

Festival of Trees - Westerner Park - Stockmens & Prairie Pavilions

Whether you are looking for activities for the entire family or for something to do with that someone special, the Red Deer Festival of Trees is a great kick off to the Christmas Season!
The events during Festival hours include - Children's activities in Candy Cane Lane, shopping at the Festival Gift Shop & Santa's Secret Shoppe, over 70 Decorated Christmas Trees and lots of non-stop Entertainment

Public Festival Hours:
     Friday, November 23, 2012
     10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
     Saturday, November 24, 2012
     10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
     Sunday, November 25, 2012
     10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Santa Arrives at Parkland Mall  - Saturday November 24th
Come and help to welcome Santa back to Parkland Mall! On Saturday, November 24th Santa will be making his grand entrance and parading around the mall from 10:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.


Lacombe Light up the Night November 29 - December 1st
November 29th  Events include A visit from Santa, Gingerbread House Silent Auction, Tree lighting Ceremony and so much more!
November 30th - Events include lumenight and a Christmas farmer's Market
December 1st events include the FCSS Kids Christmas Party, Polar Express Movie Showings, and the Fireman's Christmas ball

A Morning with Santa - November 30th
Again momstown Central Alberta is partnering with Parkland Mall to collect food for the food bank and collect toys for the Christmas bureau. 
This event is in conjunction with the Stuff a Bus Campaign at the mall.
With your generous donation, we have a limited amount of coupons for free pictures with Santa. As well this year we have the extra treat of a limited number of $5 off breakfast or lunch from A&W, but only for November 30th!
So plan to be there to hang out with Santa and Mrs. Claus, make a craft, face painting with Candy Faces and more!

Innisfail Historic Village Christmas at the Village - November 30th
November 30 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm - Innisfail Historic Village

Remembrance Day: Explaining to Kids

Mom look at the Flowers!
This is what my 2 year old says every time she sees someone wearing a Poppy.
She gets extra excited to see Daddy wearing his poppy!

How do you talk to your kids about why everyone is wearing the Red Flowers? With my oldest, who is 9, we speak of our families history in the World Wars.

I had a friend whose birthday was November 11th, and her parents told her it was in honor of her birthday, cute, but not the right sentiment.

A great way to start the conversation is with this great Preschooler Craft P is for Poppy

We have this great book at our house, called A Poppy is to Remember by Heather Patterson and Ron Lightburn. My Oldest loves to read, and wants to be a teacher, so this year she decided she would be the teacher to her younger sisters about those red flowers!

She made our 2 year old repeat over and over A POPPY IS TO REMEMBER...
What discussions do you have?

Alphabet Play: Early Literacy for Kids

At momstown Central Alberta's monthly Alphabet Play program at Chapters Red Deer,  kids and their moms start to recognize letters. their sounds and this builds the foundation for early literacy skills!  

This month we focused on the letter G. 

G is for Gorilla.  

Our event started with our reader from Chapters asking the kids what they knew about Gorillas, what noises they made and how to act like a gorilla! 

 

Then it was time for the very fun book Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann! 

The kids loved all the animals in the story and loved acting like gorillas, and making Gorilla noises!!

He did a fantastic job getting the kids involved with the story!  

The kids then thought of other things that start with the letter G. G is a hard one!

The kids then got down to the business of creating our craft, making a Gorilla out of the Letter G!

For this and other Alphabet crafts Check out our momstown Arts & Craft Blog

momstown Burlington discovered I is for Iguana

momstown Mississauga discovered P is for Poppy

Join momstown Central Alberta at Chapters next month!

Help a Central Alberta Family

Help needed! And really good food available!

Some of you might have seen the article on October 23, 2012 in the Red Deer Advocate explaining the tragic situation for a parent of in our member Mandy's school community.

The father has been diagnosed with cancer and has no medical coverage.
The family is in need and the Latino community is putting on a fundraiser at St. Patrick's School to help pay for his treatment.
All families are welcome to purchase traditional Pupusas for only $2.00 each or a donation.

What is a Pupusa? Wikipedia states
A pupusa (Spanish pronunciation: [puˈpusa], from Pipil pupusaw) is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick, handmade corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz, a maize flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) that is usually filled with a blend of the following:

• cheese (queso) (usually a soft cheese called Quesillo found in all Central America)
• cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency (called chicharrón, not to be confused with fried pork rind, which is also known as chicharrón in some other countries)
• refried beans (frijoles refritos), or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America).

Come and join the community and support this family in need.
Preorders are welcome and they will deliver to your house if you like.
When: Saturday, November 10, 2012
Place : Gym at St. Patrick's School
Time: 10:00 to 4:00 p.m.
For more information, pre-orders or delivery (for a minimum of $20.00)
Please call Selvin (403) 392-2801 or Roxana (403) 872-6148.

Halloween Party Sponsored by Fisher-Price

momstown Central Alberta was so excited to share our Halloween party with Parkland mall and all of the moms, Dads and Kids of Central Alberta!

Parkland Mall graciously hosted the moms, dads and kids of Central Alberta in a huge area where we had three different crafts set up, a Huge Fisher-Price Toy area for all the kids to play,

a Monster Truck Bouncer,

tattoos courtesy of CST Consultants 

and a Family Pack of Tickets to give away to Max and Ruby from Paul Johnson of Combined Insurance!

I loved seeing all of the costumes, and loved the families who came as a "team" costume!

We were also so fortunate to have Nicole from Nicole Wade Photography on hand taking many photos of our event. Her pictures will be posted very soon!

Thank you to every who came out to our party! You made it a great Success!!