Hi! I'm new here...

Let me introduce myself...

I am Tanya, your new momstown mama for Central Alberta. I am the mom of 2 gorgeous girls, and our family is expecting a new little one at the beginning of September, so apparently I am looking to be very busy!

My husband is Paul, aka momstown papa, and he will be posting on here occasionally to give his unique perspective on life in Central Alberta.

I attended my first momstown moms night out last week at East Side Mario's and met a few of you there, and if we weren't formally introduced, I was the very pregnant lady! ha ha. I also attended my first park hopping playdates and met a couple of the ladies there as well. Small turnout, but it was holiday Monday, I hope to see many more of you next week at the Blackfalds Spray Park!

My goal in August is to get the hang of things with LOTS of help from Alison, as well as meet as many of the momstown moms and families as I can. I can't promise that I will remember your names though... but I will get better!

I am also busy working on our 4th birthday party! I am so excited about what we have in store for all the moms and families in Central Alberta that day! We have face painting from Candy Faces, bouncy house from Big Bounce Inflatables, cupcakes from Yummy Custom Cakes, a demo class from Kindermusic Korner and Jo Dumont Fitness Training. Suzanne from First Blush Photography will be wandering around taking pictures of your little ones having a blast, which you can later purchase from an online gallery if you choose. Joanne from Bold Beauty will also be set up with a Little Fingers Little Toes for any little girls who would like their nails done!

I look forward to seeing you around town!

June Winners!

We gave away lots of cool stuff in June as usual!

Congratulations to Michelle L. who won our monthly contest - an 8 week Mamacise session and a Mommy Motion 10 pass from City Motion!

Natasha H. took home the "My Fair Lady" gift basket from our event at Lush in the Bower Mall.

Robin P. & Leslie got to see The Bridesmaids on us this month at our Mom's Night Out at the Movies monthly event.

Ashley C. won a copy of Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord courtesy of Scholastic Canada at our Construction Party.

Niki B. won our Father's Day message board contest by telling us what a great Dad her husband is!  She'll be able to treat him to dinner at The Wok Box with a $25 Gift Certificate.

Megan L. & Tara K. each took home a $25 Gift Certificate to The Toad & Turtle at our Mom's Night Out for June.

Don't forget to check the momstown Contest blog regularily - there are always great new contests being posted up.  Don't miss your chance to win!!

Happy Birthday Canada!

We gathered in the park yesterday for our second annual Canada Day Potluck Picnic.

The sun was shining, and the Poplar Fuzz was flying - but the kids still had a blast running around, playing at the playground and burning off tons of energy!  The food was amazing - as per usual at a momstown potluck!

Happy Birthday Canada - enjoy the long weekend with your families & soak up the sun while it shines!

This one's for the boys!

What does every little boy love?  Trucks!  Construction vehicles - or anything that makes noise and is big to be exact.  We celebrated all things construction at our monthly craft party this month - and gave the boys a chance to shine.  They each brought their favourite trucks - and had some fun being boys!

Then we got crafty with some popsicle sticks and playdough.  Building... whatever!  We ended up coming home with a porcupine and a picture frame - gotta love the creativity of a 5 year old, and the funny faces he makes when he's told to 'smile'!

We then had some more free-play time - where my 5 year old once again got creative with the puzzle mats.

Congratulations to Ashley C. who took home a copy of Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord courtesy of Scholastic Canada!  We'll be giving away a new book each month as a part of momstown.ca's focus on early literacy!  Join us next month for Fun at the Beach!

Picasso's In The Park

We hit the park last week for our first Picasso's In The Park of 2011.  After being rained out on our first try for this ever popular event - we hit it just right with a fantastic sunny day!

The kids donned their spiffy paint smocks - and we let them lose with the finger paints.  What better place than outside - where they can really get in there and make a mess?

Then we hit the park for some playtime for the kids!  A great morning of fun in the sun - bring on summer!

We'll be doing this once a month through the summer (and as far into the fall as the weather holds out) - so make sure your membership is active so you can join in the fun!  If you're not yet a member - register now for your two week free trial period!

Cookin' up a storm!

We did just that this past weekend at our first ever Big Cook event here at momstown Central Alberta.  What's a Big Cook you ask?  It's just that - a few of us got together and assembled a TON of food to stock up our freezers with pre-made food.

We each took care of the preparation for one recipe ahead of time, and came with everything pre-chopped and ready to go.  Here's what 18 Lbs of cooked ground beef looks like... all ready to go for our Lazy Man's Lasagna!

Then we gathered together to assemble our meals.

A great meal is perfected with a great bottle of wine, and the perfect addition to the big cook was the Generation Seven Wine provided compliments of Chateau des Charmes.  Kristin took home the door prize - a bottle of red, and a bottle of white - congratulations!

At the end of the afternoon we each had 12 meals to take home to our freezers.  We sat down and enjoyed another glass of wine knowing that next time the mad "what are we having for supper?" hour was upon us - we would have the answer!!

We'll be doing this one again for sure!  Make sure you join us and keep your eye on the calendar!

Wanna get pampered?

Lush in the Bower Mall is the place to be!  The momstown mamas were treated to a night out to be pampered last week, and they loved every minute!!

 

We were treated to facials and foot & hand treatments - all using their fabulous product line which are all made by hand and smell fantastic!

Congratulations to Natasha H. who won the door prize, a My Fair Lady gift package!  Lucky girl!

Check out our event calendar - and join us for our next great Mom's Night Out!

Bullfrogs & Butterflies

This month, our theme party at momstown Central Alberta was all about bullfrogs and butterflies!  We even had two beautiful butterflies flutter in just to join in the fun!

We made some cute butterfly crafts out of coffee filters.  Check the momstown Arts & Crafts Blog for how to instructions.

Then we had some tasty treats - yum!

And the kids played and got creative with the puzzle mats while the moms visited.

Our craft party for June is all about construction - so bring your little ones down for some fun, and a chance to win a copy of Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord courtesy of Scholastic Canada!

Moving Mountains

I've seen mountains being moved this week by an amazing group of women... mostly moms of young kids!  It's been an amazing thing to be a part of.

Our fellow momstown mama Jo Dumont and her team at Jo Dumont Fitness Training have done an amazing job with their Slave Lake Needs Everything Donation Drive!  JDFT is a very small business with a staff of only 5... yet they literally moved mountains this week!  Mountains of clothing & supplies... but still, mountains!!  Jo, Shelley and their team deserve some huge props for turning their gym into a warehouse for a whole week - and coordinating all aide efforts from all of Central Alberta!!  Even much larger businesses with far more resources & contacts in the community brought their contributions to JDFT - and the ladies there didn't even blink.  They just worked harder, rallied the community and got it done.  Other than some support from a few local radio stations - there has been a big lack of media coverage for this huge accomplishment.  So I'm just doing my part to put it out there - well done ladies!!  You are rockstars!

I've also seen lots of other momstown mamas working tirelessly this week!!  Big shouts go out to Jordana (serously lady - you and your family are hardcore!), Brenda, Tina, Robin, Cassi, Jill, Niki, Sheri, Sannah, Amy, Jenn, Melanie and all of the others that I might not have crossed paths with.  Some brought their kids in with them to teach them firsthand that helping others in need is SO rewarding!

They're headed up to Athabasca this morning with a whopping 5 semi-trucks FULL of donations - that have all been sorted and boxed up in their small gym.  Thank-you Jo for teaching us all what stepping up truly looks like!!  You are amazing!

Infant & Child First Aid & CPR Seminar with St. John Ambulance

We're doing it again!  Just for momstown!  We're pleased to announce round two of the Infant & Child CPR Sessions by St. John Ambulance, the leader in nation-wide CPR and First Aid training provides a brief 90 minute session on what you need to know to save your child’s life.

Do you know what to do if your infant or child is choking? Not breathing? Maybe you have your First Aid certification from years ago and need a refresher? Knowing the basics in an emergency can save a life.

Our workshop is led by an instructor from St. John Ambulance – Canada’s standard for excellence in first aid and CPR services. Our instructor will cover infant and child CPR, choking and prevention.

And guess what?  The best part of this offering is that its FREE.  That's right, all momstown members can attend these session at no charge.

Not a momstown member?  No worries!  Register now for a free trial membership and join us at our sessions.

Need more inspiration to join and take this workshop?  Read about a fellow momstown mama's experience highlighting the importance of learning the basics.

Park Hopping Playdates!

We welcomed spring to Central Alberta this week with the kickoff to our weekly Park Hopping Playdates!

The fog burned off just in time, and we took over the playground at Kin Canyon for some fun in the sun with bubbles - and of course, lots of fun in the playground.

I'm pretty sure my 2 year old went down the slide at least 25 times... and I had to drag him out of there!

We'll be meeting up at a different park in the Red Deer area each week through the spring, summer and as far into the fall as the weather holds up.  We'll be incorporating different themes every other week - including our ever popular Picasso's In The Park.  Check out our event calendar for details - and join the fun!

momstown Membership Madness!

momstown Membership Madness!  momstown.ca is celebrating Mother days with a free GIFT to our mamas!! From May 1st to May 10th momstown is offering a "gift" with purchase or renewal of membership.    Spend $45 for our membership and receive exclusive discounts from our fabulous partners valued over $150*!!  Click Here to Purchase!  You'll receive discounts from Mabel's Labels, Name Your Tune, Gingerbread Monkeys and Photobook Canada... just to name a few!    Happy Shopping!! momstown is now offering even more events, discounts, and interactive features than ever!  We offer over 25 local events, a 24/7 message board to get answers to your parenting questions from local neighbourhood moms like you and exclusive member privileges. * Offer valid with a purchase of a new (or renewal) 12 membership and expires May 10, 2011.

Be The Change...

"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~ Gandhi

No one does this better than my friend Jo.  She is changing the world one woman at a time as she helps accomplish things they never thought they could.

When I was just in the beginning phases of setting up momstown Central Alberta back in 2009, I got an email from Shannon at Jo Dumont Fitness Training inquiring about advertising options.  I was so excited to have my first REAL business contact, and set up a meeting to go in and meet with Shannon and Jo.  I was really excited to show them what my business could offer, and although I didn't yet have one single member - they believed in me from the start.  I left that meeting feeling so amazed at what they had put together in their tiny space - I felt a real feeling of community from the first time I set foot there.

Since that day, Jo has evolved from being a business acquaintance to being my trainer and best of all, my friend!  I think most of her members would call her a friend, because that's how you are treated the minute you walk into JDFT.  My kids are at home at JDFT and have made many friends there as well - and they are learning about healthy living and being active.  Something I wish I had learned about much earlier in life!

Jo's been given the opportunity to win $25,000 to not only improve her life & JDFT, but the lives of so many other Central Albertan women.  Please watch this video and then like the page and the video to help her get one step closer to her dream!

momstown Gets Active with Get Fit!!

The ladies of the momstown Central Alberta Get Fit Club have decided to tour the town... we're taking Get Fit on the road and checking out what Red Deer has to offer!  There's more than one way to stay active - and Red Deer has some great options!!

This month we tried our hand at Skyball at The Collicut Centre.  It's a cross between Basketball & Volleyball played on trampolines.  We may not be world class athletes - but we sure did have a great time playing our mini-tournament!  There was a little trash talk, and a whole lot of fun!!

We'll be doing this one again for sure!  Congratulations to Mandy & various partners who came out victorious!  Join us at our next meeting of Get Fit to get in on the fun.

A Mother's Day gift for YOU from momstown Central Alberta!

Our Mother's Day gift for you!! Take advantage of these great local deals & pamper yourself for Mother's Day - or pass them on to whoever should be pampering you!  Click Here to view our time limited offers!

A big thanks to our fantastic sponsors!

Also - stay tuned to our Neighbourhood News coming out on May 1st for another great gift from momstown!  Membership Madness!  Subscribe now to stay in the loop!

Happy Easter!

We celebrated Easter with all of our momstown friends with an Easter Potluck & Craft Party rolled into one!

The kids had a blast building & decorating their very own Easter Baskets.

Then they dyed eggs to fill them up with!

Followed by an awesome potluck lunch courtesy of all of the momstown mamas!

 

And - even though it snowed the day before... The Easter Bunny didn't disappoint!  He hid some eggs right in the snow for the kids to find on their way home!

We hope you have a very Happy Easter celebrating with the ones you love!  Don't forget to check our Arts & Craft Blog for some great Easter crafts to keep the kids busy after the egg hunt is over!